Words and Photos by Stephanie Cameron
On a spontaneous camping trip to the Davis Mountains, I was drawn over and over to Marfa. The windswept town in Far West Texas is well known as an arts hub, thanks in no small part to The Chinati Foundation, a fort–turned–art compound founded by artist and longtime Marfa resident Donald Judd. Prada Marfa, a sculpture / fake Prada boutique on the roadside on the way into town, is a star attraction. Small as it is, Marfa is spotted with galleries, retail shops, restaurants, and bars, and I found plenty to do on day trips from my campsite. If you don’t want to venture into the wilderness of Far West Texas, there are abundant lodging options, including lots of hyper-modern hotels along with eclectic Airbnb offerings, but if you have had El Cosmico on your bucket list, that will have to wait. As of July 1, the Airstream park’s original location is permanently closed, to be reborn sometime in 2027. Art may be the primary draw, but there are also many great food options in Marfa, including the James Beard–nominated Bordo and Cochineal and the infamous Marfa Burrito. Three of my favorite spots, however, put spirits first.
Marfa Spirit Co.
The story of sotol’s revival begins in Mexico, but the plant grows on both sides of the border, and love for the spirit is growing. Enter Marfa Spirit Co. and its sotol-based spirits. Both their distillery and tasting room are housed in the old Godbold Feed Mill, which has operated in some form for more than a hundred years. The Marfa Spirit team harvests sotol plants from ranches around Marfa to distill into several sotol spirits, including an elk pechuga with elk from their hunt. In addition to their spirits, they make a line of liqueurs with orange and grapefruit. I highly recommend sampling a sotol flight to find your favorite. Mine was the Chihuahuan Desert Sotol, a collaboration with Jacobo Jacquez, a sixth-generation sotol producer (and University of New Mexico grad!) based in Janos, Chihuahua.
Planet Marfa
Planet Marfa is a quirky outdoor bar open every day at 1 pm, weather permitting. The venue is foremost a bar, but they also have a small food menu with panini, pizzas, and free peanuts. The large patio is chill during the day and becomes a weekend evening gathering spot for music fans. The space has multiple environments, including a game room, a wigwam with an underground Ping-Pong table, and a bird’s-eye outlook accessed by a spiral staircase right next to the bar. The cocktail menu is simple, with a choose-your-spirit, choose-your-cocktail-style concept, and my bartender made a lovely paloma with mezcal.
Cactus Liquors
If you prefer your beverages to go, don’t miss Cactus Liquors, a delightful locally owned store with an excellent selection of mezcals and tequilas, which make great Marfa souvenirs. They carry big-name brands of most spirits but primarily work on showcasing smaller, lesser-known makers and regional players. Originally a gas station, this pink-and-green space is also filled with native desert plants, showy annuals, vegetables, flowers, and garden supplies. Saturdays, they host food pop-ups and a farm stand. So on your way out of town, grab an ocotillo, some local veggies, and a bottle of rare mezcal with which to remember Marfa.
Stephanie Cameron was raised in Albuquerque and earned a degree in fine arts at the University of New Mexico. She is the art director, head photographer, recipe tester, marketing guru, publisher, and owner of edible New Mexico and The Bite.
