Physically this desert town sits at the edge of Texas, but metaphysically it’s on a whole ‘nother plane. The vibe of Terlingua is unexplainable, mixing the weirdness of Austin, the art culture of Marfa and great abandon of the Chihuahuan Desert to form an amazing place to disappear from the rest of the world.
Culture
Driving into town you’ll likely wonder, “Where am I and why do people live here?” So to learn more about the history of town, visit the Terlingua Cemetery. Though it just looks like a bunch of old graves and wooden crosses, it tells the story of the once booming mercury mining town. You’ll even seen the graves from the 1918 flu epidemic that wiped out a huge percentage of the population.
Join the locals and enjoy a beer on “The Porch” in front of the Terlingua Trading Company. Besides being the town hangout spot, inside this shop you’ll also find a ton of products as eclectic as the town, itself. We’re talking roadrunner statues, wedding skeleton figurines and more!
Food
The must-stop is the Starlight Theater — which used to be just four adobe walls with nothing but the stars as the ceiling (hence the name…) Though it now has a roof, it’s still a rockin’ place to spend your evening enjoying handmade unique dishes like grilled quail, chicken fried wild boar and of course, good ol’ Terlingua chili. You can even say “howdy” to Clay Henry, a stuffed billy goat that was once the mayor of nearby Lajitas, Texas. Once he died, they stuffed him and put in the Starlight so he can still hang out with the folks of Terlingua.
Keep Exploring
Terlingua, TX