I’ll start our tour of the Big Bend National Park area with a stop that’s just outside the park itself. Terlingua Ghost town is on FM-170, about 8 miles from BBNP’s western entrance, and five miles west of TX-118 (and the similarly named community of Terlingua-Study Butte). If you don’t want to stay in the park (it offers just one expensive motel in Chisos Basin), you’ll probably want to find a place here.
I stayed three nights at the El Dorado Hotel, which was far from luxurious, but a decent bargain (at $79/night) given its location. Somehow, I forgot to take a picture of the motel itself, but it’s right beside FM-170, at the entrance to the ghost town. Drive past the motel and up the road into town, and the first place worth stopping…
… is the Terlingua cemetery. Some of the graves here date back to the first few years of the 1900’s, but despite being a century old, they are still adorned with beads, trinkets, flowers and candles — and even a few beer bottles (which around here, seems completely appropriate).
Most are simple graves with wooden crosses…
… but others are topped with more elaborate shrines. There are newer graves here, as well, and a sign reminds visitors that the area should still be respected, just as you would any other cemetery.
The Terlingua Cemetery is a great place to walk around for a while, to truly get the ghost town feel. I imagine it would also be quite interesting to visit it on a clear, full-moon night.
Within walking distance of the graveyard, there are quite a few ruins of old buildings…
… some in better shape than others. As far as I could tell, it’s acceptable to wander around these ruins, so long as you’re not damaging them.
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Driving or walking on into town (it’s small enough to leave the car at the motel), you pass a welcome sign, calling Terlingua a “ghostown”, and advising you to respect the town and leave any artifacts where you found them.
Aside from the few places to stay in Terlingua, there aren’t many other businesses — but you will want to stop in at the Terlingua Trading Company for some souvenirs. Also, if it’s dinner time, check out the Starlight Theatre next door. It’s no longer a theater, but now a restaurant, and a center for fun in a town where there aren’t many other options.
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If you’re lucky, on the way into town you’ll spot the evil, one-toothed tomato. If the sign is out, then the local Farmers’ Market is open.
There wasn’t much to the Farmers’ Market, just a few vendors, but I did get a couple kinds of good homemade bread. There were also some local plants for sale, but they would have been a little bit difficult to carry back on the airplane.
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