Birthday wishlist and group travel goals should always include spending a night around a campfire in the desert with your nearest and dearest, laughing and gazing at the endless stars above. Where better to do it than in the artsy enclave of Marfa, Texas. A destination that’s every bit worth its hype, Marfa is a haven for wanderers, artists, dreamers, creatives, and the like.
Set in the midst of it all, El Cosmico is a massive 21-acre campground with vintage trailers, safari tents, teepees, wood-fired hot tubs, and plenty of hammocks to hang in. Head to this high plains desert escape if you’re looking to break free from the everyday and make your next birthday one for the books.
Photography: Joe Kathrina
The Sleeping Scene
Have a fantasy of waking on your birthday morning to the sun filtering in through the top of a teepee? That can just as easily be a reality as waking in a super cozy trailer and wandering out onto your own deck. Looking for space to spread out and stretch your bones? Book the yurt. Or, if you’ve always wanted to give glamping a go, check out the adorbs tents on site. For the budget-minded birthday celebration, self-camping is an option too.
Photography: Nick Simonite
The Perks
Besides the sprawling desert grounds and canopy of stars above, El Cosmico offers a hammock grove, a communal outdoor kitchen and wood-fired hot tubs. But that’s not all, folks. The scene at El Cosmico is all about the artsy culture. From their annual Trans-Pecos Festival of Music and Love to the regular occurrences of cosmic karaoke, culinary camping weekends, and sunset shows, there’s always something cool and cultural going on around this place.
Photography: Nick Simonite
Marfa, Marfa, Marfa
The tiny town of Marfa has a reputation that precedes it. Check out nearby Big Bend National Park’s ancient limestone canyons and catch the cactus blooms. Snap a photo in front of the famed Prada Marfa “store.” Scope out Marfa Lights. Head to the Chinati Foundation to see Donald Judd’s former studio on a repurposed military base. Eat at Cochineal. The list goes on and on, and it’s all going straight onto your #birthdaybucketlist too, ain’t it.
