Hidden In Texas' Chisos Mountains And Big Bend Is An Abandoned Ghost Town With A Vibrant Art Community

The American West is sprinkled with ghost towns from bygone boom-and-bust eras. In the mid-19th and early-20th centuries, towns popped up quickly to accommodate prospectors and new industries, with some of the best-preserved offering stunning vestiges of the Old West. Agriculture, natural resources, railroads, and entrepreneurial enterprises influenced myriad communities that came and went, some of which we can still visit today. In far West Texas, you'll find the welcoming town of Terlingua — sometimes called Terlingua Ghost Town — a surprisingly lively destination for a place that was once abandoned.

Terlingua's ghost town comprises the site of the former Chisos Mining Company, established in 1903 to extract quicksilver, also known as liquid mercury. By the late 1930s, production had begun to decline, and by the end of 1942, the company was bankrupt. The mine stopped producing altogether by the end World War II, when much of the metal was sold for scrap. Today, you can roam around various remaining buildings and sites, including a cemetery that holds the distinction of being one of the most-photographed in Texas. 

At just a little more than 1 acre, the cemetery's makeshift, folk art character comes through in hand-decorated grottos made from local stone along with simple crosses that mark the final resting places of early Terlingua residents. While the conditions for the quicksilver miners were likely pretty deplorable by today's standards, we're afforded a unique glimpse into the past of this remote place. If you're in the area on November 2, wander over to the cemetery for the celebration of Día de Los Muertos — Day of the Dead — during which the gravesites are illuminated with candles and visitors make offerings of flowers and mementos to honor those who have passed on.

Today, Terlingua is a thriving destination situated deep in the Chihuahuan Desert with stunning views of the Chisos Mountains. On a clear day, you can even see Sierra del Carmen in Mexico to the southeast. If you're coming from the west, Terlingua is around a five-hour drive from El Paso, incidentally one of the sunniest cities in America. From the east, you'll reach Terlingua in about seven hours, without stops, from San Antonio or seven-and-a-half hours from Austin. For culture seekers, Terlingua is also only about two hours' drive south of Marfa, a vibrant art-lover's paradise in the middle of nowhere. Get cosmic on the drive there via TX-118, where you'll pass through the 7.5-mile-wide Sierra Madre Astrobleme, created when a meteor impacted the earth tens of millions of years ago and left a 793-foot crater with outer crust rising up to 4,000 feet.

A highlight of Terlingua is the Starlight Theatre, a restaurant and saloon in — you guessed it, a former theater. Its front patio sits adjacent to a shaded veranda that runs the length of the neighboring building. This spot is home to the Big Bend Holiday Hotel, operated by the same folks who run Starlight Theatre. You'll also find the Terlingua Trading Company here, which features locally made arts and crafts along with gifts and decor. A place for meeting, chatting, and either working up an appetite or letting a good dinner settle, the porch is a key feature of central Terlingua. "Nothing really happens on the porch," the restaurant says. "That's the way we like it." The restaurant doesn't take reservations, and during peak times, the wait can be an hour or two, so the porch is great for relaxing and getting to know locals and visitors alike.

You'll find numerous, surprisingly luxurious options for lodging around Terlingua, from casitas with panoramic views to well-equipped camping. Ocotillos Village offers tent sites and fun wooden structures with clear roofs for glamping under the stars. Or, 15 minutes north of town, go galactic at Space Cowboys, featuring a unique series of geodesic dome "Space Pods."

Willow House is a gem located just outside of central Terlingua on 250 private acres. Consisting of 12 casitas and a communal main house, guests have access to a gourmet kitchen, and there are numerous places to relax and refresh around the property. Willow House also hosts artists for annual residencies, focusing on work inspired by the West Texas landscape. The desert has been inspiring artists here for decades, some who have opened their studies to the public. Check out The Painted Feather Studio & Gallery, featuring work by Dani Bottenfield, or Galeria Chisos, which emphasizes jewelry, art, gifts, and crystals.

Terlingua is a great basecamp for Big Bend National Park, a remote, beautiful, under-the-radar gem that boasts some of the greatest biodiversity anywhere in North America — and some of the continent's darkest skies. You'll reach the northwestern perimeter of the park is just about 10 minutes.  As of July 2025, some roads in the park are closed due to seasonal flooding, so be sure to check updates before you travel. Terlingua is also very close to Big Bend Ranch State Park, and you can reach the Barton Warnock Visitor Center in less than 20 minutes. Grab your permits for backpacking and camping, purchase river-use licenses, and wander through the center's 2-acre garden highlighting some of the Chihuahua Desert's beautiful flora.