Historic Holland Hotel

 

Alpine's historic Holland Hotel (1928) sits across from the train station, which made it convenient for travelers in the early days, and for Amtrak passengers today!

Designed by the Trost and Trost firm, which was responsible for other hotels in the area (Gage Hotel in Marathon, 1927; Hotel Paisano in Marfa, 1930; Hotel El Capitan in Van Horn, 1930), the property is now completely and lovingly restored and open for visitors.

Click here for a list of historic hotels and related sites in the Texas Mountain Trail region. 

#30DaysofBiking

A great, but little known, mountain biking route is waiting for adventurous riders in Guadalupe Mountains National Park on the Williams Ranch road.  The rugged 4x4 road is open to just two vehicles at a time through locked gates, and keys can be secured by the park rangers at the visitors center.  The road is 7.3 miles one way, and is rugged enough that it takes a vehicle about an hour to get to the ranch house.

The road even follows the historic route taken by stagecoach on the Butterfield Overland Trail and overlooks the salt flat, the source of the historic 1877 Salt War of El Paso.

Click here for a historic overview of Williams Ranch.

Viva Big Bend!

Next month, there's a terrific music festival in the region--in various venues in Marathon (Gage Hotel), Marfa (Padres, Lost Horse and more), Fort Davis (Mountain Trails Lodge and Fort Davis Drugstore) and Alpine (Holland Hotel, Granada Theatre and more)--the second annual Viva Big Bend.  The festival's website is here:  www.vivabigbend.com

Who's playing?  Check out the lineup!  (Butch Hancock, Tessy Lou and the Shotgun Stars, Texas Tornadoes, Joe Ely Band, Doug Moreland, and many more) LOTS of terrific bands playing in our best Far West Texas music venues. 

You won't want to miss being a part of this great event.  Tickets are available here. FAQ page is here.

Henry Trost: A Touch of Genius in the Arid Southwest

Click image to enlarge and get details on this great event!

The Gage Hotel in Marathon is hosting a wonderful evening later this month.  Texas historian and Gage Hotel owner, JP Bryan will speak on the impressive career of architect, Henry C. Trost, who was responsible for some of our best historic hotels in the region.

 They include the Hotel Paisano in Marfa.

The Hotel El Capitan in Van Horn, now completely restored and open for dining and lodging.

The Holland Hotel in Alpine.

And the Gage Hotel in Marathon.

Click here for a list of historic hotels in our Texas Mountain Trail Region, and get your tickets for this great night at 432-386-4205.