‘Round the Big Bend: A Study Tour of the Towns around Big Bend National Park

May 5-9, 2027

$4,100 per person / double occupancy

$4,850 per person / single occupancy

In May, the Houston Seminar will travel to one of the most picturesque regions of Texas: a landscape of striking contrasts, layered history, and continuing debate. This four-day journey with guides Joe Holley and Stephen Fox will explore the origins of Fort Davis, the cutting-edge McDonald Observatory, the protection of fragile natural environments, the historic and contemporary architecture and art of Marfa, archaeological sites near Big Bend, and the distinctive towns that shape this remote corner of the state. The tour will also take us through Big Bend National Park to Marathon, once an important railroad stop, and conclude with a visit to Alpine, the largest of the surrounding towns.

Click here to see the full itinerary.

The trip includes:

• Three nights’ accommodations at the Hotel Saint George in Marfa, and one night accommodation at the Gage Hotel in Marathon.
• Four dinners, five lunches, and two private receptions
• Exclusive experiences, including private tours, receptions, access to remarkable historic homes
• A thoughtfully curated exploration of the Big Bend region led by local historians and expert guides
• Transportation by coach for all scheduled group activities
• All admissions, guided tours and gratuities for included activities
• Pre-tour educational materials and an exclusive pre-tour reception in Houston

Guides:

Stephen Fox is an architectural historian and a lecturer at the Rice University School of Architecture. He is also a lecturer at the Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture at the University of Houston and a fellow of the Anchorage Foundation of Texas. Fox’s work is focused on architecture of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, especially that of Houston and Texas. In his scholarship, he examines the ways that architecture engages such social constructs as class identity, cultural distinction, and regional differentiation.

Joe Holley, a longtime columnist and editorial writer for the Houston Chronicle, was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2017 and 2023 and a Pulitzer Prize winner in 2022. The author of eight books that are mostly about Texas, he’s been an editorial-page editor in San Diego, Calif., a speechwriter for Gov. Ann Richards, a staff writer for The Washington Post and the Chronicle’s “Native Texan” columnist since 2013.  A Waco native, he is an alumnus of Abilene Christian University, the University of Texas at Austin and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

Registration:

Begin your trip registration by completing our traveler registration form — click this link to get started. This form must be completed for every traveler in your group.

Transportation to and from Midland is not included and is the responsibility of each traveler.

Suggested flights from HOU and IAH to MSY: 

Travel Registration and Cancellation Policy:

Reservations will be made on a first come-first served basis upon receipt of a $500 deposit, the Reservation and Deposit Form, and the signed Release of Claims form. Payment in full is due on March 5, 2027. Reservations received after March 5, 2027  may be accepted if space is available and payment is made in full. Your reservation is not confirmed until you have received written confirmation from the Houston Seminar.

If payment in full for the tour is not made by March 5, 2027, your reservation will be canceled, and your $500 deposit will be forfeited. Should the Houston Seminar cancel the tour for any reason, your deposit and any additional payments will be refunded in full. Should you have to cancel for any reason, you must notify the Houston Seminar in writing. For cancellations before March 5, 2027 all payments, less the $500 deposit, will be refunded. A cancellation between March 5, 2027 and April 5, 2027, will result in the forfeiture of your $500 deposit plus 50% of all other amounts paid. After April 5, 2027, cancellation will result in the forfeiture of 100% of all amounts paid. We recommend that you consider purchasing travel insurance.

Please email [email protected] or call/text (713) 666-9000 with any questions.