Marathon, Texas, USA | October 2023

Come join us in Marathon, Texas, the gateway to Big Bend National Park from October 2-8,  2023.

Our pop-ups provide a super casual, budget-friendly opportunity to gather together, connect with other worldschoolers, share your insights, instill new friendships, learn about the local area, and immerse in a friendly, accepting mobile community.

We've cherry-picked the best low- or no-cost activities that highlight local nature, arts, history, food, and culture....but you'll also have plenty of time to relax, get to know each other and even stray from the itinerary to add activities that cater to the group's interests (we provide plenty of supplemental ideas to tailor your experience).

Pop in for a few days or the full week. Join as many activities as you'd like. It's up to you! We would love to have you come and simply HANG OUT with like-minded families while we dive in and explore the local offerings.

Our itinerary will include activities such as the following:

*Lone Mountain Trail in Big Bend National Park + a ton of other trails including Window View, Lost Miners, etc..

*The Dinosaur Exhibit inside Big Bend Park with clean bathrooms, is great for kids.

*See the Rio Grande

*Star Party at the MicDonald Observatory

*Hot Springs

*Chinati Open House Weekend

*Fort Davis Free Wine Tour

*Music at the Gage or French Grocer depending on what is on that week

*Tour the Studio of James Evans in Marathon

*Post Park

*Day Trip to Terlingua and hang out on "The Porch"

*Photo ops at the entrance to Marfa with the classic signs and the Prada store a bit outside of Marfa

There'll be add-on options including Chinati Hot Springs, renting a 4 wheeler, Catttail Falls, and more! 

ADJACENT EVENTS

Pre-Pop-Up: Trans Pecos Music Festival is just prior to the pop-up and is amazing for families (dates coming soon)

Oct 6-8: Chinati Open House Weekend continues

Oct 14: Total Solar Eclipse in parts of Texas: https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/eclipses/2023/oct-14-annular/where-when/

COST per Family

$70 Early Bird Rate, expires May 1, 2023

$100 Regular Rates (families with financial need receive a 25% discount, use code Marathon25% at checkout)

MEET YOUR Co-HOSTS: Shannon & Bo

Shannon is a native born Texan. Though she moved away as a mere toddler to live in the Mid-western parts of the US, she came back to Texas to complete her undergraduate degree before moving off again. Shannon married and moved to Hong Kong where she fell in love with world travel and gave birth to her wonderful son. She has now visited over 20 countries and 5 continents. An avid lover of the outdoors, she and her family have visited nearly a dozen of the US’s National Parks and they are excited to add Big Bend to that list!

Shannon has been a therapist and educator working with children for the last 10 years. She loves homeschooling her son and is excited to meet more families worldschooling here in her great state of Texas!

Bo was born and raised in Chicago but since 2021 has traded subzero winters for the heatwaves of Texas. As a child, Bo went on many road trips, having visited 49 of the 50 states. She also was lucky enough to visit several countries in Europe and Asia along the way as well. Now she wants to continue her adventures while sharing her zeal for seeing the world with her 9 year old son.

LODGING & NEIGHBORHOODS:

We recommend staying in Marathon for the first 6 nights. You might want to stay in Marfa for the Chinati Open House Weekend (the 7th and 8th) if possible. However, Marfa, the town itself, will often sell out of the better rooms months in advance for this special weekend so book ASAP! 

In Marathon, the Marathon Motel is a good central location for exploring the park and is a very clean affordable option. Book immediately because they will sell out.

Other options are Airbnbs, Eve's Garden (an amazing art hotel with indoor swimming pool) and the fancier but wonderful Gage Hotel. There are only a few options for accommodation because Big Bend is surrounded by small towns. Alpine will have more accommodation but is not as convenient for exploring/hiking Big Bend and Terlingua, etc...

CAMPING RECOMMENDATIONS:

Marathon Motel also has camping and RV spots. Reservations for camping in Big Bend National park are very difficult to get.  

TRANSPORT:

Your family will need a vehicle for this event. Texas is BIG! There will be driving required to see the unique features of this area.

There is no public transportation and no local rental car service, even in Alpine. Alpine is the largest town in Brewster County (biggest county of Texas) and it does not even have stop light. You need a car. If you are flying in, your best bet is to fly into El Paso and pick up a car rental there (much better rates). Its a 3.5-hour drive from El Paso to the area. If you are coming up from Mexico, this is a good time to take the train in Copper Canyon and come up through Chihuahua. However, you will need to make it to a bigger city to rent a car if you are not driving in.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Join the private FaceBook group to ask questions, coordinate plans, stay up to date on activities in the area, meet the host, and interact with other potential attendees:

www.facebook.com/groups/marathonpopup2023

Browse our Frequently Asked Questions to learn more about how our pop-ups work: https://www.worldschoolpopuphub.com/faqs

Sign up for our mailing list to get notifications of future events! Visit www.worldschoolpopuphub.com and fill out the subscribe form in the footer