Retro Rents

Let me first clarify that the term "RV park" is a stretch for what this facility is.

The local vet in Terlingua apparently had a little extra land, so he put in a few full hookup spots (3) and called it a day. Access is sketchy, we dragged a bit on the way in but he personally lead us up to the little patch of rocky dirt that comprises this park, smiling all the way. Sam was his name, and I was truly glad to meet him.

So I've more or less said it, but to reclarify, there is absolutely nothing special about the sites themselves, and if you get really into the quality of your actual site, you'll be disappointed. The reason for my 4 star rating is as follows:

1. Sam and his wife are incredibly nice. While they haven't exactly created a resort, they have put the time and effort into building an RV park right in Terlingua, where you can walk to all of the fun stuff to do in this town. If you're not familiar with Terlingua, it is also not exactly a sparkling gem of a town. It's a Ghost Town, there's a lot of trash around (half decompiled cars and trailers, trash turned into art, and just plain old trash), but the people are very real, very rugged, and quite friendly. I guess it's a matter of opinion, but I love this town more than any other in Big Bend, and I love every town in Big Bend.

2. The price is oh so right. You're getting full hookups in a dirt lot. For $15. You can walk to three bars, two of which (the Starlight and the Boathouse) usually have music and are top notch places to eat and drink.

3. Though there's a lot of trash and telephone wires, the views of the Chisos are still stunning.

4. You'll probably have the park all to yourself. There was one other RV parked there, a 1970-something 5th wheel that a guy was living out of, but he wasn't there while we were and hadn't been for months.

There are a couple of other permanent residents living in vintage trailers, but they're pretty far away from these spots. What appears to be a pile of sheet metal trash at the southern end of the park, near the "office" (Sam's house), is actually a really cool little room that is semi-open to the desert, but protected from the wind, with a grill and picnic tables. Very cool if you ask me, and if you've read this far by now, I'll assume you're asking.

I didn't use the bathroom, but it's basically a shed with a toilet in it.

Did I mention this is the only park you can walk to Terlingua from? That's key.

There are other, nicer RV parks right in Study Butte/Terlingua, but they involve driving to town. I like to drink beers at fun bars. There's probably some math involved I'll leave up to you.

You're also maybe 20 minutes from both the entrances to Big Bend National Park and the State Park. It's so wonderful down here, but not resort wonderful, more like "everything is covered in dust, the kids don't wear shoes in the desert and never cry about it, stray dogs roaming around, be a badass" kind of wonderful.

For example, there's no playground, but my kids made great use of a big ol' dirt mound that had lizards crawling out of it. That kind of fun.

Enjoy!

One really can not complain about Retro Rents. The hospitality was top-notch, the site was clean and level, and the ghost town that Retro Rents is in is everything you could ask for. Definitely (!!!) be sure to check out every eating establishment in town, they are all work it. My new favorite place in Texas, and an easy 45 minute drive into Big Bend National Park

RV Park and City Wifi's were OK. Verizon had an Extended signal that was spotty. AT&T customers have good signal.

I decided to stay here while visiting Big Bend based off of other’s reviews and because it is walking distance to 2 bars and restaurants (Starlight Theater and High Sierra Bar & Grill). Retro Rents has several vintage Airstreams that they rent out, and I stayed at one of the 2 full hookup spaces that I could see (I didn’t ask how many there were). Its not a fancy RV park by any means, but it puts you right in the center of Terlingua Ghost Town. The WiFi works well, and I had 1-2 bars of extended network 1x signal on my Verizon phone. The water tastes good too. If you have time on a Saturday afternoon and the weather is nice, make sure you go up to the porch near the Starlight Theater, go into the gift shop next door and buy a beer or two, and people-watch. There is usually someone out there playing music. The Starlight Theater also has live music inside every night, good food, and beer from Big Bend Brewery on tap. I hear their specialty margaritas are good as well. I did not go to High Sierra. The sunsets and sunrises from my site were amazing! You can also see the ‘mule ears’ from Big Bend from there. I was lucky enough to stay here during a new moon, and there were so many stars visible it became difficult to make out the constellations. I would stay here again.

Great location in the heart of Terlingua Ghost Town. You can walk to everything. There are only 2 RV spots and they come with full hookups. The owners are very nice. They prefer communicating by phone. We try to boondock as much as possible but we wanted to check out the town before heading into Big Bend and I don't think there is much for boondocking in this area.

We camped here while we explored Big Bend and the Area.
The campground is right in town, we rode our bikes to the Trading Post and cemetery, walked across the street to a Taqueria, drank beers and listened to local musicians on the front porch of the Trading post, hiked in Big Bend.
They only have a couple of RV sites, the rest are their own vintage trailers they rent out.
The whole town is “desert quirky” so check your attitude at the door.
The campground fits right in
Dani and Sam are very helpful we loved our stay with them.
Good strong WiFi

I refer u to Nathan Wanderly’s review. I can’t say it any better. We had a good time & the blue bonnets were spectacular. Our 5th time to Big Bend and we love it every time we come. I guess you could say we’re Big Bend junkies. Star gazing is the best.

Hey ya'll

I called the number on their webiste, and the nice woman on the phone said "I don't know why people keep calling asking for RV spots...we haven't done that for years."

I told her about the nice reviews she had and where I saw them.

She recommended Road Runner or BJ's for RV sites.

I stayed here for 1 mo in Apr 2017. It’s a very small town, but interesting. There is good food to be found, but limited options. Other than BIBE, there is no reason I would want to spend time in the area. The owners were friendly and easy to work with. If I ever decide to visit BIBE again I will gladly stay here and on that basis readily recommend.