LOOK: 13 Eerie, Abandoned Places in the Lone Star State

Whether it's a full on vacation, Spring Break getaway or just a day trip; Texas is loaded with cool, creepy destinations and 1 is near El Paso.

Texas has all kinds of cool places to see and things to do that are lively and fun. Sometimes though, creepy, dead and/or abandoned can be fun too. The lone star state has plenty of that too.

Here are 13 weird places just sort of rotting away in Texas, starting with the 3 closest to El Paso.

An Abandoned Sign

We'll start with the one that's just ... to coin a "Texas witticism" ... a hop, skip and a jump down the road from El Chuco. It's not a place really, it's a thing that long ago ceased to have a purpose.

Located near Marfa, about 3 hours from El Paso, the Stardust Motel sign still stands. A silent beacon, that supposedly sometimes still flickers with a bit of unexplained life, pointing out what used to be there. That's not all Marfa has to offer on the weird side, either.

The Mariscal Mine

Not too far away, in Big Bend National Park, you'll find the abandoned Mariscal Mine.  Adding to the eeriness here is the fate of the miners themselves as it was a Mercury or "Quicksilver" mine.

The work was backbreaking and sweaty, and often led to a drawn-out and painful death—the mercury they were mining induced poisoning and respiratory illnesses, occasionally causing them to loose teeth. - (atlasobscura.com)

The Terlingua Ghost Town

The Terlingua Ghost Town is located in, duh, Terlingua, Texas ... home to the world famous Terlingua chili cookoff. The ghost town started out as another "quicksilver" mine in the 1800's and activity there really peaked around 1888. By the end of WW II though, it was already a ghost town and stayed that way until the late 60's.

Not completely abandoned these days, (thanks mostly to the chili cookoff), the abandoned ruins of the mine buildings still stand. You can explore them freely without getting too far away from a beer and some chili.

The other 10 spots on the list are:

1. Old Zoo Nature Trails
2. Majors Stadium
3. Aldridge Sawmill
4. Palace Of The Golden Orbs
5. Miraflores
6. Lower Ghost Camp
7. St. Dominic's Catholic Church Ruins
8. Royse City Futuro House
9. Hope Outdoor Gallery
10. Contrabando