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Learn what to bring when you are taking a trip through New Mexico and do fun things in the different regions of the state.
What to Bring
Remember when you are coming to New Mexico that you will be in the high desert so bring:
- Water because it is so dry here
- Sunscreen and sunglasses because the sun is bright here
- Long sleeve shirt to protect your skin from sunburn
- Sweater because even in the summer, it can get cold at night
What to See in New Mexico's Different Regions
Northwest Region
Northwest New Mexico holds a wealth of Native American culture. Walk in the footsteps of the Anasazi, an ancient people who lived in Chaco Canyon, now a National Historic Park featuring dramatic rock formations. Explore the Navajo Nation, as well as the Zuni, Acoma, and Laguna Pueblos, and the Jicarilla Apache Nation.
Acoma Pueblo - Known as Sky City, it sits high on a protected hill. [read more]
Gallup Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonial - See Indian dances, crafts and eat Native American foods. [read more]
Ice Caves/Bandera Center - Located in part of a collapsed lava tube, the temperature in the ice caves never rises above 31 F. The natural layers of perpetual ice glisten blue-green in the reflected rays of sunlight. [read more]
North Central Region
North to adventure and Central to everything - Bring your energy and enthusiasm to enjoy endless recreational activities, art, history, and great cuisine. This is the landscape that inspired Georgia O'Keefe's startlingly colorful and original paintings and has been the subject for many other artists.
Kit Carson Home and Museum - This is the home of one of the Southwest's famous mountain man, scout, trapper and guide. [read more]
Museum of International Folk Art - The museum has activities, exhibits and special events for adults and children. [read more]
Taos Pueblo - Taos Pueblo, at the base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, is one of the oldest continuously inhabited communities in North America, was designated a World Heritage Site and a National Historic Site in 1992. [read more]
The Santa Fe Children's Museum - A place for families to learn and play together. The interactive exhibits, beauty of the outdoor garden, diversity of programs, and professional staff make for a special museum visit. [read more]
Northeast Region
Northeast New Mexico is "where the plains meet the mountains." Visit Capulín Volcano National Monument, an extinct volcanic cone (inactive now for 10,000 years) and you can say you saw the plains of Colorado, Oklahoma, and Texas. Still visible are the deep wagon-wheel ruts left by those frontiering souls traveling the 175-mile Santa Fe Trail from Missouri to our capital city.
Blue Hole - This 81-foot-deep artesian well serves as a dive-training and recreational site for those with water on their minds. [read more]
Rough Rider Museum - The museum houses a significant collection of artifacts, archives and photographs from the Rough Riders, the 1st Volunteer Cavalry Regiment of the Spanish-American War. [read more]
St. James Hotel in Cimarron - A real Wild West Hotel with bullet holes in the walls and ghosts that walk the halls. [read more]
Central Region
New Mexico's central Region is the "Heart of New Mexico." In almost the geographic middle of the state sits Albuquerque, our largest city and only metropolitan area. Here you can find the Kodak International Balloon Fiesta, Sandia Peak Ski Area and World's Longest Tramway, the Albuquerque Biological Park, numerous museums, art galleries, performance halls, vineyards and historic Route 66.
Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta - The most photographed event in the world. [read more]
Petroglyph National Monument - It protects a variety of cultural and natural resources including five volcanic cones, hundreds of archeological sites and an estimated 25,000 images carved by native peoples and early Spanish settlers. Many of the images are recognizable as animals, people, brands and crosses; others are more complex. [read more]
Sandia Peak Tramway - The world’s longest aerial tramway transports you above deep canyons and breathtaking terrain. [read more]
Southwest Region
The southwest Region is Old West Country, home to many old tales told to this day. Billy the Kid was a kid for a spell in Silver City and the 13th century Mogollón Indians carved cliffside dwellings into the rock of the Gila Mountains (now called Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument); those same mountains later claimed the lives of many legendary frontier men and in 1924, were designated as the first wilderness area in the country.
Great American Duck Race - This fun family fest features fast duck race competitions throughout the day. Other favorite activities include a tortilla toss, the Great American Outhouse Race, a green chile cookoff, food booths, craft vendors and nonstop entertainment. [read more]
The Whole Enchilada Fiesta - This three-day celebration of southern New Mexico’s traditions is centered around the making of an incredibly gigantic enchilada. [read more]
White Sands National Monument - The largest gypsum dune field in the world is a 275-square-mile crystalline ocean that shapes itself with the wind into great waves. [read more]
Very Large Array (VLA) - The telescope array consists of twenty-seven giant dish antennas that together comprise a single radio telescope system, that has been used to study objects from our Solar System to the edges of the known Universe, billions of light-years from the Earth. [read more]
Southeast Region
The southeast Region of New Mexico is made up of blue skies and wide-open spaces. Holloman Air Force Base and White Sands National Monument, Fort Sumner, Ruidoso, and Carlsbad Caverns are all here in the southeast part of the state. This is Billy the Kid territory.
Billy The Kid National Scenic Byway - Follow in the footsteps of this notorious New Mexican outlaw. [read more]
Carlsbad Caverns National Park - Take a trip into the cave and discover stunning formations borne out of the earth's own vibrant imagination. The creation of the caves began some 250 million years ago, when the region was part of a vast inland sea. At dusk between May and October, you can witness 400,000 Mexican freetaile bats take to the night. [read more]
Roswell UFO Festival - This celebration of one of the most debated incidents in history has people in alien costumes walking the streets. It is great fun. [read more]
War Eagles Air Museum - Tour through the spacious 64,000 sq. ft. display building filled with the warbirds of the World War II era, and jet fighters used in the Korean Conflict, and later. These include some of the famous fighters such as the P-51 Mustang, the P-38 Lightning, the P-40 Warhawk, the F-4U-4 Corsair, plus a twin-engine Invader bomber, a DC-3 transport and a German observation aircraft, the Fiesler-Storch. Among the jets built in the 1950s, you will find an F-86 Sabre, a T-33 Silver Star and MIG-15s. [read more]
