3 Best Sights in Alamogordo, Southeastern New Mexico

White Sands National Monument encompasses 145,344 acres of the largest deposit of gypsum sand in the world, where shifting sand dunes reach 60 feet high. The monument, one of the few landforms recognizable from space, has displays in its visitor center that describe how the dunes were (and are continually) formed from gypsum crystals originating at a dry lake bed called Lake Lucero, where winds and erosion break down the crystals into fine particles of sand. A 17-minute introductory video at the visitor center is very helpful if you intend to hike among the dunes. There are also a gift shop, snack bar, and bookstore.

A 16-mi round-trip car ride takes you into this eerie wonderland of gleaming white sand. You can climb to the top of the dunes for a photograph, then tumble or surf down on a sled sold at the visitor center. As you wade barefoot in the gypsum crystals you notice the sand is not hot, and there's even moisture to be felt a few inches below the surface. Gypsum is one of the most common minerals on earth and is finer than the silica sand on beaches. A walk on the 1-mi Big Dune Trail will give you a good overview of the site; other options are the 4¾-mi Alkali Flat Trail and the 600-yard Boardwalk. The Nature Center in the Dunes museum has exhibits and other information that includes interpretive displays with depictions of animals and plant life common to the dunes, along with illustrations of how the dunes shift through time. The center usually is open during regular hours, but is staffed by volunteers (so it sometimes closes unexpectedly). Call first to make sure it's open. The picnic area has shaded tables and grills. Backpackers' campsites are available by permit, obtainable at the visitor center, but there aren't any facilities. Once a month from May to September, White Sands celebrates the full moon by remaining open until 11, allowing you to experience the dunes by lunar light. Call for information and reservations for monthly auto caravans on Saturday to Lake Lucero, the source of the gypsum sand deposit. Rangers lead tours daily at sunset, starting at the visitor center.

The multistory structure that houses the New Mexico Museum of Space History gleams metallic gold when the sun hits it at certain angles. Its centerpiece is the International Space Hall of Fame, into which astronauts and other space-exploration celebrities are routinely inducted. A simulated red Mars landscape is among the indoor exhibits. Outside, the Stapp Air and Space Park displays a rocket sled from the 1950s and other space-related artifacts. The scenic Astronaut Memorial Garden has a view of White Sands National Monument. The Clyde W. Tombaugh IMAX Dome Theater and Planetarium screens films and presents planetarium and laser light shows. Weeklong annual space-shuttle camps for children take place from the first week in June through the first week in August.

If there's a train buff in your family, the Toy Train Depot in Alamogordo's Alameda Park is a must-see. Here, a narrow-gauge train rumbles along a 2½-mi track, and a depot, built in 1898, displays elaborate toy train layouts in five rooms. There are live steam engines on display, and you can hear real whistles and rumbles from nearby heavy freight trains (the attraction is only 50 yards from the Union Pacific main line). One room in the depot is an incredible re-creation of the railroad system between Alamogordo, Cloudcroft, and Ruidoso.