2 Best Sights in Las Cruces, Southwestern New Mexico

Background Illustration for Sights

Many artists (painters, sculptors, actors, writers, metalsmiths) make their homes here not just because the surrounding area offers a perpetually inspiring palette, but also because the arts community is supportive and the town an affordable alternative to chic and expensive Santa Fe. Museums, a performing arts center, a renovated movie theater, and new shops and some cafés are draws. A farmers' market on the weekends makes for a fun way to spend a Saturday morning.

The Hispanic population in Las Cruces comprises descendants from the Spanish settlers as well as many Mexican immigrants; both influences add unique cultural elements to the community as well as some seriously spicy food. The emphasis on family is strong here, and kids are welcome just about everywhere.

New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum

Fodor's Choice

This handsomely designed museum east of town, near the Organ Mountains, documents 3,000 years of agriculture in New Mexico and the Southwest. Visit a re-creation of a 1,200-year-old Mogollon farmhouse, based on styles built by some of the first nonnomadic people to live in what is now New Mexico. Longhorn cattle, Churro sheep, and dairy cows are among the heritage breeds—descendants of animals the Spanish brought from Mexico—raised at the museum. At milking times, you can learn about the history of dairy farming in New Mexico, or take a look in the "beef barn" where six different breeds of beef cattle are housed. A span of the historic Green Bridge, which used to span the Hondo River, has been reassembled over the arroyo on the grounds. Chuck-wagon cooking demonstrations are offered during special events.

Las Cruces Railroad Museum

Inside the historic (1910) Atchison, Topeka, & Santa Fe Railway Depot, the Las Cruces Railroad Museum uses photos and ephemera to tell the story of early regional railroad history, and a model-train room and train table entertain kids especially. Temporary shows, such as one built around train travel advertisements from the last century, rotate throughout the year. Outside is a 1918 wooden caboose you can tour. The museum is several blocks west of the Cultural Center, by way of the Alameda Historic District.