Places to go in Las Cruces (Albuquerque, Santa Fe: cul-de-sac, hotel, travel)

[nmguy]

We've decided to explore the Las Cruces area in a couple weeks and would welcome recommendations for places to visit.

White Sands Monument and Hatch are on our list. Other than that, we're at a loss for places of interest.

Does anyone have a special place or two to recommend?

Thanks.

[LasCrucesOne]

Hatch is kind of a poor choice--there's literally nothing of interest there.

The Farm and Ranch heritage museum is perhaps worth a visit. If I were visiting Las Cruces and had never been before, I'd definitely want to walk around in Mesilla, which is like a very, very modest version of Santa Fe. And if you like hiking at all, I would recommend that you hike Bar Canyon or Dripping Springs, in the Organs (both easy 3 mile hikes).

[chilegal]

I think the Farm and Ranch Museum is very interesting.
When you are at White Sands come on into Alamogordo and hit the Space Museum. If you are into trains the toy train depot is real interesting. But I could go on and on about Alamo.
What ever you do, enjoy your visit.

[tecpatl]

The Farm and Ranch is a good choice, as are the Museums downtown. Note: the rest of downtown is not so appealing. Don't go looking for anything world class in these, but they're worth a visit, especially if there is a special show at any of them.
My 2nd home town, Mesilla (oldmesilla.org), is also worth a visit. It's pretty small but there are restaurants, shops & galleries, etc. that make a walk-around pretty interesting. Take a walk thru the neighborhoods as well. You can cover the whole old town (Calle Norte to Calle Sur, Calle Oeste to Avenida de Mesilla) in an hour or two, and get a glimpse (for -mostly- good & -poquito- bad) of a non-cul-de-sac, relatively developer-free South New Mexico village. Mesilla is probably more like the Santa Fe of 50 or more years ago, with a nice mix of old New Mexico families, more recent University and Arts types, and the odd snowbird like yours truely.
I'd suggest a Margarita or Cerveza in the bar at Double Eagle, where the decor theme is: Nothing succeeds like excess. For a good Mesilla lunch or dinner the best choices IMHO are not the big shots (La Posta & Double Eagle) but the much more modest but muy sabroso El Comedor or Andale. Both are located on Avenida de Mesilla and are only a block from the Plaza.
Check out the art house style adobe movie theater, The Fountain, to see what's playing.
Local watering holes are El Patio and Palacio both of which have some music. El Patio has music very often, Palacio less so, but my personal preference is El Palacio on early Friday evenings when some traditional local talent often surfaces.
If "in a couple of weeks" puts you in the Mesilla Valley around the first of November I'd also suggest targeting the celebrations of Dia de los Muertos (day of the dead) that happen in and around the historic Mesilla plaza and elsewhere. It's a special time, in a special place. Local writer S D Moore has a sort of introductory piece on her blog Las Cruces Style that is worth reading if you're unfamiliar.
Dripping Springs(just a few miles from Las Cruces) is my choice for a short-ish foothills and mountain hike and Aguirre Springs (on the east side of the Organs) for a longer 4 to 6 mile jaunt, with the trail to Baylor pass being, literally, the high point.
Poor ol' Hatch has little to offer, and even less so since the terrible flood they had there year before last. Maybe a spa in Truth or Consequences would be better.
If you're headed north toward Albuquerque a stop at Bosque del Apache is a must if you'd like an amazing array of birds in a huge sanctuary, and include a chile cheeseburger at the nearby, iconic Owl Bar in San Antonio if you like cheeseburgers....and chile.
Have fun & enjoy!

[rainbird]

I agree with tecpatl, I liked Mesilla when I was there. Las Cruces is a pretty good "home base" cause it's close to a lot of other destinations and the Organ Mtns are beautiful, but the town itself is kind of sprawlled out. It's really too bad they wiped out the downtown for "urban renewal" a couple of decades ago. White Sands was one of my favorite places, and if you go there you should check out Alamo and the surrounding area. Cloudcraft is pretty cool, a real mountain town. Also in the other direction Silver City I thougth was nice, although it's a pretty good drive from LC. TC is OK, mineral baths are nice and they still do have a "downtown" although a might rundown. There are also some ghost towns not too far from TC. Have a good time

[6/3]

Yeap i really dig Mesilla as its my boyhood home and i went to Mesilla Elementary and Zia Junior High schools there. Has any one seen the ghost at the La Posada there......

[LRUA]

Las Cruces is a good central location explore various areas ....to the east you can check out Aguirre Springs along eastern slope of Organ Mtns (off hwy 70 just after San Augustine Pass)...I've seen Mule deer in the area and even managed to catch them video ...then on to White Sands /Space Hall of Fame/Alameda Park/Zoo in Alamogordo ...19 mile road up to Cloudcroft is fantastic ...good viewing area just before the tunnel ...The Lodge Hotel is a really nice place .....south of Alamogordo is Oliver Lee State Park ...it has a trails above Dog Canyon with great views of the Tularosa Basin and White Sands like a mirage in the distance ...south of Las Cruces take rt 28 stop by at Stahman Farms (it's a huge Pecan grove with a gift store) continuing check out Sunland Park Race Track and Mt Christo Rey ...it is a small volanic peak that has a large statue of Christ at the summit ...there is a sign at the base with safety warning from Dona Ana County Sherriff's Department but I hiked to the top and felt quite safe ...and was rewarded with an amazing view of El Paso and Juarez, Mexico ...Juarez is definitely worth a day trip ..park your car and cross over the bridge on foot ...driving in Juarez is not so good ....to the west of Las Cruces is Rock Hound State Park near Deming ...Pancho Villa State Park at Columbus...you can cross the border to Palomas, Mexico (there is a good restaurant called "The Pink House" ) ...traveling north from Deming on hwy 180 you can check out City of Rocks State Park then on to Silver City then head east on rt 152 heading over the Black Range with a stop off at Hillsboro (a nice little artsy town) nearby are Caballo Lake / Truth or Consequences/ Elephant Butte Lake ...then head back to Las Cruces via rt 185 instead of I-25 ...slower but you'll see more ...Hatch and Fort Selden etc ....if you want to see some nice houses with great views....take drive thru Picacho Hills just west of Las Cruces ...love that area ...great golf course too and like others mentioned Old Mesilla is definitely a must see

[ibarrio]

Mesilla and White Sands are a must...

[nmguy]

Gracias a todos . . . . Thanks to everyone. I've collected your comments and will take advantage of them during our trip.

[6/3]

Yeah Ft.Selden would be cool to visit just north of Las Cruces in Radium Springs. It was founded in 1865 and had a garrison of Buffalo Soldiers stationed there to protect the settlers and miners against Apache attacks.

Not much is left but when i last went there you can see the Earthen Walls that surrounded the fort but they are deteriating after all these years....

Fort Selden State Monument » New Mexico State Monuments