Day trip to Alamogordo/Ruidoso (Tularosa, White Sands: to buy, casino, restaurants)

[dog8food]

My family and I are planning a day trip to visit the area. We're definitely gonna check out white sands but what are some other can't-miss sights/activities in the area. Not looking for anything specific, just anything that you can brainstorm (including restaurants).

[songinthewind7]

Some of the good restaurants in Alamogordo are Applebees or if you want a good burger, Hi Di Ho.
Peppers Grill is a good one too but there open for lunch only.
Ruidoso has mostly good restaurants but stay away from Dennys.
I can't think of any thing activity wise now to do in either town as most of my activities are hiking and atving but someone else will chime in and let you know.
Go to the chamber of commerce links in both towns too and that may give you some ideas.

[Pintada Kid]

You dont say if your from New Mexico or where your coming from but Aamogordo has a museum i think and a Zoo and a Golden Corral and Wal Mart thats kind of Hidden and Cloudcroft nearby is interesting at almost 9000 elevation and probably 10 to 15 degrees cooler then Alamogordo. Ruidoso has the Hubbard Museum where you see the Giant Horses and the Racetrack and Wal Mart and lots of fast food places and Restaurants and the Inn of the Mountain God Casino and lots of little Shops on main that ive been telling myself for over 30 years that i need to check out to buy and get ideas all those little shops. P.S. dont forget to Check out that Big Church at the Mescalero Apache Reservation and other little churches in the area. Kid Tip.... The Rattlesnake Roundup comes in the Spring to Alamogordo for those who Love Rattlesnake Burgers plus lots of interesting places between Alamogordo and Tularosa. el pintada kid

[caydriver]

Was thinking about this and if you have children to include teenagers you might not make it very far past White Sands. Have taken my son and now my grandson to "surf" at White Sands. Along with a picnic lunch can spend several hours just playing and sliding down hills! This old grandmother can still roll down hills and surf and feel like a kid again. So a lot of family fun! My grandson also enjoys the buffet at the Inn of the Mountain Gods. A very family friendly place. This weekend we are expecting some rain and maybe snow so your plans will likely depend on the weather. Around Ruidoso you have horseback riding, Bonito Lake for hiking and just playing in the stream, plus a trip to the ski slopes is always enjoyable. Good luck and have fun.

[Sarahsez]

You might want to check out the Three Rivers Petroglyph site north of Tularosa. Three Rivers Petroglyph Site

It is easily accessible. There are a large number of petroglyphs to see in a small area. It is something you can't see everywhere.

[mijomarco]

all that and, if you will, come see Studio 54@70 for local, award-winning art and the crazy folks that run the place!

[catman]

Be sure to visit the Space Museum in Alamogordo. It's full of stuff from the early years of the space program (Mercury-Gemini). I enjoyed it greatly.

[DVJ]

Hi, I am wondering if anyone has ridden down the highway from Cloudcroft to Alamogordo. Do that highway have nice wide shoulders on which to ride bicycles?
Thanks.

[mtncat]

Originally Posted by DVJ

Hi, I am wondering if anyone has ridden down the highway from Cloudcroft to Alamogordo. Do that highway have nice wide shoulders on which to ride bicycles?
Thanks.

No, there are pretty much NO shoulders on this road. People do ride their bikes down it but it is a major hazard as they are in the driving lane.

[repowell67]

I have driven the highway you are talking about and it's a wonderfully scenic drive, but very steep! I'm not sure what the grade is, but I'm sure it's greater than 10% in some areas and there are quite a few blind curves. There's also many areas where the dropoff on the side of the road is pretty extreme. I'm a cyclist myself, and probably wouldn't travel this road by bike, mainly because I'm too much of a wimp for the ride up to Cloudcroft. As I remember, there are no wide shoulders-maybe no shoulder at all in many areas. There's also a short tunnel which I'm sure would be iffy for bicycle travel. But as I said, the scenery is gorgeous! If you decide to go for it, ride safe!