In defense of Southern NM, which is forever getting slighted when any discussion about state affairs arises, permit me a short list:
Carlsbad Caverns National Park.
Sitting Bull Falls park (NW of Carlsbad).
Pecos River Park in Carlsbad.
Bottomless Lakes state park (E. of Roswell)
Otero Mesa natural areas.
White Sands National Monument.
Organ Mountains State Park. (E. of Las Cruces)
Historic Old Mesilla.
Pancho Villa State Park (Columbus).
Rockhound State Park (Deming).
White Mountain Wilderness area and Lincoln Natl. Forest
Mogollon Wilderness area and Gila Natl. Forest.
Silver City and the massive copper mine.
City of Rocks State Park. (S. of Silver City)
Bosque del Apache National Wildlife area. (San Antonio, NM)
Elephant Butte Lake state park and largest lake in NM.
Caballo Lake state park.
Truth or Consequences hot springs.
Three Rivers National Monument petroglyph site. (NE of Tularosa)
Fort Stanton state park. (N. of Ruidoso)
Lincoln state park (Town of Lincoln)
Gila Cliff Dwellings Natl. Monument (Gila Natl. Forest)
Fort Union Natl. Monument (N. of Las Cruces)
And I could go on for at least twice as long with just the recognized scenic and historical points of interest. As I already succinctly stated in my first response to this thread, comparing North to South NM is like comparing apples to oranges - it's all a matter of taste!