AOL Travel

I want to go to...

New Mexico Destination Guide

New Mexico

New Mexico

  1. Albuquerque’s blue skies and mild temperature make New Mexico ideal for hot air ballooning year round. The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta is held every October, with more than 700 balloons taking to the sky at the same time, making it the largest balloon fiesta in the world.
  2. Take a giant leap to space: Spaceport America, set between Las Cruces and Truth or Consequences, offers visitors the chance to explore the spaceport in anticipation of Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic venture, with the WhiteKnightTwo maiden voyage scheduled for 2012.
  3. New Mexico offers some amazing opportunities for some of the best star-gazing in the world. The state has some of north America’s darkest skies and boasts a number of observatories including the Apache Point Observatory and the National Solar Observatory, giving budding astronomers ample opportunity to search the night sky.
  4. You can search for aliens, too. Holidays take an extra-terrestrial spin in Roswell, home to the UFO Museum & Research Centre which has interactive state-of-the-art exhibits and explores the alleged 1947 UFO crash, which has spawned 60 years of conspiracy theories.
  5. Take a road-trip on Route 66: The famous route enters New Mexico from Texas and as it crosses the state it passes the Tucumcari Mountain and quaint cowboy towns before exiting to Arizona just west of Gallup. Route 66 embodies the American spirit, conjuring thoughts of freedom, adventure, opportunity, and the open road.

Latest on New Mexico