While visiting my busia (Polish for grandmother) in Las Cruces, she took me to this hidden gem…read more There is so much artwork avaliable for purchase at ridiculously low cost. That's coming from an artist who lives in Austin, TX. I'm not sure what the locals consider reasonable; but in my opinion, many of the pieces for sale are under priced. It's tucked away in a neighborhood that I never would have noticed had I not been brought in by my busia. She has several rooms that display a multitude of art. It's definitely worth stopping by,

As a dinosaur lover, this museum is super cool! So many fossils from thousands of years ago. It's…read morecrazy to imagine a time period where the massive creatures roamed the earth. There are also other interesting collections, but you'll have to come see for yourself!

Wow! On our last visit to Las Cruces, the Zuhl Museum was on my "to see" list, but we weren't able…read moreto squeeze it in. So once again visiting Las Cruces, we decided to check it out. Now I realize it should have been first on my list. Who knew petrified wood could be so beautiful and interesting? The Zuhl Collection is the largest collection of petrified wood on display in the country. In addition to petrified wood, they have fossils, minerals, and even a meteorite. Over 1,800 specimens are beautifully displayed in this small museum on the campus of the New Mexico State University. We had the place to ourselves when we arrived on a Thursday afternoon. There is much to see, so it was nice to be able to wander at our leisure. This is truly a fantastic place; don't miss it. Move it to the top of your "to see" list, and go. Admission is free, but donations are welcomed.

This little shop is full of treasures. The shop owner is so friendly and helpful. It is a mixture…read moreof antiques, home decor and rustic furniture. There is something for everybody. I just discovered this place and will most definiteley return. This little shop is located next to a gas station on the corner of Jornada and Bataan Memorial West in Las Cruces. Good to support small businesses!

Great place for children & adults to explore. We loved the owls as you enter the museum. Great to…read moresee the animals too!

Well worth the stop! Husband and I really enjoyed it! Was awesome seeing the stomping grounds of…read moreBilly the Kid. Very interesting.

What an amazing hidden gem this is, way off the beaten path in America! On the edge of nothingness…read morein tiny Organ, New Mexico, you aren't far from Las Cruces. But it's also the final stop on eastbound Highway 70 before emptiness, the longest span on one of America's longest roads without any population (48 miles of nothing). Exiting the highway here gives travelers one last point of interest before making the lonely drive to White Sands National Park. And what a worthy stop this is! Driving up a narrow road between weeds and brush, you might wonder if the place is abandoned. And judging by the name, you'd think Space Murals Museum was a tribute to artwork. Nope, that's just a reference to the painted water tower that started the whole journey in 1990. After painting several pictorials of space accomplishments on the tower, so many passersby were interested in this quirky stop that they walked around the tower looking for an entrance. But it only held water. This wasn't a museum. So the owner decided to give the people what they wanted, opening a small museum in 1992. Today, it's blossomed into a multi-room collection of NASA-donated space memorabilia and collectors' contributions. These aren't murals. They're relics of space travel! Highlights include the actual fuel tank that allowed the Apollo 11 Lunar Module to detach and land on the moon! You'll also find leftover astronaut food from a Space Shuttle mission and an early model of the space capsule that allowed John Glenn to become the first American to orbit the Earth. NASA even donated the original model for the space station to the museum, making quite the centerpiece! There are so many amazing space relics to see here, so don't let the name fool you! They also have an outdoor display and a nice little gift shop. It's a wonderful museum. And boy do I love a good freeze-dried mint chocolate chip ice cream sandwich!

I have to admit I wasn't sure about this place when we first pulled up, but it ended up being an…read moreinteresting stop. It's dog friendly and the volunteer working when we visited was quite gregarious and offered our dog some treats that she makes herself to bring in for the pups that visit. Our dog is very picky so she didn't eat it, but it was very sweet and thoughtful. You could tell that the volunteer genuinely loves the museum and was super excited to have visitors to share it with. She chatted with us quite a bit and it was almost like a personal tour where she was giving us information on everything inside. During our visit only one other couple stopped in, they had a dog also, and she was just as warm and friendly to them. It's nice to hear stories from someone who really cares about the history and is clearly knowledgeable. For me, the highlight was getting to touch things that had been on the moon and returned to Earth. How many people can say they have touched something that has been on the moon? My husband thought seeing all the old astronauts food in toothpaste styled tubes was interesting. There's something about vintage space travel that's kind of fascinating and almost funny; it's interesting to see how far we've come. The murals were fine, but the museum and artifacts were probably more enjoyable to me personally. It's not a huge place but there's definitely a lot to see. We got a souvenir coin on our way out which serves as a nice little memento. It's definitely worth stopping in even if you just have a mild interest in space because the price of admission can't be beat, it's free!!

Words cannot express how much I love this place and l can honestly say I've never been anywhere…read morequite like it. They have everything from art & apparel to vintage motorcycles and jewelry and despite it all being quite eclectic it all comes together to make a wonderful artistic experience. I actually heard about it because a local ceramics artist was selling her tequila cups there and I had to have one. But what I found was a place that I could spend hours in just admiring everything. And it really feels like they are bringing a unique artist community together under one roof. The staff is very knowledgeable and friendly and although they only have weekend hours they all can set you up with appointments. This is not a place you are likely to just stumble upon but it's definitely worth go out of your way to visit it.

The Hood has the absolute coolest art and staff. I was traveling and wish I'd had much more time in…read morethere, but I was so impressed with variety and quality of both new and old, artful items. Can't wait to go back!

This is a small museum that has some very interesting history exhibits as well as live reptiles and…read moreinsects. It has a number of exhibits that are specifically designed for children. It only takes about 30 minutes to slowly wander around, so not a huge time commitment to visit. They have a unique exhibit of a trackway from the Permian period. The staff is very friendly and knowledgeable. Overall worth a look.

It's free with a lot of information for kids to learn about. For example dinosaur, the su and artread more

If you haven't been to Bowen Ranch, jump over to their Facebook and find out the next time they're…read moredoing something for the public. This is a real piece of El Paso's history, El Paso's true history. Great for adults and kids alike. Bowen Ranch is still owned by the Bowen family, but you'll find a wonderful family that runs the ranch. Visiting this for a small, private event actually gave me a real feel for what Bowen Ranch does. The family has plans to bring the ranch back to all its glory, but I have to say... they've kept it in really good shape. One thing that really impressed me was the temperament of the animals on the ranch at the Headquarters. There wasn't a mean bone in a single one of them. All of them are people friendly and will shuffle up to you to be pet if you put your hand out. Now, I wouldn't recommend doing that with the cattle because you might spook them, but all of the horses and even the goat were super sweet. The property is huge and you get some gorgeous views of the sunset while out there. There not open to the public on day to day, but they have some small events and a few opportunities where you can watch them roping cattle and performing other essential duties. But Bowen Ranch is open to small events, you just have to ask. If you're looking for a beautiful and rustic backdrop for a wedding, reunion, or any kind of event that you can think of really, this is a great option.