You’ll find something for the whole family as you travel around New Mexico. From UNESCO-listed Native American sites to UFOs, this southwestern state ticks all the boxes for family travelers.
More than 100 limestone caverns, reached by a 750-foot elevator, make up one of the world’s largest cave complexes at Carlsbad Caverns National Park. Once at cave level, walk through a mile of tunnels to stand in a room nearly 4,000 feet long, its ceiling dripping with giant stalactites more than 200 feet overhead. Ranger tours, booked by reservation, include parts of the caves not open to the general public.
More caves at Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument contain homes built there more than 700 years ago by Native Americans. You can explore these houses on a ranger-led tour and learn more about the people who made their homes here.
Remains of even earlier homes are in the UNESCO-listed Chaco Culture National Historical Park, where you can walk among massive ruins. If you choose to camp there, you can join a stargazing program using telescopes in the canyon.
UFO enthusiasts will want to visit Roswell, alleged to be the site of a UFO crash in 1947. The International UFO Museum and Research Center includes artifacts and research information related to UFOs, both here and elsewhere in the world. The truly devoted can take a tour that includes sites related to the 1947 mystery.
A pair of museums in Albuquerque are also worth a stop with children. Explora! Science Center and Children’s Museum is designed for younger children, filled with hands-on exhibits in all areas of the sciences, while New Mexico Museum of Natural History contains dinosaur skeletons and life-sized models. Permanent exhibits offer a journey through billions of years of natural history, beginning with the formation of the universe. In the hands-on Naturalist Center, kids can learn more about how dinosaur fossils are extracted.
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