New Mexico

Pros: Not your typical tourist trap
Cons: Way off the beaten path

Billy the Kid, whose real name was William Bonney, is probably the most famous of the old west's outlaw icons. Travelers can visit the country where the legend was born on an easy three/four hour trip from El Paso, TX. Follow U. S. 54 north from El...

Pros: Southwestern hospitality at its finest
Cons: Somewhat remote

It takes determination, not to mention a fair measure of chutzpah, to live up to a standard of excellence that has persisted in one small community for eleven generations. Members of the current generation of Jaramillos in Chimayo, New Mexico, exemplify...

Pros: Great climate, reasonable lodging, good food, neat surroundings
Cons: So dry the public was denied access to forest and public lands

I just returned from a vacation with my family to northern New Mexico. We stayed in Red River, about 35 miles north of Taos by road, probably less if you could fly between them. The temperature was 37 - 38 degrees (F) at night and 72 - 74 for highs. We...

Pros: beautiful, horses, desert
Cons: none

I fell in love with New Mexico when I was 14 and I spent the summer there with my uncle and his family. I grew up in Maryland and was accustomed to mountains, cold, snow and ice.

We traveled by car across the country, stopping...

Pros: Gorgeous scenery, good city experiences, lots of wilderness
Cons: Pretty spread out (i.e. long drives)

This summer I attended a wedding in Albuquerque, New Mexico and since I was spending a good amount of money on a plane ticket and a rental car, I decided to make it a one week vacation. And let me just tell you that I often have to remind myself that...

Pros: historic; nice trails
Cons: out-of-the-way; hot climate

Three Rivers Petroglyph Park is located on US route 54 in south central New Mexico, south of the town of Carrizozo. Although it is not on a main route, we decided to visit because we'd seen an exhibit about the site at the UFO Museum in Roswell. It's...

Pros: Rich variety of everything.
Cons: Diversity sometimes brings uncertainty

STANDARD DISCLAIMER:

[Let me tell you about my beloved New Mexico. A word of caution though: This epinion is long (...zzzzzzzzz...), stereotypical (sorry about that) condescending and parochial (let he who is without sin cast the first stone)...

Pros: Beautiful weather
Cons: none that I can think of

Review Topic:  Events & Festivals

For 9 years now, Alamogordo, New Mexico has been hosting a Hot Air Balloon Festival. By no means is it as large as the one held in Albuquerque each year, but it's getting much larger each and...

Pros: Awesome beauty, friendly people
Cons: very hot in July

On a recent trip to the El Paso area, my companion
(sweetheart) and I stayed in the home of a mutual
friend. She lives on a two-and-a-half acre parcel
of land in Chaparral, New Mexico, about 30 minutes
from El Paso.

I live...

Pros: charming, good restaurants and boutiques
Cons: can be touristy

In Southern New Mexico, four miles Southwest of Las Cruces, is a little historical gem. La Mesilla is a tiny town with a Spanish feel, perfect for an afternoon stroll. Some of the highlights:

1) Central square. This is the center of town....

Pros: romantic, quiet, and scenic
Cons: size

My wife and I visited Cloudcroft, NM this past February. It was our eleven year anniversary. We had been there twice since moving to El Paso Texas in September 1999, but we had never stayed over. We were looking for a nice quiet romantic place to spend...

Pros: A pretty part of the world
Cons: Utter uniformity of tourist areas

I can't tell the difference. Honestly. I keep going to New Mexico, I like it, but I still can't figure out if such-and-such restaurant or shop or what-have-you is in Albuquerque, or Santa Fe. Or even one of the suburbs.

Take notes if you plan...

Pros: Beautiful scenery, great museums, wonderful food and nice people.
Cons: Foods are a bit spicy--beware!

We travelled through northern New Mexico on our honeymoon. We were going to Colorado, but took the scenic route. Our trip was in winter, but there was nothing to be disappointed about. We travelled through several small towns, including Roy, N. M....

Pros: Breathtaking Views/Generous People
Cons: none..unless you don't like to drive...

Review Topic:  Overview

October is the time of year I most love to visit New Mexico. The air is cool and crisp during the early morning and late evenings, and mid-day is a balmy low 70's to mid 80's. I began this latest trip...

Pros: Plenty of odd people to visit in New Mexico
Cons: You have to join a cult to visit most of them

New Mexico is full of great odd travel spots. One such oddity is a little town in southern New Mexico called Roswell. For those of you who never heard of Roswell, I would not go on to any X-Files trivia shows. I was amazed to learn that in Roswell (the...