Family travel destinations attractions and things to do with kids in new mexico

Posted: 02/09/2007--25/11/2008 || Rate this Article: 3 || Views|| Sign In || Register ||Hello Guest

New Mexico, located in the southwestern part of the United States, has many attractions for a kid-friendly vacation. Although your kids might not think of New Mexico when asked where they want to go for a trip, there are many fun, educational, and unusual things to do in this state. Where else can you investigate alien life, see Native American cave paintings, surf down sand dunes, and visit an incredible cave, all in one state? Here are some things you and your kids might want to do in New Mexico.

Carlsbad Caverns National Park provides an awe-inspiring experience for kids. The caverns are located in the southeastern part of the state, very near the Texas border. Several different types of tours are available at the caverns. There are self-guided audio tours, ranger-led tours, tours of various rooms of the caverns, including the Kings and Queens rooms, and more strenuous tours of some of the other caves in the system that might be challenging for older kids; reservations are required in advance for all tours except for those of the Natural Entrance and Big Room. There is an admission fee for each tour, and you will learn many interesting facts about the caverns on all of the tours.

There are two ways to enter the caverns; you can enter on a long walk through the natural entrance or take the elevator directly down to the Big Room. The walk through the mouth of the cave is rather steep, but you will see a lot more if you choose this route; you can take the elevator back up if you want. If you have very small children, strollers are not allowed in the cave; you can take the elevator down but will have to carry babies once on the tour. The caverns are cool, so take jackets for your family, and be sure to wear comfortable walking shoes. If you have smaller children, a morning tour would be best since kids may get tired from all the walking; the tour takes from two to three hours.

Outside the mouth of the cave is an amphitheater that is designed for viewing the bats that fly out of the caverns at dusk. There are hundreds of thousands of bats, and they fly out to feed at night, and then return in the early morning. Kids will love the show of the Mexican Freetails exiting the cave; take your camcorder, but flash photography is not permitted as it disturbs the bats. The ranger will give a talk about the bats before they fly, and the best viewing times are in August and September when the babies are active. If you want to get up early, you can see the bats reenter the cave; an annual bat flight breakfast is held annually in August and includes a special program.

The closest lodging to the caverns is Whites City Resort and Water Park, located east of the park. Included in the resort are two Best Western motels, an RV park, a campground, two restaurants, a gift shop, post office, grocery store, ice cream shop, theater, museum, arcade, and water park. Kids will have lots of fun at the resort, and if you spend the day at the caverns you wont have a long drive back to your room.

White Sands National Monument is located in the south-central part of New Mexico, and is the largest gypsum dune desert in the world. The huge dunes resemble snow, and kids can sled down them. Get some information about the park by watching a video in the Visitors Center, and take the 16-mile drive around Dunes Drive. There are some dangers associated with the sand; dont let kids (or adults) venture out by themselves, since getting lost is a real possibility. Hikers who go off the road are required to register at the trailhead for safety. Take sunscreen, hats and sunglasses; the white sand is very bright and can be blinding. Although you will probably see some people wearing swimsuits and sunbathing at the dunes, long sleeves are a good idea if you dont want to be sunburned. Water and food are available at the Visitors Center, but its a good idea to take your own water and picnic food if you plan to stay awhile at the park. It will be very hot in the desert, so take lots of water and drinks your kids like; since the only reasonable way to tour the park with kids is by car, you should have room for an ice chest for your picnic supplies. Kids will be fascinated by all the white sand and dunes out in the middle of nowhere.

White Sands Missile Range, White Sands Space Harbor, Alamogordo, and Cloudcroft are all near the White Sands National Monument. The first atomic bomb was tested at the Trinity Site in 1945; this site is in the missile range and is only open to the public on the first Saturdays in April and October. The New Mexico Museum of Space History in Alamogordo has all kinds of exhibits on the space program, including rockets from around the world and an IMAX theater. For kids interested in space, this museum would be a treat. Cloudcroft is an area of high elevation near Alamogordo, and has festivals and activities year-round; golf, skiing and other activities are available there.

Roswell, north of Carlsbad, is an interesting, fun place for kids to visit. Most of its attractions revolve around the belief of some people that a crash at a Roswell ranch in 1947 involved a UFO. The main attraction is the UFO Museum and Research Center, which has some interesting exhibits and a gift shop with all sorts of alien-branded articles for sale. There are numerous extraterrestrial shops in Roswell, and you can find many things that will interest kids. If you want to see the actual crash site, its 13 miles north of Roswell on Hwy 285; ask for exact directions before leaving town. If you visit Roswell at the end of June, theres an annual New Beetle Convention, where owners of new Volkswagen Beetles return to the mothership and engage in activities like dressing up the cars in costumes and parading through town.

Albuquerque, New Mexicos largest city, is centrally located and has many family attractions. East of the city is Sandia Peak; on the western side of the mountain the worlds longest aerial tramway will take you up to the top. If your kids are experienced hikers, you can also walk on the La Luz trail, or you can drive up on the eastern side of the mountain. Summer mountain biking and winter skiing are popular activities at Sandia Peak; if you have children ages 4-6, theres Cubby Corner, which offers a ski school and facilities for this age group, and theyre sometimes greeted by Cubby the Ski Bear. For older kids, snowboarding and cross-country skiing are popular. Theres a cafeteria and a grill at the base of the mountain, and a restaurant on top of Sandia Peak; the Four Seasons Visitor Center at the top of the peak will show you activities you can enjoy any time of the year.

The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta takes place the first ten days in October, and is an amazing sight for kids. The many hundreds of hot-air balloons go up in the mornings, so get there early, about 6 AM, and take the kids to see the launch. Dress warmly and eat breakfast as you watch the colorful balloons; there are vendors at the fiesta site that offer breakfast burritos and other treats. There are many events such as balloon races and firework shows, and on the last day of the festival, theres a mass ascension of all the balloons. Many of the balloons are in special shapes, such as cartoon characters, and will delight younger children. Balloon rides are available, although expensive, if you want to go up in the air. For spectacular views of the balloon fiesta, the chairlift at Sandia Peak runs during that time.

The Sangre de Cristo Mountains, which reach over 13,000 feet, surround the New Mexico cities of Santa Fe and Taos, and there are several state parks and recreational areas in which you can pursue hiking, camping, skiing, and other activities. Kids may be interested in seeing the adobe homes prevalent in this area, the Pueblo apartments at Taos, Native American crafts, the chile peppers hanging everywhere, and Mexican influences on the culture, such as the mariachi bands and big sombreros. It should be easy to find a restaurant to treat your kids to a taste of southwestern cuisine; have them try dishes they wont find at home at Taco Bell. If you drive from Santa Fe to Taos on Hwy 68, you will see the Rio Grande River; if you like rafting there are guided trips available from both Santa Fe and Taos.

New Mexico also offers excellent museums of Native American culture, art, science, and folklore in many cities, cave paintings, ghost towns, and beautiful mountain and desert scenery. The weather can change very quickly, and it tends to be very hot during the summer days, but cool at night. In the extreme northwestern corner of New Mexico, the Four Corners Monument marks the spot where New Mexico, Utah, Arizona and Colorado join and is a fun place to take kids. A trip to New Mexico can teach kids some Native American and Old West history, allowing them to experience a different culture while also having lots of fun.