Visiting West TX an NM - Tell me where to go!

In My Humble Opinion
1

Here we go again!
This summer’s annual Baseball Trip has been planned out, and my friend and I will be exploring the Minor Leagues - and independent Pecos League - of Western Texas and New Mexico.

As I do every year, I’m soliciting recommendations for places to eat, drink, see, and do in and between our destination cities.

Eat: We usually seek out casual, independent, Diners-Drive-Ins-and-Dives type places. Somewhere for a quick bite but with local flavor is best. This year, we’ll have a few extra non-baseball nights, so some decent sit-down restaurants would be welcome as well - just not too fancy or expensive.

Drink: We gravitate toward local dive joints, sports bars, brewpubs, and the like. No dance clubs; most everything else is fair game. Live music is a plus, but not a must.

See: Quirky roadside attractions or nice scenic overlooks are always good to break up a long drive. Route 66 related sights would be most welcome. Any unusual local museums, memorials, public art, etc.?

Do: My buddy and I may be getting old, but we still like to be active now and then. We’ll be looking for things to do to fill out the non-driving days. Mini-golf, go-karting, zoos, and amusement parks are examples of activities from our past trips. Open to any suggestions.

And finally, here’s where we’ll be going, in order:

El Paso, TX
Alpine, TX
Midland, TX
Lubbock, TX
Amarillo, TX
Santa Fe, NM
Albuquerque, NM
Alamogordo, NM

Dopers always come through with great suggestions. Thanks in advance for this year’s!

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In Santa Fe, you gotta go see Meow Wolf. I know, it seems like a strange thing to build an itinerary around, but trust me, it’s worth it. As many hours as you can devote to it, because there’s so much to explore. Go go go.

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It has been many years, but I liked seeing the Carlsbad Caverns. If you don’t like being in underground caves, then watching the huge bat flocks exit the cave at dusk is truly a sight to see.

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Carlsbad Caverns
White Sands
White Sands Missile Museum

There a ton of neat little petroglyphs off the side of the road north of Alamogordo. Takes all of 20 minutes to get out and check them out. Well worth the stop.

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Another vote for Meow Wolf in Santa Fe.

Marfa TX isn’t too far from Alpine. The “mystery” of the Marfa Lights has been solved, but there’s an active artists community worth checking out.

Palo Duro Canyon is just south of Amarillo.

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Taos. Not only art museums, but native arts.

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Cadillac Ranch just off of I40 west of Amarillo. Quirky and convenient. Bring spray paint.

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Between (kind of) Lubbock and Alamagordo: if you haven’t ever been, I would highly recommend Carlsbad Caverns. It’s a little out of the way, but well worth it. Also stay/come back in the evening to see the “bat show”. Amazing.

Outside Socorro (NM): a little off the interstate, but the Very Large Array is cool to see. The visitor’s center is kind of minimal, but seeing the big dishes is pretty cool.

Albuquerque: I hear there are “Breaking Bad” site tours all over the city. I think that would be fun.

  • Petroglyph National Monument is pretty cool (west side of the city). You can walk right up to the glyphs

Between Albuquerque and Santa Fe: instead of taking I-25, go a bit east and take Hwy 14 (turqoise trail). You can check out the views from the top of Sandia peak, and then continue on through Madrid to Santa Fe.

Santa Fe:

  • The international (?) folk museum is very cool/quirky
  • Georgia O’Keefe museum in downtown is very nice (but can get a little crowded)
  • To eat: Harry’s Roadhouse on the frontage road off I25 as you head out of town. Killer breakfasts.

Near Santa Fe:

  • If you have the time, the drive up to Taos is very scenic. You follow the river for a while, but when you rise up to the plateau, it is spectacular. If you make it to Taos, it is also worth going to the Rio Grande bridge.
  • Los Alamos and Bandelier park are within a couple hours drive, and very scenic.

More if I think of stuff

9

I don’t want to hijack your thread, but does El Paso have a baseball team again? I remember seeing the El Paso Diablos in the past and had a great time at that game.

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The El Paso Chihuahuas are the AAA affiliate of the San Diego Padres.

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If you go that way, the Tinkertown Museum is a must-see roadside attraction.

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I can only really help you with the first bit of the trip.

El Paso and surroundings:

Chopes Bar & Cafe
16145 NM-28, La Mesa, NM 88044

Although I see you’re starting in EP (flying there?), then driving to Alpine. La Mesa might be a bit out of your way unless you’re already doing something on the west side of El Paso.

As you leave El Paso, there are a few old missions in Ysleta, Socorro, and San Elizario if you’re into that sort of history stuff. http://visitelpasomissiontrail.com/

If you want to do something outside, Hueco Tanks is pretty cool. Hueco Tanks State Park & Historic Site — Texas Parks & Wildlife Department

There actually is a Rosa’s Cantina, I think on Doniphan. Not the subject of the song. And I don’t think it’s anything special.

The Little Diner in Canutillo is somewhat famous for its gorditas.

Take a ride across Scenic Drive. There’s a nice overlook where you can see way out into Cd. Juárez.

L & J Cafe
3622 E Missouri Ave, El Paso, TX 79903
It’s right across the street from Concordia Cemetery, which is something different if you’re used to grassy cemeteries in most of the rest of the country.
On your way to Alpine, if you stay on I-10 and take 118 through Fort Davis instead of 90 through Marfa, you can stop at the McDonald Observatory, which is the darkest place in the lower 48. Good stargazing. Big telescopes. Good times.

Your route makes a big loop around Carlsbad, which is worth a visit. Maybe another trip.

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well since you insist on going to hell erm I mean texas ,:D:p

I don’t know how close you are tp Arlington but there used to be a neat fighter plane museum around there but I never got to go on the planned trip to it when I was a kid because the car was stolen in Nashville…

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The National Museum of Nuclear Science & History, of course!

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How did they not name them the El Paso Felinas??
mmm

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If you’re into food challenges or just want a good steak, the Big Texan in Amarillo would be a good place to eat. They have a 72 ounce steak challenge that has been featured on Man vs. Food.

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Absolutely, gosh can’t imagine anyone being that close and just skipping Marfa. Be sure and mingle with the locals. Check this YouTube clip out, Marfa starts at about the 10:00 mark: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=erNaG488CyQ

Also, another recommended The Big Texan in Amarillo. Quite an interesting place. When you get within several hundred miles of Amarillo, you’ll probably see quite a few billboards advertising it. Lots of neat gift shop stuff too. I always get some fudge to go.

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Second Chopes bar and cafe. Worth the trip. If you go in the day, drive up highway 28. Otherwise take I-10 to the Vado exit. Either way you’ll need GPS to get there, otherwise you probably won’t find it.

In Alamogordo, Hi-D-Ho Drive In for a burger (with green chile, of course), Caliche’s frozen custard for desert. Elsewhere in New Mexico, Blake’s Lotaburger for green chile cheeseburgers or breakfast burritos, depending on the time of day.

Beer in Santa Fe - Santa Fe Brewing or Second Street Brewery. In Albuquerque - Bosque Brewing.

When driving between Santa Fe and Albuquerque, eat at the Range cafe in Bernalillo and try to hit it for breakfast. There are also locations in Albuquerque, but I like the building in Bernalillo.

Depending on how you go from Albuquerque to Alamogordo, you could stop at the Owl Cafe in San Antonio for another (yes!) green chile cheeseburger. But if you can’t, go to the Albuquerque location.

And if you get to Las Cruces, High Desert Brewery.

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Forgot to add: when you are not eating green chile cheeseburgers, you should be eating enchiladas. Always order them with an egg over easy. They are just better that way.

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That pretty much exhausts what I got to see when I was living on McGregor Range for a couple of months.

Too bad you said summer. They open the Trinity site twice a year. One day in April and one day in October. I wasn’t there at that time.