The 25 Best Roadside Attractions in New Mexico
Ranked by Roadtrippi users — the people who've actually been there. Updated June 2026. Roadtrippi catalogs 289 roadside attractions in New Mexico.
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1. City of Rocks - Toilet Rock
Faywood, NM
Acre after acre of big, oddly-shaped rocks, including "Toilet Rock" and others too awkward to mention.
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2. Nike Missile Rest Stop
White Sands, NM
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3. Living Desert Zoo and Gardens
Carlsbad, NM
Mostly outdoor attraction focuses on local plants and animals. Bring a hat and water if you visit in the summer any time after 10 AM; temps can exceed 100 degrees.
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4. Prairie Dog Palace (Gone)
Santa Fe, NM
A family of prairie dogs in a pit coexisted with a pottery and artisan business in an outdoor plaza -- until they were removed in March 2018.
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5. Smokey Bear Museum And Grave
Capitan, NM
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6. Fraggle Rock
Lordsburg, NM
An isolated rocky outcropping in the desert, christened "Fraggle Rock" by an anonymous person with a bucket of white paint.
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7. Camel Rock
Santa Fe, NM
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8. Pat Garrett Killed Here
Las Cruces, NM
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9. National Solar Observatory
Sunspot, NM
Take a self-guided tour around three large solar telescopes, or a guided tour, or just hang out in the Visitor Center. It's a mountaintop observatory, so bring a jacket, sunscreen, and be prepared to be out of breath. And don't look directly at the sun.
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10. Cowboy Rukus: Giant Cowboy Cutouts
Vaughn, NM
An 18-foot-tall cowboy points accusingly across the highway at another towering cowpoke, who shrugs it off. Created by artist John Cerney, the giant full-color wooden cutouts are modeled on the two cowboy brothers who own the land.
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11. Connie's Photo Park
Madrid, NM
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12. Alien Print Shop Mural
Roswell, NM
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13. Drive to Rim of Volcano
Capulin, NM
Although extinct for centuries, the Capulin Volcano has a parking lot at its rim, and a trail that leads down into its mouth. Hope it stays extinct....
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14. Hand Mail Box
Santa Fe, NM
Folk art sculpture by Paul Carroll of a large lady's hand holding a mailbox.
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15. Billy the Kid's Caged Grave
Fort Sumner, NM
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16. The Blue Hole
Santa Rosa, NM
The blue water in this 81-foot-deep artesian spring makes it a favorite for divers. Some people come to swim, others just to gaze down into its blueness.
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17. Echo Amphitheater
Abiquiu, NM
A big, natural concavity in a cliff face offers free acoustic thrills for all who take the short hike.
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18. Sierra de Cristo Rey, Christ of the Rockies
Sunland Park, NM
Impressive. In the past this has been a sometimes-risky place to visit, but in recent years there have been no reported problems.
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19. The Black Hole: Atomic Surplus Store (Closed)
NM
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20. World's Largest Scale of Justice
Albuquerque, NM
36 feet high, the scale is actually a fountain that tips back and forth as each side of the scale fills with water.
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21. Tin Man, Other Scrap Art
Albuquerque, NM
The front fence of a private yard is topped with a Tin Man, locomotive, and bi-plane created from scrap metal and wood.
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22. The Gargoyles Motel (Gone)
Carlsbad, NM
An abandoned motel -- formerly the Cactus Motel -- that was the setting for one of the memorable scenes from the 1972 film "Gargoyles."
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23. Alien Zone: Area 51
Roswell, NM
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24. Miniature B-52 Freedom Plane
Eunice, NM
A miniature red, white, and blue B-52 bomber guards some oil wells on the New Mexico prairie.
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25. Metal Art Town
Tatum, NM
A local place named "Poor Boy's Metal Art" appears to have taken on the mission of decorating its part of town with metal palm trees and patriotic art.
Browse all 289 attractions in New Mexico on Roadtrippi.