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10 Military Museums in New Mexico That You Shouldn't Miss
With its rich cultural heritage from Native American and Spanish settlers, New Mexico has been both a Spanish colony and a Mexican colony, and still retains a strong individual identity within the United States. The landscape is breathtaking, the food incredible, and there is a thriving cultural scene, all of which makes New Mexico, and Santa Fe in particular, a great place all year long.
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1. War Eagles Air Museum
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 71 reviews
Aviation and Automobile museum located in Santa Teresa, NM just outside El Paso, TX. 64,000 square foot hangar located at teh Dona Ana County Airport at Santa Teresa.
Reviewed By a-travelin-foodie
What a collection! Almost all aircraft (38 aircraft) and cars(55 cars) are beautifully restored. Great story boards that chronicle the history of that type of aircraft, then the personal history of that aircraft itself, it's official/military service, whatever it might have been used for post-service (i.e. training, crop dusting, executive travel) and it's restoration and sales history. Other historical exhibits, too, regarding women pilots, Tuskegee airmen, local pilots and POW's, pilot training, amazing model planes, and so much more. Plus, they have QR codes on a lot of the exhibits so you can find more info and videos on your cell phone. And then, the docents and staff are immensely knowledgeable and will share if you're interested (ASK!) and answer any of your questions. A 10 minute ride off the highway if you're just passing through town. Give yourself and hour minimum, but you can spend so much more. For coronavirus pandemic: in a big hanger (high ceilings) with open hangar doors and good fan circulation; likely very few visitors in there at a time, masks required. Great gift shop with models, books, flight jackets.
2. Museum of the American Military Family & Learning Center
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 3 reviews
Reviewed By AllenDaleO - Albuquerque, United States
MAMF is a treasure trove of photos, stories, documents, and letters from and about the parents, children, and spouses of those who serve and serve in the U.S. military. Plenty of information to learn, things to look at, and, on any given day, a film to review, a discussion group to join, or a class.
3. White Sands Missle Range Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 460 reviews
The White Sands Missile Range Museum provides a comprehensive look at the history of the lands upon which the range occupies today, from the earliest people, through the Apache Wars, to the Manhattan Project, V-2 Rocket, the Cold War, and beyond.
Reviewed By Fran4747
For my husband who had about 20 model rockets as a kid, this was a great thrill to see the real things! They have quite a comprehensive display of rockets and related artifacts plus interesting info about the development and testing of nuclear bombs. Very educational! The Trinity site (where they test exploded the first atomic bomb is only open during a spring and fall open house, so if you want to tour that, you might want to check the calendar. This is a military base, so be sure to have identification / passports if from out of country. It was very quick entry the day we went. My husband was particularly impressed they had a V-2 middle on display.
4. Fort Stanton Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 98 reviews
Fort Stanton Historic Site preserved and operated by New Mexico Historic Sites, is one of the best preserved military instillations form the frontier era in New Mexico. Built in 1855, the Fort was pivotal to the settlement of New Mexico territory, the Civil War, the Lincoln County War, and Indian Wars. It continued its life from 1899 as a T.B. hospital and also a WW2 internment camp. Billy the Kid, Kit Carson, and Black Jack Pershing all spent time at Fort Stanton. Encompassing 240 acres of historic trails, buildings, and volunteer supported museum, the Fort hosts regular living history programs every Saturday. The 3rd Saturday of the month the Fort comes alive with 1858 Garrison living history programs featuring demonstrations and interactive experiences of antebellum fort life where you can experience the daily duties of the frontier soldier (except July and December). Grounds Open Daily: 9-5 Museum Open Daily: 10- 4 CLOSED: Thanksgiving & Christmas Day Advanced Reservations for organized tours or school programs of 10 or more can be arranged by calling the number above.
Reviewed By Becky052 - Thomasville, United States
This is an exceptional facility with great staff who welcome and are available to walk visitors through history. It has amazing displays that are a must see. The grounds are well kept - some of the buildings need repair and maintenance. The visitors center was once the administrative building and has polished juniper floors that are just gorgeous. The gift shop has a variety of items. The introductory video is well done and informative - be sure to start there. The displays in December had many Christmas items that were used during the years.
5. Tularosa Basin Museum of History
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 26 reviews
Reviewed By JerryM302 - Los Angeles, United States
After spending the morning out at White Sands, we next drove a few blocks to the Tularosa Basin Museum, which is owned and operated by the Tularosa Basin Historical Society. As we entered a charming woman greeted us and gave us a brief overview of the museum and invited us to spend as much time as we wanted perusing its exhibits. The prize item in the collection is a 47-star U. S. flag. New Mexico was admitted to the union as the 47th state on January 6, 1912, followed by Arizona as the 48th state on February 14, 1912. The museum collection holds personal accounts, relics and photographs of local history, as well as a bison trophy head, a display devoted to Holloman Air Force Base, an exhibit containing items recovered from the Manhattan Project Trinity Test Site and artifacts from prehistoric Native American tribes that were found in caves above Alamogordo. The collection includes over 3,000 historical photographs of the local area and an archive of historical documents and a nice display of pottery from the La Luz Pottery Factory, a former factory in La Luz, New Mexico. The site there includes three houses, an adobe warehouse and kiln, a clay processing plant, and storerooms, which were built circa 1929. The factory, founded by Rowland Hazard, made roof and floor tiles as well as pots until it closed down in 1942. The complex has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since May 29, 1979. We closed out our visit by stopping at the museum gift shop, which sits in a room that formerly housed the building’s pharmacy and soda fountain.
6. Lordsburg-Hildalgo County Museum
7. General Douglas L. McBride Military Museum
8. New Mexico National Guard Museum
9. American Armed Forces Museum
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 1 reviews
10. New Mexico Military Museum
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