Top Things to do in New Mexico
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The 10 Best Natural History Museums in New Mexico, United States
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.
Restaurants in New Mexico
1. Indian Pueblo Cultural Center
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2,029 reviews
Re-opening April 8, 2021. See website and purchase tickets before visiting. https://indianpueblo.org/welcome IPCC was founded in 1976 and is jointly owned and operated by the 19 Pueblos of New Mexico. Located in the historic Albuquerque Indian School District just minutes from Downtown and Old Town Albuquerque, the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center is a world-class museum and cultural center created to be a place where we, Pueblo people, can tell our story. The Indian Pueblo Cultural Center is the only place in North America to host traditional Native American dances every weekend year round and also offers an exciting schedule of cultural and community activities, including rotating museum exhibits, events with Native American artists, hands-on children’s programs & art festivals. Visitors can also experience the award-winning Native Sourced, Pueblo Inspired cuisine of Pueblo Harvest and shop at the Indian Pueblo Store, a trusted destination for authentic handcrafted Native American art.
Reviewed By rrpd - Rochester, United States
From an excellent full service restaurant, to a sampling of native American culture & arts, this makes for an excellent stop for families & individuals when traveling into the Albuquerque area.
2. New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 832 reviews
Visitors explore the origins and geological history of the American Southwest through vivid displays including dinosaur models, ice-age cave replicas, a naturalist center and a walk-through volcano.
Reviewed By GVad_The_Pilot - Los Angeles, United States
New Mexico Museum has the usual dino suspects like T-Rex and Stegosaurus. As well as some smaller and older ones like Celophysis. Even some other Triasic period non-dino "beasts" like Phytosaurs and Placerias. What really stuns about this museum is seeing arguably the biggest dinosaurs that ever walked on earth. Seismosaurus! And right next to it is the biggest Allosaurid dino, Saurophagnax! Its walking among giants. There are only a handful of museums on earth that have these two displayed, and NM Museum is one of those gems. Aside from dinos, this museum also has Hall of Stars, Learning Center, hands on Naturalist center, as well as temporary displays.
3. Museum of Nature & Science
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 67 reviews
Locally-funded museum with a focus on science and natural history.
Reviewed By JackieR3672 - Brandon, United States
This museum is very well designed! The staff is friendly and all of the interactive exhibits were in working order. This is a perfect museum for grandparents to take their grandchildren for a fun afternoon where both can learn and play together. Our 6 and 7 year old grandsons thoroughly enjoyed playing and learning together and we enjoyed answering their questions and learning along with them. The museum is larger than one would think from looking outside and it offers a range of nature and science exhibits relevant to all ages.
4. New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 382 reviews
For at least 4,000 years, people have been growing food in this region and the New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum tells this incredible story through interactive exhibits, demonstrations, oral histories, objects, and educational programs. In 2017-18, the Museum is celebrating 20 years of sharing this remarkable story of survival, ingenuity, and hope. It connects generations and weaves together people from various cultures that are uniquely New Mexico. Visitors from around the world have enjoyed the Museum, one of the region’s top attractions. The 47-acre campus in Las Cruces features several barns, animals, a greenhouse, play areas for children, an amphitheater, the Heritage Garden and much more. Permanent and changing exhibits, as well as a theater, library, gift shop, snack bar, and meeting rooms are located in the 100,000-square-feet, ranch-style main building, named after Bruce King, New Mexico’s only three-term governor and rancher.
Reviewed By katyrwalls - Middleburg, United States
This museum tells the history of agriculture in New Mexico from earliest times to present. One of the most interesting things is the oral histories. These early ranchers and farmers come to life in the retelling of their personal struggles. The outdoor exhibits are actual livestock that were, and are presently, raised in New Mexico. My docent, Liz, was very knowledgeable and explained about cross breeding cattle to improve meat grades. She showed me cattle from the early Spanish breeds to the crosses between Angus and a Brahman that produce Brangus, a hardy and popular breed of beef cattle more resistant to heat. The animal's there range from goats to horses and tiny calves to huge bulls you would not want to antagonize.
5. Mesalands Community College's Dinosaur Museum and Natural Sciences Laboratory
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 169 reviews
The Mesalands Community College's Dinosaur Museum and Natural Sciences Laboratory is located in Tucumcari, New Mexico, on old Route 66. Many of the genuine fossils on display were collected by students enrolled in the College's Paleontology program. Also on display are life-sized bronze dinosaur sculptures created through the College's Fine Arts Bronze program. We offer a discount on admission for active military, seniors, and educators. Parking available for RV's.
Reviewed By aly_sulli - Springfield, United States
This was a fun stop on our road trip! Very interactive for kiddos! There is also a nice gift shop. The employees were friendly.
6. Mineralogical Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 40 reviews
Reviewed By Tolvanera
After a great meal at Yo Mama's, we stopped by the Mineral Museum. We loved the outdoors pond and fountain with the gorgeous polished petrified wood on display. Inside the building, there was a wealth of lovely rocks and minerals to view. I bought some samples of my favorites for a very good price point. I love looking at nature's wonders and will enjoy them in my home for years to come. We drove around the campus. The golf course was very nice looking! I'd always wanted to visit the Capitol Bar on the plaza, just because it has always seemed like it would have some real history attached to it. I was not disappointed! Nice place with a lovely patio! Great daytrip to Soccorro. Next on my list is going to the Quebradas area when it cools off a bit. Everyone everywhere we went was welcoming and helpful. Can't wait to come back!
7. 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.
8. Museum of Contemporary Native Arts
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 225 reviews
Unique Native American art museum.
Reviewed By eurydice2017 - London, United Kingdom
I simply loved this museum! The art on display is, for the most part, truly exquisite, my favourite being Brenda Kingery’s (Chickasaw) paintings The ground floor exhibitions (temporary?) are truly interesting and really well done. There is also the animated film titled “iroquois creation story” which was so interesting to watch! Definitely recommend to others!
9. Gadsden Museum
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 21 reviews
10. Blackwater Draw National Historic Site
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 32 reviews
National Historic Landmark...can view active archeological digs
Reviewed By SammieB2694 - Albuquerque, United States
I first visited in summer 2019. This museum is a must stop for anyone interested in archaeology. We went to the Blackwater Draw Archaeological Site National Historic Landmark first. We paid $1 for students which also got us into the museum. The museum is fairly small and has quite a bit of information on the Blackwater Draw site, Clovis sites and archaeology, and some Native American collection materials the university has. I found it to have a nice mix of interactives and reading. For example, some objects were set out and could be touched. One area had manos and metates where you could practice grinding corn. A new exhibit was being installed while we visited that I could tell had more interactives too such as a small excavation box filled with sand and artifacts. We loved the gift shop items and I couldn't help but purchased a tshirt, hoodie, and water bottle. This is a great place to visit and support especially because it is on a college campus and staffed by college students.
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