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All United States New Mexico

The Atlas Obscura Guide To New Mexico

158 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in New Mexico

Updated May 19, 2023

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Cities

Top Cities
Drivers have to go 45 miles per hour to hear the song.
Albuquerque
Chill forest
Santa Fe
Bandalier National Monument
Los Alamos
Roswell
Jemez Springs
Sand dunes...NOT snow!
Alamogordo
All Cities
  1. Abiquiu
  2. Alamogordo
  3. Albuquerque
  4. Carlsbad
  5. Deming
  6. Farmington
  7. Fort Sumner
  8. Jemez Springs
  9. Las Cruces
  10. Lordsburg
  11. Los Alamos
  12. Los Cerrillos
  13. Madrid
  14. Magdalena
  15. Mogollon
  16. Ramah
  17. Raton
  18. Roswell
  19. Santa Clara
  20. Santa Fe
  21. Silver City
  22. Taos
  23. Taos Ski Valley
  24. Truth Or Consequences
Attractions
Food & Drink
Map
Leaderboards
Stories
Lists

Unusual Attractions in New Mexico

Chill forest

Santa Fe, New Mexico

House of Eternal Return

An immersive environment that is part haunted house, part choose-your-own-adventure, and part jungle gym.
Ra Paulette's Hand-Carved Caves

New Mexico

Ra Paulette's Hand-Carved Caves

One man has carved a number of natural New Mexico caves into psychedelic sandstone temples.
The landscape is pure geological eye candy.

Bloomfield, New Mexico

Ah-Shi-Sle-Pah Wilderness Study Area

The land is full of geologic eye candy, such as otherworldly spires, mushroom-shaped hoodoos, and prehistoric fossils.
Sand dunes...NOT snow!

Alamogordo, New Mexico

White Sands National Park

Explore the largest pure gypsum deposit in the world, and go dune sledding while you're at it.
Bisti Badlands

Farmington, New Mexico

Bisti Badlands

Seemingly grown on some other world, these New Mexico rock formations look like a disused science fiction set.

Carlsbad, New Mexico

Carlsbad Caverns

The second-largest cave chamber in the world was discovered in 1898 by a 16-year-old and a friend known as "Pothead."

Roswell, New Mexico

International UFO Museum and Research Center

A museum dedicated to the alleged Roswell Incident.
Santa Rosa Blue Hole

Santa Rosa, New Mexico

Santa Rosa Blue Hole

A clear blue swimming hole with hidden caves, still unexplored.
See All 158 Things To Do in New Mexico

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in New Mexico

Roswell McDonalds

Roswell, New Mexico

Roswell McDonald's

This fast-food outlet is the only space and UFO-themed McDonalds in the world.
World's Largest Pistachio

Alamogordo, New Mexico

PistachioLand: World's Largest Pistachio

This is one really big nut.

Albuquerque, New Mexico

Indian Pueblo Kitchen

Eat like pre-Columbian Native Americans in this New Mexico restaurant within the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center.
The No Scum Allowed Saloon.

White Oaks, New Mexico

No Scum Allowed Saloon

In a largely deserted ghost town, a little brick building recalls its history as a gold rush hub and haven for outlaws.
See all 10 Places to Eat in New Mexico
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Unforgettable Experiences Nearby

Atlas Obscura Itineraries

Eat Across Route 66

Created in 1926, Route 66 was once the primary way drivers headed West, and a network of local economies sprouted up along its path. But after the Interstate Highway System replaced many portions of the “Mother Road,” most of its associated attractions faded away. Intrepid travelers, however, can still seek out the remnants of this artery through America and even find a few new gems along the way. Along with the towering Muffler Men and the sprawling, changing landscapes that speed past your car windows, the restaurants and bars along Route 66 offer an enchanting glimpse into American history and culture. From an Illinois watering hole once frequented by Al Capone to an Albuquerque restaurant specializing in pre-Columbian cuisine to a steakhouse born of Tulsa’s once-booming Lebanese community, these spots showcase the delicious diversity of America’s most iconic road.

View Itinerary

Explore New Mexico

Geology 24
Native Americans 20
Art 15
Geological Oddities 13
Rocks 11
Ruins 11
History & Culture 10
Animals 9
Rock Formations 8
Nature 8
Sculptures 8
Science 8
Unique Restaurants & Bars 2
Places To Stay 2

New Mexico Leaderboard

Places Added

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Join the Ranks!
Add an unusual place to New Mexico.

Places Edited

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Places Visited

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Recent New Mexico Activity

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    nandi

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Stories About New Mexico

Podcast: Chile Pepper Institute

How New Mexico became a chile pepper wonderland.
by The Podcast Team
May 19, 2023
Ken Armijo preparing to solar-roast his chiles using heliostats.

Why Solar Roasting Could Be the Future for New Mexico’s Chiles

It may be the key to cutting down 7,800 metric tons of annual carbon emissions.
by Diana Hubbell
August 4, 2022
Wildlife biologist Serra Hoagland has studied the Mexican spotted owl throughout her career.

The Wildlife Scientist Finding Innovation in Ancient Ideas

Biologist Serra Hoagland bridges Indigenous traditions and modern methods.
by Gemma Tarlach
March 22, 2022
George McJunkin, a self-taught naturalist, found numerous ancient stone tools, ceramics, and animal bones while working in New Mexico.

The Story of George McJunkin, a Hidden Figure in North American Archaeology

The self-taught naturalist found a site that would transform scientific views about Native Americans in North America.
by Stephen E. Nash
February 21, 2022
Pine cones lie strewn on the floor of a ponderosa pine forest in New Mexico, nearly three decades after fire moved through the area and scarred the tree in the foreground.

The Climate Isn't Just Worsening Wildfires, It Can Hobble Forests' Ability to Recover

"What we’re most concerned about is things can still get worse.”
by Luna Shyr
September 24, 2020
Orange pin flags indicate the location of ceramic pottery sherds collected for analysis after a prescribed burn in the Jemez Mountains of New Mexico in 2012.

What Wildfire Archaeology Tells Us About the Burning American West

Archaeologists in New Mexico are studying past wildfires through tree rings and pottery sherds.
by Atlas Obscura
September 15, 2020
This lightning flash with an upward branch, observed south of Langmuir Laboratory, helped researchers understand the mechanisms by which lightning can escape clouds.

Can America’s Premier Lightning Lab Revive Its Renegade Spirit?

“We want to continue triggering lightning. We’re in no way done with that.”
by Elizabeth Miller
September 9, 2020
The kiva at Chaco Canyon was the site of political meetings and spiritual gatherings.

Ancient Fingerprints Help Unravel Just Who Was Making Pots at Chaco Canyon

New research shows it wasn't as gendered as once thought.
by Jonathan Carey
June 5, 2019

Lists Featuring New Mexico

Winter Solstice 2019
The Spiral Jetty
Double Negative's north trench

A Tour of Spectacular 1970s Art Made From the Landscape Itself

Eight places to witness the incredible ambition of the Southwest land art movement.

8

Including Sun Tunnels, The Spiral Jetty, and Complex City

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