Discover 11 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Roswell (United States). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: International UFO Museum and Research Center, Roswell Museum, and Anderson Museum of Contemporary Art. Also, be sure to include Spring River Park & Zoo in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Roswell (New Mexico).
Table of Contents
International UFO Museum and Research Center
Museum in Roswell, New Mexico. The International UFO Museum And Research Center is located in Roswell, New Mexico, United States, in the downtown district, and is focused largely on the 1947 Roswell Crash and later supposed UFO incidents in the United States and elsewhere. It was founded in 1991 as a 501c3 nonprofit educational organization and is located in a former movie theater from the 1930s. The museum contains an extensive library and exhibits all focused on the history of UFO encounters. Additionally it has an extensive library collection of UFO material and meeting room. It functions as the centerpiece of the annual UFOfest held in Roswell each year.
The catalyst for the museum was the 1947 Roswell UFO incident, in which a rancher, W. W. "Mack" Brazel, discovered metal debris outside of Roswell, near a giant trench that spanned hundreds of feet. The International UFO Museum and Research Center shares theories about the Roswell incident and other extraterrestrial life.
The Museum was founded by Glenn Dennis and opened in September 1991.
The museum also has a gift store with UFO-inspired souvenirs.[1]
Address: 114 N Main St, 88203-4706 Roswell
Roswell Museum
Museum in Roswell, New Mexico. The Roswell Museum is located in Roswell, New Mexico, United States, and features exhibits about the art and history of the American Southwest. Exhibits include fine art, sculpture, prints, decorative arts, and historic artifacts.
The museum operates the Patricia Lubben Bassett Art Education Center, opened in 1998, as a learning facility. The facility houses two classrooms, a ceramics studio, and research library, all of which supports a museum-school-community creative exchange that provides arts education opportunities for all ages.
The Robert H. Goddard Planetarium was built through an initiative shared by the museum and the Roswell Independent School District in 1968. Once considered the largest planetarium in New Mexico, it is capable of reproducing the night sky as seen from any point on earth. The Robert H. Goddard Planetarium is home to a state-of-the-art, full-dome digital theater system with Digistar 6 programming.[2]
Address: 100 W 11th St, 88201-4910 Roswell
Anderson Museum of Contemporary Art
Museum, Art museum, Art gallery
Address: 409 E College Blvd, 88201-7524 Roswell
Spring River Park & Zoo
Park, Outdoor activities, Playground, Zoo
Address: 1306 E College Blvd, 88201-9506 Roswell
Saunders-Crosby House
The Saunders-Crosby House, at 200 E. Deming in Roswell, New Mexico, was built in 1905. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.
It is unusual in its Queen Anne style because it has a two-story hexagonal cupola and a hexagonal porch and cupola. All eaves have Victorian gingerbread trim.
It was purchased in 1907 as part of recruiting H.P. Saunders, a banker, to move from Dallas, Texas. Mrs. Ruby Saunders Crosby, a daughter who served in the Red Cross overseas during World War I, donated the house to the American National Red Cross in 1965. The Red Cross owned it in 1985.[3]
Address: 200 East Deming Street, Roswell
Alien Zone Roswell New Mexico
Museum, Gift shop, Shopping
Address: 216 N Main St, 88201-4723 Roswell
Louise Massey House
The Louise Massey House, at 209 W. Alameda St. in Roswell, New Mexico, was a home of country singer Louise Massey during 1918 to 1982. The house was built in 1928 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.
It was in this house in 1928 that "Louise Massey and her husband, Milt Mabie, her two brothers, Curt and Alien, were interviewed for their first professional singing job as "The Westerners" by the Red Path Chatauqua. By 1930 they had a five year contract on CBS Radio in Kansas City. Later they joined WLS National Barn Dance. By 1938 Louise Massey was a star solo singer with the Westerners and with other shows on NBC Radio Programs in N.Y. City. Louise's 1934 recording of "When the White Azaleas are Blooming" sold three million copies and earned her a lifetime recording contract with Columbia Records. In 1940 Louise and Milt bought a ranch on the Hondo River, but retained her previous residence as a second home. Louise wrote her most famous song "In My Adobe Hacienda" which was her biggest hit single recording in this house. In 1945 she retired and lived with her husband on Hondo Ranch. After Milt's death in 1973 and due to failing health, Louise spent her last years in this home in Roswell and in various nursing homes. Louise died in June, 1983."[4]
Chaves County Courthouse
The Chaves County Courthouse, located on the 400 block of Main Street in Roswell, New Mexico, is the center of government of Chaves County. The courthouse was built in 1911 after Roswell's citizens learned that New Mexico would become a state the next year. Isaac Hamilton Rapp, of the Colorado firm I.H. and W.M. Rapp, designed the courthouse in the "monumental civic" adaptation of the Beaux-Arts style. A cupola with green tiles tops the courthouse.
The courthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places on February 15, 1989.[5]
James Phelps White House
The James Phelps White House, at 200 N. Lea Ave. in Roswell, New Mexico, was built in 1910–12. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. The listing included two contributing buildings.
It is a two-and-a-half-story yellow brick house built for Roswell area rancher James Phelps White. It was built by his father-in-law, David Young Tomlinson, apparently following design of a house which White's wife liked in Fort Worth, Texas where Tomlinson and brothers were building contractors.
It includes Western Stick architecture and Prairie style architecture.[6]
Tokay Beaded Art
Museum, Art gallery, Shopping
Address: 1407 W 2nd St, 88201-2013 Roswell
New Mexico Military Institute
Military junior college in Roswell, New Mexico. New Mexico Military Institute is a public military junior college in Roswell, New Mexico. Founded in 1891, NMMI operates under the auspices of the State of New Mexico, under a dedicated Board of Regents that reports to the Governor of New Mexico. A land-grant institution located in the city center of Roswell, New Mexico, NMMI enrolls nearly 1,000 cadets at the junior college and high school levels each year. NMMI is the only state-supported military college located in the western United States and has many notable alumni that have served at senior levels in the military and private sector.
Academic school years at NMMI usually begin with nearly 1,000 cadets enrolled, with slight attrition occurring during the school year due to the demanding nature of academic and physical requirements on students. The school's two-year Army ROTC Early Commissioning Program (ECP) commissions approximately 30 cadets each year as U.S. Army second lieutenants, and almost 100 cadets each year go to one of the five major United States Service academies.
The school's motto is "Duty, Honor, and Achievement". NMMI's athletic teams are the Broncos (junior college) and the Colts (high school). The school's colors are scarlet and black. The Cadet Honor Code, which was voted into place by a unanimous vote of the Corps of Cadets in 1921, states "A Cadet Will Not Lie, Cheat, or Steal, Nor Tolerate Those Who Do" and is administered by an Honor Board of Cadets, advised by Cadre and Staff.[7]