Las Cruces is New Mexico’s second-largest city, located in the southern part of the state along Interstates 25 and 10. This little-known city is a long way away — over three hours — from Albuquerque, the state’s well-known film city full of outdoor activities. But it’s only an hour north of El Paso, Texas, its international airport, and the Mexican border. The bustling city is known for its art and culinary scene, as well as nearby attractions like White Sands National Park.
Beautiful Las Cruces is nestled in the desert on the banks of the Rio Grande between stunning mountain peaks. Although its elevation is lower than other popular stops in the state, like Santa Fe or Taos, the topography is no less dramatic. From this beautiful setting, the area hosts a wide variety of activities and adventures, from walking in the footsteps of prehistoric creatures to sampling some of the best southwestern cuisine the state has to offer.
While the whole of New Mexico is known for its sunny disposition, southern New Mexico gets even more sunshine than the rest, with clear skies 65% or more of the time. The numbers vary, but it’s safe to say that Las Cruces sees a lot of sunshine. Some figure it averages as many as 350 days of sun a year. If you’re looking to escape a dreary winter or recharge your vitamin D, southern New Mexico is an outstanding spot to visit.
Taste the southwest’s best cuisine in Las Cruces
Red or green? Newcomers to the Land of Enchantment are often taken aback by this question from their server, but it’s so common that the legislature made it the official state question in 1996. It’s the tip of the iceberg of New Mexican cuisine, and figuring out which chile sauce is your favorite is just part of the fun. Both sauces are made from the famous green chiles grown in the area (Las Cruces is less than an hour from Hatch, the “Chile Capital of the World”). Red sauce is made from dried red chiles, while green sauce is made from freshly roasted green chiles. Both have unique and complex flavors seldom accurately duplicated outside of the state…