New Mexico

Your waitress or waiter asks: “Would you like Red or Green on that?”, regardless of what you ordered. This is in reference to the amazing, addictive chile sauce. Locals eat it with breakfast, lunch and dinner, most notably on a green chile cheeseburger.

Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs has been a gathering place and a source of healing for hundreds, even thousands of years. You can enjoy the hot springs and add to your relaxation with a massage or any number of spa treatments.

Thanks to its clear skies and low light pollution, New Mexico is among the world’s top star-gazing destinations, and many state parks offer star-gazing tours. If you prefer sparkles of a different kind, try one of the many Native American casinos, such as the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino (outside Albuquerque), Buffalo Thunder (outside Santa Fe) or Inn of the Mountain Gods (Ruidoso).

A sledge ride at White Sands National Monument has all the thrills and spills of a snowy hillside, without the cold. And being the first person to put footprints across a huge, rippled sand dune is an experience with appeal for any kid of any age.

Wear your southwestern jewellery and clothing—just not all at the same time!

One man imagined, and then built, the bizarre attraction that is Tinkertown Museum. It defies written description. Ask anyone coming out what’s inside and they will simply say: “You have to see it.” There is something unexpected around every corner, something unusual and interesting anywhere you glance. Children will run ahead to see what’s next while adults will lag behind to ponder about the creative forces behind it all.

• The best souvenirs in New Mexico are free. They are the memories and photos you gather of the experiences and sights you will encounter.
• Rockhound State Park outside Deming allows, even encourages, the collection of beautiful bits of New Mexico
• And you’ll collect white sand at White Sands (National Monument), even if you don’t plan on it. Check your pockets, your cuffs, your socks…it’s there.

The spa city of Truth or Consequences is an artist enclave with plenty of character, plus a bounty of natural hot springs.

Los Alamos, a once-secret town in the mountains outside Santa Fe, was home to the Manhattan Project, the effort to develop an atomic weapon during World War II. Scientists at Los Alamos created the world’s first atomic bomb, and detonated it in the desert of central New Mexico. That location is known as the Trinity Site, and is open to visitors only two days a year.

Ride the rapids on the Rio Grande, ski the powdery slopes under the warm winter sun or get off the beaten path on the back of a horse (or leading a pack of llamas!). In New Mexico, outdoor excitement is everywhere, even in the sky as you lift off in a hot-air balloon.