When I was a kid I used to live in a city by the border of Texas, Mexico, and New Mexico - a fact that my family took advantage of by taking lots of road trips. That is of course where my love for traveling and road trips began. Even years later, I can still remember those early trips so well.
One of the places we most used to visit was a little town on the edge of New Mexico called Ruidoso. It's mostly known for its ski slopes during the winter, but oddly enough, we used to visit during the summer. Earlier this year, I got the chance to go back to this woodsy oasis exactly 10 years after the last time I visited (crazy how quickly time passes). And while it's often weird to visit a place that contains so many nostalgic memories, Ruidoso did not let me down.
So if you ever find yourself in this little corner of the world, I can assure you, you won't regret spending a day or two in this lovely little mountain town. Here are a few of my tips on how to make that stay even more amazing.
Ditch the Hotel for a Rustic Cabin
One of the best things about spending the night in Ruidoso is that you can rent a cozy cabin for less than what you'd pay to get a hotel room in the city, which is what my family used to do whenever we visited. When I went back a few months ago we unfortunately couldn't find a cabin in time so we stayed at a hotel. But usually there are a lot of great cabin options to choose from. My tip for finding the best one is to drive around checking out prices and areas first to see what you're most comfortable with - and make sure to ask to see the inside of the cabin before you pay.
Eat and Shop Local
Even though Ruidoso is a small town, it's not immune to the mainstream places we all know, like Walmart and Starbucks. You can find a lot of chain stores and restaurants on the edge of the city, but it's not until you drive further into the mountains that you'll get to see the small town charm of local shops and restaurants. My favorite place to eat in Ruidoso is a local barbecue spot that is both super affordable and delicious. I have so many memories from visiting this place when I was little, so it was very weird to go back (it seemed a lot smaller, but it was just as delicious). And even 10 years later, they still have coffee for only 5 cents (yes, really). Another neat thing about Ruidoso is their affinity for carved wooden bears. I have one from 10 years ago so I didn't get one this time around, but it's always fun to look at them because they sell them everywhere.
Drive Through the Mountains
Mountains are my favorite kind of landscape, so naturally my favorite part about visiting Ruidoso was getting to drive through them. The crisp mountain air smelled so good (think of the best forest smell you can imagine) that I drove around the whole time with the windows down. You'll also get to see deer everywhere. Pretty much as often as you'd see a squirrel in a city like Houston, you see deer in Ruidoso because they like to wander eating grass on people's lawns. That being said, be careful while you're driving through the winding roads, especially at night where there may also be bears who climb down looking for food. And of course be respectful of people's homes because there are some (very lucky!) people who actually live here.
I wish you could all smell what I was smelling in this photo. Nothing smells as good as pure mountain air.
Stop by the Inn of the Mountain Gods
Another neat spot to visit in Ruidoso is the Inn of the Mountain Gods, which is a casino/hotel within the Apache reservation. This is another place we used to go to a lot when we were kids... just to see the lovely lake and landscape outside, of course. They've remodeled a lot over the past 10 years, but the hotel is still lovely on the inside, and I wouldn't mind staying there for a few nights someday. I probably wouldn't gamble, but I'm pretty sure that's why most people go since they have a whole floor reserved for it. In my opinion though, the lake outside is the best part:
One Final Tip... Explore Beyond Ruidoso
As if Ruidoso weren't lovely enough on its own, it's also very close to a lot of other beautiful places to visit - like White Sands, which I will blog about visiting soon! I recommend renting a car if you fly in to El Paso, and then driving through the Franklin Mountains and White Sands on your way to this lovely mountain town.