The 14 best free attractions in Las Cruces

Such a fun place, 7 bucks a person is so cheap for like 7 museums, animals everywhere, art, history, biology, and culture lessons, tons of interactive areas for kids and videos for teens and adults to understand and just so much here, very great time, we planned on visiting for an hour but it took all day to see everywhere

Nice museum but missed the children activities. Seeing the cows, longhorn, and other animals was great. Like Heart of The Desert wines have a store there. Got my pistachios 💜

This museum is a great and wonderful place to take your family and kids. It's always nicely maintained and tons of exhibits. The see:)

We started out on the farm and saw cows, sheep, and horses. There was a lot of old farm equipment with descriptions of what they were used for. The museum had history on Billy the Kid and replicas of old houses and a mercantile store.

This was a super fun place to visit. A large number of live farm animals make it an adventure to see. A lot of significant history on display to enjoy. Great indoor museum as well. Highly recommended.

Really well done and interesting museum…worth a visit. The section on Billy the Kid and the Lincoln County War was fascinating. Added bonus…the awesome gift shop has wine tasting!

Stopped by the museum on a road trip with the family and we absolutely loved it. It’s very well curated and you get way more than what you pay for. I recommend going early to see everything this museum has to offer.

I really loved this farmers market. SO many unique items, I wanted to buy it all! I’m definitely coming back soon. The vibe was also great, there were a few musicians and nice people everywhere!

This is such a cool experience and very dog friendly. I would advise to show up early specially if you want to buy fresh produce, that is the first thing that goes right away. I loved walking around and checking out the different vendors, but it was really nice to see tons of musicians throughout the street doing their thing. This is definitely an all ages activity kind of farmers market.

This is one of the best farmers markets I've gone too... Dog friendly and lots of fun crafts, art, local grown or made food. The vendors are great it's fun to support the community and get unique items and flavors.

I love the farmers market they have so many neat things to check out and everyone is so friendly. I love the live music. Not only are there outdoor shops but there are also indoor shops where you can go inside into the air conditioning to cool off if you need to

This is one of the best farmers markets you will ever visit in the USA. It has something for everybody. Everything about it is perfect. I just wish in the winter It started a little later and went on till about 3pm, but in summer, you don’t want to be there much past 1pm as it starts to get very hot. Luckily, it opens early around 8am Saturdays are great as they close off the whole downtown Main Street so it’s very pedestrian friendly. While you’re in downtown Las Cruces, there’s some great cafés and a really nice art museum and cultural center so plan to be there a while if you’re visiting from out of town. When it gets hot visit some of the indoor places and Coas bookstore. There are musicians who rotate positions throughout the market help them out give them some cash, they are working hard. Also great food trucks. I love everything about this market. Dogs are allowed but their paws will get hot and they will need water and shade. So please take care of your K9 friends. There are lots of unique and handmade items which as far as I know is a requirement to be a participant in this market no mass produced stuff is allowed, though some of it may sneak in. But 99% of what you see here is handmade by the crafters and home grown food from small local farms.

The best Farmers Market around. Great variety of items for sale. Truly the best kettle corn every is Uncle Banjo’s Kettle Corn!!! There are hundreds of amazing vendors at this market with a variety of offerings from vegetables, breads and baked goods, earrings, art and more. Plan on spending the whole day here with the family as the also have various street artists and entertainment. Make sure to visit all the shops on main streets too.

We're in town from Oshkosh, WI visiting family who suggested we check out the Farmers Market as we're art and craft fans as well as the food one finds at a Farmers Market. Started at Organ Mountain Outfitters, that is a great store whose profits are partially shared feeding children and more. I love shopping local but it's always more enjoyable when the business shares it wealth locally as well. There was so much to see and do. I very much enjoyed the local musicians sharing their talents. There was a guitarist playing a sort of bluesy tune and a young man singing a beautiful Mexican melody in full dress. I'm sure he was singing about a lost love or 🤷‍♀️. It was lovely. Ate a breakfast burrito from Cocina Mexicana Express at the recommendation of a family member. Truly the BEST food truck food ever. If you haven't waited in his line for anything on his menu you're missing out. I will warn you, the portions are not small. I'm thinking about going again next weekend just to have this one more time before leaving town. Found a lot of great artisans sharing jewelry, clothing, paintings, the best and most affordable wax melts from Smelly Sam's (I think that's their name). They had scents I've never smelled before and I've been using a wax melting pot for years. It's the perfect size Market, not too big you don't enjoy and just enough to have something for everyone.

Nice museum. Went in today, and they had a wonderful show featuring NMSU dancers. Great pieces of art are being displayed. Origami art pieces. Entrance was free.

There were some lovely people at the Moonlight event, which is absolutely a wonderful idea and a super awesome free community event. TAMMY, however, was rude and unwelcoming from the moment we crossed the threshold. Literally jumped out at us and demanded our IDs. Would be nice to welcome your guests first. Then, we announced we’d just moved here and asked for information about the museums - she cut off one of the volunteers and was rude again. As we were leaving, with lemonade purchased at one of the food trucks, we were already on the sidewalk and she starts sneering and said we couldn’t leave. We asked why and she told us we couldn’t leave with drinks. She was rude to yet another volunteer for not catching us before walking out. Their website says no outside food or drinks are allowed in. Not that we couldn’t leave with lemonade we bought inside in case we “may have spiked it”. If that was the case, we should have been approached with a completely different attitude and not accosted on the way out. If this is how you act at free events, there’s absolutely no way I’d pay for an event or go back here. Her attitude, tone, body language was unacceptable and unwelcoming.

It has a cool natural history exhibit, very good for children. Then a room of art,car painting and a jaguar on exhibit. Not big,free.

It was a cool place to spend the morning. Exhibit and people watching sitting on a bench. Not a big display but well done.

Small but not contemporary. So usually has a range of relatively recent paintings in most mediums, watercolor, pastel, oil, acrylic, etc. We visit once a year and always find some that we like. Free too.

Very small and you really need to like the art if you want to enjoy it.

Pretty quiet, peaceful place to walk around and look at the artwork.

Really cool little museum, and free admission. It really exceeded my expectations.

This museum is nothing short of excellent. We had a great experience as a family and there is definitely a lot to look at! Some stuff we have never even seen! Gideon, an employee there let us hold a meteorite that was once a planet. It was truly an amazing experience and one that we will remember as a family forever! We would highly recommend to anyone we know!

This is a great museum. One it's free (donations accepted), two it's breathtaking. You walk in to the museum and on the right are these gorgeous crystals and on the left and in back beautiful petrified woods from all types of trees. The colors of both are just beautiful. The collection is amazing but that's not all. There is a room of fossils as well. Dinosaur bones and skeletons from different creatures millions of years old like a Giant Ground Sloth and a Baby Woolly Mammoth. So very interesting. Worth a stop to look around.

Great museum. Enjoyed the exhibits of minerals and skeletons

This place is for anyone of any age. Both my mom and my 2.5 year old toddler were loving it! Really cool dinosaur and petrified wood stuff! It was quite small but perfect size for a toddler, in and out in 30-45 minutes.

Quiet and peaceful environment with so many artifacts to see. Even had a kid corner with activity sheets. I was able to enjoy the museum, while my 5 year old could entertain himself and still be close by. My 9 year old loved the chance at seeing a dinosaur femur and view the multiple geodes.

Beautiful collection of petrified wood along with lots of other interesting minerals and fossils. The petrified wood especially is beautifully displayed.

Young Park in Las Cruces, NM, offers a charming escape for families. Its central feature is a serene pond, a popular spot for local anglers. The park also serves as a vibrant community hub, frequently hosting various events. This combination of natural beauty and community activity makes Young Park a true oasis.

Great place to hangout and drown some worms while you are waiting for your pooch to get groomed by the wonderful people at petsmart

We had a BBQ here on Sunday. We brought our own grill so I'm not sure if there are grills already there for public use. There is a pond you can walk around that's nice and relaxing. Lots of playground area for kids. Bathrooms are right by the playground and they were well taken care of. Large grassy area for a small game of football or soccer. It's a nice park. Will definitely visit again.

Spacious park with lots to do… several play sets for kids, pavilions, lots of trees, and a pond with ducks/fishing.

Nice park with many play structures for all different ages. I even saw teenagers playing and having fun. There's a pond where you can fish or sit and feel the ducks. Also, they have bathrooms!!

Great for Renaissance festival. Nice that it's in town and has parking, though many vendors come from out of town. The kettle corn from Saturday market is amazing and vegan. There are some vendors mislabeling products as vegan that contain honey, so be careful! We learned more about things in the community, saw some cool art, and found out about Saturday LARPing too

One of my favorite places to find peace m, a good aura and to take my kids and dog to relax. Young Park is a clean and fun environment to relax in Las Cruces.

I have been coming to White's music box for 40 years.ive bought 2 instruments from them in the past. Great service. Knowledgeable people. I brought a trumpet in to get the tuning slides unstuck. I expected it to take a couple of weeks since school is letting out and I thought they'd be busy with repairing school instruments. Erika was able to get it fixed within 1 day. To say I was surprised would be an understatement. Erika, thank you for the quick turnaround.

Very, very BAD customer service when it comes to instrument repair!! Very unprofessional too in the way they handle private instruments. My flute came back from them with a screw loose. It almost fell out but my flute instructor caught it in time and was able to fix it. I left my piccolo right before Thanksgiving for repair. I didn't know about the flute issue until recently. I just knew that it wasn't playing right despite having just come out of the shop. When I called and asked about my piccolo if it was ready for pickup or at least the status of it. They couldn't find it. I gave them the claim number and they still couldn't find it. It took them a long time to find it. Even though it's a private instrument it almost ended up with Las Cruces band instruments. Then he asked me if I wanted it to be put with band instruments going to Alamogordo. I am not a kid in school playing an instrument. It's a private party. I had to describe what it looked like including the case. They are not very professional when it comes to instrument repair and taking care of your instrument in their care either. They mainly do school band instruments but they don't seem to care about private instruments left for repair. DO NOT give them any of your business!! If I could give them a negative star I would.

The employee at White's was very helpful and courteous. I brought my daughter's flute in for a repair on a Friday and the work was completed by the next day. This was a great experience, we were expecting the repair to take at least 4 days, so having such a quick turn around time was really great. The flute was cleaned and sanitized for Covid precautions, which was another service I really appreciated. We will definitely return to White's Music Box for future instrument purchases, rentals, repairs, supplies, and service. Thank you so much.

Not impressed. The employee was unhelpful and rude as well. You know, fake nice while maintaining undertones of talking to you like you're an idiot. The selection was also disappointing and overpriced. There are definitely better stores to shop at. Ever notice on reviews of awful places the owners respond with excuses. Hmmm...

The folks at White's Music Box exceeded our expectations. We purchased an item that needed repair and it took longer than expected. Throughout our wait, they were conscientious of calling us to let us know there was a delay. When they called today, they had upgraded our item and gave us a gift receipt for our patience. This kind of communication and customer service is why we will recommend them to everyone. We are their customers for life!

My family and I have been customers of White's Music Box for over 30 years. When it comes to purchasing an instrument or having repairs done on an instrument this is the only place we trust. Everytime I get my instrument back it looks as good as the day I purchased it. Their customer service is always friendly and helpful. I Highly recommend White's Music Box for any music and instrument needs!!!!

I would never recommend renting through Whites! Rented my daughters violin from 2nd grade through senior year only to have a credit of $2300 and NEVER getting through to anyone for the rent to own. Mr White is always unavailable and when asked about switching out the instrument he avoids you like the plague!!! His attempt at communication was only after saying I would write a review based on my experience and when saying I would like an instrument comparable to my credit he offered me one at almost 1K over. Asked again for something comparable to my credit and he never once again responded. Horrible.

My first NM state park to visit. Spent a couple hours there for hiking and birding. Very nice facilities, and super friendly and helpful staff. Thanks Alex, this Arkansas enjoyed meeting you!

A lovely state park with plenty of hiking. Great for birdwatching and birdlife. We spent several hours exploring and it was well worth the visit.

I visited this state park last year while on vacation in New Mexico. The park was nice - I enjoyed walking around in the dessert. It was winter time when I went, so there weren't any plants blooming or anything. But, it was still relaxing and nice to see the dessert landscape. The park ranger on duty that day was also great. He gave lots of informative information about the park when my friend and I asked questions.

We didn’t have much time at the park since we arrived late. Visitors center was typical. Trail that we walked about a mile of was well maintained and relatively flat. Beautiful from what we saw. Talked to the park ranger for a few minutes and he was very friendly and informative. Will come back to finish exploring and give ourselves more time here. They close at 4pm.

Nice and quiet park right next to the Rio Grande River. The park has nice trails and picnic tables. Pets have to be leashed. Fishing is also allowed. You pay at $5 fee at the entrance. Make sure you display the sticker on your vehicle.Overall great experience. Will visit again.

The staff is fantastic, knowledgeable! (I bought a year pass to any NM State Park. Otherwise it is $5 per visit. $40 for the year! A good buy.) This is a BEAUTIFUL place. Places to sit, picnic, look at the birds at the feeders, the animals sipping the water at the watering saucers, all the gorgeous plants. Plenty of shade. Hiking, too. This is a jewel. Good clean bathrooms.

Was parked about 2 minutes when an idiot ranger hassled us. Said we couldn't camp there and it was just for walking in. Yes we are traveling in a camper. I wouldn't give them or this state a dollar entrance fee. Dried up, stickers everywhere. Can barely walk a dog in this state!

All right, little Park. The only thing I don't like about it is when they're playing baseball, the ball goes to the area where the playground is at and almost hits the kids. The ball kept going to the playground area a few times, so we had to leave the park.

It's very nice it has a huge section with grass. It has this cute little garden with flowers and vegetables next to them are two sections with tables and they also have a kids play area. All it's missing is a couple of park grills and it's complete. We went in the day time so I don't know how the lighting is at night.

Didn't know this little grassy spot even had a name lol. Its a very basic "park" that wouldn't even be considered a park anywhere that wasn't in the desert. But it is probably really appreciated by anyone that lives in the apartments near by and has kids or dogs. Also it has a little bit of shade, which is great since the temperature outside is basically lava 90% of the year

It's alright but more care can be shown to this park , small picnic area that is covered , open grass big enough for cricket, small playground for the kids , a community garden and a pedestrian path around the park , the park is not fenced off , no water , no restrooms

Lots of homeless/vagrants. See people parked in the bushes surrounding. Lots of off things going on. But the park it's self is nice.

The park provides kids with fun climbing course, wide open field, and tables to sit. There is a walking path around the park. I don't like that there are no lights and no bathrooms.

Really nice! Full of grass and a little playground for the kids. Also a sidewalk to walk or run. All I would say is maybe some lights so we can enjoy when the sun goes down.

A decent amount of interesting cultural pieces on display, also our tour guide was vary informative.

Amazing curators with thought out and informational blurbs that make you want to keep going back to the art museum!!!! Just an overall blast no matter the exhibition. I recommend the Carolyn Salas show for all ages as well as the Border destroyer.

Great little museum, wonderful displays.

Great little museum with special emphasis on regional and Latinx artists. Free but advance tickets needed during pandemic due to capacity limits. Well worth it!

Wonderful display of Mata Ortiz pottery and art.

Ehhhh. Pretty sparse display of student art. I was hoping for a more titillating collection of young adult art. I would think there are better works available to showcase. I would have appreciated knowing how some of the pieces were developed. Example: Art professor explained to the class the media, the subject and the student explained how the he/she conceptualized and created their artwork. Admission and parking is free.

I really enjoyed the retablo/icon exhibit. It's so interesting to see the similarities and differences of the two. Also, the ceramic pieces were fascinating. I look forward to going back.

Some beautiful examples of pottery and textiles. More information on pottery would have been nice. Fun Dia de Los Muertos candy skull painting. Good activity for kids.

Anna and the volunteers know a lot, and the museum is always having events and exhibit openings - definitely worth checking out! Located a little out of the way, and parking is up in the air while construction is going on next door. Atlatl demonstrations, elementary school tours, rotating exhibits, and more. There's a kids learning area inside with a gorgeous mural painted by a local artist.

Came from Az to see them "As We See It " exhibit. Wevite said they were open from 10 to 5. We arrived @ 10 & they were closed. Another couple arrived & said they Visitors Center said they were open. They had a group of 30 First graders coming. There sign on their door said they would be open @ 12. Came back @ a little after noon & there was another sign on their door saying they were closed for them day. How dies a University have them right to close? How can you have an exhibit of that caliber & be closed? Totally unexceptable!!

A small museum to be sure, but full of culture that is worth representing and stories worth telling. I've been to a few exhibit openings here and have always had a good time, especially when talking with the artists or those who put the exhibits together to hear their stories.

Great exhibits, and often exhibits completed by NMSU grad students.

Jorden is the best she is so helpful and knowledgeable just a wonderful little place out of the way

Love seeing how the history of the area evolved before my eyes

Beautiful trail. Also nice because it's about 10 degrees cooler than the valley below.

The trail is clearly marked the whole way. It's an uphill climb into the narrow canyon where there is a little waterfall. Stunning views and sunny skies made this hike unbelievably enjoyable! I would definitely go early as it does warm up by early afternoon. And, bring plenty of water for you and your pup (if you bring your best friend) as there isn't any water access along this 3 mile trail.

Came across this hike on Google Maps and really loved it. The trails on Google Maps aren't entirely accurate but AllTrails is. I recommended taking your first right when the path splits and then navigating towards the trail to the falls. It's not easy to get lost or anything! Falls were a trickle when I was there in March but still beautiful. The rock formations were my favorite! And it's free.

Beautiful canyon. One of my favorite places to go hiking. After the summer rains you can even see a waterfall. I have been hiking there in several occasions, it is always different depending on the time of the year. It is nice in the winter when the snow caps the peaks.

Very nice beginner trail! Could use more detailed information about which trail includes scenery wise however they both end at the same place. Waterfall was a very small trickle with a swarm of wasps below as of 5 May 18. Bring water, sunscreen and hats.

Parking for RVs specially marked which was awesome. Gravel slight uphill hike in, 1 hour round trip to get to the waterfall. Beautiful views of the mountain. We had a baby in a carrier and dog on leash. Would do this hike again.

A nice alternative or addition to the Dripping Springs trail. No fee to park here. Beautiful scenery and a nice loop trail up to the rocks that form the Organ Mountains. Taking some of the side paths gives you some elevation variation unlike some of the other trails in the area that are strictly up the slope then down the slope.

As a vet, this park moved me. The monuments are beautiful. I'm so glad that this place exists because it fills a void in my heart. I brought my elderly mini dachshund, he lifted his leg at one monument and I said Don't you dare! Then I saw a lady let her dog run loose and try to call it back. That explains the pee spot at the main monument that my dog tried to emulate. People enjoy this park but show some reverence! This is not an off leash park.

Love this park! They have toilets, they have various areas to hang out. We go there mostly for soccer practice and it's a great place to have that for sure. Parking can get a bit tight and there's only one way in but the road is wide enough to u turn if needed.

We had an overnight stay in Las Cruces and found this gem of a park. The name speaks for itself and had excellent placards and statues. The trail on the outside is a quarter mile long, paved and generally level. For dog owners, there are poop bags available - stop being lazy and dispose of pet waste, especially at a memorial. The pics speak for themselves.

Beautiful! Such a magnificent tribute. But it's also a good park - lots of room for kiddos to run. Picnic tables with shade , rest rooms. Beautifully maintained. Made for an awesome Sunday get out of the house destination.

Had lunch here today. Such a beautiful park. My brother Pat Magee did quality control on the Hewey as they were built. He also flew recon as a navigator during Viet Nam. I realised for the 1st time ever that his status makes me a member of the Blue Star Families. This park is beautiful, serene, cared for and very user friendly.

What a wonderful place. The park is fantastic. My family and I threw a frisbee and walked the trails in the area. This park pays homage to the men and women who gave their all in service of this great nation. If you haven't been here, I highly recommend that you do so.

Incredible gem for military buffs out there! Must see for those that are traveling through the I-10. Dogs welcome and lots of space for them to get their energy out.

Nice park to walk, jog, and cycle on the paved path in the mornings or evenings. Also when water levels are good in the Rio Grande, kayaking, and floating on tubes is a good time.

This is a lovely linear trail that travels along the Rio Grande. Parking is across the street from where the trailhead on AllTrails is, and there is a restroom there. Bring water because this is an exposed trail. There is a paved path and a dirt path that parallels it, so you have options. I went off the path a bit to explore, and found an encampment that was thankfully deserted.

My second time here. Last time the river was a dry bed with 4 wheelers! This time river flowing at a great clip!

Long paved walking trail… Good sunset views… has play area for kids, unsheltered picnic areas, but no restrooms. A section of the south part can be a bit smelly because of the drainage canal. No parking fees.

First time was a couple of months ago. It's a decent park. I saw a snake 🐍 and left shortly after lol. I did have my two year old with me. It's nice to go to with all that's happening this hectic year. The best part is during sunset. So pretty, especially if there is water in the rio.

Well I was visiting the area and when I saw that the park was on the Rio Grande I had to stop. Unfortunately, this part of the river has dried up due to dams built further north. So, no water which allows you to walk in the river bed.

A nice place to park and get up close and personal to this big River. It was full when we visited and we watched for a time, happy to see it filled and with no sand bars. Access to the water was under the bridge, but we didn't even get close. Still waters run deep, or so they looked.