Visit USA > New Mexisco > Southeast

New Mexico's Southeast Region is an excellent destination for Billy the Kid buffs as well as those who want to explore the state's history and scenic beauty. The Kid's grave, next to the Old Fort Sumner Museum, sits down the road from Fort Sumner State Monument and the Bosque Redondo Memorial. Navajo and Apache Indians were confined at this bygone frontier military post during the time of the 1860s Long Walk. To the south of the fort, Billy the Kid and other outlaws fought for the interests of rival cattle barons in the Lincoln County War. Visitors can see the preserved historic district and walk the streets of Lincoln where the Kid escaped from jail, killing two deputies.

Roswell, the site of an event just as wild as those involving Billy the Kid, welcomes guests to its International UFO Museum and Research Center. In 1947 a Roswell rancher found debris the U.S. Air Force's press release later attributed to a "flying saucer" crash. Though the Air Force retracted this release and claimed the debris was from a weather balloon, locals now celebrate the event at an annual UFO festival.

Whether extraterrestrial beings landed in New Mexico or not, people are still fascinated with what lies beyond the earth's atmosphere. Alamogordo harbors the New Mexico Museum of Space History. Those who run it affirm the museum's dedication to "the preservation and interpretation of the history, technology and science of the 'space age.'" Outside Alamogordo sits White Sands National Monument, preserving a huge swath of a 275-mile stretch of white gypsum sand dunes.

To view the natural scenery of the region from the air, visitors from around the world hang glide using the superior thermal air currents found above Hobbs, an oil-and-gas-producing community. Another Southeast Region community, Ruidoso, is a lively getaway for outdoor activities such as fishing, hiking, horse racing, golfing and skiing. The Mescalero Apache Tribe runs Ski Apache, a 55-trail ski resort in the shadow of Sierra Blanca Peak. The tribe also operates a casino at the Inn of the Mountain Gods.