Ruidoso, New Mexico Attractions

Ski Apache Spencer Theater National Forest Historic Lincoln Alameda Park Zoo

Loaded with excitement, Ruidoso Downs Race Track is home to the world’s richest quarter horse race, the $2 million All American Futurity. The Downs features the best quarter horses in the world and the finest thoroughbred racing in the southwest. Enjoy live racing from Memorial Day through Labor Day weekend, as well as the Billy the Kid Casino, a summer concert series, restaurants, a bar, and a sports theater. Visit www.ruidosodownsracing.com.

Ski Apache. Reveling in clear blue skies and moderate temperatures, Ruidoso is home to the largest ski area in New Mexico. Located on the north ridge of 12,003’ Sierra Blanca Peak, Ski Apache offers the ultimate ski and snowboarding experience in the Southwest. Blessed with spectacular snow conditions and an average annual snowfall in excess of 15 feet, Ski Apache offers the best warm weather powder skiing in the world. Boasting 55 ski trails, a 1,900’ vertical, open bowl skiing, a terrain park with jumps and rails and amazing views of the summit, Ski Apache offers skiers and snowboarders the finest skiing in the Southern Rocky Mountains. Owned by the Mescalero Apache Tribe, Ski Apache features New Mexico’s only 4-passenger gondola and the highest lift capacity in New Mexico. Ski season starts Thanksgiving Day and runs until Easter.

Ruidoso Winter Park. Enjoy snow tubing and sledding at Ruidoso Winter Park in the Eagle Creek Sports Complex., featuring a Kidz Korral, giant tubes (3 to 10 riders), The Magic Carpet to carry you up the mountain, bib rentals and a snack bar. Winter Park offers twilight/evening tubing throughout the season, with a bon fire and marshmallows for roasting. Call 505-336-7079.

Flying J Ranch. Journey back to the Wild West at Flying J Ranch, where you’ll experience the western village of Bonita City, bustling with merchants, gift shops, live music by the Flying J Wranglers, a western show, gold panning, a pistol shoot, pony rides, lively gunfights on Main Street, and a nightly chuck wagon dinner. Bring your camera. Visit www.flyingjranch.com.  [Top]

Spencer Theater for the Performing Arts. Spencer Theater for the Performing Arts is a world-class, 514-seat theater hosting touring Broadway shows, dance troupes, and music, including opera, pop, country and classical musicals. Set high on a mesa outside of Ruidoso, this state-of-the-art hall features world-class performers in a breathtaking theater setting that features four major Dale Chihuly glass installations. For events, tickets and free tours, call 503-336-4800, or visit www.spencertheater.com.

Billy the Kid National Scenic Byway. Discover Ruidoso’s terrific attractions along the Billy the Kid National Scenic Byway. This driving loop circles Lincoln County, giving access to a diversity of local topography, attractions, and historic and artistic venues. Wind through the beautiful Hondo Valley to historic Lincoln. Call (505) 378-5318 or visit billybyway.com  [Top]

Lincoln National Forest. Birthplace of Smokey Bear, Lincoln National Forest is a breathtaking natural treasure with three districts, three mountain ranges - Sacramento, Guadalupe and Capitan - 86,000 acres of wilderness, elevations from 4,000 to 11,500 feet, and five life zones from Chihuahuan Desert to subalpine forest. Lincoln’s one-million acres offer camping, picnicking, fishing, hunting, hiking, bird watching, motorcycling, sight-seeing, horseback riding, snowmobiling, inner-tubing, cross-country and downhill skiing. Jewel of the forest, Sitting Bull Falls Recreation Area features a 150-foot waterfall that cascades to natural pools, beautiful caves and miles of hiking trails. Fish the pristine waters within White Mountain Wilderness which flow below the Sierra Blanca Peak. From cross country skiing to downhill, Ski Apache Resort within the forest provides ultimate skiing. In the magical Guadalupe Ranger District, rolling hills meet deep rough canyons atop the Guadalupe Mountains, and desert plants mix with woodlands to create a “Mirage in the Desert.”

White Sands National Monument. Rising from the mountain-ringed Tularosa Basin, at the northern end of the Chihuahuan Desert, is one of the world’s natural wonders - New Mexico's White Sands. Awesome wavelike dunes of gypsum sand cover 300 square miles of desert. White Sands National Monument preserves a major portion of the planet's largest gypsum dune field, along with plants and animals that inhabit this environment. During summer full moons, White Sands is open to awe at the effects of moonlight on the sand dunes. Visit www.ruidoso.net/visitors/outdoors/whitesan.html.  [Top]

Historic Lincoln. Down the valley from Ruidoso, the historic town of Lincoln is where one of the famous shoot-outs of Billy the Kid took place and where he escaped in the late 1800's. From 1878 to 1879, the citizens experienced the Lincoln County War, a conflict that brought notoriety to a young gun slinger called Billy the Kid. A visible reminder of the Old West, Lincoln features historic homes, the first Lincoln County Courthouse, and 11 state monuments, including four museums that pay tribute to the Lincoln County War, Mescalero Apache Indians, Buffalo Soldiers, and Billy the Kid.

Hondo Iris Farm and Gallery. Located in the heart of the Hondo Valley, New Mexico’s most beautiful botanical garden features rows of prize winning Iris, a garden walk, beautiful scenery, a picnic area, a hummingbird porch and a gallery, part of which is a historic 100-year-old adobe building. The gallery features paintings, sculpture, and jewelry by Hondo artist Alice Warder Seely. Visit www.aliceseely.com/hondo.  [Top]

Alameda Park Zoo. Located in Alamogordo, Alameda Park Zoo was established in 1898 as a diversion for railway travelers with a small collection of waterfowl and deer. Today the seven-acre Zoo is home to 90 different species and 300 animals. Enjoy playful otters, colorful birds, endangered wolves, and the antics of a variety of monkeys. The Zoo also offers a shaded picnic area and a park playground.

Ruidoso Convention Center. Sitting in the middle of a beautiful golf course, the Ruidoso Convention Center presents a variety of conventions, meetings, events, trade shows, festivals and activities. With a total floor space of 33,000 square feet, Ruidoso Convention Center provides seating for up to 2,000 people, space for 130 exhibition booths, paved parking, and exciting amenities for a variety of events.

Pillows Funtrackers. Bring the family to Funtrackers and enjoy 3 go-kart tracks for all ages, an 18-hole miniature golf, bumper boats, mountain maze and loads of fun year-round. Call 505-257-3275.  [Top]