Recently my family and I have enjoyed exploring our surrounding area that’s not too far from home. We love to explore small towns and find hole-in-the-wall locations with amazing small business owners. There’s so much to see, and we’ve found value in exploring outside of popular tourist attraction areas.
Silver City, New Mexico (less than 3 hours away)
Silver City is quaint little town with charming shops and the sweetest shop owners. The best part is the Gila Cliff Dwellings are only an hour and a half away. We stayed in Silver City and spent half the day at the dwellings. The weather was perfect when we went towards the end of December. The kids loved the hike up to the cliff dwellings. There was so much to explore throughout the entire hike.
When we made our way back to Silver City, we spent some time exploring the local shops. The kids and I fell in love with this cute toy store on Bullard Street with the nicest toy shop owner. She traded discounts for drawings and had kids art displayed throughout her store. We finished the day with ice cream from another cute local shop. On our way back home the next day, we stopped at City of Rocks State Park. The park is perfect for exploring and hiking with little ones.
» » » » » » RELATED READ: 10 Tips for Taking Kids to White Sands National Park « « « « « « «
What I loved most about our trip was there were no crowds! Going off the beaten path really has its perks!
The following four locations (all in Texas) are all within a half hour of each other. You can spend an entire weekend exploring them all! We were having so much fun that we forgot to take photos! So unfortunately I don’t have many pictures to share with you all.
Balmorhea State Park (a little less than three hours away)
Balmorhea State Park is known for its fresh spring water and community pool that allows you to swim with the fishes. While swimming you can see catfish, sea turtles, and sea snakes. We unfortunately went on a cloudy cold day BUT the kids still enjoyed it! Make sure to take goggles or snorkels because the kids are going to love to explore the underwater.
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There are normally campgrounds and rooms available to stay in the park. Unfortunately, they’re all currently closed for renovations. We are a family of six, and it’s hard for us to find places to stay when suites are booked, especially when planning last minute!
Alpine, Texas (a little over three hours away)
We were able to find a spot to stay in Alpine, Texas. It’s only 30 minutes away from Balmorhea. Alpine is a quaint college city with deep Mexican roots and so many cute shops. The kid’s favorite spot was this cute bookstore that was connected to a local coffee shop. There was a section just for children to relax on a bean bag and read books. In between the coffee shop and the book store was a community area that was being used for psychic readings at the time. Very quirky, very small city, very fun!
Marfa, Texas (a little less than three hours away)
Marfa is less than 30 minutes away from Alpine. We decided to look for breakfast there since, again, we’re a family of six and have difficulty with things like hotel reservations and dining! I would describe Marfa as a more upscale, art-centric location in the middle of the desert. I wouldn’t call it the most family friendly place but everyone was definitely friendly and willing to accommodate. This would be a good adult-only getaway, in my opinion. We were looking for breakfast and wanted something fast. We went to Marfa’s Burritos and I felt like my tia was making me a breakfast burrito at her house.
Fort Davis, Texas (a little over three hours away)
Our final destination on our two day trip was the McDonald Observatory. The observatory is located in Fort Davis, Texas. Fort Davis is, you guessed it, a little less than 30 minutes away from Marfa. This place has the look and feel of an old western town. The scenery is beautiful, and the people are friendly.
We stopped by a restaurant located inside a hotel that served frog legs as an appetizer. Fortunately I’m a vegetarian and opted for the fried pickles and fried mozzarella instead . . . it’s probably fried in the same oil I know, don’t come at me! We finally made our way up to the Observatory. The highlight of our visit to the observatory was taking the guided tour where we saw the telescopes in action from the ground floor. I did manage to get one photo of that!
Socorro, New Mexico (little less than three hours)
I’ll admit I didn’t stumble on this place on my own. I had to travel here a lot for work in my previous role, and I slowly fell in love with it. There’s a local brewery where we would always have dinner, and the ambiance is always great. Socorro can get busy seeing as it’s the nearest place to stay when they have the Trinity Site Open House. I would recommend visiting during the Trinity Site Open House at least once in your life, but make sure to book your hotel stay well in advance. On our way back to El Paso, we always visit the Bosque Del Apache National Wildlife Refuge. We’ve been lucky enough to catch several unique and interesting birds including turkeys! It’s a great area to walk around and explore with young children.
Go and Explore!
I hope to add more to this list and I’d love to hear your recommendations! Bisbee, Arizona is next on our list. It’s a little over four hours away, and it looks like a small town we NEED to visit. I really recommend you try these smaller getaways that are truly relaxing. Support local and make great memories!
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