Aliens in Roswell, New Mexico
Disclaimer: We are not paid to promote any restaurant, hotel, activity, product, or attraction. All opinions are subjective and based on our personal experience. Your experience may be different.
Recently, Mike and I were taking a very long roadtrip from Tampa to northern Arizona. We needed to find lots of interesting stops along the way to break up the 30+ hour drive. One of the places we both wanted to check out was the UFO Museum in Roswell. Since we were passing near the area in New Mexico, we figured this would be the perfect opportunity to take a little detour. It’s not something we would necessarily go out of our way for, but rather a fun roadside attraction to add to our “done it” list.
Roswell, a small city in Southeastern New Mexico, is most well-known for being home to the UFO incident of 1947. Although the alleged crash happened 75 miles Northwest of the city in the desert, the town is still most frequently associated with alien phenomena.
Over the years, there has been an abundance of evidence, both to prove and disprove the alleged alien landings and abductions. According to recent research, more than 65% of Americans believe in the existence of aliens although interestingly most (87%) do not think that they are a threat to security. If you are one of these people, then you surely would likely enjoy a trip to this museum. I love watching Ancient Aliens on the History Channel and reading weird books about the subject, so I found the museum fascinating.
This city is decked out in alien decor!
As we drove into town, we noticed quirky alien decor in front of many of the shops and restaurants. The Arby’s has an Aliens Welcome sign and the McDonald’s is in the shape of a UFO. The downtown features alien themed light posts and realistic looking alien scenes in many of the shop windows.
We had fun taking a lot of pictures. Almost everywhere you look there is something colorful statue to pose next to. Fortunately, there was no one around during the week so we didn’t have to wait.
Next, we checked out a few of the unusual shops. You can find just about anything and everything here. One of the shops had this fun mini spacecraft with mini spacemen in front of it. Just a lot of weird stuff everywhere. If you are into oddball stuff, you should have a ball walking around.
How cool is this alien themed lamp post?
The Museum
The highlight of our visit was reading through the years of evidence collected at the International UFO Museum & Research Center. The small facility holds a lot of testimonials for and against the existence of aliens. It is very interesting to read the different stories and observe the various photos of supposed spaceships that people have turned in over the years.
You will find a few realistic looking exhibits as well as an interactive spaceship landing demo with lights and sound.
The museum walls are lined with stories of the Roswell incident, alien abduction testimonials, and further reported alien sightings in other areas of the country. We had a great time comparing and debating all different types of evidence which is all laid out on the walls.
As you browse through newspaper clipping after newspaper clipping, you won’t be sure what to believe. Either way you will have an entertaining time at the least exploring evidence, reading strange testimonials, and enjoying the alien art and displays scattered about the museum. Personally, I loved reading through the evidence and I am still not sure what to think as there is convincing evidence on both ends.
It was really interesting to read through different abduction stories. Most of the abductees seem pretty confident in their story and I see no reason what incentive they would have for lying. Many have taken lie detector tests and have been put through hypnosis which makes their stories seem even more reliable.
Take a look at the wall of photo evidence. These pictures sure look convincing and many of them were taken long before you could manipulate evidence with technology.
I really loved the section of the museum featuring colorful artwork. They had some really creative pieces on display.
There is a fun little gift shop on site where you will find all sorts of souvenirs like mugs and statues and these wacky sunglasses I tried on. We browsed through so many knick knacks, and finally left with a small spaceship magnet and the cutest little mini alien snowglobe.
Guided tours
If you want even more in depth information, you can take a tour with UFO researcher Dennis Balthaser. During this tour you will learn more about the history of the region and the infamous incident.
You will also visit crash location sites, visit homes of first hand witnesses and more. Update: Dennis retired during the pandemic. However, there are other tour companies in the region to look into.
Additional Details
Address: 114 North Main Street
Hours: 9am-5pm
Admission Prices: $7 for adults, $5 seniors & military, and $4 for kids ages 5-15. Pricing current as of 2025. Check website for updates.
A great roadside detour
This museum is a great road trip stop if you are already heading in the direction. It’s the only stop after hours of driving and there are enough unique sights and photo opportunities to see to warrant a visit. I wouldn’t necessarily go out of my way, however, it’s a fun one night stop if you need a recovery break from driving and enjoy alien related activities.
Update: Since moving to Arizona, I have explored a lot around New Mexico. I recommend checking out my southern New Mexico roadtrip guide where I highlight more unique attractions like the exotic White Sands National Monument and more weird roadside stops.
More to do
Before or after your museum visit, I recommend stopping for a delicious cup of joe or espresso drink at Stellar Coffee, an excellent local coffeehouse featuring fantastic drinks, cozy couches, and an attractive eclectic design. It is located just across the street! I love the eclectic setting here – it’s anything but a boring chain.
We were supposed to check out Bottomless Lake State Park while in town but ran out of time. This park is supposed to be really beautiful, so if you are into hiking you may want to check it out.
