Vacations in Ruidoso, New Mexico
Gamblers will love Ruidoso Downs where some of the most exciting stakes races take place each year. It is also home to the “Billy The Kid Casino,” which houses some of the newest games and historical information about the famed Billy the Kid and old Lincoln County.
Outdoor lovers can Ski at Ski Apache (which has the largest lift capactity in New Mexico), play a few rounds at one of Ruidoso’s four 18-hole golf courses, take a horseback ride through the mountains, or play golf and tennis at the ever-popular Cree Meadows Country Club. You can also visit the White Sands Monument, which is connected to the world’s largest Gypsum dune field. Tours are scheduled from 8AM to 5PM, and on full moons until 7PM. It spans nearly 300 square miles of beautiful hills and valleys of white sand.
You can also participate in one of Ruidoso’s newest attractions. Have you ever gone tubing down a river? Well, in the winter months, you can go tubing down mountains! Snowplay, a revolutionary business in Ruidoso, provides rafts and tubes that hold between three and six riders who want to “ski” down the mountains in a different way. Beginner and advanced slopes determine the daring of the rider, and costs range from $10.00 – $25.00 per person. Snowplay is located just west of Hwy 48.
Fishing is another favorite pasttime in Ruidoso, and with three state parks within short driving distance, you will never have a deficiency of nature. Blue Water State park, which nestles between Gallup and Grants, is one of the best places to fish in New Mexico. The New Mexico Gaming and Fishing Department keeps lakes stocked with trout all year round so the fish are always biting. You might also try Bonito Lake off Hwy 48; Grindstone Lake at the Nogal turnoff; Inn of the Mountain Gods, which seels one-day permits; New Mexico Oasis State Park near Portales; and Caballo State Park, which is just south of Truth or Consequences.
In the evenings, visit the Flying J Ranch for an authentic chuckwagon dinner and an entertaining western show, which runs Memorial Day through Labor Day and Saturdays during the fall. Then, visit Win, Place and Show, Ruidoso’s most happening club, where country music and dancing run until 2AM. On Saturday, enjoy a BBQ lunch at the Tinnie Silver Dollar Saloon, which has been renovated to resemble the Saloons in the 1800’s.
The Spencer Theater for Performing Arts is another popular attraction, which hosts Broadway Shows every 11 days all year ’round. Its towering stage is set in the foreground of some of New Mexico’s most beautiful mountain scenery. It is located off Rt. 48 on Airport Highway 220 in Alto, New Mexico, which is just a twenty-minute scenic drive from Ruidoso.
And if you are really in the mood for adventure, take the short drive to Carlsbad, NM and visit the legendary Carlsbad Caverns, which is the Eighth Wonder of the World. Explore the subterranean world of stalagmites and stalagtites, and have lunch 750 feet beneath the earth’s surface at the Underground Lunchroom. Admission is $6.00 for adults, and $4.00 for children. And remember to bring your hiking boots!
Cree Meadows Country Club 505.257.2733
Billy the Kid Casinos 505.378.4431
Flying J Ranch 505.336.4330
Tinnie Silver Dollar Saloon 505.653.4425
Win, Place and Show 505.257.9982
NM Oasis State Park 505.356.5331
Caballo State Park 505.743.3942
Blue Water Lake State Park 505.876.2391
Ski Apache 800.545.9011
White Sands National Monument 505.479.6124
Spencer Theater 505.336.4800
