I’m not going to lie. El Paso was definitely not first on my list of places we’d like to get stationed. It wasn’t even in the top ten. Or twenty. But military families don’t get to choose where they live, do they?
After living here for a year, I admit that it’s starting to grow on me a bit. We’re not going to retire here or anything, but it’s a very liveable place.
The lack of water and trees and the extreme heat are the biggest drawbacks,
but there are perks too. Ft. Bliss has a lot to offer – a great shopping area, pools and splash parks, a huge bowling alley, and a couple of large parks. Even though the summers are really hot, the winters are comfortable. There are a lot of places to hike in the area and if you like Mexican food, you can feast away.
Here is a list of things to do in the area (within a few hour radius):
In El Paso:
El Paso Zoo
Museum of Archaeology
History Museum
Insights Science Museum
The Gene Roddenberry Planetarium
El Paso Mission Trail
Lynx Exhibits
Hueco Tanks
Franklin Mountains State Park
Wyler Aerial Tramway
Magoffin Home
El Paso Municipal Rose Garden
El Paso Holocaust Museum
Viva El Paso
Concordia Cemetery
Old Fort Bliss Museum
Ft. Bliss & Old Ironsides Museum
War Eagles Air Museum
El Paso Mission Trail
Art Museum
Chamizal National Memorial
El Paso Saddleblanket Company
Border Patrol Museum
Aztec Caves Trail in Franklin Mountains State Park
Whoopee Bowl Antiques
Christmas Light Show at Fred Loya’s house
Keystone Heritage Park
A show at the Plaza Theatre
Railroad and Transportation Museum of El Paso
Outside of El Paso:
White Sands National Park
Carlsbad Caverns National Park
Dripping Springs
Farm & Ranch Museum (Las Cruces, NM)
Old Mesilla
Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument
New Mexico Museum of Space History
City of Rocks State Park
Rockhound State Park
Museum of Nature and Science (Las Cruces, NM)
Railroad Museum (Las Cruces, NM)
Museum of Art (Las Cruces, NM)
Hubbard Museum of the American West (Ruidoso Downs, NM)
Smokey Bear Museum and Gift Shop (Capitan, NM)
Elephant Butte Lake State Park
Guadalupe Mountains National Park
Fort Davis National Historic Site
Mesilla Valley Bosque State Park
Pancho Villa State Park
Leasburg Dam State Park
Oliver Lee State Park
Living Desert Zoo & Gardens
Events:
Hatch Chile Festival
Amigo Airsho
Sun Bowl
Chalk the Block
Here are some of my favorite posts about El Paso and the surrounding area ( I apologize in advance for the abundance of posts about the zoo. That’s our go-to place on boring days.):
