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Voykit pocket guide · United States
Roswell, New Mexico
Roswell
Give Roswell one full day and one night: the UFO museum, the art museum and Bottomless Lakes fit in a day, and there is little else to fill a second.
Roswell is a small southeastern New Mexico city that trades on a 1947 alleged UFO crash. The UFO museum, a genuinely good art and space museum, and a state park 20 minutes east cover a day. It sits on US 285 and US 70/380, so most visitors arrive by car between Carlsbad Caverns, Ruidoso and the Texas plains. Two nights is the ceiling unless you are here for the early-July UFO Festival.
- Country
- United States
- Local name
- Roswell
- Best months
- Mar–May, Sep–Nov
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (desert heat, 35 °C+ days)Jul–Aug (desert heat, 95 °F+ days)
- Stay
- 1–2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- USD
- Money
- Currency is the US dollar (USD, $). Cards and phone payments work almost everywhere; carry a little cash for tips and small vendors.
- Daily spend
- Budget $70–110 excl. bed · Mid $120–190 excl. bed · High $200+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile cover the country; prepaid SIMs at their stores and Walmart/Target (passport required), or an eSIM before you fly.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance 911 · Roswell Police non-emergency 575-624-6770 · Poison Control 1-800-222-1222
- Plugs
- Types A, B · 120 V · 60 Hz · Chargers are dual-voltage; hair dryers and straighteners from 230 V countries need a converter.
- Tipping
- Sit-down restaurant: 18–22% of the pre-tax bill.; Bar: US$1–2 per drink or 20% of the tab.; Taxi / ride-hailing: 15–20%, in the app.; Hotel housekeeping: US$3–5 a night.; Porter / valet: US$2–5 per bag or car.; Tour guide: US$10–20 per person for a day tour.; Counter service / tablet prompts: Optional; 0–15%.
- Water
- Tap water is drinkable nearly everywhere; boil or treat water from streams in parks.
- Toilets
- Free public toilets are scarce in big cities; use cafés, department stores, libraries, stations. Rest areas on highways are free.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | $3–6 |
| Breakfast burrito or diner plate | $10–18 |
| Green chile cheeseburger with fries | $14–22 |
| Craft beer or hard cider at a taproom | $7–10 |
| UFO museum entry | $7 adults, $4 children 5–15, $5 seniors and military (check) |
| Bottomless Lakes day use | $5 per vehicle (check) |
| Gasoline, per gallon | $3.00–3.60 (check) |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- ROW · Roswell International Air Center
- American Eagle to Dallas/Fort Worth and Phoenix; the field is also an aircrew training base, so large aircraft may be parked or flying low
- ABQ · Albuquerque International Sunport
- About 320 km / 3.5 h by car via US 285; the usual gateway if you are drivingAbout 199 mi / 3.5 h by car via US 285; the usual gateway if you are driving
Typical fares
- ROW airport → downtown
- about $15–25 by taxi, 10 min (check)
- City bus, Main Street
- small flat fare, several runs a day (check)
- Drive Roswell → Carlsbad Caverns
- about 145 km, 1 h 45 minabout 90 mi, 1 h 45 min
Get around
A car is the practical choice: sights are spread over 15 km and Bottomless Lakes is 20 km east. A city bus runs the length of Main Street from the north Walmart to the airport several times a day, and local taxis exist, but neither reaches the state park or the refuge. Parking downtown is free and easy.A car is the practical choice: sights are spread over 9.3 mi and Bottomless Lakes is 12 mi east. A city bus runs the length of Main Street from the north Walmart to the airport several times a day, and local taxis exist, but neither reaches the state park or the refuge. Parking downtown is free and easy.
See and do
Known for
- 1947 UFO incident and the International UFO Museum
- Roswell Museum and Art Center (O'Keeffe, Hurd, Goddard rocketry)
- Bottomless Lakes State Park
- UFO Festival in early July
- Souvenir shops along North Main Street
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Bottomless Lakes State Park | US 380 east about 19 km, then NM 409 south about 5 kmUS 380 east about 12 mi, then NM 409 south about 3.1 mi | About 30 min |
| Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge | Drive northeast of town on US 380 / NM 409 | About 25 min |
| Carlsbad Caverns National Park | US 285 south then US 62/180, about 145 kmUS 285 south then US 62/180, about 90 mi | About 1 h 45 min |
| Ruidoso | US 70 west over the Sacramento Mountains, about 120 kmUS 70 west over the Sacramento Mountains, about 75 mi | About 1 h 45 min |
| Lincoln Historic Site | US 380 west, about 80 kmUS 380 west, about 50 mi | About 1 h 15 min |
Sleep
- North Main Street
- Chain motels, Walmart, most drive-in food; best for one night with a car.
- Downtown / Main Street core
- Walk to the UFO museum, art museum and cafés; fewer beds, book ahead.
- Airport area (south)
- Closest to ROW and the air park; quiet at night, needs a car for everything.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Where is the UFO museum? | Where's the UFO museum?Main Street, downtown |
| Is this seat taken? | Is this seat taken? |
| Can I pay by card? | Can I pay by card? |
| Where is the restroom? | Where's the restroom? |
| How far is Bottomless Lakes? | How far is Bottomless Lakes?about 20 minutes east |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake and 'hi, how are you?' — reply 'good, thanks'; avoid: Treating the question as a real health enquiry
- Restaurants: Tip 18–22% and wait for the check; avoid: Leaving without tipping
- Personal space: Keep an arm's length in queues; avoid: Standing close to strangers
- Politics and religion: Listen more than you speak; avoid: Opening with hot-button topics
- Smoking: Smoke only in marked areas; avoid: Smoking near doors or in parks where banned
Scams and watch-outs
- Distances are real: fuel up before leaving I-40 or US 285, and carry water — services are sparse outside town.
- Summer afternoons hit 35 °C+; do Bottomless Lakes and Bitter Lake in the morning.
- Store alcohol sales are restricted on Sundays; restaurants serve from noon to 22:00.
- The UFO museum is a private attraction with a modest entry fee — set expectations, it is documents and dioramas, not a theme park.
- Do not count on rideshare outside the centre; arrange a taxi or drive.
Roswell is a normal small US city: violent crime is low but not zero, and the real hazards are desert heat, long empty drives and deer on US 380 at dusk. Keep water in the car and lock valuables.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Roswell, New Mexico yet. Suggested stay: 1–2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- 1947 UFO incident and the International UFO Museum
- Roswell Museum and Art Center (O'Keeffe, Hurd, Goddard rocketry)
- Bottomless Lakes State Park
- UFO Festival in early July
- Souvenir shops along North Main Street
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- City of Roswell — official site: www.roswell-nm.gov/
- Roswell International Air Center (ROW): www.roswell-nm.gov/307/Roswell-International-Air-Center
- International UFO Museum and Research Center: www.roswellufomuseum.com/
- Roswell Museum and Art Center: www.roswell-nm.gov/308/Roswell-Museum-Art-Center
- Bottomless Lakes State Park (New Mexico State Parks): www.emnrd.nm.gov/spd/find-a-park/bottomless-lakes-state-park/
- Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge (US Fish and Wildlife Service): www.fws.gov/refuge/bitter_lake
- Roswell bus routes information: www.roswell-nm.gov/290/Bus-Routes-Information
- Wikivoyage: Roswell (New Mexico), revision 5236921 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5236921
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Roswell, New MexicoRoswell
To this address, please
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
- Police, fire, ambulance911
- Roswell Police non-emergency575-624-6770
- Poison Control1-800-222-1222
No consulates in Roswell; nearest consular offices are in Albuquerque and El Paso (check).
Tipping is expected: 18–22% at sit-down restaurants, $1–2 a drink, 15–20% taxis.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/roswell-new-mexico). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.