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Published: April 13th 2009
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The Historic Plaza Park
Old Town Las Vegas, New Mexico Las Vegas rests beneath the gentle shadow of the Sangre de Christo mountains, a small, vibrant city on the edge of rolling green-gold prairie, a city whose land speaks of fire-roasted chile and reflected sun. The scent of juniper and piñon welcomes you to a tree-lined city that ranchers, artists, and families who have lived here for hundreds of years call home.
Beautiful music - from the plucked strings of a Mariachi's guitarrón to the elegant classical voices of the New Mexico Highlands University choir - often echos from the Plaza Park's gazebo as local dancers salsa and two-step during cool summer evenings. A stroll through the Arts and Cultural District reveals an array of aesthetic riches - from carved wooden saints and softly painted retablos, to bold modern offerings from new, up-and-coming artists.
Authentic and original, Las Vegas is home to over 900 buildings on the National Historic Register, from lovingly restored indigenous adobe structures to the state's largest number of intricate Victorian homes to the Plaza Hotel's classic Western ambiance.
Traditional tastes offer a luscious melding of the two cultures that first met at the river Gallinas. The end of September in Las Vegas means chile,
Sunrise over Las Vegas, New Mexico
Our sunsets and sunrises are the most beautiful on the planet! means waxy green pods stuffed in burlap bags. Deep-red ristras can be seen hanging from balconies, and men operate caged machines where the green chiles are turned over shooting flames to produce a blistered skin. Las Vegas eateries - from Northern New Mexican to sophisticated American cuisine - offer spicy stewed chile year round.
Historical artifacts, clothing, and photographs can be seen at the Las Vegas City Museum, housed in a 1940 WPA funded building, as well as at the Citizens Committee for Historic Preservation office on Bridge Street. A stone lion stands on the corner of Lincoln and Grand Avenues, a testimony to temperance.
Unique and mysterious, sunny and green, Las Vegas counts natural hot springs, mountain hiking trails, striking architecture, and a rich blend of culture as some of its finest offerings. Once the biggest and baddest of the Old West towns, Las Vegas has come a long ways without losing the best of what it has always been: a jewel on the Santa Fe Trail.
What to do in Las Vegas, New Mexico: The
Hot Springs near Montezuma Castle are a local favorite spot. You can soak in the 112 degree hot pool
Navajo Textiles
An old parachute factory from WWII - on the Historic Las Vegas Plaza, Las Vegas, New Mexico while your young children splash in the 100 degree warm pool. These natural hot springs have been used by the local population for hundreds of years. The pools are free, outside, and are maintained by the students of the
Armand Hammer World College, a two-year dormitory college prep school which has students from over 100 different countries.
The
Plaza Hotel and Byron T's Saloon, on the Plaza in Old Town Las Vegas, New Mexico, is the site where the Rough Riders first met. The hotel has been restored and features a wonderful restaurant and wild west accommodations with a modern touch. The Plaza Hotel has an incredible new expansion - the Ilfeld Building, located right next to the hotel on the
Old Town Plaza. The building features a gorgeous newly renovated ballroom and theme rooms. Don't miss it!
Each Saturday and Sunday on Grand Avenue, the
People's Flea Market offers fun, excitement, and some amazing bargains! Find a used leather holster, or buy a crate of live chickens! Farmers, ranchers, cowboys, and townspeople set up free tables where they sell their extra goods. Don't miss the fresh tamales and prune empanadas - mmmmmm!
The
Rio Gallinas splits
Burros
Burros in Las Vegas, New Mexico Las Vegas into East and West. The river boasts a pretty gravel river walk, where you can enjoy the pinon trees and watch the numerous beavers work on their dams. Pick up a smothered green chili burrito at Charlie's Spic and Span on Douglas Ave, and enjoy some lunch at the river's edge.
The
Las Vegas Museum and Rough Riders Museum on Grand Avenue is a free museum crammed with photographs and artifacts from the town's Wild West days. The historian on duty will describe what life was like when Billy the Kid terrorized the town.
The haunted
La Castaneda Hotel is located next to the old
Las Vegas Train Depot. The hotel is closed, but the saloon on the ground floor is still open - and it looks exactly like it did during Doc Holliday's years. Grab a Corona and sit on the hotel deck. If you're lucky, you might spy the ghost!
You've read about our Original Las Vegas in your history books: the rooftop where New Mexico was first declared a part of the United States, the biggest stop on the entire Santa Fe Trail, Doc Holliday's last - and most deadly - shingle,
Bison
Bison at Las Vegas, New Mexico the city, and still-standing saloon Teddy Roosevelt chose for his Rough Riders.
You've seen the "reel" Las Vegas in the movies - the sheer cliff of Hermit's Peak and our cowgirl mural in "Red Dawn," our neighborhoods and vintage Serf Theatre in "No Country for Old Men," and our rolling prarie lands in "The Astronaut Farmer." Hollywood has disovered us! Now it's your turn...
Come, begin your adventure in Las Vegas. Let us show you our hospitality, our vintage architecture, our welcoming kindness.
Want to learn more about Las Vegas, New Mexico?
Read My Tiny Vegas!
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