Most people think of Roswell only as the site of the alleged 1947 flying saucer crash.
Actually, the town seems rather embarrassed by the paranormal enthusiasts. It doesn't try to capitalize on aliens -- no logos, no statues, no tie-in businesses (I guess you could call Stellar Coffee a tie-in). The International UFO Museum is small and cramped, with boring exhibits (mostly texts) and pictures and statues of standard gray aliens.
The only nod to aliens is the UFO Festival every July, with 38,000 people drawn from 43 states, 16 countries, and dozens of solar systems. The 2018 festival will feature an Alien Chase 5K, a costume contest, a car show, and a lecture by Travis Walton, whose abduction inspired the movie
Fire in the Sky.Roswell hopes to draw tourists with it rich non-alien history and culture. The Roswell Museum and Art Center, founded in 1937, features southwestern and Native American artists. It's only nine blocks north of the UFO Museum, and a better way to spend an hour.
Also only two blocks south of the New Mexico Military Institute, a combined high school/ junior college that draws students from 43 states.
They have Open House events on Saturdays, and the McBride Museum and the athletic matches are open to the public. Or you can call the Admissions Office for a tour. Tell them you're writing an article on Roswell.
The Anderson Museum of Contemporary Art, three blocks eat of the New Mexico Military Institute, is a bright, airy space devoted to the work of local artists.
There are also three high schools and Eastern New Mexico University, with the standard wrestling and swimming events, and several gyms.
Come for the aliens, stay for the beefcake.
