5 Best Sights in Northeastern New Mexico, New Mexico

As you head south on NM 518 toward Las Vegas, be sure to stop in the La Cueva Historic District. Among the buildings here, which date to the 1850s, is a stone-walled mill that supplied flour to the soldiers of Fort Union. Pioneer rancher Vicente Romero's mill also supplied power to the area until 1950; at what is now called the Salman Ranch, you can pick raspberries mid-August to mid-October, or buy fresh berries, raspberry jam and vinegar, and dried flowers and herbs at the original La Cueva Ranch Store. Brilliantly colored wildflower gardens, and homemade tamales, burgers, and raspberry sundaes served at the café draw families during "U Pick" raspberry season. The historic district's San Rafael Church, dating from the 1870s, is also worth a look.

At the junction of NM 434 and NM 518, make a right and head a couple of miles north to Cleveland Roller Mill Museum, a fixture in Mora Valley, which served as the region's main flour mill in the late 1800s. Milling demonstrations are held over the Labor Day Millfest, and in summer you can visit the artists' cooperative, where local artisans sell their sculpture, weaving, jewelry, and other crafts. The museum is run by the proprietors of surrounding Cassidy Farms, a nursery specializing in native conifers and shrubs.

Tapetes de Lana Weaving Center, the local weaving collaborative, has a spacious studio and shop on the corner of NM 518 and NM 434, where you can purchase beautiful handwoven textiles and help support the local economy and culture.

From Cleveland Roller Mill you can either return via NM 518 to Las Vegas (about 30 mi) or continue north on NM 518 over the gorgeous eastern face of the Sangre de Cristo range. You'll eventually come to Peñasco, on the High Road to Taos, from which you can either go south to Santa Fe or north to Taos. The drive from Mora to Peñasco offers spectacular mountain views, and passes by old farmsteads and adobe hamlets slowly being worn down by the wind and weather.

If you've got animal-loving kids with you, stop by Victory Ranch, a working 1,100-acre alpaca farm. You can pet the high-altitude–loving creatures and join in the feeding three times daily (at 11 am, 1 pm, and 3 pm) as well as visit the gift shop for Peruvian-made hats, sweaters, and mittens. The ranch is handicapped-accessible.