We will be ending a family (boys 10 & 13, parents & grandparents) road trip out west in Southern New Mexico and need some ideas. We will be leaving the Benson, AZ area headed to Carlsbad, NM. We have 3 days for this including travel time & want to end at Carlsbad Caverns for our last day. We will be staying in a camper, so the best situation would be to find a central location to base from for 3 nights, but could be 2 nights one place & 1 another. Any ideas of place so see, things to do would be great!

Chiricahua National Monument in SE Arizona is definitely worth a visit.

Las Cruces is a pleasant town with many amenities and it is fun to have a Mexican meal in the colorful old Mesilla neighborhood.

White Sands National Monument is likely to fascinate your sons.

A little off the path the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument near Silver City are also a major attraction in Southern New Mexico.

HTTY

The distance between your destinations makes it difficult to stay in one location and take day trips.

You might want to spend some time in the mountains on your way to Carlsbad. Lincoln has Billy the Kid history that my kids enjoyed, and Capitan is the home of Smokey Bear State Park.

Lee Ann

Thanks! Thinking we will drive from Benson to Las Cruces & spend 1 night, see some things that afternoon & the next morning, then on to Carlsbad for our last 2 nights.

Since you have two youngsters with you, I know a FANTASTIC place to visit! Go to Lincoln County. It is near Ruidoso, and it was where Billy The Kid hung out. The town is unbelievably interesting, having several museums showing the Billy the Kid story. The whole town has been kept exactly as it was when Billy was around. You will love it.