Hello!

I am heading to El Paso for a few days in August (Americawest has a VERY cheap fare).
Any suggestions for "must see", "must eat" and/or "must do."

Thanks!

I live close to El Paso, and really we only go there for the malls...BUT, Juaraz, Mexico is right there, so if you've never been to Mexico, I would go to the markets and the church in the main plaza. You can walk across the border (you'll need your driver's license and 50 cents-it's a quarter each way to walk across) or take the trolley, but I've never done that. I would only go in the daytime though. If you have a car, I'd go to White Sands National Monument (2 hours north in New Mexico) and/or Carlsbad Caverns (3 hours east in New Mexico). Don't really know of any local must eat at restaurants but there are a lot of chain places. Let me know if you have other questions.

Hate to be unnecessarily negative, but El Paso is one of the most unattractive, uninteresting towns in the US for cities of its size and larger.
You won't find much in the way of memorable cultural or retail options.

I second Calsbad Caverns. Worth the side trip. The jaw dropping size of the place seems other worldly. Continue to Roswell for real? other worldly.

there is a wonderful mexican restaurant in el paso called Avilas (it is past THunderbird, on Mesa street) You can take a drive through the Kern area around cincinatti street and look at the old homes built in the 1930s- some are beautiful. Definitely drive on transmountain road- its beautiful around sunset time. If you are up for a little drive there is a wonderful italian restaurant in Mesilla called Lorenzos. Make sure to have a drink at the Dome bar in the Camino Real Hotel downtown. They have a wonderful Tiffany glass dome (go there when it is still light out). Enjoy!

ttt

I lived in El Paso most of my life, in DC area now. Wouldn't go there for vacation. Take a drive along Scenic Drive (wraps around the mountain) at dusk, great views. I would recommend Old Town Mesilla (in Las Cruces), about an hour away from west side of El Paso. It is not a large town, but the center has retained the look of old West, around a central plaza, with Catholic church at one end. Some interesting shops, and if the Double Eagle is still there it is a great place to have Sunday brunch or dinner. If you do eat there, be sure to ask the wait staff to tell you the story of the ghost in residence there.

I went a few years ago, and we actually drove to a NM town that had a wine festival. It was very nice. As for Juarez, I didn't care for it at all. Very dirty and poor. But if you want to go there just for the experience, then I would suggest paying for the trolley ride over. That's what we did. We made the mistake of getting off at one of the stops, and it doesn't come back for another hour, and we were in a very remote, unsafe area. Bad! I would have preferred to just stay on board to get an overview of the area. But again, it is a very sad place. There was an art gallery in El Paso that we went to and enjoyed.

There is also a steak restaurant outside of the town that was great. They have old movie props from western movies, a petting zoo, hayrides, and the best steaks ever! It was wonderful! I wish I could remember the name of it, but I don't. Maybe someone else knows of it?

That restaurant out of town, with authentic old west atmosphere, was called Cattleman's Restaurant when I lived there (but that was years ago). Glad to hear that it is still there. It was good food, and an interesting place.

We drove into Mexico from El Paso, we had planned to stay in El Paso. It was so dirty and felt so unsafe, we drove back to Las Cruces NM to spend the night. We were in Juarez long enough to get back into the USA, found out later that American car insurance is invalid in Mexico. If you must go don't take your car.

Go to Chico's Tacos. There are 4 locations. ANYone will be able to tell you where to find one. (They are rolled tacos, not the Taco Bell kind.) 3 for $1.05. Try it. Yum!

To Mich55:
Of course, the Cattleman's Restaurant! It was a great place and really gives you the feel of the Old West. Definitely a place to go when in the El Paso area. Thanks for remembering the name for me!