After visiting the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, we headed south in search of aliens in Roswell, New Mexico. We ended up at the International UFO Museum and Research Center in Roswell.
It’s about 200 miles from Albuquerque and you pass through some pretty desolate areas to get there, but the trip is only about three hours, so it’s an easy drive.
Roswell is renowned for being the site of an alleged 1947 UFO crash.
This supposed UFO crash at a ranch near Roswell, later identified as a military air force surveillance balloon, sparked widespread speculation of a government cover-up and the recovery of extraterrestrial spacecraft.
We decided to join in the conspiracy theorists and scoff at the notion that it was actually just a US military nuclear test surveillance balloon. We wanted to see aliens!
International UFO Museum and Research Center
We started our quest for aliens at the International UFO Museum and Research Center in Roswell.
Founded in 1991, the museum aims to educate the public about all aspects of the UFO phenomena.
Its exhibits include information on the Roswell Incident, crop circles, UFO sightings, ancient astronauts, and abductions.
The museum houses a vast collection of artifacts, documents, and information related to UFO research.
The fact that it’s not just a museum but also a research center was intriguing.
However, it turned out to be mostly postings of newspaper articles and a few artifacts that told the story from 1947, including a replica of an alien autopsy.
Apparently there’s another place just down the street from the museum that is called Alien Zone Area 51 that has a back room with all sorts of bizarre alien setups with which you can take a photo.
If you’re into shocking your relations with a new green family member for the holiday Christmas card photo this year, that might be your place to go.
Alternatively you could simply add a new Christmas stocking to your fireplace mantel this year and see if anyone notices their new baby brother.
The International UFO Museum and Research Center museum gift shop had a fun collection of alien-related t-shirts and other items, such as this alien bandana worn by a true believer.
Camping in Roswell
We stayed at the Red Barn RV Park in Roswell. It is a nice family-run campground with full hookups that met our needs.
Final Thoughts
It turns out that most of Roswell is making money off of tourists in search of UFOs and aliens. It was a fun experience, but not really very serious. I’m sure there are true believers in Roswell, but most of what we saw was designed as entertainment.
Anyway, it’s still a fun visit. We had a good time at the International UFO Museum and Research Center in Roswell, but don’t be expecting too much!
