el camino real historic trail site

We spent several hours here digesting all the interesting and well presented history of the Camino Real. Then we went on to the VLA. What a great day. The museum is comprised of many small rooms and uses photos, quotes, artifacts and general info posters to get the information across. The $5 admission fee is a deal for what you get! Young children would soon tire of the place but anyone over 12 would be interested.

This site, which is a New Mexico State Monument and an Innternational Heritage Center, opened in 2005 and is in a remote location off Exit 115 on I-25 with ample signs to direct you to the building. When making plans to visit, keep in mind it is CLOSED MONDAYS AND TUESDAYS and is open Wednesday through Sunday from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM. Admission is $5.00 per person and you need at least an hour, preferably more, to get even a quick view of all there is to see.Here is my advice for first time visitors: (1) there is lots of reading so unless children can read and have an interest in history I would not think it would be fun for them (2) you can get a free headset when you pay your admission, but there is so much to see and read, I would skip the headset (3) there is a film but I found it garbled in places and hard to understand, not to mention boring and (4) there is a patio in the back so be sure to go out there-a free handout highlights what you are seeing including remnants of the old trail and there is a 360 degree panoramic view of the Chihuahuan desert-in Summer costumed dancers put on shows and the lady in the gift shop said they are worth seeing (the gentleman in charge of scheduling the entertainment said it usually starts in May, but definite dates have not yet been set)The exhibits themselves trace the over 400 hundred year history of the trail which ran 1500 miles from Mexico City to north of Sante Fe. The exhibits were so realistic I actually could feel a part of the street scenes. I was amazed what was going on in this part of North America while the Pilgrims were landing on the east coast.Try to make time to walk a portion of the trail which begins in back by the patio. The trail is dirt and may be difficult for a wheelchair or someone who is unsteady. A sign cautions you to watch out for snakes. The gift shop/bookstore is run by volunteers and has varying hours. It was open when I visited on a Saturday and is worth a stop and has a great selection of books, jewelry, etc. Picnicking is allowed and tables provided but other than a few snacks in the gift shop if it is open, only coffee Is available.The BLM has property adjoining the State land and also has trails (like the State trails they are dirt and uneven) and a huge monument on a hill which you cannot miss as you drive in.I spent three hours here, did not feel I saw everything, and will visit again when I am in the area and have time.

This is about 25 miles south of Socorro, NM @ Exit 115. For those interested in Southwest History, the museum is well worth the stop. It does a good job capturing what it meant for the first European settlers in NM to have traveled the Camino Real from Mexico City at a "pigs pace" to settle in New Mexico. And an equally good job telling the story of all of the other people and cultures whose stories are part of a local history that includes Pueblo settlements, a Pueblo uprising, Comanche and Apache migrations, Spanish settlers, Buffalo soldiers, and Civil War battles.For those who might not be inclined to make the 90-mile drive from Albuquerque just to catch up on New Mexico history, consider this itinerary: 1. Lunch in San Antonio, NM, which has two restaurants that are famous for their green chile cheeseburgers. (Get off I-25 at Exit 139 and go east)2. Go South on Old Highway 1 past the entrance to the Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge to the El Camino Real Historic Trail Site and plan to leave by about 3 pm. In addition to the museum, there are trails and spectacular views. 3. Head back up Old Highway 1 to the Bosque del Apache (about 20 miles). That will put you in the Bosque del Apache at the best time of the day to see the geese and cranes as settle in for the night. One additional comment on the El Camino Real Center: the museum is not one that small children will enjoy. .

This is very nice museum commemerating the Camino Real from Mexico City to Taos, which passed through this site. The downside is it's in the middle of nowhere. The upside is that you may have the museum all to yourself. It's a surprisingly modern facility surrounded by a whole lot of nothing. The displays are informative and pretty well organized, with plenty of info on the Native Americans, as well as Spanish and Mexican colonial periods. The location was also a Piro Indian pueblo site, partially excavated, and there are a few displays of Piro artifacts. The only thing I can downgrade the museum for is that it was at times unclear in what sequence to navigate the displays. It seemed a little disjointed from a chronological perspective.We were there for nearly two hours on a Friday, and no other visitors appeared during that time. It's a shame really, as it's well worth the drive if you have an interest in New Mexico history. There is no food available at the museum, nor indeed anywhere near it, so plan accordingly. You may also consider a visit to Ft. Craig if you have time, which is only a few miles away, but equally remote.

I was traveling from Socorro to Truth or Consequences on a Sunday afternoon, so I decided to stop here. The main reason I decided to stop is because New Mexico residents get free admission to this attraction on Sundays. For free, it was a nice enough place to look around, but I don't think I would have been happy had I paid $5. That said, one could stop here and have a picnic and use the restrooms free of charge. However, if one were just driving through on I-25, one could stop at the nearby rest area for a picnic and restrooms and save some gas and some time.I noticed many of the things previous reviewers have stated. The center/museum is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The ranger/worker was in an office when I arrived, came out briefly to ask for payment (and didn't even want to see my New Mexico driver's license when I offered it to him), then ducked again into the back never to be seen by me again. The exhibit is rather dimly lit, and strangely laid out. (I kept getting confused as to which way I should turn, and ended up going backwards through several parts of the exhibit.) The gift shop was closed, with no indication as to when it might be opened. There was some additional audio program associated with the exhibit, but the ranger/worker didn't mention it, and I didn't know to ask. The informational film (which seemed to run on a loop) was of a poor visual quality, barely audible, and boring.While there are many objects to look at in the exhibits (some replicas and some authentic), there is a LOT of reading involved as well. It would take hours to read every word of explanation printed on the walls. If you visit here with a kid who can't read, forget it. Unless your child is quite saintly, you are going to have a bored kid running around, probably screaming, trying to touch things s/he probably shouldn't be touching, trying to climb on or hang from something. I enjoy reading, but less than halfway through the exhibit, I was tired of it.I don't know if I could recommend this place to any kids under 10 years old, and I think a 10 or 11 year old would have to be quite mature to tolerate it, much less enjoy it.I was the only person in the exhibit, and it was kind of creepy. Also, while I was there I kept hearing huge, loud noises (probably the wind, I concluded) that freaked me out. I kept expecting some one or thing to jump out of the shadows at me.The wind kept me off the observation deck, so I don't know how cool or uncool it was.It seems a shame not to recommend this place, as it is obvious that a lot of resources were/are used to build and maintain a museum in the middle of the desert. But I could only recommend this attraction to someone really interested specifically in the history of El Camino Real.

Going to the very new visitor center is well worth the stop. Very informative with excellent views from the patios.

Excellent center describing the history of the Camino Real. Nice facilities. Good break from the long drive between El Paso and Santa Fe.

A trip back in time to help us understand our history. We have lived in New Mexico all our lives and thought we knew the history but this exhibit showed us the big picture. It is a little off the beaten path but worth the trip is you are interested in the history of the Southwest. Note: Lot's of lighting not working and seems to need a daily walk thru by employees to spot up keeping issues.

We had not heard of this until seeing the signs on I -25 so we stopped and were quite impressed. The setting is beautiful. The museum itself is a great review of Southwestern history although it is difficult to follow the time line of events. The bookstore was closed at the time we were there. Three of us are native New Mexicans and we enjoyed the history review

We first saw a sign for this attraction on I-25 South, last year on a trip to White Sands, but the museum was closed. The hours of operation should be posted on sign at I-25 rather than have to drive 8 miles each way to find out it is closed on Monday & Tuesday. We drove from Albuquerque on Nov. 5, 2014 ( Wednesday ) and the attraction was open, with one Ranger on duty. He came out of the back room to collect $5.00 Cash Only, for each visitor, told us to go downstairs and listen to the video playing in the auditorium, and then go through the exhibits. He then went back into the back room. We did see him again as we left.The video was fair but not digital quality. There are some very nice photographs and some displays, but the displays are not organized very well, and we eventually ended up in a dead-end balcony on the second floor. There is an audio guided tour available but we were not informed about it until as we were leaving I noticed a small sign about it, partially covered by brochures where we paid for admission. The museum is dimly lit and additionally, several bulbs appeared to be burned out throughout the building. at the end there is a gift shop that appeared to have additional informative books etc in it but it was closed and no hours were posted on the "Hours of Operation" sign. A door lead out to an observation area that overlooked a portion of the Chihuahuan Desert. Nice view and a pair of binoculars was mounted on a pedestal for viewing the distant mountains. The usual "Beware of Rattlesnakes" signs were posted on the trails leading from the observation area.Bottom Line - I learned very little that I did not already know about the Camino Real and I would not recommend this attraction to a friend unless he or she was traveling I-25 for some other reason, and had some time to kill.

I learned about this museum a few years ago...remember it to be a beautiful venue with a 360 view of the Chihuahuan Desert and the Magdelean Mountans. Stopping there adds to your reportoire of your travels to this secret area of southern New Mexico. Worth the extra miles...cause it is off the beaten path.

My wife and I stopped at this museum when traveling north on I-25. It's located on a beautiful natural site in the northern Chihuahuan desert, with many opportunities for good photos. After we entered the museum and paid a modest fee there was a good documentary film on the BLM's effort to identify and preserve the historic El Camino Real, the beginnings of which date back to the 16th century. Many fascinating historical artifacts were preserved and presented to visitors. My wife and I found it interesting to note that much of the El Camino Real's history is older than that of the original 13 states on the East Coast.

The history is very interesting. Vol. Very helpful. Good gift shop.Nice native plants garden outside in the back

This attraction is hidden away from the main highway. If you are interested in this region's history, this is a great museum. The building itself is designed to look like a ship, so it stands out in the flat desert. Inside, the staff are super helpful and friendly. There are a lot of exhibits and a 15-minute film about not only the history of El Camino Real, but about how the museum itself came to be. It's cool and clean, very modern, and the gift shop isn't too bad either. All in all, I was pleasantly surprised.

I like the time-sequence approach to walking through the museum. and, the outside area for a native plant walk was interesting