Socorro -
Get in
The nearest airport with commercial air service is in Albuquerque, about 70 miles north. The nearest train (Amtrak) station is also in Albuquerque. Buses run between Albuquerque and El Paso, Texas with a stop in Socorro. If you're driving to Socorro, access from Albuquerque and El Paso is via Interstate highway 25, with uniformly good road and full services every 50 miles or so. If approaching from the east (US 380) or west (US 60), however, gas stations are few and far between, so plan accordingly.
Activities
• The Festival of the Cranes is held annually in mid-November to celebrate the return of the vast flocks of sandhill cranes to the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge (see under "Get out"). There are exhibits and activities in town, as well as guided tours to the refuge and other sites, some of which are not routinely open to visitors. See for schedule, etc.
Get around
There's not much town to get around in, but the motels along California Avenue do sprawl somewhat. A bicycle is handy. Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge (see below) is 15 miles away along a road that is pleasant for cycling (although somewhat narrow -- be on the alert for recklessly driven vehicles); most other outlying attractions are far enough away to be best reached by car.
Drink
• The Capitol on the plaza is as good as it gets out here.
Attractions
Most of the interest in the Socorro region is outside town and is covered in the "Get out" section, but a couple of in-town points of interest:
• The Socorro town plaza, with a cute park, a fragment from Jumbo, the vessel built to contain the first ever atomic bomb which was detonated at the Trinity test site in 1945, and a few gift shops.
• New Mexico Tech,, is on the west side of town and has a mineralogical museum, some art, and a pleasant, if decidedly low-key, campus. Many of the cultural activities in town center on Tech. (Don't visit expecting intercollegiate sports; apart from rugby and soccer, there basically aren't any, although the college does have a decent golf course.)
Dining
• El Sombrero: Classic New Mexican food, great ambience, easy on the wallet, the "Number 4 blue green chicken over easy" is not be missed.
• Socorro Springs: Microbrewery and hand-made pizza, now on California Street. Worth the trip.
• The El Camino: "The Road" as it is sometimes called by locals serves New Mexican and American food. All night greasy-spoon diner for the college students. Green-chile cheese fries are not to be missed and make a meal all their own.
Lodging
California Avenue, the main drag north-south through town paralleling I-25, has the usual assortment of chain motels and motor lodges (EconoLodge, Super 8, Motel 6, Days Inn, etc.), mostly serviceable, none exceptional. The Holiday Inn Express, 1100 California Ave NE, 505-838-0556, has more amenities than most and is comfortable. Lodging in Socorro tends to be tight around the Festival of the Cranes, and also in early October when the overflow from the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta reaches town, but otherwise is usually not hard to get.
Get out
• The Very Large Array , long considered the world's most sensitive interferometric radio telescope and still a first-rate instrument of astronomy, is about 60 miles west of town, beyond the Magdalena Mountains. Driving out west along US 60, it is surreal to come upon this shimmering, alien-looking collection of radio dishes in the middle of the Plains of San Agustin. Open year round during daylight hours for free self-guided tours.
• Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge is part of the national wildlife refuge system, maintained in part by the Friends of the Bosque, an all volunteer group. About 20 miles south of town; follow I-25 to the village of San Antonio, then south on SR 1 to the refuge ($3 fee/car). This is where snow geese, cranes and hundreds of other birds stop in on their migrations. Gorgeous photography in the winter months during sunrise and sunset - be prepared for the cold!
• Fort Craig National Historic Site is a ruin reachable via a short side road from SR 1 south of the Bosque del Apache. A quick visit gives you a sense of the bleak existence faced by the Army forces based here to guard transportation routes during the 19th century. No visitor services other than toilets.
• Langmuir Lightning Laboratory in the Magdalena Mountains west of town, associated with New Mexico Tech, is a major center for atmospheric-science research and has a visitor center open during summer daylight hours; web site . The road to the laboratory is rugged and may require 4-wheel drive. Hiking in the Magdalenas is feasible using trailheads at, and on the way to, Langmuir, even when the visitor center is closed.
Links
Adapted from WikiTravel under the Wiki License
Home | Add/Modify Listing | Photo Gallery | Maps | Contact | About Us | Canada Privacy Statement
This site is operated by 2024 Cedar Lake Software
LastModified: Apr-12-10