#7 Las Cruces, New Mexico

Population: 100,000

Getting there: El Paso International Airport (ELP), in Texas,  is the closest major airport. It’s about a 45-minute drive from there to Las Cruces.

There’s something about the light in New Mexico that makes it look like everything is glowing. Most think of the charming adobe architecture in Santa Fe, but Las Cruces is an area that’s gaining popularity and it’s not just from the fantastic green chiles in the food! Las Cruces’ natural beauty, set next to the Rio Grande between the Mesilla Valley and Organ Mountains, offers the quintessential southwestern landscape. There are 350 days of sunshine too, making it a great destination for outdoor recreation, from biking and hiking to golf and horseback riding. Summers can be brutally hot (100 degrees plus) and late summer brings monsoons. Best time to visit is spring and fall.

Surprisingly, the Valley is quite fertile! You can find pistachio groves at Eagle Ranch, New Mexican lavender, and Estate-grown pecans at Stahmanns, family owned and operated for 77 years with an orchard of more that 128,000 trees. But a visit to New Mexico isn’t complete without chiles. New Mexico State University is home to the Chile Pepper Institute, where foodies and chili pepper lovers can indulge in the tasting classes that are offered.

The core of the city is the six-block stretch of Main Street, where you’ll find shopping, restaurants, and art galleries. The downtown mall, as the pedestrian area is known, has a farmers market each Wednesday and Saturday morning, with goods from local farmers, artists, and craftspeople. Perhaps as a result of the local farming community and influx of people from around the country settling in Las Cruces, an interesting new culinary culture has been developing. Don’t be afraid to walk in to a random “hole-in-the-wall” – you may very well stumble on some truly authentic, scrumptious southwestern cuisine. If green chile is on the menu, order it!

Where to stay: Conveniently located in the center of town is the Spanish Colonial Hotel Encanto de Las Cruces. The property features views of the Mesilla Valley and uncomplicated comfort. Just on the outskirts of town is Meson de Mesilla, a boutique property with a rooftop deck and vistas of the Organ Mountains. In May 2013, the property began offering Wine Tour Weekends, where guests are given tours and tastings at the 180-acred Grand Domaines Vineyards in Lordsburg and the St. Clair Winery in Deming, the largest producing winery in the Southwest.

Side trip: White Sands National Monument

Driving time from Las Cruces: 30 minutes

There’s truly nowhere else in the country (and maybe the world) like White Sands. A visit to this stunning monument will have you feeling like you’ve stepped onto another planet. Just 30 minutes from Las Cruces, White Sands is the kind of place you have to see to believe. Giant white waves of sand cover 75 square miles of desert, making this the world’s largest gypsum sand dunefield.

Note: Also about an hour from Las Cruces is the U.S. Spaceport America, which offers tours to the public for a preview of the future of commercial space travel.

More info: www.lascrucescvb.org,  www.nps.gov/whsa

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