OffBeat Pathfinder Basecamp

If you're obsessed with UFO lore, alien museums, and conspiracy theories, Roswell, New Mexico is ground zero for America’s fascination with visitors from beyond. I spent a weird and wonderful weekend here and can confirm: it’s out of this world—sometimes literally.

Main Street is full of green alien faces, neon lights, and every souvenir shop you can imagine. The International UFO Museum and Research Center is a must (I spent two hours reading 1947 crash reports and left more confused than when I entered). Even the McDonald's is shaped like a flying saucer.

But Roswell has small-town charm, too—check out the Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge at sunrise, where I saw more sandhill cranes than extraterrestrials. Grab a burrito at El Toro Bravo (fuel for would-be abductees) and wander downtown for murals and street art that’ll make your phone’s photo roll look like you’ve left the planet.

**Travel Tips:**
- Visit in July for the UFO Festival (costumes encouraged—seriously).
- The Roswell UFO Spacewalk is a trippy, glow-in-the-dark walk-through worth a stop.
- Ask locals for their stories—every bartender in town claims their cousin saw something strange in the desert.

Anyone got firsthand close encounters? Or is Roswell just marketing genius? Spill your alien secrets!

I hit Roswell last year during the UFO Festival—never seen so many tinfoil hats in one place. The alien costume parade is worth the trip alone! Don't miss the craft beer at the brewery on 2nd Street (yes, even the IPA is alien-themed). I skipped the Spacewalk but now regret it after reading your post.

The museum’s gift shop is half the fun—picked up an alien snow globe and a “My Other Car is a Spaceship” sticker. Real talk: I heard the McDonald’s plays X-Files music late at night. Anyone confirm?

Did the Roswell ghost tour—halfway through, our guide swore a light in the sky blinked at him. Also, best breakfast burritos in the Southwest at the little food truck by the train tracks (alien-approved). Pro tip: check out the night sky just outside town. If you don’t spot a UFO, you’ll at least get an amazing Milky Way view.