From Lea County Regional Airport in Hobbs, the surrounding region opens up quickly, with oil country towns, cavern parks, and the open Llano Estacado all within easy reach. Hobbs is the hub of the Permian Basin on the New Mexico side, a working town where pump jacks dot the horizon and the sky goes on forever. It is friendly and down to earth, with a lively rodeo scene, a casino racetrack, and an unexpected claim to fame as a center for glider pilots.

Things to do around Hobbs: - Visit the Western Heritage Museum and Lea County Cowboy Hall of Fame - Catch live horse racing or a show at Zia Park - Swim, climb, and skate at the CORE, the big community recreation center - Play a round at Rockwind Community Links - Watch sailplanes launch at the Soaring Society of America headquarters on the edge of town - See a rodeo at the Lea County Fair and Rodeo in Lovington each August - Walk the trails and pond at Harry McAdams Park - Eat a green chile cheeseburger at a local diner

Lovington is 20 minutes northwest of Hobbs, and the Texas line is only a few miles east. Carlsbad is about 75 minutes west, with Carlsbad Caverns National Park just beyond, and the dunes at Monahans Sandhills State Park in Texas are about 90 minutes southeast. Midland and Odessa are each about 90 minutes, and Lubbock and Roswell sit at the edge of two hours. Friday nights belong to high school football, and the sunsets over the flat plains are spectacular. Hobbs is an easy base for the far corner of New Mexico.