Flying into Roswell Air Center in Roswell keeps the region at your fingertips, with nearby places just a short drive away. Roswell is a ranching and oil town on the high plains of southeastern New Mexico that became world famous for a 1947 incident involving something that fell from the sky. The town leans into it with a grin, from alien-shaped streetlights to a green-glowing McDonald's, but there is more here than little green men: art museums, wetlands full of birds, and a sunny, wide-open feel.

Standout experiences around Roswell: - Dig into the evidence at the International UFO Museum and Research Center - Swim or paddle the sinkhole lakes at Bottomless Lakes State Park - Watch sandhill cranes and dragonflies at Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge - See the rocket pioneer Robert Goddard's workshop at the Roswell Museum - Browse the Anderson Museum of Contemporary Art, home to a long-running artist residency - Join costumed crowds for the UFO Festival each July - Stroll the Spring River Trail and the small zoo along the water

Roswell also opens up the southeast corner of the state. Carlsbad Caverns and its bat flights are about 90 minutes south, the mountain town of Ruidoso with its ski hill and racetrack is 75 minutes west, and Lincoln, where Billy the Kid escaped jail, is a little over an hour away. Artesia is 40 minutes down the road. Green chile on everything is the local rule, and the Roswell sunsets are worth stepping outside for. Come curious.