Things to do & places to visit in Carlsbad, New Mexico, United States

The internationally known Carlsbad Caverns are the biggest tourist draw in this city on the Pecos River. But before or after you've experienced the magnificent caves, you can round out your weekend with some wonderful above-ground sights and activities. If the thought of caves conjures up visions of narrow spaces and dark, cold clamminess, the comfortable year-round 56-degree climate, wide-open spaces and magical underworld of naturally created sculptures will amaze and enthrall you. In the summer, you get to see another natural wonder - some one million bats taking to the skies from the cave entrance every evening at sundown. Hardier cave explorers can take a side trip to the wilder Slaughter Cave for a down and dirty ranger-led tour. Come out from under to the zoo at Living Desert State Park for a glimpse of Chihuahuan Desert wildlife - everything from mountain lions, buffalo, bears and coyotes to reptiles, prairie dogs and roadrunners. Head over to the Lake Carlsbad Recreation Area for river swimming and waterskiing or to Guadalupe Mountains National Park for hiking trails with diverse terrain and incredible views.

Carlsbad city in New Mexico, United States. Timezone: America/Denver, current date and time: Thursday, May 02, 2024, 18:32.

Top things to do (24)

Top places to visit (23 attractions)

5.0 Carlsbard Community Theatre (2 reviews)
- Excellent Entertainment
Theaters

Excellent! It would be worth your time to check the Carlsbad Community Theater’s schedule before planning your visit. We caught the final performance of “Leading Ladies” on March 5, 2017 for a Sunday Matinee. The actors were great. We are so glad we did not miss their performance. It was one of the highlights of our trip. See more..
5.0 ATC Shooting Sports LLC (1 review)
- Great Experience!
Shooting Ranges
3 Skeet fields, 1x 5 Stand. $25 per hundred targets. Shooting clay targets with a shotgun. Shotgun rental available $8 per gun. Shooting vests. Shotgun shells availble if requested. Training extra. Normal operation is Saturdays 8-12 Time change Tuesday, Thursday 5-dusk. See more..
5.0 City Of Carlsbad NM Tourism (1 review)
- Park stroll
National Parks

Welcome to Carlsbad, one of the most popular places in the Land of Enchantment. Once known as the Pearl of the Pecos, the picturesque town is famous for its tree-lined streets, public parks, unrivaled recreation areas and friendly ambiance. From the otherworldly landscape of Carlsbad Caverns National Park to compelling historic sites, trails that wind through ancient landscapes, art, culture, shopping and more, Carlsbad draws visitors back again and again with its unique beauty and charm. See more..
5.0 Old Pecos Gallery (1 review)
- An excellent art gallery
Art Galleries
The Old Pecos Gallery is loaded with some really nice art pieces. It's location is off of Canyon Street, but well worth the visit. See more..
4.5 Sitting Bull Falls (319 reviews)
- A waterfalls in the desert?
Thursday: 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM Waterfalls

My husband was rather skeptical when I suggested this. We’re rather in a period of drought and he was SURE there would be no water to see - HAH. There are the falls and once you get to the parking area, the walk in to the falls is short and easy. Only complaint - we’re still in a pandemic and this part of the state isn’t big on social distancing or masks. So while there are steps to go to the base of the falls and actually paddle around in the pond, the many people there with no masks meant we weren’t going to put ourselves at risk. Beautiful spot, cool geology, very happy we went there. See more..
4.5 Carlsbad Museum and Art Center (239 reviews)
- Well-displayed and informative exhibits
Thursday: 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM Art Museums • History Museums

The museum had a variety of exhibits to appeal to different interests. Loved the history section including the history section highlighting important people from the area. The gift shop had some nice items at reasonable prices. See more..
4.5 Lake Carlsbad Recreation Area (68 reviews)
- Wonderful Walking Paths
Parks

If you are in need of some walking time, this is a wonderful place to walk. Well kept sidewalks line both sides of the Pecos River with places to park and play throughout. My favorite hour walk was to park by the blue floating walk-bridge and make a 3 mile loop from there down (south) round the furthermost point and up the other side. You can watch families swimming and fishing, watch the 100s of ducks and enjoy the dry heat and water views as you walk. See more..
4.5 The Artist Gallery (16 reviews)
- Great way to support local artists!
Spent < 1 hour Art Galleries

I enjoyed an hour here, checking out art by local artists. Jewelry, stained glass ornaments, little sculptures and plenty of paintings. I definitely recommend you shop here as a way to purchase and respect local artisans. There were gifts from around $5 on up. My only wish was that there had been more that reflected the local area, would have been cool to get some really cool shots from Carlsbad Caverns or more art or jewelry that reflected that. I ended up on a cute little framed mushroom drawing, a star ornament to take home and a fun little bat sculpture. I would have much rather bought more specific themed items that would have reminded us and reflected on the trip more specifically. But I understand also that it's not a tourists gift shop. See more..
4.5 Pecos River Antique Mall (8 reviews)
- Treasures abound, something for everyone
Antique Shops • Flea & Street Markets

Old address.107 S. canyon Street Carlsbad, NM 88220 See more..
4.0 Living Desert Zoo and Gardens State Park (555 reviews)
- A Gem
Thursday: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM State Parks • Nature & Wildlife Areas • Zoos

Overlooking the Pecos River Valley, this fascinating park exhibits the varied plant and animal life of the arid Chihuahuan Desert region. Visitors can observe caged animals like snakes, lizards and birds of prey, plus larger animals such as bison and antelope, which are held in pens. Or walk along a nature trail past cacti, agaves, yuccas and other native plant life. See more..
4.0 Brantley Lake State Park (95 reviews)
- Geez these other reviewers!
State Parks • Parks

This is a perfectly lovely well maintained park with gorgeous distance water views. It was $14!!!!! a night! (+$4 res fee). First of all bathrooms and showers were new, SPOTLESS and had hot water and plenty of toilet paper. Sites have covered picnic tables with stone wind blocks, (but it wasn’t windy when we visited) and the landscaping is so nice, the air is full of beautiful desert flower scents. Oh and that person hollering about oil flares, yeah it’s in one of my photos, see if you can find it? It’s a loooong way away. There were two flys, no mosquitios and we had a gorgeous evening dining while looking at the lake. Maybe in 2015 it wasn’t as nice but in 2022 it sure is. No problem at all getting a reservation, just go on reserveamerica. We stayed one night after visiting Carlsbad Caverns. Highly recommend. See more..
4.0 Christmas on the Pecos (31 reviews)
- Nice, but expensive
Boat Tours

It is not easy to get tickets even with the number of boat trips that are scheduled. We persevered and managed to snag 2 tickets for the first boat. It was better than later boats as the night get a lot colder with time. It was a pleasant outing, but $20 appears excessive - think of it as donation to the chamber of commerce. See more..
4.0 Carlsbad Cruises Day Tours (17 reviews)
- Great little tour
Boat Tours

The young men running the show on the day we visited were absolutely wonderful. Very service oriented and friendly. We took our tour on the unshaded pontoon boat and the two of them made sure to provide umbrellas for sun protection to everyone on the cruise. The tour is quite interesting and our captain was well informed about the waterway and the homes on the river. A very relaxing hour for the whole family. See more..
4.0 Carlsbad Water Park (10 reviews)
- Water park Carlsbad NM at beach
Thursday: 11:00 AM - 6:00 PM Spent < 1 hour Water Parks

We loved it. We went several times last year bigger and better this year can't wait to go very clean good family fun need more tables and shade but other that that it was awesome See more..
4.0 Candlewood Cards and Gifts (1 review)
- What a selection!!!
Speciality & Gift Shops
This store is so cool!! They carry the most unique gifts!! Wide variety of items... Cooking, jewelry, decor, candles, snacks etc!! Great place to bus gifts or souvenirs. The staff is very helpful and friendly! See more..
3.5 Pecos River Flume (55 reviews)
- Worth Seeing
Bodies of Water

Once featured in "Ripley's Believe It or Not" as the river that crosses itself, this artificial channel brings Pecos River water from Lake Avalon to dry areas as part of the Carlsbad Irrigation System. Orginally made of wood, the Flume was destroyed by a flood in 1902 and then remade out of concrete. See more..
3.5 Balzano Vineyard (16 reviews)
- Great Winery
Spent < 1 hour Wineries & Vineyards

My wife and I do many vineyards and wineries back home in MN and WI. We were visiting family in Carlsbad for the first time and decided to try this place. One of the few wineries we have tried where the wines are good up and down the list, both whites and reds. We ordered pizzas as well. It's good the staff warned us about the pizza size, because we are used to "personal" size brick oven pizza at most wineries we go to (who have pizza). The pizzas here were basically a large size pizza you would find at a pizza joint. We were almost the only ones at the winery that day at lunch time, so the service was fine. The wines were good enough that we bought a case of various wines to bring back home with us. We will go back again when in town to visit. See more..
3.5 Ocotillo Sports Bar &Grill (4 reviews)
- Relay 4 life bike run
Bars & Clubs

Went on run to whites city afterwards had brisket and a beer the the service was real prompt and friendly clean nice patio. We go by once in a while for the steak & fries special pretty good small steak but very good. See more..
3.5 Mexican 2 Imports (3 reviews)
- Fun Place to Browse
Speciality & Gift Shops

Mexican 2 Imports is crammed packed with colorful pottery of all kinds, Mexican style furniture, indoor and outdoor decorations. From drawer knobs to giant metal bulls. I also found face masks with Mexican motifs! The owner was fun and friendly. It is a fun place to walk around delight the eyes. See more..
3.0 Eddy House (10 reviews)
- Trashy and Neglected
Historic Sites

We made a special trip to see this historic site of the first house in Carlsbad and were so disappointed. The windows into the house have been broken, there was trash everywhere. The park is totally neglected and looks abandoned by the city. Shame on you, Carlsbad, for presenting this as an attraction to visitors. Could be very nice if someone showed up with a trash bag and a weed eater. See more..
3.0 Lake Carlsbad Golf Course (9 reviews)
- My favorite.
Golf Courses

Golfers can choose to tee off at the nine-hole par 3 course that runs along the beautiful Pecos River, the regulation 18-hole course situated in the foothills east of the river or the par 72 regulation course, which is not long, but offers a variety of challenges no matter what your skill level. See more..
3.0 Allen La Cueva 6 Theater (6 reviews)
- Crappy theater!
Spent 1-2 hours Movie Theaters
Disappointing! 1. Floors in main area/halls: STICKY! 2. Couldn’t purchase any food: Point of sale was down. 3. The digitals displays indicating which theater our movie was in was inaccurate and staff didn’t know which was which - and unwilling to find out. We were told: sorry, sorry, and sorry. I can understand #2 if the system was screwed up but the other two is a complete lack of give-a-s#!+ See more..
Kingdom Jiu Jitsu Academy (0 review)
Spent 1-2 hours Sports Camps & Clinics • Lessons & Workshops

Kingdom BJJ is Carlsbad’s newest location for Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, MMA, self defense, and kids martial arts classes. Our mission is to provide our kids and adults with high quality instruction and individual attention in order to help them meet their personal goals. See more..