If you think you need to fly across the country to find twinkling plaza lights, mountain backdrops, and old brick main streets, think again.
Within a few hours of El Paso, you can wander through historic forts, watch the sun dip behind high peaks, soak in natural hot springs, and even spot mysterious lights flickering across the desert.
Some of these towns have fewer than 2,500 people, yet they pack in art installations, lakes, and lively race tracks.
If you love the idea of cozy plazas, mountain trails, and small-town festivals with parades and homemade food, you’re gonna love these 7 spots.
1. Fort Davis, TX
Fort Davis is a tiny mountain town of about 1,000 people located 3 hours from El Paso in the Davis Mountains, sitting at nearly 5,000 feet above sea level.
It’s best known for Fort Davis National Historic Site, a 523-acre frontier fort from 1854 where you can walk through restored officers’ quarters, a hospital, and even watch special events like cannon demonstrations.
Just a few minutes away, Davis Mountains State Park covers 2,708 acres, with the 4.5-mile Skyline Drive climbing to above 5,700 feet and hiking trails like the Indian Lodge Trail that give you sweeping desert views.
At night, head up to McDonald Observatory on Mount Locke, where the famously dark skies make it one of the best stargazing spots in Texas and you can peer through giant telescopes during public Star Parties.
2. Marfa, TX
Marfa flips the script with modern art dropped right into the wide open Chihuahuan Desert, just under 3 hours from El Paso.
This tiny town of around 2,500 people became world-famous thanks to artist Donald Judd, whose massive installations at the Chinati Foundation turn old military buildings into walk-through art spaces.
About 35 minutes from the town, you can snap a photo at Prada Marfa, a permanent art installation that looks exactly like a high-end boutique sitting alone along Highway 90, stocked with real Prada shoes.
After sunset, drive to the Marfa Lights Viewing Area, where strange glowing orbs have been reported since 1883 and still flicker across the desert on clear nights.
3. San Elizario, TX
San Elizario brings you back to old-school Texas with adobe buildings and deep border history just 30 minutes from downtown El Paso along the Rio Grande.
This small town centers around the San Elizario Presidio Chapel, first established in 1789, where thick adobe walls and wooden beams tell stories from the Spanish colonial era.
You can walk the compact Los Portales Museum and Visitor Center on Main Street to see exhibits about the 1877 Salt War, a violent dispute over salt flats that once put this quiet town on national headlines.
The town has annual events where you can catch lively parades, folklórico dancers in bright dresses, and local vendors filling the historic plaza with music & food.
4. Mesilla, NM
Roughly 45 minutes from El Paso, Mesilla in New Mexico is where a picture-perfect plaza sets the scene just outside Las Cruces.
The heart of town is Mesilla Plaza, a National Historic Landmark anchored by the Basilica of San Albino, built in 1906 with twin brick towers that glow at sunset.
Billy the Kid was tried for murder here in 1881 inside the old Mesilla courthouse, and you can still step into the building, now a gift shop called Billy the Kid Gift Shop, to see the room where it all happened.
Grab a plate of stacked enchiladas at La Posta de Mesilla, located inside an 1840s adobe building that once served as a stop on the Butterfield Stagecoach line.
5. Silver City, NM
Silver City is all about adventure with mountain trails and colorful streets, about 2.5 hours from El Paso and sitting at 5,919 feet above sea level.
This former mining town, founded in 1870 after silver was discovered nearby, still shows off its roots at the Silver City Museum inside an 1881 Italianate brick mansion on Broadway Street.
Walk through downtown Silver City, where local shops, galleries, and restaurants line the streets.
You can also visit the Silco Theater, a 1926 vintage Art Deco theater that shows movies, classic films, and locally made documentaries.
Stroll the Big Ditch Park, a leafy green space created after a massive 1895 flood carved a 55-foot-deep channel through Main Street.
6. Truth or Consequences, NM
Truth or Consequences switches things up with steamy hot springs and a name you will never forget, located just under 2 hours from El Paso along the Rio Grande.
The town renamed itself in 1950 after the popular NBC radio game show Truth or Consequences when host Ralph Edwards promised to broadcast from whichever town adopted the name.
Today you can soak in mineral-rich waters at places like Riverbend Hot Springs, where private pools sit right above the Rio Grande and water temperatures hover between 95 and 108 degrees.
Stroll down Broadway Street to spot vintage neon signs, art galleries, and the Sierra County Courthouse from 1939.
Then catch the sunset at nearby Elephant Butte Lake State Park, New Mexico’s largest lake, with over 36,000 surface acres, just 15 minutes away.
7. Ruidoso, NM
Ruidoso is a dreamy town with pine-covered mountains and cool alpine air about 2 hours and 20 minutes from El Paso.
This lively mountain town sits in the Sierra Blanca range and is home to Ski Apache, where you can ride the 8,900-foot-long gondola to nearly 11,500 feet or hit over 55 ski runs in winter.
In summer, hike the Cedar Creek Trail in Lincoln National Forest to spot deer and wild turkeys, or head to Grindstone Lake, with a 6-mile loop trail that’s perfect for walking or biking.
If you’re into horse racing, plan a stop at Ruidoso Downs Race Track, which opened in 1947 and hosts the All American Futurity, one of the richest quarter horse races in the world with a purse that often tops $3 million.
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