We love Roswell. If you have followed us for any period of time you have surely come across our post from Bottomless Lakes State Park in June of 22. There is so much more to Roswell than plastic aliens and kitchy tourist things – although those are fun too! We had a mixed bag of emotions and experiences in Roswell this time around and had to process it before writing about it.

We were in Roswell early November 2023. It was great revisiting, we got to see some great things we had missed before, ate at some great restaurants we missed and hit some we enjoyed from last time! Bottomless Lakes had some interesting views we had not seen the first time we were there, so that was great. We also experienced some tragedy.

New (to us) in Roswell

We love doing things as a family, and Roswell has that in spades. My wife, Ashley and Daughter, Sierra enjoy kitchy fun stuff as much as the next family, and history always sparks an interest. We found some of both in Roswell.

There is a new facility in Roswell that is lego based. Bricktown NM is amazing! It is filled with historical items from presidential addresses to famous landmarks around the world, as well as fantasy items like pirate ships and an entire city. The coup de grace is an alien attack on a lego city.

There is a scavenger hunt that you can do while touring the facility and find specific items along the way, with several different difficulty levels.

Just down the street from Bricktown was Spaceport Roswell. This is a virtual reality facility. You don VR goggles and can choose from 1947 (A uniquely Roswell experience from the ‘Aliens’ perspective, or Apollo 11 – man’s first trip to the moon!

We love eating in Roswell!

I was dead set on going back to the Cattle Baron in Roswell. It did not disappoint. Great steaks, huge salad bar – everyone ate until they simply could not anymore.

I had been on the search for good pizza for about a month by this time. I am picky. It has to have a ‘done’ crust, plenty of tasty sauce, lots of cheese and fresh toppings. Bonus points if it comes with cold beer and great buffalo wings. We stumbled on Apizza Center, almost directly across from the visitor center. This is, somehow, a local secret. If in town, and you want to eat good food this is simply a must go.

We also managed to squeak into a local hangout that is obviously oriented towards tourists. The Cowboy Cafe had great food, excellent coffee and outstanding service. It is extremely kitchy, be forewarned. We loved it!

Some new views to love at Bottomless Lakes

We took the same walk we did last time, but the time of year was different. We also were taking our time and really taking in the environment. As a result, we managed to capture some really neat pictures of the lakes.

We also got some really great pictures along the nature trail this time. Last time we were here, it was summer. There were literal hordes of flesh tearing, needle nosed, demonic (had to be) mosquitoes the sized of houseflies. Winter – no mosquitos.

Tragedy strikes

It is with much sadness that I must report that this was the last adventure for Buford, our Bassett Hound. He has been working through a lot of pain and various problems for well over a year and it finally came time that he was experiencing more pain than life. After a few well timed walks (in accordance with meds and his “spryness”) and attempted treats (which he would no longer eat – always a terrible sign, especially with a Bassett), we had him peacefully put to sleep.

We miss him everyday, and while he was small, his personality was huge. There is a story with every photo – he was loyal, funny, greedy, loving, delusional (he often thought he was a much larger dog until he ran into something that was MUCH LARGER) and most of all, family.

We continue on, adventure awaits

We are continuing our adventure, and missing our little buddy. It is a process. If you missed any adventures or great lists we’ve made, you can always check out our archives. Feel free to sign up to get an email anytime we publish something new (we are always getting into something!) here.

If you have a memory to share of Buford, or anything related to this post – jump on in the comments! Until next time, enjoy your life – it is the only one you get!