Roswell with kids
A town with an alien on every streetlight is an easy sell to a seven-year-old. The good news is that the two best things to do with children here cost either nothing or four dollars, and one of them is a beach.
Ranked by how well they actually hold a child’s attention, which is not the same ranking as for adults.
1. Spring River Zoo — free
Run by the City of Roswell across about 34 acres of parkland, with five zoo areas, and admission is free for everyone. Two black bears called Ursula and Sierra, coatimundi, bobcats, an aviary with a zone-tailed hawk and a turkey vulture, and the Capitan Trail through the river bottoms where the raccoons, badger and great horned owl live.
Free guided tours run every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 10:30 AM from the zoo entrance and last about an hour, which is a good structure for younger children. The adjacent park is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and asks for no arrivals after 3 p.m.
Tell them this before you go: The antique wooden carousel and the miniature train are temporarily closed awaiting repairs. The antique wooden carousel is one of about a hundred left in the world and the miniature train is a local institution, so it is a genuine shame — and a genuine disappointment if a child has been promised a ride.
2. Bottomless Lakes State Park
Twenty minutes southeast, and the best full day out for a family within reach of Roswell. Lea Lake has a sand beach with a designated swimming area, a playground, a sand volleyball court, 24 picnic shelters and seasonal restrooms and outdoor shower towers. Pedal boat and paddleboard rentals run from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day weekend.
Day-use entry is $10.00 per vehicle for non-residents per vehicle, so a family of five gets in for the same price as one. The lakes being sinkholes 17 to 90 feet deep is also a good story to tell on the drive over. The full guide is here — note especially that fishing is not allowed at Lea Lake.
3. The International UFO Museum
$4.00 for children aged 5 to 15, free for 4 and under, adults $7.00. Open daily, 9AM to 5PM.
Set expectations honestly: children usually love the spectacle, the models and the gift shop, and lose interest completely in the reading-heavy sections, which is most of the second half. That is fine — the whole thing takes an hour and it is cheap. Do it in the morning while they are fresh, then walk Main Street and look at the alien streetlights, which children reliably find funnier than adults do. Full guide here.
4. Downtown, on foot
Underrated with children, and free. The alien theming is everywhere — on the streetlights, in the shop windows, on the murals — and a walk down Main Street turns into a spotting game without any effort on your part. Park once and wander. Where to eat covers lunch.
5. The Goddard Planetarium at the Roswell Museum
The Roswell Museum has a planetarium named for Robert H. Goddard, who did much of his rocketry work in this valley, and a standing exhibition about him. Whether it is running a show on the day you visit is exactly the kind of thing that changes, and the museum did not publish a verifiable schedule when this page was written — so check their site before you build an afternoon around it.
What to skip with children
Several of the smaller alien-themed attractions downtown are gift shops with an admission charge attached. Children will ask to go in; the ones charging for a walk-through are the most likely to end in a shrug. Spend that money on ice cream and the zoo tour instead.
Carlsbad Caverns is 103 miles away and is spectacular, but it is a four-hour round trip plus a serious walk underground. Brilliant for over-eights; a long day for anyone smaller.
Free things to do with kids in Roswell
- Spring River Zoo, including the guided tour three mornings a week
- Walking downtown and spotting the alien streetlights and murals
- Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge, sunrise to sunset, if they like birds
- Bottomless Lakes on foot or by bicycle — walk-in and bicycle entry to New Mexico state parks is free
Checked 16 August 2026. Hours, prices and dates change — confirm with the City of Roswell, New Mexico State Parks and the UFO Museum before you go.
The practical part nobody writes about
Heat. July here averages a high of 94°F and June and August are barely cooler. With children that means a two-part day: out early, back somewhere shaded and cool for the middle of it, out again after four. Trying to push through the middle of a Roswell afternoon with a five-year-old is how a vacation goes wrong. The month-by-month table makes the case for spring and autumn.
Somewhere to come back to. This is the real argument for a house over a hotel room with a family. Somewhere with a fenced lawn, a covered patio, a kitchen and separate bedrooms turns that middle-of-the-day retreat from an ordeal into the nicest part of the day. Our family-stays page goes through it — including the fact that the house sleeps six and not seven.
Distances. Everything above is a drive. Roswell is not a walkable destination beyond a few downtown blocks — getting around has the honest version.