14 New Mexico Tourist Traps That Locals Avoid Like The Plague (But Visitors Can’t Resist)

New Mexico draws millions of visitors every year with promises of ancient cultures, stunning landscapes, and quirky roadside attractions. But ask any local where they hang out, and you won’t hear about most of these spots.

I’m taking you through the places tourists flock to while New Mexicans roll their eyes and drive right past.

1. Albuquerque’s Old Town Plaza

Sure, the adobe architecture looks charming in photos, but walk through on any summer afternoon and you’ll be shoulder-to-shoulder with tour groups. Locals know the restaurants here charge triple what you’d pay elsewhere for mediocre New Mexican food.

The shops sell mass-produced dreamcatchers and turquoise jewelry that probably came from overseas. If you want authentic culture and food, head to the South Valley instead where real families have run businesses for generations.

2. Roswell’s UFO Museum

Aliens crashed here in 1947, or so the story goes. This museum milks that legend for all it’s worth with grainy photos and conspiracy theories plastered on every wall.

Locals shake their heads at the alien-shaped streetlights and UFO-themed everything throughout town. The museum itself feels more like a dusty collection of newspaper clippings than a legitimate research center. But tourists absolutely eat it up, snapping selfies with little green men statues outside.

3. Santa Fe’s Canyon Road Galleries

Art lovers might think they’ve found paradise on this street packed with over 100 galleries. The reality? Most pieces are overpriced and geared toward wealthy out-of-towners looking for Southwest decor.

You’ll find the same coyote howling at the moon painting in five different shops. Locals avoid the inflated prices and tourist crowds, preferring smaller studios where actual working artists create. The galleries here know their audience has deep pockets and vacation mindsets.

4. Four Corners Monument

Standing in four states at once sounds cooler than it actually is. You’ll drive miles through empty desert to reach a concrete slab surrounded by vendor stalls selling cheap souvenirs.

The monument itself is just a flat marker on the ground where you awkwardly contort your body for photos. Locals know it’s not even in the exact right spot due to surveying errors. For twenty bucks and hours of driving, you get five minutes of photo ops.

5. Meow Wolf Santa Fe

This psychedelic art house exploded in popularity after opening, creating lines that wrap around the building. Locals enjoyed it before Instagram discovered it and turned every room into a photo backdrop.

Now you can barely experience the installations without bumping into influencers staging elaborate shots. The ticket prices have climbed steadily while the experience gets more crowded. What started as a cool local art collective has become a must-see tourist checkbox that residents now avoid on weekends.

6. Carlsbad Caverns Elevator Ride

The caverns themselves are genuinely spectacular, but taking the elevator down instead of the natural entrance? That’s the tourist move right there.

You miss the gradual descent through different cave zones and the sense of discovery that makes the underground world magical. Locals who visit always take the walking path, even though it requires more effort. The elevator packs you in like sardines and dumps you straight into the crowds at the Big Room, skipping the best part entirely.

7. Santa Fe Plaza During Indian Market

One weekend in August transforms Santa Fe’s central plaza into an absolute madhouse. Thousands of visitors descend to buy Native American art, creating elbow-to-elbow conditions that make browsing miserable.

Locals appreciate the artists but avoid the plaza entirely during this event. Hotel prices triple, restaurants have two-hour waits, and parking becomes impossible. You can find the same artists at smaller shows throughout the year without fighting through tour buses and selfie sticks.

8. Taos Pueblo Gift Shop

The pueblo itself represents over 1,000 years of continuous habitation and deserves respect. But the gift shop experience feels commercialized, with prices that make locals wince.

Many items aren’t even made by pueblo residents anymore. You’ll pay premium prices for mass-produced goods while actual artisans work elsewhere. Residents of Taos know to buy directly from artists at their home studios or during pueblo feast days when the atmosphere feels authentic rather than transactional.

9. Breaking Bad RV Tours

A TV show about making meth somehow became Albuquerque’s biggest tourism draw. Now companies run tours to Walter White’s house, the car wash, and other filming locations.

Locals feel embarrassed that visitors associate their city with a fictional drug dealer instead of its rich cultural history. The homeowners at some locations have erected fences to stop the endless stream of tourists taking photos. It’s basically a bus tour of ordinary Albuquerque neighborhoods with Breaking Bad trivia thrown in.

10. Sandia Peak Tramway

Riding a tram up the mountain costs about fifty bucks for a family and delivers you to overpriced dining at the summit. Locals hike the trails for free and get better views without the crowds.

The tram itself is admittedly impressive as one of the world’s longest aerial tramways. But you’re paying for convenience, not experience. By the time you wait in line, ride up, and navigate the tourist scene at the top, you could have hiked partway up and found peaceful spots.

11. Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta

Every October, hundreds of hot air balloons fill the sky in what is admittedly a stunning spectacle. But locals know the reality involves 4 AM wake-up calls, muddy fields, and half a million tourists clogging the city.

Traffic becomes gridlocked, hotels book out a year in advance, and prices skyrocket for everything. You can see balloons launch from your backyard in many Albuquerque neighborhoods without paying admission or parking fees. The fiesta has become more about managing crowds than enjoying the magic.

12. Santa Fe’s Loretto Chapel Staircase

A mysterious carpenter built this spiral staircase without nails or central support, creating a legend about divine intervention. Now you pay admission to peek at stairs for about three minutes.

The chapel is tiny, so groups shuffle through quickly while guides repeat the same story every five minutes. Locals appreciate the craftsmanship but think charging tourists to see stairs is ridiculous. You can view photos online that capture it just as well without the entrance fee or crowds squeezing into the small space.

13. Albuquerque’s Route 66 Diner

Neon signs and vintage decor create the perfect Instagram backdrop for visitors chasing that classic American road trip vibe. The food is standard diner fare at inflated prices because of the prime Route 66 location.

Locals know dozens of better New Mexican restaurants where the chile is actually hot and the portions don’t cost tourist prices. This place trades on nostalgia rather than quality. You’re paying for the theme and the photo opportunity, not memorable food that represents New Mexico’s actual culinary traditions.

14. White Sands Gift Shop Sledding Rentals

The white gypsum dunes are absolutely worth visiting, but renting overpriced plastic sleds from the park gift shop? That’s where tourists get caught.

Locals bring their own sleds or wax up cardboard boxes that work just as well for free. The rental sleds are beat-up and cost twenty dollars for something you’ll use once. Smart visitors stop at any discount store before entering the park and buy their own sled for half the price, then keep it as a souvenir instead.