Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
618 S. Alameda Blvd., Las Cruces, NM 88005.
&
888/526-3326
or 575/526-3326. Fax 575/647-1334.
www.innofthearts.com. 7 units. $85-$99 double; $85-$105 suite. Rates include full breakfast. AE, DC,
DISC, MC, V. Pets welcome.
In room:
A/C, TV, hair dryer, Wi-Fi.
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Camping
Quite a few campgrounds are within or near Las Cruces. All the ones listed here include
full hookups for RVs, tenting areas, and recreation areas.
Best View RV Park
(
&
575/
526-6555
) also offers cabins and laundry and grocery facilities. From the junction of
I-10 and US 70 (exit 135), go 1
1
/
2
miles east on US 70, and then half a block south on
Weinrich Road.
Another option is
Dalmont's RV Park
(
&
575/523-2992
). If you're coming from the
west, when you reach the junction of I-25 and I-10, go 2
1
/
2
miles northwest on I-10 to
the Main Street exit, and then go 2 blocks west on Valley Drive. If you're coming from
the east, at the junction of I-10 and Main Street, go a quarter-mile north on Main Street
and then 1 block west on Valley Drive. To reach
Siesta RV Park
(
&
575/523-6816
), at
the junction of I-10 and NM 28, take exit 140 and go half a mile south on NM 28.
Leasburg Dam State Park
(
&
575/524-4068
) is a smaller park that also offers RV and
tent camping, but it has no laundry or grocery facilities. A general country store is about
1 mile down the road, and hiking and fishing are available.
WHERE TO DINE IN & AROUND LAS CRUCES
Expensive
Double Eagle
CONTINENTAL When I was a kid, whenever we went to Las
Cruces, we always made a special trip to this elegant restaurant imbued with Old West
style. I'm pleased to say that it's still a quality place to dine. This 150-year-old Territorial-
style hacienda, once the governor's mansion, is on the National Register of Historic
Places. Built around a central courtyard, it has numerous rooms, one of which is said to
be frequented by a woman's ghost. Another room has a 30-foot-long bar with Corinthian
columns in gold leaf, Gay Nineties oil paintings, and 18-armed brass chandeliers hung
with Baccarat crystals. The menu is quite varied and includes pasta, chicken, fish, and
steak dishes. My favorite is the filet mignon bordelaise, served on a French rusk with a
rich red-wine sauce. The Columbia River salmon, served with a triple citrus-chipotle-
chile sauce, is also delicious. All entrees come with salad, vegetable, and choice of potato
or pasta. There's a full bar, from which you might want to order a mango margarita, and
for dessert you can end it all with the Death by Chocolate Cake.
2355 Calle de Guadalupe, on the east side of Mesilla Plaza.
&
575/523-6700.
www.double-eagle-messilla.
com. Reservations recommended. Main courses $8-$15 lunch, $14-$36 dinner. AE, DC, DISC, MC, V.
Mon-Sat 11am-10pm; Sun 11am-9pm.
Inexpensive
La Posta de Mesilla
Kids
NEW MEXICAN/STEAKS If you're on the Mesilla Plaza
and want to eat New Mexican food for not much money, walk in here. The restaurant
occupies a mid-18th-century adobe building that is the only surviving stagecoach station
of the Butterfield Overland Mail route from Tipton, Missouri, to San Francisco. Kit
Carson, Pancho Villa, Gen. Douglas MacArthur, and Billy the Kid were all here at one
time. The entrance leads through a jungle of tall plants beneath a Plexiglas roof, past a
tank of piranhas and a noisy aviary of macaws and Amazon parrots, to nine dining rooms
with bright, festive decor. (Kids love this and their own menu selections.) The tables are
basic, with vinyl and metal chairs. Try the enchiladas, which come with a nice chile sauce.
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