Only 15 minutes from the quirky artist town of Truth or Consequences, which is known for it's healing hot springs, and only 10 miles from New Mexico's Largest Lake, Elephant Butte State Park.
It is located conveniently 8 miles off I-25 - 2 hours south of Albuquerque, 3 hours from Santa Fe and 2 hours north of El Paso, Texas.
The beautiful Cuchillo Negro Valley was once home to the Chiricahua Warm Springs Apaches. Including Chief Cuchillo Negro, Geronimo, Nana, Cochise, Loco, and Victorio. Battles in the late 1800's also yielded several very honorable and noted Buffalo Soldiers. Petroglyph markings, pueblo remnants, arrowheads, and pottery sherdscan be found all around the area.
Truth or Consequences, New Mexico is a hot springs and spa city and is the county seat of Sierra County, New Mexico, United States. As of the 2000 census, the population was 7,289. It is commonly known within New Mexico as T or C. Originally named Hot Springs, the city changed its name to Truth or Consequences, the title of a popular NBC radio program. In 1950, Ralph Edwards, the host of the radio quiz show Truth or Consequences announced that he would air the program from the first town that renamed itself after the show. Hot Springs, NM won the honor. Ralph Edwards came to the town during the first weekend of May for the next fifty years. This event was called "Fiesta" and included a beauty contest, a parade, and a stage show. The city still celebrates Fiesta each year on the first Saturday of May. The parade generally features area celebrities such as the Hatch Chile Queen. Fiesta also features a dance in Ralph Edwards Park. 
Hot Springs - Ten historic bathhouses are located in the easily walkable historic hot springs district, which overlaps with T or C's business district. These bathhouses were the town's biggest draw in the Hot Springs era, back when T or C was advertised as the City of Health!
The City of Elephant Butte is nestled on the shores of New Mexico’s largest lake and located between two major metropolitan areas (Albuquerque & El Paso), was named for the extinct volcanic cinder cone that resembles an elephant, located at the south end of the lake by the dam. Elephant Butte offers travelers great motels, restaurants, churches, service stations, bait shops, banks, auto/boat sales & repair, gift shops, fishing & tour guide services and more. Located along the Geronimo Byway, Elephant Butte is a hub for day trips to local historical sites and the Gila National Forest.This clean and quiet community is a great place to get away from it all for a day or a lifetime. The climate is ideal for year-round outdoor activities and special events.
The Gila National Forest is the largest national forest in the U.S. outside Alaska, with more than 3.3 million acres (1335462 hec). Elevation ranges from 4,000 feet to 11,000 feet (1220 to 3350 meters) above sea level. The 550,000 + acre (222577 hec) Gila Wilderness is part of the Forest, located 3 miles east of Glenwood and 25 miles north of Silver City. It was the world's first designated wilderness area, created in 1924. Aldo Leopold Wilderness occupies 202,000 + acres (80937 hec) of the Forest. It is named for conservation pioneer Aldo Leopold, who helped create the adjacent Gila Wilderness. Blue Range Wilderness is across the New Mexico border from Arizona's Blue Range Primitive Area and is part of New Mexico's Gila National Forest. The Mogollón Rim crosses this area. The Catwalk of Whitewater Canyon is a 250-foot metal causeway on the site of the ghost town of Graham. Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument is north of the town of Silver City. The dwellings were constructed in the cliff face by the Mogollón Indians around 1300.
The Apache Kid Wilderness is a 44,626-acre (181 km2) wilderness area located within the Cibola National Forest in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Straddling a southern portion of the San Mateo Mountains of southwestern Socorro County, the area is characterized by rugged, narrow, and steep canyons bisecting high mountain peaks exceeding 10,000 feet (3,048 m). Some 68 miles (109 km) of trails, approximately one third of which are in primitive condition, provide access to the Wilderness. The Wilderness is named for a Native American called The Apache Kid (Haskay-bay-nay-natyl). Angered by his relentless raids, local ranchers hunted him down to Blue Mountain, killed him and blazed a tree to mark the spot. The hacked remains of the tree can still be seen today.
The Rio Grande River bisects the county. Ideal for boating, fishing, and water sports of all kinds, the river offers peak recreation opportunities in a setting of pristine beauty. Originating more than 12,000 feet above sea level as a clear, snow-fed stream in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado, it pours through the Rocky Mountains and descends across steppes and deserts. Here in Sierra County, the Rio Grande feeds two vast lakes (Elephant Butte and Caballo).
Spaceport America (formerly named Southwest Regional Spaceport) is the "first 
purpose-built commercial spaceport" in the world[1][2][3], although initial construction is not yet complete. As of May 2009, six suborbital missions have been launched from the port. Located near the White Sands Missile Range in state-owned desert 45 miles (72 km) north of Las Cruces and 30 miles (48 km) east of Truth or Consequences, it is currently under active development and is expected to be completed in 2010.
Spaceport America is the first built-from-scratch commercial spaceport in the world. The $225 million venture was announced in mid-December 2005 in Santa Fe. Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic plans to launch its first flight from the spaceport in 2011. Virgin has already collected its $200,000 per-person fee from the first 300 passengers. Once completed, Spaceport America is expected to be the venue for the annual X Prize Cup suborbital spaceflight competitions.
