New Mexico is rich in old mining, ranching and railroading towns. The ghosts of Billy the Kid, Pat Garrett, John Chisum, and even Pancho Villa, all famous (or infamous) figures in New Mexico history, can still be felt in many towns. Travel to these old places on the state's beautiful scenic byways, stopping at one (or many) of New Mexico's national and state parks and monuments along the way. You’ll find dormant volcanoes, ancient lava flows, ice caves, fossil sites, archeological digs, and unique and stunning geology throughout New Mexico, just waiting to be explored.

But New Mexico isn't all about the past. New Mexico continues to be on the leading edge of new science and technology. The state is home to Los Alamos and Sandia National Laboratories and several observatories. The clear night sky offers an amazing view of the stars. The new Space Port America is a visionary project many years in the making. New Mexico’s weather and wide-open spaces have been ideal for the aerospace industry since Robert Goddard, the father of modern rocketry, began conducting research in Roswell in the 1930s. He was followed by Wernher von Braun in the 1940s, and NASA in the 1980s. With the founding of Space Port America, the nation's first purpose-built commercial spaceport, New Mexico stands on the brink of the new space age.

And New Mexico will surprise you with its many natural delights. When Spanish explorers in the 15th and 16th centuries stumbled across New Mexico's natural hot springs, they discovered the healing properties that the Native Americans had known about for centuries. Some claimed they'd found the Fountain of Youth. Visitors now discover the relaxing and calming hot springs are a cure for their souls.

From the breathtaking Carlsbad Caverns National State Park – gigantic subterranean chambers and formations, home to 300,000 Mexican free-tail bats who reside in the Caverns from the spring until October – to the Rio Grande Nature Center, from Santa Fe’s quaint art culture to Albequerque’s big-city cowboy style, New Mexico has much more to offer than you might imagine. Don’t forget about the delicious New Mexican cuisine, and some of the finest peppers money can buy: New Mexico is famous for its world-class chiles in every size and variety. Plan to hold your next convention in New Mexico, and enjoy all the remarkable pleasures this state has in store for you.