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Roswell is located in New Mexico, about 3 hours northeast of Las Cruces and 3 hours southeast of Albuquerque. I have always known about this city because of all the alien stories and also from the show, Roswell, that Candy and I used to be obsessed with in 1999 (they also had a reboot in 2019).

The town is known for aliens because in 1947, there was an alleged UFO crash. There are many people that dismiss this, but there are also many true believers. Either way, the town embraces this story and goes all out with their alien themes.

I was passing through the area on my cross-country road trip with Kuma, my corgi, and discovered that Roswell was a dog-friendly town. I was surprised to find that she could even go into museums with me, so I was pretty excited about that.

Here are some things you can do with your dog in Roswell.

1. International UFO Museum and Research Center

The International UFO Museum and Research Center is full of information on the famous 1947 UFO crash. You’ll get the full story of why some people believe that it was a UFO crash and not a weather balloon, as the military stated later.

There is also a library filled with alien themed books and a research center with a row of boxes lined up on many shelves.

Research room at the UFO Museum full of files — Research center at Roswell’s UFO Museum

Opening one of the file boxes at the research center — Checking out one of the boxes in the Research Center

Shelves of books at the UFO museum — UFO Museum with books all about aliens

UFO Museum gallery and information — UFO Museum

I took a peak inside one of the boxes (I almost felt like I was doing something sneaky) and they were all legit with folders and papers inside all of them.

Kuma had fun exploring the museum with me and taking photos with the alien figures. Actually, I probably had more fun taking photos of her with the aliens, as you can tell by Kuma’s serious face in the photos.

Dog next to two alien displays — Kuma is always serious in her photos (or she feels awkward with aliens)

Parking was a breeze as I found street parking right in front of the museum and it was free. There is also free parking available next to the museum.

Admission is $5 and you can come and go as you please throughout the day. Admission for children (ages 5-15) is $2. They are open from 9 AM - 5 PM daily.

ADDRESS: 114 N Main St., Roswell, NM 88203 USA

2. Roswell UFO Spacewalk

Not too far from the UFO Museum is the Roswell UFO Spacewalk. You’ll start seeing some green alien footprints on the sidewalk leading you to the building.

I actually had a lot of fun at the Spacewalk. It’s small and you can do the entire walkthrough in less than 60 seconds, but I thought they did a really great job with the displays and making it fun for all ages.

Green footprints on the sidewalk — Following the green footprints

Spacewalk building with alien figure in front — The footprints led us to Spacewalk

Kuma and I really enjoyed the blacklight alien adventure and I was especially intrigued by the dark tunnel which seemed like we were in space. There were moments where it was completely black and I wasn’t sure where I was going, which was even more exciting.

Blacklight forest — Spacewalk alien forest

Blacklight tunnel, stars, planets, and green footprints — The coolest part of Spacewalk

I was surprised that Kuma wasn’t scared at all. She’s such a brave girl.

You can experience the Spacewalk as much as you’d like for $5. We went through 3 times and we had the place all to ourselves. It is open daily from 10 AM - 6PM.

ADDRESS: 116 E 2nd St Roswell Space Center, Roswell, NM 88201-6210

3. Roswell We Believe Mural

This is one of the coolest murals I’ve come across and they have the mural in a great location so that you have plenty of space to take a photo. It is painted on the side of the UFO Museum building, so you can’t miss it.

Standing in front of the spaceship mural — Roswell We Believe Mural

The mural was painted in October 2019 by Larry Bob Phillips and paid for by Roswell's downtown business association to attract more attention to Roswell and I think they achieved their purpose.

Phillips aligned the ramp of the spaceship perfectly with the path leading up to the UFO so that it gives you the illusion that you’re walking onto the ship.

ADDRESS: 9058 W. 2nd St., Roswell, NM

4. Roswell Welcome Signs

There are a couple of welcome signs in Roswell and it’s worth a stop to take a picture with at least one of them because of the uniqueness to Roswell’s UFO theme.

The more popular one is on East 2nd Street, about 5 miles east of downtown Roswell. It’s a green sign with a UFO crashing into the sign. There used to be cow figures on top of the sign too (symbolizing the rancher that found the UFO crash site), but it is no longer there.

Green Welcome To Roswell sign with spaceship — Roswell Welcome Sign on East 2nd Street

Take a picture with the Welcome To Roswell sign — Roswell Welcome Sign on Highway 285

The other welcome sign is on Highway 285, which is 5 miles south of downtown Roswell. It’s basically the same as the other welcome sign, but it seemed smaller and the color of the letters are black, whereas the other sign’s letters were in red.

I was actually trying to find this particular art installation created by artist John Cerney, but could not find it. I’m not sure if I somehow missed it or if it was taken down, but it should have been at the Highway 285 location where the welcome sign was. If anyone has any information on this art installation in Roswell, please let me know in the comments below.

ADDRESS: 3785 E 2nd St, Roswell, NM 88201

5. The Alien Zone

The Alien Zone is located in downtown Roswell and it is a gift shop with some fun alien displays you can take pictures with for an extra fee.

I wanted to stop by here to take some cheesy alien photos with Kuma, but I simply ran out of time and could not make it.

There are mixed reviews online where some really enjoyed the fun photo ops while others stated that it was outdated and filthy.

ADDRESS: 216 N Main St Roswell, NM 88201

6. Woof Bowl Dog Park

If your dog needs to run around to release more energy, Woof Bowl Dog Park is less than 2 miles from downtown Roswell. There are separate fenced in areas for small dogs and large dogs.

ADDRESS: 1500 N Grand Ave, Roswell, NM, US, 88201

DOG-FRIENDLY HOTELS IN ROSWELL

Holiday Inn Express & Suites Roswell - 3 Military Heights Drive (2 miles north of downtown Roswell) - I stayed here and it was a great hotel. Very clean and nice rooms with free breakfast. $25 pet fee per stay.

Hotel Best Western El Rancho Palacio - 2205 North Main St (2 miles north of downtown Roswell) - Budget -friendly hotel with free breakfast. $12 pet fee per night.

Home2 Suites by Hilton Roswell - 700 N Virginia Ave (0.5 miles north of downtown Roswell) - Superb location walking distance to downtown Roswell and many attractions and eateries. I’ve always had a great experience at Home2 Suites hotels, but their pet fee is pretty expensive at $75 per stay.