Often known for summer Quarter Horse racing at neighboring Ruidoso Downs, the village of Ruidoso offers much beauty in its summer activities. The appeal of a small mountain town surrounded by gorgeous landscapes. It was shortened from Rio Ruidoso, which means “noisy river” in Spanish, to Ruidoso. The village was named after the river that runs through it. Here is a checklist of great Ruidoso spots to explore.
The Roots
Owners of Roots, Justin and Nenada Huffmon, have always have a single espresso machine running. This is so that shoppers can get a cup for $1.50 to enjoy while perusing offerings of coffee and teas.
This additionally includes cocktail-related items, local goods and crafts, along with an assortment of house plants. “It looks like a jungle in here in the summer,” says Justin.
Happy Hiker
Enchanted Vine Winery pioneer Mary Jo Piedmont opened the Happy Hiker to sell everything needed to tackle the Ruidoso trails, including bear spray. “Forestry Service always sends people over to get some,” says regional manager Nicole Warner.
The store carries products that give back in some way to the National Parks, Forestry Service, and other green organizations. Their offerings go beyond hiking supplies with self-care products, pet supplies, gifts, and discs for disc golf. “Disc golf is huge around here,” says Warner, noting that there are four courses in the area.
Old Barrel Tea Company
Owned by Dana Huffmon and the female members of her family, Old Barrel Tea Company offers loose and bagged teas made with New Mexico-harvested ingredients. Of note: the Green Chile Bischocito tea. The shop also carries tea paraphernalia such as pots, strainers, and local jams and honey.
Café Rio
Café Rio fans line the walls with hand-drawn pictures on napkins and notes of admiration that read things like, Café Rio is the bomb. Thin-crust pizza is served up by a young squad of hipsters. “This is some of the best pizza I’ve ever had. You guys are pizza geniuses,” said a couple of cowboys on their way out the door.
Ruidoso Sushi
Local Tom Balderrama says, “You get a little nervous sometimes eating sushi way out in a mountain town, but it’s always fresh and he makes good shit.” He is Chef Lam Ho who serves up typical sushi fare, but also makes off-the-menu items, like takoyaki—dough balls stuffed with octopus topped with fish roe.
Inn of the Mountain Gods Resort & Casino
Inn of the Mountain Gods is a family-friendly resort. The Ted Robinson-designed champion golf course, casino, fine dining, 1852 cigar lounge, and concerts are available for the grown-ups and an arcade, pool, and food court are for the kids.
Big game hunting and horseback riding are offered in the spring and summer. The resort is located on the 463,000-acre Mescalero Apache reservation that includes the Sierra Blanca Peak, which the Apache refer to as White Mountain. They believe it is the home to the protective mountain gods.
Ski Apache Zip Line
The third longest zip line in the world at the highest elevation of any is Ski Apache’s zip line. The three-span line starts just shy of 600 feet below the mountain peak at 11,400 feet above sea level. The first mile stretch allows liners to reach speeds of up to 60 miles per hour. The last leg lands brave adventurers at 9,600 feet.
Win, Place & Show Axe Throwing
Win, Place & Show has been a local watering hole since 1956. They have the original, duct-tape-repaired bar stools to prove it. “We just tape them up and hope it sticks,” says bartender Lori Phillips with a smile.
“We’re a combination of honky-tonk, liquor store, and axe throwing,” says Win, Place & Show owner and self-proclaimed bourbon steward, Mike Cheney, who decided to convert the parking lot into a beer patio-slash-axe-throwing venue last year.
Spencer Theater for the Performing Arts
The Spencer Theater for the Performing Arts sits like an architectural jewel on the 20-acre lot in Alto, NM that once belonged to its founder Jacqueline Spencer Morgan. Opened in 1997, Spencer Morgan built the theater for her love of the arts and the love for her husband who became ill with kidney disease.
“They loved Broadway shows and the symphony,” says publicist Kathleen McDonald. She explained that once his illness made it difficult to travel, Spencer Morgan decided to build the theater. This would allow the performances come to them instead.
The newspaper heiress selected Antoine Predock, a renowned architect from Albuquerque, to design the structure. Inspired by the Sierra Blanca peak, Predock conceptualized the building to emulate its silhouette.
Enchanted Vine Winery
Just down the road from the Spencer Theater, you’ll find the Enchanted Vine Winery. You might pull up to find wild horses or bucks snacking on grass and leftover apple peels—byproducts of the cider-making that also happens at the facility. Staff offer tours of the winemaking process every weekend.
No Scum Allowed Saloon
For the real-deal Wild West experience, head to No Scum Allowed Saloon (aka, White Oaks Bar, circa 1885). It is nearby White Oaks and provides great drinks, dancing and live music.
This no-frills, high-altitude watering hole oozes frontier charm with its creaky wooden floors, weathered bar, and handwritten signs. “No Scum Allowed” is a motto the bar lives by. Once a booming gold rush town, White Oaks is now a near-ghost town. The saloon stands as its most lively remnant.
On weekends, locals and visitors alike pack the place for live country music, cold beer and boot-scootin’ dancing under the stars. It’s rowdy, friendly, and full of character. It’s exactly what you’d hope for in an outlaw-approved saloon at the edge of nowhere.
Story by Wendy Ilene Friedman
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