Welcome

A custom home isn't necessarily a $1.2 million home. A custom home is what ever you want it to be. It fits your needs. It fits your desires. And it fits your budget.

At Stearns Custom Homes, we focus on helping you get everything you want out of the home we build for you. That is why we describe our homes as sustainable and green. 

We will help you from beginning to end. That means we start with the design. You can bring us your own plan or we can design one for you. Our entire devotion is to delivering you the custom home that you want in the price range that you can afford.

When you build green, experience matters. Look carefully at the credentials and the first hand experience of any builder you are thinking of using.

We design our homes to be energy efficient and green. That isn't just good insulation and a easy to get certification (although we do those too, check energystar.org for our certification). We do much more including position your home to help ease your energy bills. After all, your energy bills shouldn't be rivaling your mortgage in the summer months. Visit our sister site: lascrucesgreenbuilder.com for more details on our green building techniques.

About Us

At Stearns Custom Homes, it's all about you, the client. It's also about searing quality, understated elegance and sophistication where consistency and construction is KEY.Every home in we build in Las Cruces is designed for its lot, thus maximizing space and views.

What sets Stearns Custom Homes apart from other builders in Las Cruces is our knowledge and experience of EVERY aspect of construction from start to finish.

We pride ourselves in building a home in Las Cruces to the exact specifications of each client, on time and on budget. Our communication is unparalleled as is our honesty. If you ever thought you couldn't afford to build a custom home in Las Cruces, call JB and Erin today! You will be glad you did!

We (JB and Erin Stearns) started our love of homebuilding while in college. In 1992 we started a framing company which catered to the most prominent builders in Las Cruces. After 10 years of serving builders in the community, we began Stearns Custom Homes in 2002. Well respected and long time residents in Las Cruces, we have three children. We are a dynamic couple who thoroughly enjoy what they do.

We want to introduce ourselves as very conservative, conscientious home builders who care about the quality and performance of my our homes more than making a lot of money. 

Building Green Since 1992

We've been building green since we started building! Green means quality, sustainability, energy efficient; the industry just finally figured out how to label and market this type of building. We personally have built and lived in homes that have gone without heating and cooling for the better part of each year. 

You new home is a system; you are the engine that makes it work. These green homes are highly efficient machines that will make your life wonderfully simple and inexpensive if you utilize them correctly.  There are features that you won't even know are working for you - low flow toilets, high density insulation, low-E windows; there are other ways that YOU can make a difference in how efficiently it works - open windows in the evening during spring and fall to allow cooler air in, only do laundry when there's a full load and only in the evening or morning when electricity costs are not at their peak, turn off lights as you leave a room.

When you build green, experience matters.  Look carefully at the credentials and the first hand experience of any builder you are thinking of using.

We build quality and sustainable homes in Las Cruces. Quality means using only licensed sub contractors with reputations for quality work. As a former quality framer, we have built these relationships over time and know who to turn to. Sustainable means long lasting and easy going on your pocket book. We spend quality time planning your home to be a sustainable one with energy efficient features and long lasting quality.

More Las Cruces & Custom Home Building Info

Your Custom Home in Las Cruces awaits! Rest assured that when you choose us as a partner, you are choosing a builder that provides comprehensive information throughout the process, quality inspections and unmatched satisfaction. Please visit our Gallery or our 360 Tour for a tour of examples of our custom homes, to see homes that we are currently building, and to visually experience Stearns Custom Homes.

Call us today for a complimentary consultation and site selection for a home in Las Cruces. We are ready to build your new home in New Mexico!

What sets Stearns Custom Homes apart from other builders in Las Cruces?

Our knowledge and experience of every aspect of construction from start to finish.

We pride ourselves in building a home to the exact specifications of each client, on time and on budget. Our communication is unparalleled as is our honesty. If you ever thought you couldn't afford to build a custom home in Las Cruces, call us today!

You will be glad you chose us among other home builders in Las Cruces! Combining our passion for homebuilding with our deep-rooted knowledge of the Las Cruces area, we bring experience and proficiency to you! Let Stearns Custom Homes share in your excitement and desire for the perfect home in Las Cruces, New Mexico.

If you are relocating to Las Cruces you can use this website to learn more about our great New Mexico community. Las Cruces is the fastest growing community in southern New Mexico and is one of the most beautiful locations in the country. If you are retiring and looking for the perfect location, consider Las Cruces as so many others have.
Read what the AARP said about us here. It's not just the AARP calling Las Cruces one of the best places to retire, read what CNN/Money said here.

Las Cruces is truly a desert paradise. Come visit us in Las Cruces and you will be amazed. If you are interested learning more, visit our Las Cruces section.

If you are relocating to Las Cruces, let us help you. We specialize in introducing people to Las Cruces. The Las Cruces food is amazing. The Las Cruces culture is unique and inviting. Las Cruces hosts many annual events that keep the community together and happy. New Industries are relocating to Las Cruces. And you need to know about all of this. Let us help you learn about Las Cruces, as you plan for your new home.

If you are planning on retiring in Las Cruces, let us help you. Las Cruces has a wonderful retirement community. Retire in Las Cruces for over 350 days of sunshine, a relaxed atmosphere with access to award winning health care, and a welcoming population. Let us introduce you to Las Cruces!

If you currently live in Las Cruces and need a new home, let us be your home builder. Unlike many builders in Las Cruces we want your business and value it. Being committed to your new dream home in Las Cruces is our job and we take it very seriously. Explore our website to learn more about the process and contact us as soon as you are ready to get started on your new home.

Home builders come and home builders go. When you are ready to be proud of a new home in Las Cruces or southern New Mexico, you need only think of one name... Stearns Custom Homes.

Las Cruces, New Mexico is our home, but we don't just build in Las Cruces. We are currently involved with several projects in southern New Mexico and can build just about anywhere.

Our homes in Las Cruces and elsewhere are designed to fit you lifestyle and your budget whether you are retiring to Las Cruces or just looking for the right house in Las Cruces. Our amenity packages are unmatched and the overall quality of home built by Stearns Custom Homes is above all. This is because we take pride in Las Cruces and feel responsible for building homes in Las Cruces that match the quality of life here.

Stearns Custom Homes, your committed, responsible and quality green Las Cruces home builder!

Please read Stearns Custom Homes' testimonials to hear what other Las Cruces residents are saying about us.

Green Las Cruces Home Builders

Stearns Custom Homes is a green Las Cruces Home Builder. We build homes all around Las Cruces and the surrounding area. As a Las Cruces Home Builder we see it as a responsibility to build the finest homes possible. We are a part of Las Cruces and hope that in the future we can look back and say that we were one of the Las Cruces Home Builders who helped make our community better.

Las Cruces Home Builders come and go. With Stearns Custom Homes you can rest assured because we have stood the test of time. Our reputation is impeccable. Visit our testimonials page to see what our past clients have said about our home building and service skills. We are one of the most reputable Las Cruces Home Builders working today.

We pride ourselves on providing superior services than other Las Cruces custom home builders. You will be able to find a very long list of Las Cruces custom home builders out there, just be sure to include us in your interviewing process. We are confident that you will be happy that we will offer you higher quality and better service than other Las Cruces custom home builders.

We are also one of the only Las Cruces custom home builders who have been Build Green NM certified. This Build Green NM certification recognizes that we build our homes to the highest standards and our homes are some of the most environmentally friendly homes available. Other Las Cruces custom home builders may claim to be energy efficient and green, but how many of them actually have a Build Green NM certification. We are a certified Las Cruces Home Builder, providing quality in both our product and our service. Be sure to read our testimonials to learn more about our custom home building credentials.  And we didn't just go green, we know green.  We've been building homes to green standards since we started, because it is the right way to build a home.  That is what our experience has taught us.

If you are building a home in Las Cruces, contact Stearns Custom Homes today. If you are interested in custom homes in Las Cruces, contact Stearns Custom Homes today. If you are looking for a good Las Cruces Home Builder, or need help sorting through a long list of Las Cruces Home Builders, contact Stearns Custom Homes. If you are looking for Green Home Builders in Las Cruces, contact Stearns Custom Homes. If you are looking for Energy Efficient Homes in Las Cruces, contact Stearns Custom Homes. Contact Stearns Custom Homes for all of your custom home and custom home builder needs in Las Cruces, New Mexico.

Las Cruces, NM in Southern New Mexico

Las Cruces, New Mexico is nestled in the fertile Mesilla Valley between the Organ Mountains and the Rio Grande. Our community is a popular southwestern destination and Stearns Custom Homes is proud to be playing a role in growing Las Cruces' popularity. Las Cruces New Mexico Real Estate is growing and appreciating. Las Cruces homes built by Stearns Custom Homes offer the best in affordable housing, custom design and innovation. There are many Las Cruces Home Builders to choose from. We feel that once you have analyzed your Las Cruces Home Builders options, Stearns Custom Homes will stand above the rest.

Las Cruces is the second largest city in New Mexico. Located in the lush Mesilla Valley, it was established over 4,000 years ago. The area offers a large selection of annual events and attractions, great weather, including all four seasons with an average of 350 days of sunshine a year! Las Cruces Home Builders are helping to secure a beautiful community into the future.
Las Cruces, New Mexico has received several awards including recent rankings by Money magazine and AARP as a great retirement town. If you are looking for a place to retire in the southwest, Las Cruces is one of your best options. Contact Stearns Custom homes for more information. Stearns Custom Homes is one of many Las Cruces Home Builders adding to our community to make it a better place.

No matter what your reason is for selecting Las Cruces New Mexico as your home, be it for retirement or job relocation, Stearns Custom Homes can assist you in researching and evaluating Las Cruces Real Estate. Our goal is to make your southwest living the absolute best and to make your experience building a new home in Las Cruces a joy. Stearns Custom Homes

Stearns Custom Homes has been helping people build a home in Las Cruces on their perfect piece of Real Estate Since 1982. We often help people retiring to the southwest who are looking for the right southwestern community to retire to. Relocating to Las Cruces can be challenging if you do not pick the right partners to help you. Stearns Custom Homes helps its client relocate to Las Cruces by helping them with all of their local Las Cruces needs including: temporary housing, storage, photo updates, and more.

We will build on your lot or on one of ours. JB Stearns, owner of Stearns Custom Homes, is proud to call Las Cruces his home. "My clients become my friends and I take care of their needs well after they move in." JB, a father of two girls and one boy, takes pride in Las Cruces. "I try to add to our unique and beautiful community when building a home."
Stearns Custom Homes only works with licensed subcontractors. If you are looking for a REALTOR in Las Cruces, JB's wife, Erin is licensed. She has great customer service, and will work hard for you. Combined, JB and Erin can offer you all of the Las Cruces real estate services that you need. Stearns Custom Homes is truly your best choice when it comes to building custom homes in Las Cruces! As a member of the local Las Cruces Home Builders Association, JB has tried to be involved in every aspect of the home building industry in Las Cruces.

This wonderful southwestern community located in the Rio Grande Valley has great views of the Majestic Organ Mountains. Many interesting characters hung out in the Mesilla Valley throughout its history. They include the likes of Geronimo and Billy the Kid. Now, with New Mexico State University (NMSU), White Sands Missile Range and the diversity of a mixed culture border town, Las Cruces is known as the ideal place to live, work and to raise a family. Las Cruces is perhaps the best kept secret of the American Southwest and it is rated as a "Best Place to Retire" by many different associations and publications. Las Cruces has also received several awards and recognitions such as Money magazine's ranking as one of the best college towns to retire and Allstate Insurance ranking as one of the "safest" communities. The AARP has also ranked Las Cruces as one of their "dream towns" to retire. In addition, Las Cruces has been ranked by Forbes as one of the best small metro areas for business and careers.

Events
Las Cruces is known as a community of festivals and charitable events with numerous celebrations each month. Contact Stearns Custom Homes to learn more about the wonderful community that you are about to retire to. The year begins with the annual Wells Fargo Bank Mesilla Valley Balloon Rally and a tour of Lake Lucero at White Sands National Monument. Great local happenings like the Mayor's Ball and Cowboys for Cancer Research Rodeo make contributing to the community a fun thing to do. New Mexico State University Football has also recently added the "Tough Enough to Wear Pink" game to raise money for breast cancer research.

There is always something to do in Las Cruces. Stearns Custom Homes can help you learn about everything from wine festivals and fiestas, rodeos to art shows, college and high school sports to the symphony, Las Cruces offers a way to enjoy our culture, relaxed atmosphere and, of course, our 350 days southwestern sunshine each year!

History
New residents to Las Cruces and the Mesilla Valley enjoy one of the most fascinating and historical stories of the American Southwest. Las Cruces has a chronicle of civilizations, pre-historic to contemporary, that carries the flavor of legend and the panache of power and world influence. Stearns Custom Homes is one of many Las Cruces Home Builders that are helping to extend this history by adding quality architecture to Las Cruces subdivisions.

The culturally diverse and violent history of Las Cruces is locked within its name. Las Cruces is a Spanish term for "the crosses." Crosses are the pathways that intersect, and are emblematic in the Christian faith. Las Cruces' legacy of location (the crossing of pathways both geographically and culturally) and violence (the result of conflicts of cultures) has set its history apart from other locations in the southwest. But don't worry, today Las Cruces has one of the kindest cultures around. Crime is low, weather is great, and our new subdivisions in Las Cruces, led by the developers in Las Cruces and the Las Cruces Home Builders are setting the standard for southwestern living.

Recreation
Hikers, bikers and golfers enjoy the 350 annual days of sunshine on great trails and at local courses such as Sonoma Ranch and Picacho Hills. New Mexico State University (NMSU) offers a very popular public golf course. Sonoma Ranch Golf Course is another public course located on the east mesa of this growing southwestern paradise. Picacho Hills Country Club is a private golf course in Las Cruces located on the west side of Las Cruces. The Las Cruces Country Club is a semi-private course open to the public and members and is going through a relocation from the heart of Las Cruces to the north eastern side of this southwestern community.

History
Both new and long-time residents in Las Cruces and the Mesilla Valley are a part of the most fascinating and sweeping historical stories of any spot in the country. Las Cruces has a clear chronicle of civilizations. Today, Las Cruces Home Builders are leading the way to establish Las Cruces as one of the finest southwestern communities to retire to or start a family in.

Situated on the banks of the Rio Grande, the Mesilla Valley was the only natural pathway through a landscape of mountains and desert for the early hunter gatherers who crossed this land 20,000 years ago. The first European explorers and colonizers seeking fortune and souls to convert to the Catholic faith traveled through Las Cruces and the Mesilla Valley in the 1500s, and encountered the descendents of the indigenous population, some peaceful and helpful, others disposed to war and thievery.
The Spanish called the Indians "Pueblos" because of the multi-storied adobe "pueblos" where they lived. Coronado, who passed into the Albuquerque area from Arizona in 1540, received assistance and friendship from Tigua Pueblos on the Rio Grande and made one of their long-vanished villages his headquarters for a year and a half. A chronicler of the exploration wrote, "The natives seem to be good people, more devoted to agriculture than war."

The Apaches were a different story. Their war parties preyed on peaceful Pueblos as well as Spanish settlers. Don Juan de Oñate and his colonizing party of 400 men (130 having families), 83 wagons and nearly 7,000 head of livestock were attacked as they struggled up the Rio Grande and across the Jornada del Muerto, or Journey of Death, north of Las Cruces in 1598. And, an Apache ambush in the Mesilla Valley in 1830 was to ultimately provide the name for New Mexico's second largest city.

Travelers from Taos were killed here along the El Camino Real (the royal road established by Oñate) and the grieving survivors marked the graves with crosses.

At least this is the story accepted by most historians. Whether it was the result of this single massacre or other fatal ambushes marked with a simple cross, henceforth the region was known as La Placita de Las Cruces (the Place of the Crosses).
In 1849 the memorialized spot on the east bank of the Rio Grande became the frontier settlement of Las Cruces when a contingent of U.S. soldiers used rawhide rope and stakes to plot out 84 city blocks in what was now the United States. Each block contained four plots of land, and new settlers were required to draw for their new home site. Across the river, another small community named Mesilla was still a part of Mexico.

This confusion of jurisdictions was an on-going motif in the history of the Rio Grande Valley for centuries, from the Spanish Entrada of Oñate, to the Gadsden Purchase of 1854 which handed over a key portion of Mexico's northern land to the United States. During the Pueblo Revolt of 1680, the "peaceful" Pueblo Indians under the leadership of a firebrand religious man from Taos Pueblo named Popé (or sometimes Popay) rose up against their Spanish oppressors.

Secretly Popé plotted with more than 70 Indian communities to attack the Spanish on a single night - August 10, 1680. The 2500 Indian warriors killed more than 400 Spanish soldiers and civilians, plus two thirds of the Catholic priests, and drove the surviving Europeans back to El Paso del Norte (Juarez). A few of the formerly "friendly" Pueblo Indians also chose to flee with the Spanish, and their descendents now live in the El Paso area and the Mesilla Valley. They are the Tiguas in Isleta near El Paso and the Tortugas just south of Mesilla. Their Pueblo culture is still celebrated in festivals and religious observances throughout the year.

The Pueblo Indians maintained autonomy over their ancestral lands for twelve years, restoring their religious practices and cultural observances, until the Spanish regained control in 1692. Henceforth, New Mexico remained a Spanish colony where authorities employed a more tolerant approach to their Indian subjects, until Mexican revolutionaries overthrew Spanish rule and established the Republic of Mexico in 1821. But Mexican control was short-lived. Within 25 years, America's push for western expansion prompted a war with Mexico which ended with the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. This treaty gave most of New Mexico territory to the United States, but not Mesilla and a strip of land running westward along our present day international border.

Right before the onset of the Civil War, there was a great push in the country for a trans-continental railroad. Political factions vied over the appropriate route, some favoring a northern one and others a southern one. The well-located City of the Crosses provided an ideal route west as it always had, for Indian hunters and traders, the Forty Niners, the Butterfield Stagecoach, but not without access to land still belonging to Mexico. Those sponsoring the southern option dispatched James Gadsden, a railroad agent and promoter, to negotiate a land purchase from then Mexican president Antonio Lopes de Santa Anna (of The Alamo fame). Santa Anna, in desperate need of funds, agreed to sell the United States 30,000 square miles of land south of the Gila River for $10 million. Congress finally ratified the purchase, but narrowly. The Gadsden Purchase was signed in Mesilla, in the same courthouse on the Plaza that twenty seven years later would be the scene of Billy the Kid's trial for murder.

Ah yes Billy the Kid, a.k.a. William Henry Antrim, a.k.a. William H. Bonney, or simply "El Chivato" as the local Hispanics called him. Amazingly, this buck-toothed cowboy and sometime gun-slinger is assuredly the most famous legendary figure of the region.

Why he is so is an imponderable mystery. Maybe Pat Garrett, his one-time friend and later killer (who wrote a book about him) is to blame, or Hollywood. On April 13, 1881, an all Hispanic jury found Billy guilty of the murder of Lincoln County Sheriff William Brady.

The ambush/murder was a key event in the Lincoln County War of 1877-1878 which turned the tiny mountain community of Lincoln (near Ruidoso) into a war zone. He was handed over to then Sheriff Pat Garrett to be transported back to Lincoln, and henceforth, on May 13, to be "hanged by the neck until his body be dead."

On April 28, Billy killed both his guards (perhaps a gun had been left in the outhouse for him by a sympathizer), and fled Lincoln. No one in the town made any attempt to stop him. Midnight, July 14, Pat Garrett caught up with Billy at the Maxwell compound in Fort Stockton. In Pete Maxwell's darkened bedroom, Garrett answered Billy's inquiry "Quien es" with two fatal shots.

Or at least this is what Garrett claimed in his book. Others over the years have not agreed. For decades a man in Hico, Texas swore he was Billy the Kid. And, just last year, two New Mexico sheriffs and the mayor of Capitan, New Mexico, sought permission to exhume the bodies of Billy's mother Catherine Antrim buried in Silver City, the person purported to be Billy buried in Fort Stockton, and the remains of Ollie "Brushy Bill" Roberts, the Hico man.

This attempt to employ DNA testing to solve the mystery of what happened to Billy and who, if not he, is buried in his grave, was denied after the state's office of Medical Investigation said the results may not be conclusive. But according to those who sought exhumation, the battle to "find the truth" is on-going. Certainly the legend of Billy the Kid will never end. The exhumation story appeared on the front page of The New York Times and in some 2,000 newspapers worldwide.

Today, the legend of Billy the Kid is one of the most popular western stories from the southwestern US. You can still find features of independence and free ridding in our culture. Perhaps you can still find these features in our independent home building styles. At Stearns Custom Homes we use a Green Building Style to save you money and help preserve our beautiful environment. Count us as one of the Las Cruces Home Builders who care about the environment and the impact that our new subdivisions and homes are having on it. Anyway, back to the story...

Remnants of this turbulent early history remain throughout Las Cruces, in its historic sites and on-going legends, but the 20th century to the present has seen phenomenal growth and economic development. Three potent enterprises have shaped the fortunes of Las Cruces and the Mesilla Valley into the 21st century: agriculture, education, and the military/air-space industry. Often their development and influence have overlapped.

Agriculture
The Rio Grande valley has sustained agriculture for 3000 years and its hospitable soils have produced an amazing range of crops, from the beans and corn of the Pueblos, to the vast vineyards planted by the Padres (ostensibly for communion wine) to the current big three of chile, cotton, and pecans. Three of the area's most popular festivals celebrate this agricultural heritage: the Hatch Chile Festival, the Hillsboro Apple Festival, and the Whole Enchilada Fiesta, all held in September. The whole Enchilada Fiesta is like no other festival in the world. But then for the chile obsessed, enchiladas - red or green - are the holy grail of Mexican cuisine. A "good" Mexican food restaurant is often judged on the quality of its enchiladas. Highlight of the three-day extravaganza is the preparing, cooking and eating of the world's largest enchilada - 75 gallons of red chile sauce, 175 pounds of grated cheese and 50 pounds of chopped onions weighing in at several tons and nearly ten feet in diameter!

The valley's suitability for viniculture was proved by the Spanish Padres who produced a red that was lauded far and wide by travelers to the region in the 1700s. Not surprisingly, vineyards are reappearing in the valley; it's possible to sample vintage varietals and blends at several local wineries luding Blue Teal in Mesilla and La Vina down the valley in La Union. The founder of Blue Teal is a fifth-generation winemaker who finds the unbeatable combination of sunshine and rich soil in the Mesilla Valley perfect for producing Chardonnay and Cabernet, just like in his native France. La Vina, New Mexico's oldest winery, celebrates the glory of the grape twice a year, with a spring blues and jazz festival (and lots of wine tasting) and the fall La Vina Wine Festival, with food, entertainment, a grape stomp, and lots more tasting.

South of Mesilla is Stahmann Farms, the world's largest family owned pecan orchard. It is an amazing surprise, and solace for the soul, to drive the old highway, Don Juan de Oñate's royal highway, and suddenly find one's car enveloped in the deep shade of over-arching pecan trees, mile upon mile. In the midst of the orchard is a gift store selling luscious pecan treats and Southwestern-themed gift items.

Education
New Mexico was still a territory when Las Cruces College opened in a two-room adobe in the 1880s. The transformation from this humble beginning is an amazing success story. The school today is a major research facility with a 900-acre campus and nearly 15,000 students. Areas of widely recognized expertise lude arid lands and desert ecology studies, bridge inspection and safety training, bilingual special education, artificial intelligence, optics, photonics and micro laser development. Yet even the fledgling Las Cruces College could not escape the onus of frontier violence. The first commencement would have been in 1883, but the college's one and only senior was fatally shot, an innocent bystander during a holdup.

From the mid 20th century on, New Mexico State University has been a major player in outer space exploration, and its influence is joined by the work at White Sands Missile Range. Clyde Tombaugh, discoverer of the planet Pluto, joined the faculty in 1955 and began a research program which ranks today among the nation's best. NMSU operates one of the world's largest university-owned telescopes at a site in the nearby Sacramento Mountains as a consortium of universities including the University of Chicago and others. And, under a NASA contract, the Physical Science Laboratory manages the world's largest scientific balloon research program, launching probes from remote sites such as Antarctica and Greenland.

Industry
East of Las Cruces, just over Organ Pass on what was once the sprawling San Augustine/Cox ranch, is White Sands Missile Range, one of the army's most important weapons testing grounds and home to the Patriot Missile System. At the north end is a barren, chilling site open only twice a year: Trinity Site, where the explosion of the first atomic bomb on earth inaugurated the age of atomic warfare.

There is a riddle indeed in this. White Sands Missile Range is not only the birthplace of the atomic age with its power of ultimate cataclysm, but also may hold an answer to the appearance of man on this continent. In a remote site on the range is Rough Canyon Cave where excavations by world-renowned archaeologist "Scotty" MacNeish in the late 1990s revealed evidence of possible human use 36,000 to 50,000 years ago. If this discovery is substantiated, it will prove the presence of man in the New World far earlier than previously believed.

Talk about sweeping historical scope! Truly this part of the Southwest is an amazing place to live.

Entertainment in Las Cruces - Museums
Las Cruces offers an extensive array of art organizations, galleries, museums, studios and public art that display and showcase a range of sculptures, fine art, paintings, photographs, historical artifacts and performing arts and theater. Here, visitors have the chance to not only observe the talents of our many gifted artisans, but also to learn about the history, culture and diversity of our people and how all these factors work to inspire their creativity.
The Branigan Cultural Center

The Branigan Cultural Center features in-house and traveling exhibitions, regional historical and permanent collections and the work of local and regional artists. The center is open Monday - Friday, 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. and Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
www.las-cruces.org/museums
The Las Cruces Museum of Art
The Las Cruces Museum of Art, specializes in curated, traveling, juried and invitational exhibitions of contemporary art. Museum hours are Monday - Friday 10:00 a.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. www.las-cruces.org/museums
Las Cruces Railroad Museum
Las Cruces Railroad Museum displays materials and memorabilia from New Mexico's railroad past. The museum is only open Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
www.las-cruces.org/museums
Museum of Natural History
The museum features live animals and plants of the Chihuahuan Desert, along with hands-on science and natural history exhibits for children. Visiting shows run the gamut from dinosaurs to the solar system. Located at the southeast end of the Mesilla Valley Mall. 700 S. Telshor. Monday - Thursday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Friday 10 a.m. - 8 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. and Sunday 1 - 5 p.m. (505) 522-3120.
www.las-cruces.org/museums
New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum
The Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum is the largest of its kind in the world. It features the agricultural history, heritage and science of the state with an emphasis on hands-on exhibits such as blacksmithing, plowing, outdoor animal and plant life. Located 1.5 miles east of Telshor on University Avenue. Open Tuesday - Saturday 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Sundays Noon - 5 p.m. $3 for adults, $2 for seniors, (60 and up), $1 for children 6 to 17, five and under are free.
(505) 522-4100.
www.frhm.org
New Mexico State University Museum- Kent Hall
Houses exhibits and displays from the University's permanent collection. Located at the corner of University Ave. and Solano. Museum hours are Tuesday - Saturday, noon - 4 p.m. (505) 646-3739.
www.nmsu.edu/~museum/index.htm
Space Murals, .
The museum features a gigantic water tower mural and museum honoring the space program. There is also an astronaut gallery, space artifacts and gift shop. The museum is located about 10 miles east of Las Cruces at 12450 Highway 70 East. Gallery hours are Monday - Saturday 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. (505) 382-0977.
www.zianet.com/spacemurals
White Sands Missile Range Museum & Missile Park
The facilities focus on the origin of the U.S. missile and space programs, and the beginning of the nuclear age. The Missile Park features weapons that won the Cold War and Operation Desert Storm. Visitors enter the post at the Las Cruces gate, about 25 miles east of the city on US. Highway 70. Tell sentries you are going to visit the museum and Missile Park. You must have a current driver's license, car registration and proof of insurance to enter. The range is open weekly Monday - Friday 8:00 a.m. - 4 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m. - 3 p.m., closed for federal holidays. (505) 678-8824.
www.wsmr-history.org
The Zuhl Geological Collection at New Mexico State University
The collection contains petrified wood, fossils, rocks, and minerals. Several displays enable viewers to see the beauty that is discovered when petrified wood is cut and polished to highlight the mineral content that replaced wood fiber so many millions of years ago. Located in the east wing gallery of the New Mexico State University Alumni and Visitor's Center. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (505) 646-3616.
www.nmsu.edu/~geology/zuhl/zuhl.html

Entertainment in Las Cruces - Art Organizations
A Children's Theater of the Mesilla Valley
571-1413
American Southwest Theater Company
646-4515, 646-4517 (summer number),
http://theatre.nmsu.edu
Artforms: Artists Association of New Mexico
541-4353
Ballet Folklorico de la Tierra del Encanto
541-2155, http://museums.las-cruces.org
Border Artists
233-3102 or 532-9310
Border Book Festival
23-3988, www.borderbookfestival.org
City of Las Cruces Museum System
541-2296, www.las-cruces.org/museums
Doña Ana Arts Council
523-6403, www.daarts.org
Doña Ana County Lyric Opera
646-1986
Doña Ana County Youth Choir
526-8531
Embroiderers' Guild of America, Las Cruces Chapter
http://lascrucesega.tripod.com
Las Colcheras Quilt Guild
521-052, www.lcqg.org
Las Cruces Chamber Ballet
523-1654
Las Cruces Community Theater
523-1200, www.lcctnm.org
Las Cruces Mariachi
525-1735, www.lascrucesmariachi.org
Las Cruces Symphony Association
646-3709, www.lascrucessymphony.com
Mesilla Valley Film Society
524-8287, www.fountaintheatre.org
Mesilla Valley Fine Arts, .
522-2933
New Mexico Book Association
525-9707, 1-888-817-1990, www.barbed-wire.net
No Strings Theatre Company
523-1223, www.no-strings.org
Rio Grande Historical Collections
646-3839.
Rio Grande Recorders' Society
521-4545, www.riogranderecorders.org

Entertainment in Las Cruces - Art Galleries
Downtown Galleries
Blue Gate Gallery
311 N. Downtown Mall. 523-2950. Tuesday - Friday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. www.artgally.com/bluegate
Solo gallery featuring the work of Flo Hoha-Dougherty's in all mediums.
The Branigan Cultural Center
The center features in-house and traveling exhibitions, regional historical and permanent collections and the work of local and regional artists. The center is open weekdays from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. www.las-cruces.org/museums
Cottonwood Gallery
275 N. Downtown Mall. (Inside the Southwest Environmental Center) 522-5552. Monday - Friday 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Featuring local artist work with an environmental theme. www.wildmesquite.org
Linda Lundeen Galleries
618 South Alameda. 526-3326. Monday - Saturday 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Fine art in all media.
Griggs at Reymond Arts & Antiques
504 W. Griggs. 524-8450. Thursday - Saturday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
The working studio of Paula Van Overbeke Voris who creates realistic portraits, painted screens and embellished furniture in the historic 1896 Elias Day house.
Las Cruces Museum of Arts
490 N. Water Street. 541-2216. Tuesday - Friday 10 a.m. - 2 p.m., Saturday, 9:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Exhibitions of contemporary and regional artists.
Main Street Gallery
311 N. Downtown Mall. 647-0508. Monday - Friday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. Featuring the work of four local photographers.
M. Phillip's
300 N. Downtown Mall (at Studio A-440 in La Esquina Plaza). 525-1367.
Emphasis on Russian and other East European art.
Terrace Gallery at the Thomas Branigan Memorial Library
200 E. Picacho Avenue. 528-4003. Monday - Thursday, 10 a.m. - 9 p.m., Friday & Saturday, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., Sunday, 1 p.m. - 5 p.m. (Sunday hours are August thru May only.) Closed on major holidays.
Exhibits of the Las Cruces Arts and Crafts Association lude pottery, weaving, oils, watercolors, and photography.
Unravel Gallery
300 N. Downtown Mall. 647-1181 Tuesday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Wednesday 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., Thursday 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., Friday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Featuring art work in a variety of mediums. www.unravel-yarn-shop.com
White Raven Studios & Art Gallery
425 W. Griggs Avenue. 525-9543
Art, prints, ceramic, sculpture, photography and fiber art.
Mesilla Galleries
Blue Teal Winery
1720 Avenida de Mesilla, Mesilla. 524-0390. Monday - Thursday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Friday - Saturday 11 a.m. - 8 p.m., Sunday 12 to 6 p.m.
Unusual hand-painted wine bottles and exhibits of local artists.
Charles .
1885 W. Boutz. 523-1888. Monday - Friday 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., Saturday 12 - 5 p.m. An interior design firm which specializes in all facets of design luding custom furniture, draperies and other window treatments.
Corn Maiden Gallery
306 Calle de Guadalupe. 525-8003. Monday - Saturday 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Southwestern sculptures.
Dee Groves Gallery
2220 Calle de Parian, Mesilla. 527-0710. Thursday - Sunday 1 - 5 p.m.
Majestic photographs by LC Groves featuring dynamic desert and Organ Mountain scenes. Also featured are watercolors and pencils by Steve Hanks.
Emerald Isle Boutique & Gallery
Located in the Mercado de Mesilla off Hwy. 28, Mesilla. 525-9177. Monday - Saturday 10 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Local and regional artists in a variety of mediums as well as an "artist of the month" feature.
Galeria Azul
2337 Calle de Guadalupe, Mesilla. 523-8783. Monday - Wednesday, 10 a.m. - 6:30 p.m., Thursday - Saturday 10 a.m. - 7 p.m., Sunday 12:30 p.m. - 6:30
A mix of folk art and artifacts from New Mexico, Central and South America and occasionally other parts of the world.
Galeria on the Plaza
2310 Calle de Pr ipal. Located on the Mesilla Plaza. 526-9771. Monday - Saturday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Sunday 12 - 5 p.m.
A unique gallery featuring folk-art luding Santos, retablos, crosses & local artists. Christmas celebrated year-round.
Jo Ott Designs Gallery & Gifts
Corner of Calle de Albino and Santiago, Mesilla. 523-1382. Monday - Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday, 12 noon - 5 p.m.
Southwestern pottery, paintings and tiles.
La Morena Gallery
2487 Calle Pr ipal. 647-2639. Wednesday - Sunday Noon to 5 pm & by appointment. Featuring local artisans Don & Preciliana Sandoval's museum quality folk art wooden snakes, vibrantly colored paintings, religious icons and piñatas. lamorenatours@yahoo.com
Laughing at the Sun
1910 Calle de Parian (inside the Old Tortilla Factory, across from the Purple Lizard)
523-1890. Thursday - Saturday 10:30 am - 5 pm, Sunday 12 -5 pm
www.laughingatthesunmesilla.com
Mesilla Valley Fine Arts Gallery
2470 Calle de Guadalupe. 522-2933. Monday - Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Las Cruces' only cooperative gallery, of over 30 juried artists, featuring a broad selection of limited edition Southwestern landscapes, architecture, still-life, flora and fauna, photography, figurative painting, and pottery.
Nash Gallery
1701 Calle de Mercado. 523-2311. Tuesday - Saturday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Sunday 12 - 5 p.m.
Featuring the work of 35 regional, national and international artists in a variety of mediums luding: sculpture, art glass, photography, watercolor, oil, contemporary and traditional. Also luding the work of leading Santaros
Potteries
2260 Calle de Santiago. 524-0538. Tuesday - Saturday 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., Sunday 12 - 5 p.m.
Handmade porcelain dinnerware, sculptured teapots, clocks, mirrors, and handcrafted lighting fixtures in a working pottery studio.
Tres Manos
1910 Calle de Parian. Friday - Sunday 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. 524-2334
Handmade weavings.
William Bonney Gallery
2060 Calle de Parian, Mesilla. 526-8275. Tuesday - Saturday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Sunday 12 - 5 p.m. Features Southwestern Art luding Native American, Western and Mexican pieces, luding fetishes, sculpted wood figures and stone carvings.
University Area Galleries
Connie Hines Interior Design
Hadley Center, 665 E. University. 523-1809
Glenn Cutter Jewelers and Gallery
2640 El Paseo Road. 524-4300. Monday - Friday 9:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. The gallery shows prominent artists from southern New Mexico and surrounding states.
New Mexico State University Art Gallery
Williams Hall, east of Solano on University Avenue. 646-2545. Tuesday - Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Thursday to 7 p.m.), Saturday - Sunday, 1 to 5 p.m.
Six exhibitions of contemporary and historical works are presented annually. The gallery has a permanent collection of over 2,600 objects and the world's largest collection of Mexican retablos.
New Mexico State University Corbett Center Gallery
In Corbett Center, the university's student union. 646-4804
Rotating exhibits of undergraduate and graduate student art. 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.
Patio Art Gallery
665 E. University Avenue. Bldg. 2 Suite A. Hadley Centre. Tuesday - Saturday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
A gem of a gallery representing award winning artists from New Mexico working in oil, watercolor, acrylic, printmaking, mosaic, art glass, carving and sculpture. www.patioartgallery.com
Surrounding Area Galleries
New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum
4100 Dripping Springs Road. 522-4100. Monday - Saturday 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., Sunday 12 noon - 5 p.m.
Special exhibitions of cowboy and ranching related art luding a large permanent collection of Robert Shufelt.
Picture Frame Factory Outlet
382 S. Walnut Street. 526-4048. Monday - Friday 9:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Majestic photographs of the Organ Mountains by LC and Mike Groves. Local area posters and custom picture framing as well. www.organmountainphotos.com
Rising Sky Artworks
415 Foster Road. 525-8454. Monday - Saturday 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
A gallery and working pottery studio of Dorothy and Richard Rising. Decorative and functional pottery at various stages of completion. Tours and explanations are offered.

Entertainment in Las Cruces - Performing Arts
American Southwest Theatre Company
The Company puts on polished professional performances between September and May, luding Shakespeare, musical theater and dramas. It is located on the New Mexico State University campus. Call for show times. 505-646-4515.
Black Box Theatre
This theater is the home of the No Strings Theatre Company, presenting six different plays a year, mostly by contemporary, little-known or local playwrights. The Theatre is located at 430 N. Downtown Mall. Call for show times. (505) 523-1223. www.no-strings.org
Children's Theater
The theater performs children's plays throughout the year.
(505) 647-4777.
Doña Ana Lyric Opera
The opera presents four shows a year, luding a Broadway musical using high school students in the summer. There are two traditional operas performed each fall, spring and summer, using New Mexico State University students and visiting professionals. Shows are at the NMSU Music Center Recital Hall located on the NMSU horseshoe off Espina. Call for times. (505) 646-1993. www.nmsu.edu/~music
Fountain Theatre
The historic Fountain Theatre is New Mexico's oldest movie house. Built in 1905, the Theatre originally featured vaudeville performances and silent films. It has been the home of the non-profit Mesilla Valley Film Society s e 1989, showcasing the best independent, foreign, documentary and other alternative art films. Screenings are nightly with Sunday matinees. The theater is located at 2469 Calle de Guadalupe. Call for times. (505) 524-8287. www.zianet.com/fountaintheater
Las Cruces Community Theater
A theater providing local talent with a place to perform year-round in a variety of plays and musicals. Theater located at 313 N. Downtown Mall. Call for times. (505) 523-1200. www.lcctnm.org/main.html
Las Cruces Chamber Ballet
The ballet puts on two major performances a year, luding the traditional holiday version of The Nutcracker Ballet. Call for show times. (505) 523-1654.
Las Cruces Civic Concert
The Civic Concert performs four or five times a year between September and April. Call for show times.
(505) 522-0792.
Las Cruces Symphony
The symphony presents nationally known artists during six annual concerts between October and May. Call for show times. (505) 646-3709.
www.lascrucessymphony.com
Mesilla Valley Concert Band
The band performs six concerts a year between October and May. Call for times.
(505) 646-1920. www.nmsu.edu/~music
New Mexico State University Choral Department
The choral department puts on concerts and recitals throughout the year at the University's Music Recital Hall located on the NMSU campus. Call for show times. (505) 646-1306. www.nmsu.edu/~music

Attractions in Las Cruces
Las Cruces is home to attractions that celebrate the city's rich history and cultural diversity. Make sure not to miss the New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum - charting the history of agriculture in the state - and of course the Historic town of Mesilla and its quaint plaza filled with shops, boutiques and restaurants. Click on links for detailed information for each topic
Bataan Death March Memorial - Heroes of Bataan. The only federally funded memorial dedicated to the memory of the victims of the Bataan Death March during WWII. Located in Veterans Park. Bataan Monument Memorial Merchandise.
Fort Selden State Monument - Located 15 miles north of Las Cruces on either Interstate 25 (exit 19) or Highway 185. Fort hours: 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. six days a week, May 1- September 1 9:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m., closed Tuesdays. (505) 526-8911.
Ghost Towns - There are several historic towns within an hour or so drive of Las Cruces.
Historic Old Mesilla - One of the most popular trade centers between the mid west and the west coast 150 years ago, Mesilla is now a quaint town centered around a plaza filled with shops, boutiques and restaurants. Located south of Las Cruces on Avenida de Mesilla, and only minutes from anywhere in Las Cruces.
Las Cruces Farmers & Crafts Market - Locally grown produce, hand-crafted arts and crafts, jewelry and much more. Every Wednesday and Saturday morning from 8 a.m. - noon on the Downtown Mall.
Museums - Check out any of Las Cruces' several museums dedicated to preserving the history of the Mesilla Valley, surrounding areas and the state. Collections range from ancient historical artifacts to generations-old family heirlooms.
New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum - A tour of the 3,000 year-old agricultural history of New Mexico with hands on displays and live demonstrations. Located 1.5 miles east of Telshor on University Avenue. Museum hours: Monday - Saturday 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., Sundays noon - 5 p.m. (505) 522-4100. www.frhm.org
Organ Mountains - Overlooking Las Cruces to the east, the Organs provide excellent hiking, mountain biking and camping opportunities.
Stahmann Farms - One of the world's largest producers of pecans offering weekly tours of their candy and pecan processing plants. The farm is located seven miles south of Las Cruces on Highway 28. (505) 526-8974. www.stahmanns.com
Veteran's Park - is home to the newly erected Dona Ana County Veteran's Wall and the Bataan Death March Monument.
White Sands National Monument - Over 275 square-miles of naturally produced gypsum, creating one of the most unique sites in the world. Located 45 miles east of Las Cruces on Highway 70. (505) 479-6124. www.nps.gov/whsa
Wineries - New Mexico started producing wines in 1629, making the state's wine industry the oldest in the country. Today, several New Mexico wineries produce a wide variety of fine wines, and each year Las Cruces hosts the Southern New Mexico Wine Festival, La Vina Jazz and Blues Thing and the New Mexico Wine Harvest.

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