New Mexico state museums, historic sites reopen at 25% of capacity

LAS CRUCES, New Mexico – New Mexico’s state museums and historic sites have reopened.

Southern New Mexico sites include: the New Mexico Museum of Space History in Alamogordo; the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum in Las Cruces; and Fort Selden Historic Site in Radium Springs.

Each will operate at 25 percent capacity of normal occupancy and under modified hours, according to the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs.

State museums and historic sites have been closed since March 16 because of the Covid-19 pandemic. They officially reopened on Sept. 24.

The New Mexico Museum of Space History is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, but is closed on Tuesday. The museum includes the newly renovated third-floor gallery “Human Space Flight.”

The New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, but is closed on Sundays and Mondays. A new feature at the museum is the historic horse-drawn hearse that reportedly was used for famed Western lawman Pat Garrett.

Fort Selden Historic Site, located about a dozen miles north of Las Cruces off Interstate 25, documents the history of the site from the Mogollon prehistoric people, Spanish explorers to the African-American Buffalo Soldiers who called the fort home.

Legendary U.S. General Douglas MacArthur spent part of his youth at Fort Selden, when his father served as the fort’s commander.

Fort Selden is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily but is also closed on Monday and Tuesday.

Most New Mexico Cultural Affairs sites have special hours of operation each Wednesday from 10 a.m. to noon for high-risk populations.