Alien Sightings Guaranteed on this Family Trip to Roswell

Moms, dads, grandparents, and godparents: Are you looking for a special occasion to dedicate to some one-on-one bonding time with your kid? Check out our series of hip happenings that will give the two of you secrets to share and a ritual to return to year after year.

As you may or may not already know, aliens are among us.

They arrived in 1947, aboard an unidentified flying object (the first UFO) that crashed in the New Mexico desert near Roswell. Their spacecraft was later removed in a government cover-up and the little green men would never be seen again. But their ship – or at least the dozens of reconnaissance missions mounted by the aliens’ contemporaries – shows up frequently in the same barren desert, still unsure if the humans on the ground are friendly…

Or, at least, so goes the story put forward by thousands of UFO enthusiasts, fringe science fiction clubs, and maybe even a certain FBI agent or two. Join the believers at the official Roswell UFO Festival (June 29–July 2, 2017), a firmly tongue-in-cheek celebration of the city’s most famous visitors. Throughout the weekend, see if you can spot the native Roswellians from the cleverly-disguised out-of-galaxy visitors among all the costumes!

Is your little one a believer? Why not indulge a sense of curiosity, take part in the fun, and then mount your own exploration to uncover the truth. As we all know– it’s out there!

The Silly and the Serious

Each July, the town transforms itself into the out-of-this-world weirditarium that perfectly completes the image we already had of it. Train for the Alien Chase 5K or 10K, prepare a perfect green orb for the costume contest, or dress your pet in wacky outer space digs to participate. Once you arrive on Planet Roswell, who knows when you’ll come home?

The town has plenty of hotels and motels, so you’ll be sure to find a spot if you book just in advance of your visit. Be sure to ask how many abductions have occurred from your hotel room when you check in, just so you know your chances.

Just because you’re focused on outer space, don’t forget your practical concerns, either. Temps in Roswell can reach over 100 degrees during the festival, so always carry water, sunblock, and a hat for shade when you’re outside. Take frequent breaks and be sure to step into air conditioning if you ever feel yourself getting a little woozy. With all the intergalactic risks out there, it’s not worth taking a chance on run-of-the-mill problems like heat stroke and dehydration!

Now: before you start hunting for aliens in earnest, sit down and learn a little something about their homeland. The Robert H. Goddard Planetarium offers shows about our solar system and the meanings of different constellations and star patterns throughout the weekend. Attend a show before looking out into the real-life sky so you’ll know when you spot something strange out there.

While you’re studying the sky, you might be interrupted by a variety of little green men (and women) at the UFO Festival Light Parade, a nighttime shindig with spaceships and their residents come out to play in the center of Roswell instead of hiding out near the military base or in the desert. You want to participate. And you will.

Look to the Skies

While the city’s festival is really just a themed excuse for the town to throw a party, true believers can still uncover some valuable information on a visit to Roswell. Study up at the Roswell International UFO Museum and Research Center, a museum with exhibits and recreations that might just cause you to question your skepticism. Check out the expansive reading room for authors and students of the 1947 incident and beyond. The well-organized museum encourages visitors to look, listen, doubt, question, and decide for themselves.

Then, attend a lecture by one of more than a dozen expert alien researchers on a variety of out-of-this-world topics. Crop circles, government conspiracies, abductions, and autopsies are all on the schedule throughout the weekend. Ask questions, engage in the conversation, and whatever you do, don’t rule anything out!

Venture out to the Roswell Industrial Air Center (formerly an army site) to look for remains of the crash and the areas where the military supposedly stored aliens before shipping them away for testing. Or, just gaze up at the night sky to see if you can spot any activity.

Meanwhile, some food for thought with your child: what important implications would the discovery of extraterrestrials actually have for an American family like yours? Take every opportunity to throw in some philosophy when you can!

When Questions Are Better than Answers

Stop by the Alien Zone for a t-shirt or souvenir to commemorate your stop and your new-found commitment to the truth. You and your kid should be proud of coloring outside the lines, thinking about something from a new perspective, and spending the weekend without judging the crazies on all sides of you.

Because after all… who’s to say how many aliens are already living among us?

What are some special events your city has to offer? Share your most memorable bonding moments with us!

Tags : hip happenings   New Mexico   

Nicki Kanwal
Not really my jam but my son would love this
Nancy Melamed
This looks really cool!
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