Silver City sits in the sunny southwest corner of New Mexico. It’s equal parts Old West heritage and a distinctive arts and entertainment community, packed with a vibrant “small-town” style of living.
The historic downtown is home to dozens of unique and one-of-a-kind galleries and shops and was named one of the 100 Best Art Towns. Historic Downtown Silver City is a hub of art, culture, eateries, and events. The district balances historic era frontier buildings, while also engaging in more contemporary and colorful art forms. The town boasts three historic residential districts immediately adjacent to the historic downtown district.
Downtown, you’ll find many of our murals, retail shops, galleries, studios, theaters, and restaurants. In addition, the Historic District includes the “Big Ditch” now a popular downtown park and one of the entrances to Silver City’s many greenways. Start your visit at the Murray Ryan Visitor Center, 201 N. Hudson Street, and you’ll soon see that there is so much to see and do in Silver City that you may want to stay an extra day!
From town, there are millions of acres of wilderness to explore with the Continental Divide Trail and Boston Hill trail system adjacent to Downtown. Just outside the Town is the Gila Wilderness, more than 3.3 million acres of lakes, camping, biking, fishing, rock climbing. There is literally something for everyone in Silver City.
For a fun drive, consider The Trail of the Mountain Spirits beckons. Go where the spirits of miners, homesteaders, Indians, Spanish explorers, and mountain men have left their marks. Cross the Continental Divide, experience the wild Gila River, walk amongst the ruins of ancients to sense life before history, and hear the sounds of solitude.
Some of the locals’ favorites include:
Catwalk Recreation Area – The drive from Silver City to the Catwalk is a scenic trip. Highway 180 curves and rolls along the foothills of the Mogollon Mountains, a sky bound fortress of peaks cut by deep, craggy canyons. Whitewater Canyon is one of them.
City of Rocks State Park – Formed of volcanic ash welded together 35 million years ago, then sculpted by wind and water into rows of monolithic blocks, these incredible rock formations give City of Rocks its name. Hiking trails, a botanical garden and a public night sky observatory add to this unique destination. A Rocky Vacation: Rock formations like those at the City of Rocks State Park exist in only six other places in the world. Imaginative visitors may see the rock formations as a small city with houses, chimneys, courtyards and streets. Visitors can choose from 62 campsites scattered among the rocks, from which they can hike, bird watch, picnic, bike, take in the interpretive exhibits at the visitor center, explore the park’s botanical garden or star gaze.
Gila Cliff Dwellings – The Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument offers a glimpse of the homes and lives of the people of the Mogollon culture who lived there from the 1280’s through the early 1300’s. Containing 533 acres, the monument was established on November 16, 1907. The dwellings are located forty-four miles north of Silver City, New Mexico, on Highway 15.
Surrounded by the Gila National Forest, the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument lies at the edge of the Gila Wilderness, the nation’s first designated wilderness area. This unique area in southwestern New Mexico offers a glimpse of the homes and lives of Indians who lived here from the 100s to 1300.