El Paso, located on the Mexican border in southwestern Texas, is a city where Mexican, Spanish, and American cultures blend to create a melting pot of ideas and traditions. The Spanish language is essential to the culture of El Paso and most residents speak Spanish at home. While it will be no problem to get by with English only, a few Spanish phrases will show you respect the local culture and may even help you make local friends.

The weather here is dry most of the year, very hot in the summer, and moderate the rest of the year. Northerners enjoy visiting El Paso in the winter to escape the snow and ice, get some sun while hiking in the desert, and maybe eat a little spicy food. As a border town of blended heritage, El Paso offers plenty of excellent eats including stellar Mexican food.

From El Paso, you’ll find yourself within range of the Franklin Mountains, Chihuahuan Desert, and McKelligon Canyon. You can see the mountains from parts of El Paso, but to get to know them better you could hire a guide to take you on a hiking excursion for a day or more.

McKelligon Canyon is smack dab in the middle of El Paso. McKelligon Canyon Road leads visitors on a scenic drive through the canyon with plenty of places to stop for a picnic or embark on a hiking trail. The red rock and golden sands of this region are the perfect respite from city life for a few hours or a whole day.

The Chihuahuan Desert is a mix of flat, sandy expanses and high mountain peaks. It is an eco-region that infiltrates Texas, Mexico, Arizona, and New Mexico. There are a surprising number of plants in the desert including the Creosote Bush, Yucca, Tarbush, and Queen Victoria’s Agave. In El Paso itself, the Chihuahuan Desert Gardens are an excellent place to learn about the flora of the desert. The gardens are home to over six hundred species including almost innumerable types of cacti.

El Paso boasts several good museums, a handful of theater venues, and an arts and culture scene supported by the University of Texas at El Paso. The Centennial Museum features temporary exhibits of local art, stories and artifacts and permanent exhibits that tell the story of the Chihuahuan desert.

The Museum of Archeology depicts the lives of the first inhabitants of the region through many exhibits on topics of contemporary life for these early people. Additionally, the museum offers lots of outdoor space with hiking trails criss-crossing fifteen acres through scrubland with views of the Franklin Mountains.

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