This west Texas border town is worth a stop next time you are in the area. Read about some of the things to do in El Paso.
Out in the West Texas town of El Paso
I fell in love with a Mexican girl
Nightime would find me in Rosa’s Cantina
Music would play and Feleena would whirl
El Paso by Marty Robbins
Whenever I tell someone I was raised in El Paso, I assume they have no idea where that is. After all, this little town is in far west Texas, surrounded by desert and a whole lot of nothing. However, I am often surprised that most people not only know about the Sun City, they have also been there before!
Fine, so maybe when people say they have “been” to El Paso they really only mean they passed through there on their way to Las Vegas or California.
Admittedly, El Paso is not as big of a tourist destination as Austin or San Antonio. However, this little west Texas town is worth a stop. Below you will find a list of things that you can see and do in the Sun City.
Table of Contents
About El Paso
El Paso is located in the far western part of the state, where Texas, New Mexico, and Old Mexico meet. It is actually the sixth largest city in the state, with a population of 681,000.
On the Mexican side of the border stands the city of Juarez, Mexico, with a population of 1.4 million people. In fact, the two cities are separated only by a small river, the Rio Grande (known as the Río Bravo from the Mexican side of the border). The city of Las Cruces, New Mexico is also an important part of the region. It is located about 45 minutes from El Paso.
Spanish explorers arrived in the region in the sixteenth century. In the area between the two mountain ranges rising out of the desert they founded El Paso del Norte (the Pass of the North), the future location of the two border cities—Juarez on the south side of the river and El Paso on the north. This pass has remained an important gateway between the south and north of the region since its founding.
In 2019 El Paso suffered one of its biggest tragedies in modern history. Although that event will leave a painful scar for some time to come, it won’t change the city’s peaceful character. The city will forever remain #ElPasoStrong.
El Paso Downtown
The downtown of the city has recently gotten a lot of development, renovations, and new attractions. Below you will find some suggestions of things to checkout in the city’s downtown.
Go for a ride in a historic street car. These recently-renovated historic street cars run through the city’s downtown and uptown areas. Included in the stops are the new baseball park, historic neighborhoods, and the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). You can find out more details about the route at sunmetro.net/streetcar.
Catch a Chihuahuas game at the baseball park. This Minor League team plays at the Southwest University Park in downtown.
Experience the culture and art of the area at the El Paso Museum of of Art. The museum holds many American, Contemporary, European, and Mexican collections. Also worth a visit are the El Paso Holocaust Museum and the El Paso Museum of Archaeology.
Visit some of the historic buildings in the city’s downtown. Included in this list is the Plaza Hotel (founded in the 1930s), the Hotel Paso del Norte (opened in 1912), and the Stanton House (100-year-old building).
Catch a show at the Plaza Theater Performing Arts Center. This historic building was built in 1930 and restored in 2006. It includes a 2,000 seat performance hall, and even a sky garden.
Pay a visit to the San Jacinto Plaza. This plaza at one point held actual live alligators living in a pond in the middle of the plaza. Today, you’ll only find a sculpture commemorating those alligators.
Admire some of the city’s murals. These are located all over the city.
University of Texas at El Paso
My alma mater and best school in the University of Texas System. Go Miners!
The university opened in 1914 and is the second oldest in the Texas university system. Today it offers 72 bachelor’s degree programs, 72 master’s programs, and 22 doctoral programs. It also produces some of the finest engineers in the country, if you ask me. 😉
The campus buildings design were inspired by buildings in the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan. The campus also includes some museums and galleries, as well as the Sun Bowl Stadium and Don Haskins Center.
El Paso Food
Eat a delicious steak at Cattleman’s Steakhouse. This restaurant is located in a 59 square mile ranch in the outskirts of the city. It includes a Children’s Zoo for the kiddos. You can also catch a glimpse of the coyotes coming out to eat some of the leftovers!
Go for some real Texas BBQ at The State Line. This restaurant has been serving customers for over 40 years and they know what they are doing!
Eat some great Mexican food at the L & J Cafe. The restaurant has been serving customers since 1927.
Try some Chicos Tacos. You’ll either love them or hate them. Either way, Chicos Tacos is an iconic restaurant in El Paso. There are several locations throughout the city.
Other Sites Around Town
Catch a glimpse of the Juarez and El Paso from Scenic Drive. This viewpoint high in the Franklin mountains gives you a great view of the two border towns. Extra points if you can spot the Rio Grande diving the two cities.
Get a drink at Rosa’s Cantina, the inspiration for Marty Robbins famous song. Legend has it the cantina inspired Marty Robbins to write that famous song.
Go shopping at The Fountains. This is El Paso’s newest outdoor shopping center.
Buy some cowboys boots. You can find several boot companies in the city where you can get your very own handmade boots.
Hiking and Parks
Go hiking in Franklin Mountains Start Park. There are hundreds of trails in the park to choose from. Be sure to also visit the Hueco Tanks State Park.
Go mountain or road biking. There are actually multiple bike trails in the El Paso and Las Cruces area. There are also yearly organized cycling events that take you through some of the amazing desert and mountain scenery of the area.
Catch a Viva El Paso show at McKelligon Canyon Amphitheatre. Admittedly, not the high-quality show it once was, you can still enjoy the costumes, dancing, and singing.
Surrounding Areas
Here is a list of things to do in the surrounding areas.
Trace the steps of the Mission Trail. The trail takes you to three historic Missions: the Ysleta Mission, the Socorro Mission, and the San Elizario Presidio Chapel.
Pay a visit to the tombs at the Concordia Cemetery. The cemetery is well known as the final resting place for some outlaws and gunslingers of the wild west, including that of John Wesley Harding. There are over 65,000 graves at the cemetery.
Go deep into the caves and trails at Carlsbad Caverns National Park. The 119 caves beneath the Chihuahuan desert are truly an amazing site. You can also get a glimpse of the bats heading out for food in the evening. The park is located about 2.5 hours from El Paso.
Explore the natural wonders of White Sands National Park. The park includes over 250 square miles of gypsum dunes. When you driven in to the park you get the feeling you are driving through some snowy and cold landscape.
If you are from El Paso or have stopped there, let me know what you thought about this list of things to do in El Paso in the comments below. I’m sure I’ve missed some things!
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Hi, I’m Iván García—I love to travel and photography. I’m big on road trips, just about anywhere in the world. I share information for people to reach truly great places. My goal is to inspire you to visit these places for yourself.
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Gus, what can you tell me about Rosa’s Cantina – “In the west Texas town of El Paso, I fell in love with a Mexican girl…”. Great article! I love this town.
Legend has it the cantina inspired Marty Robbins to write that famous song. I have actually not been to the cantina myself, but I will make a stop next time!