Best Things to Do in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico: Hot Springs, History & More
Some towns are memorable because they’re beautiful. Some have fascinating history. Others are simply so unusual that you can’t resist stopping to see what they’re all about.
Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, manages to be all three.
We were staying nearby at Caballo Lake State Park when we decided to spend some time exploring Truth or Consequences. What we found was a colorful, friendly little town filled with hot springs, local history, quirky attractions, good food and some of the nicest people we’d encountered on our travels.
Even before you arrive, though, there’s one question that almost everyone asks:
Why in the world is a town called Truth or Consequences?
As it turns out, there’s a great story behind that, too.
Arriving in Southern New Mexico
Getting to this part of New Mexico was an adventure for us in itself.
We were seeing true desert landscapes for the first time, and everything seemed new and exciting.
Our travels took us right through downtown El Paso, Texas, where we could look out and see Mexico across the border. We began passing pecan groves, which surprised us because neither of us had expected to see so many pecans growing in the desert Southwest.
We even went through our first U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint north of Las Cruces.
It was one of those travel days when we kept seeing things we’d simply never experienced before.
Camping at Caballo Lake State Park
Our home base for exploring Truth or Consequences was Caballo Lake State Park, where we had a beautiful campsite overlooking the lake and mountains.
We loved that campground so much that it earned a place among our top five favorite campgrounds at that point in our travels.
The desert scenery was completely new to us, right down to the cactus growing around the campground.
We’ve done a separate review of Caballo Lake State Park, so if you’re looking for an RV campground near Truth or Consequences, be sure to check that out as well.
Thanksgiving in Our Tiny House
We arrived just a couple of days before Thanksgiving, which meant one of my first trips into town was for groceries.
Even a holiday dinner doesn’t necessarily stop just because you’re living in an RV!
We managed to prepare a pretty impressive Thanksgiving dinner in our little home on wheels and enjoyed the holiday surrounded by the beautiful New Mexico landscape.
Full-time RV living had already taught us that you don’t need a big kitchen—or even a traditional house—to continue the traditions that matter to you.
And Then General Met a Skunk
Of course, no Over the Hills adventure would be complete without something going wrong.
Late one night, General encountered a skunk.
And the skunk won.
General got sprayed badly, particularly around the side of his head, and suddenly we had a very smelly dog who absolutely could not come back inside the trailer.
There was one additional problem.
It was about 34 degrees outside.
I ended up making a late-night run into town for supplies while Ed and General waited outside.
We eventually used a mixture of hydrogen peroxide, baking soda and Ivory dish soap, and it worked remarkably well for us. General needed two baths before we were satisfied that we had gotten enough of the smell off him to allow him back inside.
By then, all three of us were freezing.
General curled up with his blanket, we curled up with ours, and another memorable night of full-time RV life came to an end.
Exploring Truth or Consequences
After a few days of relaxing, we finally headed into Truth or Consequences to explore.
We immediately liked it.
The downtown area was colorful and full of interesting little shops, and the people we met were incredibly warm and friendly.
It had personality.
This wasn’t a polished tourist town where everything felt as though it had been manufactured for visitors. Truth or Consequences felt like a real little New Mexico community that happened to have a wonderfully quirky history and some fascinating attractions.
Truth or Consequences and Spaceport America
One of the more unexpected attractions was the Spaceport America exhibit at the visitor center.
We found the exhibit fascinating.
At the time of our visit, tours of Spaceport America itself were available, but they were more than we wanted to spend, so we settled for enjoying the exhibit.
It was still pretty amazing to realize that this little New Mexico town was connected to the developing world of commercial space travel.
The people at the visitor center also made our visit memorable.
Because we had General with us, Ed and I had planned to take turns going inside while one of us stayed outdoors with him.
Instead, they invited General inside too—and even gave him dog treats.
Those are the little experiences you remember long after a trip is over.
Old West Fun
We also found some Old West entertainment during our visit.
We watched a small performance featuring familiar characters from Tombstone, including Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday.
It was cute and fun, and just the sort of unexpected little attraction we enjoy finding when we’re exploring a new town.
General sat this particular adventure out because he didn’t like the sound of gunfire.
The Famous Hot Springs
Long before it became Truth or Consequences, this community was known as Hot Springs, New Mexico.
And those hot springs are still a major part of the town’s identity.
You’ll find bathhouses, spas and small hotels built around the area’s mineral waters.
During our visit, we were surprised by how accessible some of the hot spring experiences appeared to be. Some properties offered baths to the public, while others incorporated the hot springs into accommodations for overnight guests.
The town also seemed very welcoming toward natural and alternative wellness practices, which fit naturally with its long history as a hot springs destination.
Even if you aren’t staying overnight in town, the hot springs alone give you a good reason to consider spending some time here.
A Beautiful Local Church
As we explored, we also came across a beautiful Catholic church.
One of the pleasures of traveling without always having a rigid itinerary is being able to notice things like this.
Not every memorable travel stop has to be a major attraction with an admission booth.
Sometimes it’s a church, an old building, a mural or an interesting little shop you weren’t expecting to find.
A Very Memorable Mexican Lunch
Naturally, exploring made us hungry.
We stopped at La Cocina for Mexican food, and the size of our meals was almost unbelievable.
The plates were enormous.
We estimated they were probably around 15 inches across, and there was so much food that our leftovers lasted for days.
It was definitely one of the more memorable meals of this particular adventure.
A Dog Park General Approved Of
Truth or Consequences also had something important for the third member of our traveling party:
A dog park.
General loved it.
When you’re traveling full-time with a dog, places where they can safely get some exercise and have a little fun become attractions in their own right.
General certainly seemed to think this one belonged on the itinerary.
Visiting the Geronimo Springs Museum
One of our favorite attractions in town was the Geronimo Springs Museum.
The museum was much larger than we expected and contained an impressive collection devoted to the history of the region.
One display that particularly fascinated us was the collection of ancient pottery.
Some of the bowls dated back many centuries, and it was incredible to look at the craftsmanship and think about the people who created them so long ago.
There were also collections of arrowheads, including examples arranged into decorative artwork.
We already think arrowheads are works of art in their own right, so seeing them incorporated into larger designs was especially interesting.
The museum also had Western paintings, saddles and exhibits covering different parts of the area’s history.
If you enjoy local museums when you travel, give yourself some time here. There was far more to see than we expected.
How Did Truth or Consequences Get Its Name?
Now for the story everyone wants to know.
Truth or Consequences wasn’t always Truth or Consequences.
It was originally known as Hot Springs, New Mexico.
The unusual name came from the popular radio program Truth or Consequences, hosted by Ralph Edwards.
As the show’s anniversary approached, Edwards was looking for a community willing to rename itself after the program.
Hot Springs took up the challenge.
The residents voted, the name was changed, and Truth or Consequences, New Mexico was born.
Ralph Edwards then came to town for a broadcast, bringing national attention to the community.
The relationship between Edwards and the town continued for years afterward.
The community celebrated the name change with an annual Fiesta, and the Geronimo Springs Museum preserves some of that history, including elaborate costumes associated with the celebrations.
It’s one of the strangest—and most entertaining—town-name stories we’ve encountered in our travels.
Seeing the Rio Grande
Before leaving the area, there was one more thing we wanted to see.
The Rio Grande.
It’s one of those legendary American place names we’d heard all our lives, and since we were so close, we couldn’t leave without seeing it for ourselves.
Near our campground, below the dam, we found an area where we could watch the Rio Grande flowing past.
Was it the most dramatic attraction we’d ever visited?
Probably not.
But that’s not really the point.
Part of traveling America for us has been finally seeing all those places that previously existed only as names on maps, in books or on television.
Now we could say we’d stood beside the Rio Grande.
And that was pretty awesome.
Is Truth or Consequences Worth Visiting?
We thought so.
In fact, Truth or Consequences turned out to be one of those small towns that surprised us with how much we enjoyed it.
We found:
- Historic hot springs and bathhouses
- A colorful downtown
- Friendly local people
- The Spaceport America exhibit
- Geronimo Springs Museum
- Old West entertainment
- Interesting shops
- Great Mexican food
- A dog park General loved
- The Rio Grande nearby
- Beautiful surrounding desert scenery
- One of the most unusual town histories in America
It’s easy to focus on the funny name, but Truth or Consequences turned out to have much more going for it than that.
A New Mexico Town We’ll Remember
When we started full-time RVing, destinations like this were exactly what we hoped we’d find.
We wanted to see the famous national parks and major attractions, of course.
But we also wanted to discover the smaller places.
The places we might never have visited on a conventional vacation.
Truth or Consequences gave us hot springs, history, desert landscapes, a Thanksgiving dinner in our RV, a fascinating museum, friendly people, the Rio Grande—and one extremely unfortunate encounter between General and a skunk.
That’s a pretty successful stop in our book.
If your travels take you through southern New Mexico, don’t just laugh at the name on the highway sign and keep driving.
Take the exit and explore Truth or Consequences.
You might be as pleasantly surprised as we were.
And we’ll see you down the road…and Over the Hills.
Continue the Journey
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