“A truly badass missile museum”
At the White Sands Missile Range museum you can trace the origin of America's missile and space activity, find out how the atomic age began and learn about the accomplishments of scientists like Dr. Wernher von Braun and Dr. Clyde Tombaugh at White Sands. Displays also include the prehistoric cultures and the rip-roaring Old West found in southern New Mexico.
The museum also has a gift shop with items from local artists and a variety of goods featuring the missile range logo and other aspects of White Sands.
Outside the museum is a missile park displaying a variety of missiles and rockets tested at White Sands. These include everything from the WAC Corporal and Loon (U.S. version of the V-1) to a Pershing II and Patriot. More than 50 items are on display.
White Sands Missile Range (WSMR) is a rocket range of almost 3,200 square miles (8,300 km2) in parts of five counties in southern New Mexico. The largest military installation in the United States, WSMR includes the Oscura Range and the WSMR Otero Mesa bombing range. WSMR and the 600,000-acre (2,400 km2) McGregor Range Complex at Fort Bliss to the south, form a contiguous swath of territory for military testing.
The Museum is open year-round. Admission is FREE. Hours on weekdays are 8:00 am to 4:00 pm and 10:00 am to 3:00 pm on Saturday. Closed Sundays and Holidays.
The Missile Park is open dawn to dark seven days a week.
This place is like a forest of missiles. A FOREST OF MISSILES! Probably not the coolest place to take kids, as they might get bored, but if you want to get an up close look at the technology we use to indiscriminately slaughter loads of people at once, this is your place.
Oh, and they're going to check your ID before they let you in. YOU'RE ON THE LIST.
Freakin' collection of missiles... Need we say more? I agree with David. I thought the place was great because I like military history, but if you don't this place might be a bore-out for you.
There is a small museum with a lot of interesting artifacts, an original (as original as it can be) V2 rocket is housed in it's own building and the missile park. It's a fair way off the freeway but well worth the trip, however if your significant other or children don't share your passion for missiles there is nothing else there but missiles (and a couple of aircraft). A government issued ID (or passport) is required to access the site.
Not a review but my ship's Gun Turret from the USS Franklin D. Roosevelt (CV-42) is there. I made the last cruise it made in 1976-77 with Harriers on board. After that it was scrapped. Visiting the Missile Park and a piece of my Navy life would please this old Parachute Rigger's Old Heart.
This is on a Military base so I don't know how that works for people that aren't in the military but we enjoyed looking at all the different missiles and air craft that were locate there.
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White Sands Missile Range Museum
Hours
- Mon - Fri: 8:00 am - 4:00 pm
- Sat: 10:00 am - 3:00 pm
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