Roswell | United States | crash site | zoo director

The Backstory

The world’s most famous UFO incident began in July 1947 after a local rancher discovered a peculiar crash site in a pasture outside Roswell. News headlines described the mysterious debris as that of a “flying disk,” but the very next day, United States military quickly confiscated the wreckage and released a statement saying the crash was merely that of a weather balloon. The case was ignored for more than 30 years, until independent researchers began interviewing more witnesses. Various stories have since emerged that describe alien bodies being removed from the crash site and secretly transported to a military base for further study -- one of them still alive!

Did it really happen? According to most UFO researchers, and to politicians like Sam LaGrone, Roswell mayor, and Bill Richardson, New Mexico governor , the mystery has never been adequately explained and the U.S. government most likely covered up … something. The UFO Festival runs July 2 to 5. www.ufofestivalroswell.com

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Peppers Grill & Bar owner Neil Roe shows people Roswell by driving them around the region. “You go from desert to mountains in 20 minutes. You don’t see anything for an hour. That’s very cool,” he says. And if you drop by Peppers, don’t forget to pick up a T-shirt featuring an alien riding in a saucer that’s shaped like a red pepper.

Roswell also boasts the 36-acre Spring River Park & Zoo, the state’s only zoo with free admission. Most of the animals are native to the Southwest, says zoo director Elaine Mayfield, with “a few odds and ends that are more exotic -- [like] lemurs and llamas. We also have a really great little prairie-dog town. It’s fun to watch.”