We camped a few nights in Carlsbad, NM, and we obviously had to visit the caverns at least once, but as amazing as they were it was too far of a haul to go back for a second day.

On the way into town we noticed signs for the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens State Park, so after running an errand or two, we stopped by the check it out. As we walked in a lovely volunteer greeted us, asking if we’d visited before. I told him no, that we were just visiting, and he cracked a big grin and told us we were in for a treat.

He was right.

This was an expansive natural museum, with beautiful exhibits and many wonderful examples of local flora and fauna, and we spent three hours walking and gawking while encountering nearly no one else. It was serene and tasteful, a monument to the varied and fascinating life of the deserts of the southwest.