About Off the Road in New Mexico

To create a comprehensive “one stop shop” for historic and cultural tourists interested in unique destinations located in New Mexico MainStreet and Arts and Cultural Districts.

Off the Road in New Mexico (OTRNM) was created to connect people with historic and cultural destinations in New Mexico MainStreet and Arts & Cultural Districts. This site will grow and evolve as new MainStreet and Arts & Cultural Districts are added to the program. There are a variety of treasures to explore in our communities and we invite you begin your Off The Road in New Mexico journey here.

The historic and cultural assets on the site are located in, or adjacent to, designated New Mexico MainStreet and Arts & Cultural Districts. The cities and communities featured on OTRNM have much more to offer than is represented here, and we encourage visitors to explore tourism and visitor partners in these communities.


How To Use This Site:
You can plan your Off the Road adventure by selecting a geographic region to view all the sites to explore in that section of the state. You can search for a specific type of destination — we call them categories — like historic theaters, to see the listings for all our communities. You can also explore by city and see destinations from all the categories located in that community.

Use the drop down menus in the navigation bar, the map in the “Explore Our Regions” link or visit the search page to find a specific destination or narrow your search criteria.

However you navigate the site, you will ultimately land on destination listings.

Each listing will have:

  • General information about the destination
  • Hours of operation, if applicable
  • A link to the local MainStreet or Arts & Cultural District website
  • A link to a website for the destination, if one is available

If you need a little more information on categories or architectural styles, you can visit the glossary page for definitions.

We also invite your suggestions. Do you know of a site in one of your New Mexico MainStreet or Arts & Cultural Districts that we missed? Then suggest an entry, fill out the form and we will look into using your idea.


About the Program:
Since 1985, New Mexico MainStreet has been a powerful force for revitalization of communities across the state. Combining historic preservation with asset-based economic development, New Mexico MainStreet works with local affiliates and partners to re-build resilient Main Streets as the foundation for healthy communities.

OTRNM is a product of the New Mexico MainStreet Program which is part of the New Mexico Economic Development Department and the National Main Street Center. The NM MainStreet Program is the certifying agency for MainStreet Districts, Arts & Cultural Districts, the Frontier Community Initiative, and the Historic Theater Initiative


Our Logo:
OTR logo

Created from 1930’s clipart, our Off The Road In New Mexico Guy is setting off on an adventure of a lifetime, touring the cities and villages of New Mexico. He’ll never know what he might find, but he knows he’ll find some pretty cool stuff by using our website.

Be sure to visit our online shop. Your purchase helps support our programs in New Mexico.


About the Background Image:
Sawtooth mountains

Although not in one of the program areas, Gary Cascio, our web designer, chose this image of his as a way of promoting a fairly unvisited place in New Mexico. This sunset view is of the Sawtooth Mountains outside Pie Town, New Mexico. You can see more of Gary’s photography of out of the way places in New Mexico and the southwest here.


About the Website:
Our website was designed by Gary Cascio of Late Nite Grafix, Inc.
Website and database development by Wagner Digital LLC.