Lifestyle

Boasting more than 300 sunny days a year, El Paso is a great place for year-round outdoor activities. Located in the fascinating and bio diverse northern Chihuahuan Desert – the largest in North America, El Paso offers visitors and residents alike many ways to enjoy the sunshine with an excellent array of outdoor recreational opportunities. This city offers great fun for families big or small. Kids can count the whiskers on the tigers in the park environment of the El Paso Zoo. Spend a day biking along the Rio Grande or feed baby goats at the Licon Dairy petting farm. Western Playland offers rides and roller coasters for kids of all ages. Residents can ride the Wyler Aerial Tramway to Ranger Peak to get a panoramic view of the city, or drive along Trans Mountain Road, which cuts right through the mountain. Enjoy a picnic in Franklin Mountains State Park, the largest urban park in the U.S. For outdoor explorers, there’s also mountain biking, hiking and rock climbing virtually any time of the year. Locals can also catch a show at McKelligon Canyon Amphitheatre. Carved into the mountains, this outdoor venue is home to concerts, plays, and Viva! El Paso. There are several golf courses for those who enjoy a more relaxed form of outdoor adventure.

For those who want a different type of adventure, El Paso offers a great mix of shopping experiences. El Paso has great choices for shoppers with a variety of locally owned, unique retail shops. Eclectic artifacts, hand-crafted jewelry, vintage clothing, books, contemporary furnishings, hard-to-find music and more. El Paso attracts world-class photographers, painters, sculptors and muralists. Residents can enjoy the work of regional and international artists at three art centers; explore the area’s archaeological past or the natural history of the Chihuahuan Desert; or have fun in the Insights Science Museum. Public museums include the El Paso Museum of Art, Wilderness Park Museum, and the El Paso Museum of History. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department operates Hueco Tanks State Historical Park a historic landmark with relics of the historic and prehistoric past. The National Park Service operates the Chamizal National Memorial, an international cultural center.