El Paso Things To Do – Attractions & Must See

El Paso Things to Do

El Paso is on the border with Juarez, Mexico and has a wonderful Tex-Mex feel. Here are some of the favorite things to do as reported by visitors to El Paso.

Historic Downtown

If you like museums, El Paso has the History Museum, Insights Science Museum, an Art Museum and a Holocaust Museum. The Civic Center has sweeping architecture. This is where you will find stops for the cross-border trolleys. Nearby, the Union Plaza includes an old railroad depot. The expanded central library includes a superb regional research center. The City-County Courthouse mirrors the city and has fine views.

It is fun to shop in the discount and specialty stores that have many items from Mexico. Two central bridges handle border crossings for autos and pedestrians in and out of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. The Rio Grande River is the border. There are many restaurants and some nice hotels downtown.

The El Paso Museum of Art

The El Paso Museum of Art houses over 6,000 works of art including the Kress Collection of 13th to 18th-century European art, American 19th and 20th-century art, Mexican colonial art and Southwestern art. Hours are 9 A.M. to 5 P.M. Tuesday through Saturday (extended hours to 9 P.M. on Thursday) and 12 P.M. to 5 P.M. Sunday. Admission is free.

Historic Hotel Paso Del Norte renamed Hotel El Camino Real

This hotel was the first one built during 1910 after the city was founded in the late 1800’s. It was restored and renamed the Hotel El Camino Real in 2012.

There is a nice bar just inside the main entrance that is quite popular. The bar has a colorful antique 25-foot Tiffany glass dome that was repositioned from the lobby area when the hotel was restored.

Union Plaza

Union Plaza is in the modern downtown El Paso area, which includes the convention center, a vibrant entertainment district, and many restaurants.

El Paso Zoo

The El Paso Zoo is 18 acres and home for over 600 species of animals.

Scenic Drive

The scenic drive has fantastic views of El Paso and Ciudad Juarez in Mexico. On a clear day, you can literally see for miles over a sweeping panorama of the area.

Coming from the University of Texas at El Paso campus is the start of the scenic drive. It is a delight to make this drive and stop at the lookouts to enjoy the great views. There are also many fantastically beautiful homes along the scenic route.

If you follow the scenic drive all the way you will also come to the entrance to Franklin State Park and the Wyler Aerial Tramway

Franklin Mountains State Park

The Wyler Aerial Tramway passes over this state park and from the tram, on a clear day there is a view of the surrounding 7,000 square miles of both Texas and Mexico.  The ride takes about fifteen minutes and goes about a half mile up Ranger Peak.

U.S. Border Patrol Museum

This museum shows the history of the U.S. Border Patrol operations in the El Paso area and has a memorial area for those killed in the line of duty.

Chamizal Memorial Museum

This museum shows the history of how a dispute was settled amicably between Texas and Mexico over territory in the early years of the settlement of the El Paso area. It is a nice monument to cooperation.

Editor’s note: The information contained on this page was compiled using real traveler reviews about things to do in El Paso.