Special Places: Las Cruces, New Mexico

Situated on the rio grande at the foot of the Organ Mountains in Mesilla Valley, Las Cruces, N.M., has more than 2,500 guest rooms and close to 50 hotels. In December, the city unveils its first convention venue, the Las Cruces Convention Center, a LEED-certified facility with more than 30,000 square feet of space, including a 14,500-sq.-ft., column-free exhibit hall, 8,950-sq.-ft. ballroom, six break-out rooms and 5,000 square feet of outdoor event space. With 350 days of sunshine a year, Las Cruces works for groups that want to get outdoors for golf or sports, and it’s also good when attendees want to take part in local festivals, like the Southern New Mexico Wine Festival, the Renaissance ArtsFaire, Cowboy Days, Frontier Days and Mesilla Valley Balloon Rally.