We love KOAs in the U.S. The one we stayed in Las Cruces was small and on a bit of a hill so we had a view of the surrounding mountains. While there wasn’t much to do in the KOA itself, we had the opportunity to go into the town of Mesilla. Here are a couple of pics of the KOA.
The town of Mesilla is one of the oldest and most visited communities in southern New Mexico. It has been named one of the top 10 small towns in the U.S to visit. We liked the fact that there were numerous stores, boutiques, galleries and award winning restaurants and cafes all within walking distance from one another.
The plaza, which is the heart of the downtown core, has been witnessed to many historical events. The signing of the Gadsden Purchase which transferred the town of Mesilla from Mexico to the U.S in 1854 was one of them. The other was in 1881 Billy the Kid was tried in the old courthouse on the southeast corner of the plaza, which is now a store. Billy the Kid was sentenced to hang for the murder of Sheriff Brady.
In 1881 the railroad also wanted to go through Mesilla, but Mesilla didn’t want the Iron Horse to go through their town. So the railroad went through Las Cruses which exploded its growth while Mesilla remained a small village.
We had our favourite two stores, one was a kitchen store and the other a jewelry store. The kitchen store was extremely high end and was more larger serving accessories vs gadgets. Charcuterie boards, wine racks, serving bowls/plates etc. all made of wood and metal. Lucky us, they were having a major sale!
Here are some pics of the plaza as well as the restaurant we ate at. The restaurant was unusual with birds and piranha fish. It also housed a high end jewelry store which we perused while waiting for our table. Clever really, and there were some beautiful pieces on display. If only we had won the power ball…….
