cloudcroft
a word about 'mountain time'
When you visit Cloudcroft, you need to remember that you will be on Mountain Time. I'm not referring to Mountain Standard Time (although you will be on that as well) but to a slower way of life. Accordingly, you need put your urban anxiousness and expectations onto the bed and quietly suffocate them with a pillow. The bigger the town or city you come from, the longer you must conduct your suffocation.
There aren't many people that live up in the mountains, and the people that do often work several jobs to make ends meet. These are good, hard-working, friendly folks. Things will probably take longer than you think they should in restaurants, stores, and services compared to back home. Take a deep breath (you'll need the additional oxygen anyway) and repeat to yourself "It's gonna be alright. I'm up in the mountains. The air is clear and cool. It's gonna be alright."
Remember: This is a remote, rural community. That's not to make excuses for quality. In fact, we've found the quality of stuff up here is quite good, on par—or even better—than Austin. What other town of 750 souls has first-rate espresso, three fantastic bakeries, world-class BBQ, two excellent wood-fired pizza joints, and a salivatingly good brewery and distillery? But it might take longer for things to get done than your favorite place back in the Big City. And that's OK. Really.
So just relax, chill, and enjoy the moment. Visit with the people around you. After all, didn't you come up to the mountain to relax?
Given that many of the local businesses cater to tourists, many places are closed on Monday and Tuesday (the "Cloudcroft weekend").
local parlance
There ain't too much slang that I've heard up in the hills so far, but there's some. 'Down the hill' means down the mountain to Alamogordo. Usage: "I need to go down the hill for a doctor's appointment." Additionally, when referring to Alamogordo, folks will say 'Alamo' instead. Usage: "Didn't I see you down in Alamo last week?" Tularosa, north of Alamo, is often referred to as Tulie (too-lee). I've also heard snow referred to as "The W" (The White).
groceries
Sadly, there is not a proper grocery store in Cloudcroft. The Allsup's and Family Dollar have basic comestibles along with other items (The Dollar is a bit better, although you can get a box of Chicken in a Biscuit at the 'sups). However, during busy times (major holidaze and three-day weekends), they often run out of milk, eggs, and orange juice, so be forewarned.
If you drive in from the east, you can stop in at Walmart, Fenn's Country Market, or Gregg's Foods in Artesia before heading to the hills. However, it's a two-hour drive, so you might want a cooler. If you are driving in from El Paso and are a foodie, you may want to stop in at Whole Foods before heading north. Again, it's about a two-hour drive from El Paso, so you might want a cooler.
There are proper grocery stores in Alamogordo, including our fave, Lowe's Signature Market, a fancy Lowe's (not to be confused with Lowe's hardware [although there's one of those in town as well]). An added bonus is that grocery stores (and gas stations!) in New Mexico can sell hard liquor (and this Lowe's has an excellent selection). It's about 30 minutes from Lowe's to the cabin, so no need for a cooler.
If you like processed foods in sealed bags, note that Cloudcroft is at ~9,000 feet of elevation, so the pressure difference has been known to explode potato chip and other sealed bags (there are some rather comical stories about this out there). It is not an assassination attempt!
You can pick some boutique items up in Cloudcroft.
There's a really good tea store in town (Old Barrel Tea Store), and you can get coffee beans and ground coffee from Black Bear Coffee Shop (highly recommended and quite popular). There are also several bakeries downtown, of which KennaBelle's Kreations is our fave. The Mountain Magic Gift Shop has New Mexico-style salsa, and Instant Karma has kombucha and cans of green chile. Loaves of bread are available from the three bakeries (we're fond of the green chile bread from Kennabell's).
For wine, cheese, and wine and cheese tastings, check out Noisy Water Winery. You can get hard liquor at the package store affiliated with (and next to) The Western Bar & Cafe as well as the Allsup's (but The Western has a larger selection). Cloudcroft Brewery is now distillin' vodka and whiskey, but it's a bit pricey.
In the summer, there's a farmer's market at the ice rink that starts in late July. There's also a farmers market down the hill in Alamo.
We encourage you to partake of local wares to support local businesses. Keeps 'em around I hear.
restaurants
Our fave places to go in Cloudcroft include Black Bear Coffee, Big Daddy's Diner, Cloudcroft Brewing Company, Mad Jack's Mountaintop BBQ, Kennabelle's Kreations, and Rebecca's at The Lodge.
Black Bear Coffee Shop is the place to go for espresso drinks. We generally hit the Bear every dang day we're in town when they're open. If you really need a pick-you-up, there's the Bear Slap: a cup of coffee topped with four shots of espresso (!!!!). If the Bear is closed, Burro Street Bakery provides a decent Plan B latte as does High Rollin' Coffee.
If you walk the boardwalk, you already know about KennaBelle's Kreations because the aromas wafting out her front door are stepstopping. There are numerous pastries of enormous sizes and loaves of bread. We adore KennaBelle's croissants, which lean bready like those of northern France. Pro tip: place your croissant in the cold oven at the cabin and then let the oven warm up to 250 degrees; ding and enjoy! Kennabelle's serves coffee, but they don't mind if you walk in with a Black Bear (and Black Bear doesn't mind if you walk in with a KennaBelle).
We go to Big Daddy's Diner for red chile since (1) it's good and (2) you can get that chile spicy! Their menu is deeper than we have ventured, but if the quality and portions are similar to their New Mexican dishes, it's gotta be good! For a broader menu of New Mexican cuisine (and the best in the region), head to Casa de Suenos in Tularosa. Ask for a sample of the red before ordering since it can be quite spicy.
The Cloudcroft Brewing Company is notable for four reasons: (1) it is owned, in part, by the dad of our architect (Shelley), (2) it brews with rainwater (you can see a tank on the front porch; the main tanks are behind the mural wall inside), (3) it's dang good brews and wood-fired pizza, and (4) you can walk to it and stumble back if you're staying at the cabin. They often have live music (ends at 9 pm in case you can hear it from the cabin) and quite the crowd. In fact, the popularity of the joint can make it a difficult get, so we try to hit it these days at off hours. You can also order to go and enjoy the pie and a mixed six pack of their beer back at the cabin. Seating at the bar is first come, first served.
Mad Jack's Mountaintop BBQ is another hard get. No joke, you can expect to wait in line for one to two hours (or more) for your plate of BBQ, but it's worth it, and it's a hoot visiting with the folks in line (we met one of neighbors that way, a lone chaplain from the air force base [yes, we bought his lunch], and many others). The story about Mad Jack is insane, but this is top-notch Central-Texas style BBQ here on the mountain. Mad Jack travels back to his hometown of Lockhart every couple of weeks to pick up post oak and custom-made sausages laced with green chile from Southside Market in Elgin. An insider tip is to show up later in the day (as long as you are not too picky) for a shorter line (think noonish). He's open until everything runs out, but the brisket (which is first rate) tends to be the last thing to go (although that is changing as the NewMexers figure it out...).
Every small town has a fancypants place, and Rebecca's at The Lodge is it for Cloudcroft. The Lodge is worth a visit on its own because it's the old railroad hotel from back in the day (and a good place to stay as long the folks in the room next door didn't just get married). Rebecca's is named after the hotel's ghost, and there are many homages to her around the place. You can order a drink from one of Al Capone's bartops and then settle into a seat to enjoy a really good meal and perhaps a sunset. Given that this is a hotel restaurant, they are open for all the holidays, but be sure to get reservations early! They can be a little weird: we showed up one non-special day and were turned away because we didn't have a reservation, despite only two occupied tables and an empty bar. To be safe, (1) call to make a reservation in advance and (2) don't make any sudden moves when checking in.
Dusty Boots Cafe is a great place to get a breakfast skillet or a green chile cheeseburger.
Then there's Dave Cafe:
and The Western Bar & Cafe:
area restaurants
Don't hate me (locals), but I've not found a great green chile cheeseburger in Cloudcroft. The ones I've had in town use whole chiles (which is unusual but not a dealbreaker), and they are not hot (which is a dealbreaker), probably because Texas tourists lower the standards. But there are epic green chile cheeseburgers in Alamogordo. First in line is the Hi-D-Ho Drive-In. I had the best green chile cheeseburger I've had in 20 years there, even though it was crunchy due to a raging dust storm (there's no indoor seating). Epic goodness.
For an oldskool diner breakfast, definitely check out the Waffle & Pancake Shoppe in Alamogordo. It's small and friendly with really good vittles.
services
Cloudcroft is blessed with an auto parts store (Cloudcroft Truck and Auto Parts Store). They were a lifesaver when we needed tire chains to get out of our driveway one winter.
We have a surprisingly decent hardware store with New Village Hardware. For cheap household stuff you might need, there's the Family Dollar. If you want to scritch a cat while shopping for artisanal goods, be sure to stop in at Off the Beaten Path. These ladies also take care of the local stray cats.
A favorite store in CC is the High Altitude outdoor sports store. Lots of cool stuff and a great place to go if you forgot a jacket or a hat. We stop in on every visit for the good vibes.
Rick Rogers Auto & Equipment Repair
Ski Palace Ski Rentals (and tubes!)
night life
There ain't much, but there's some. The Western Bar & Grill is a great place to grab a drink and listen to country music on the jukebox. There's the aforementioned Cloudcroft Brewing Company with live music nearly every night. The brewing company also has a small bar, but it can also fill with pizza-eaters. The Lodge has a basement bar called the Red Dog Saloon that sometimes hosts live music. Look for posters around town or call over for the lowdown. Noisy Water often hosts musicians during the day. Outside of that, it's looking at the stars!
high country
In 2021, cannabis became legal in New Mexico for recreational use. Accordingly, there are several dispensaries in Cloudcroft. We've not partaken yet (The Bride gets tested for her job), but there's Laughing Leaf Dispensary and High End Cannabis. If you partake, make sure you understand what (and how much) you are taking, especially edibles (and think carefully about taking any back to Texas). Edibles can take time to kick in, so, again, be patient. Note that you have to either pay in cash or use a debit card to acquire the goods.
One bummer of legalized Mary Jane is that several of the pre-existing non-pot stores now have pot-sounding names, including the aforementioned High Altitude and Mountain Magic.
soul saving
If you're feeling guilty about the beer and the weed and the one-night stands, there are a number of churches in town, including the Anglican Church Of The Epiphany, the Cloudcroft Church Of Christ, the First Baptist Church-Cloudcroft, Cloudcroft United Methodist, the Cloudcroft Christian Center, and the Sacred Heart Mission Catholic Church. Atheists are encouraged to commune with nature. Devil worshipers are encouraged to drive to the Valley of Fires.
media
Cloudcroft has a newspaper called Mountain Monthly that you can pick up for 50 cents at many of the businesses or restaurants around town.
The Cloudcroft Reader is a recent (and welcome) addition to the Cloudcroft news scene. The Monthly has mostly been a booster for the town, but the Reader is more focused on finding out what's really going on (as a result, the Monthly is becoming more newsy). The Reader is digital only.
I'm partner in an online radio station, K-CLOUD, that features mountain-themed music and music from New Mexico as well as special late-night shows (Friday nights with DJ Spaghetti and Saturday Night Techno Dance Party).
medical
There's not much medical in Cloudcroft, so don't cut yourself. There is the Sacramento Mountain Medical Center.
Cloudcroft Therapeutic Massage
yoga (Instant Karma)
yoga (Be in the Mountains Yoga)
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