UFO Tourism in America

Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) are a major industry in America, the subject of books, Discovery Channel documentaries, films, and countless product lines of knick knacks. UFO tourism, however, does not enjoy the same high profile in mainstream America. This might be because the whole idea of a UFO-centered vacation strikes most people as silly, and few other than die-hard UFO enthusiasts would devote their precious vacation time and dollars to seeing UFO sites. However, the states of Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico are both packed with mainstream attractions making UFO tourism a potential gold mine for quirky day trips and Project Blue Book-style adventures.

Area 51, Nevada
The legendary Area 51, site of a secret US military installation that is at the heart of every government cover-up conspiracy involving UFOs, lies roughly 80 miles northwest of Las Vegas, Nevada. Tours from Las Vegas are available on a weekly basis. The focus is the infamous "black mailbox" (which is no longer black), the marker for the "secret" access road into the installation, and the attendant security of the base. In the vicinity is an Alien Research Center with allegedly secret documents and other UFO paraphanalia.

Roswell, New Mexico
According to basic UFO lore, an alien spacecraft crashed into the desert near Roswell in 1947. The wreckage was allegedly evacuated to Area 51, and the supposed cover-up has been ongoing ever since. As a result, Roswell is now a fixture for UFO fans everywhere, with even the local McDonald's built to resemble a flying saucer. The UFO Museum and Research Center, occupying an old cinema, is widely considered the best UFO-oriented roadside attraction in the country. The town holds an annual UFO festival in early July, a must-see event for anyone in the area who is either curious about UFOs, a UFO enthusiast, or merely enjoys top-quality people watching.

UFO Watchtower, Hooper, Colorado
Colorado's San Luis Valley is regarded among UFO buffs as one of the busiest spots in the world for flying saucers, making the area's UFO Watchtower a prime spot to watch the skies. The watchtower itself is just a steel platform perched above a flying saucer-styled giftshop, and is only one story off the ground. However, admission is cheap and even if you don't see a flying saucer, the sunrise view across the Great Sand Dune is worth staying into the wee hours of the morning for. Hooper is located in south-central Colorado, making it a reasonable stop for anyone making the trip between New Mexico and Denver.