The first time I went here I was 9 months pregnant and it was February! Even in the cold, the ocean is a view to behold! It is a travel spot for any age, any family situation! The shops are typical tourists traps but the walkways are pretty cool.
The beach is pretty awesome.

The drive from Alamogordo to Cloudcroft up the Sacremento Mountains is a 'heck' of a drive, as long as everyone is paying attention to the road that is! The view in any direction are calming and beautiful. The hiking trails on nearby roads from the shops have many "inspiration" spots, the view of Alamogordo is breathtaking, and that's saying A LOT! You can see White Sands National Park from there too.
They host a Cherry festival and surrounding cherry orchards allow you to pick your own and the cherries are out of this world!
The core shops are pretty great, there is an old time ice cream shop and the art stores are wonderful.
The drive up the mountain alone makes the trip worth it, the fact that it only gets better  from there...well, pretty cool destination.

Um, how wonderful is it to go to a museum of speed demons? It is a trip down memory lane and the speedway itself is bigger in person! I enjoyed it and I don't even enjoy racing that much!

Many of my neighbors work there and dress in the clothes of the times. It is kept up in the style of the colonial era, the buildings, the animals, the actors, the food, all of it is a blast to another time. There are only two days the present day American flag is flown there, any other time they fly the Colonial version.
I love it!

What is interesting to me is the graffetti actually. There is a lot of tribal pride in the pictures that are on the underpasses. It would seem a weird place to admire artwork, but really much of it is very well done in it's messages of pride.
They do wonderful sand pictures and I have met several of the residents, they are generally very reserved but once they open up to you, they really are very artistic in the way they view the world.
Also, they have a casino there that is extremely popular to the surrounding towns, I personally don't care for casinos but if you like to throw some money around go for it.
The mountain view alone is worth the drive!

Well, Fort Leavenworth has special significance to me because many of my family members are actually buried there. My parents were married in the chapel in 1970, I visited there in the 90's and found the pillow they signed. That was good for me to see as they divorced twice by the time I was 7! At least they got along for one day, eh?
If you enjoy military history, this would be a good place to visit in the Midwest.

The saloon in town is said to be haunted. I am not one to believe in ghosts but I will tell you that in certain spots inside the saloon I would get suddenly chilly and it would pass just as fast...I suspected air vents but couldn't find any where I was standing.
The actors who do the gunfights are great, very knowledgeable about the town's history and the person they are acting like.
Even the souvenir shops are pretty cool, and let's face it, you don't find many "cool" souvenir shops!

At the saloon it is said to be haunted...not much of a believer in the "after life" but I will tell you this, there are spots where you get down right chilly but it passes quickly. I suspect vents pushing cold air but I couldn't find them. Weird!
The gunfights were pretty cool, especially if you like westerns, the actors stay in character and talk to you about the history revolving around themselves and what happened years ago.
The cemetery is really something to see, the souvenir shops are actually pretty interesting as well.

What's awesome about the Alamo? It's the Alamo, d'oh!

This huge "gate" to the city is still blackened from the fire that occurred there. The fact it is still standing and nearby are actual Roman bath houses still to be seen and knowing that Julius Cesar himself rode through the town, how awesome is that?!

One of the first restaurants suggested to any newcomer to Spangdahlem Air Base, Mom's is located about two minutes off base. The salads are wonderful and if this is your first taste of authentic German food, it's a pretty good start. Believe me, it only gets better as you travel in Germany!

The brewery has huge windows that allow you to see the valley as you eat a wonderful sampling of German food. They serve wonderful portions and there is hops everywhere! In the center of the restaurant on the first floor are huge copper vats filled with the home brew! If you are anywhere near Spangdahlem Air Base, hit Zemmer up for Zil Brau!