This small but informative museum spotlights the history of the US Border Patrol, which was founded in 1924. This happened three days after Congress passed the National Origins Act, severely restricting immigration via country-of-origin quotas. The displays of tools and vehicles used to cross the border and elude capture, from ladders to boats to motorized hanggliders, are fascinating.
The Washington Post/Getty
Border Patrol Museum
El Paso
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Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
10.28 MILES
This thoroughly enjoyable small-scale museum is housed in a former Greyhound station. Its pride and joy is a 13th-century Byzantine Madonna and Child, but…
16.25 MILES
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4.75 MILES
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First Armored Division & Fort Bliss Museum
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Hueco Tanks State Park & Historical Site
23.91 MILES
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17.01 MILES
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9.23 MILES
Home to a large number of endangered animals, including the Asian elephant, Sumatran orangutan, Malayan tiger and the rare Amur leopard. All told, more…
Nearby El Paso attractions
1. El Paso Museum of Archaeology
0.04 MILES
The dioramas depicting the lives of the region's ancient peoples aren't particularly illuminating, but the baskets, pottery and hunting tools created by…
2. Franklin Mountains State Park
4.75 MILES
The largest urban park in the US, at over 24,000 acres, offers a quick escape from the city to the home of ringtail cats, coyotes and countless other…
3. First Armored Division & Fort Bliss Museum
7.26 MILES
As the largest air-defense training center in the Western world, Fort Bliss consumes much of the desert northeast of El Paso, and trains troops from all…
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9.33 MILES
This park celebrates the cultures of Mexico, the United States and the borderland between them, as well as the settlement of a property dispute between…
6. Cordova International Bridge (Bridge of the Americas)
9.54 MILES
These two bridges over the Rio Grange connect El Paso and Ciudad Juarez in Chihuahua, Mexico.
7. Western Playland Amusement Park
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Small but fun, this old-school amusement park (just over the border in New Mexico) is a great way to burn off the pent-up energy of kids on a long drive…
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One of Texas' best-kept secrets, this El Paso landmark was built in 1875 for Joseph Magoffin, an early El Paso politician and businessman. With 4ft-thick…