The biggest surprise about Roswell, New Mexico, wasn’t the alien street lights or the McDonalds shaped like a UFO or any of the other space-themed kitsch. The biggest surprise was the fact that, for the most, Roswell was a normal Southwestern town.

I know, I KNOW. Who would have thought?!

But in all seriousness, considering we’re talking about a town whose biggest claim to fame was not one, but three, alien crash landings, I was expecting there to be more alien-themed things to do. But other than the UFO museum and a handful of gift shops, there really wasn’t.

I say this not as a criticism of the town, but as more of just a heads up for any would-be visitors. If you’re planning on making the three-hour drive from Albuquerque, you should be prepared for the fact that you can pretty much see and do everything alien-themed in Roswell in about three hours.

That aside, I definitely recommend people visit. Although I may be biased because aliens + cheesy kitsch + funny-looking inanimate objects you can take a selfie with = some of my favorite things, I think Roswell makes a good pit-stop on the way to White Sands National Monument, which, by the way, is really, REALLY cool.

So here, without further ado, is my list of seven alien-themed things to do in Roswell that are, ahem, out of this world.

1. Take a picture in front of the Welcome to Roswell Sign

2. Visit the Roswell Visitors Center

3. Take a picture of the alien street lights

4. See the UFO-Shaped McDonalds

5. Take funny pictures with aliens at Alien Zone

6. Visit the UFO Museum

7. Take photos of the cute murals and signs

Reannon Muth

Reannon Muth is a full-time writer, social media consultant and owner and manager of the Taken by the Wind travel blog. Born in Hawaii, Reannon has lived in five countries, at Disney World and on a cruise ship. She currently lives in fabulous Las Vegas.