If you like spicy food and kitschy roadside attractions, you absolutely MUST visit Hatch, New Mexico, the "chile capital of the world." I was lucky enough to spend an afternoon there recently, and I can tell you that if you're ever anywhere near southern New Mexico, it's a must-see!
In Hatch you'll find lots of roadside stands and shops where you can buy more red and green chile than you can eat in a lifetime. There are chile ristras galore. And tons of cool metal artwork—depicting desert animals, flowers, and more—imported from Mexico.
But the highlight for me was visiting Sparky's, a restaurant run by Teako Nunn and his wife Josie. Not only do they serve an incredible green chile cheeseburger, Sparky's (well, really, the parking lot across from the restaurant) has also become, as Roadside America puts it, "a showcase for Teako's growing statue menagerie."
There, you'll see Yogi Bear, a giant KFC bucket with the cutest red-and-green chile couple dancing on top, a big pink pig, a Bob's Big Boy, a tyrannosaurus rex, a giant chile pepper with the most adorable grin, a 30-foot-tall Uncle Sam holding a green chile, and so much more. There's even a bench where you can sit and take your photo with a cute, skinny, green alien. I was in roadside attraction heaven!
Read more about Sparky's at Roadside America, and definitely make a plan to visit Hatch! And in the meantime, enjoy some of the photos I took!
