International UFO Museum and Research Center

About

The International UFO Museum and Research Center is a nonprofit museum in downtown Roswell, New Mexico, at 114 North Main Street. It opened in September 1991, founded by Glenn Dennis, in a converted movie theater from the 1930s. The museum centers on the 1947 crash northwest of town that started decades of debate about extraterrestrial visits.

Exhibits cover the Roswell case alongside broader UFO history: crop circles, Area 51, and reports of ancient astronauts and abductions. There is a simulated alien spacecraft display and an alien autopsy scene, plus a research library that holds decades of files, newspaper clippings, and case reports on sightings beyond the original Roswell incident. The museum says its exhibits are designed "not to convince anyone to believe one way or another," so the presentation stays fairly neutral rather than pushing a single theory. Meeting rooms and a gift shop round out the building.

As of 2026, the museum is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $7 for adults, $5 for seniors and active military, and $4 for children ages 5 to 15; kids 4 and under get in free. Call (575) 625-9495, or 1-800-822-3545 toll-free, with questions before your visit, including questions about accessibility.

Roswell sits in southeastern New Mexico, about 200 miles and roughly a three-hour drive south of Albuquerque on US-285. The museum serves as the central venue for Roswell's annual UFO festival, held downtown each summer, when the area draws its biggest crowds and street parking gets tighter than usual.

Accessibility

The International UFO Museum and Research Center is accessible for wheelchair users, with a caveat: the entrance takes a bit of extra effort. The museum occupies a converted 1930s movie theater on Main Street in downtown Roswell. A parking lot sits next to the building, large enough to fit an RV if you park across the marked spaces, and there is also street parking along Main Street. Neither source confirms marked disabled parking spots, so if you need one, call ahead and ask what is closest to the door.

The main entrance is step-free, but the pavement leading up to it is sloped, and the door swings outward. Bring someone who can hold the door open, or ask staff to meet you at the entrance.

Beyond the entrance, neither the museum's own site nor the outside reviews checked for this listing document aisle widths, restroom accessibility, or whether staff loan wheelchairs. The admissions page lists ticket prices but not these details, so call ahead if they matter to your visit.

The museum welcomes leashed dogs throughout the building and gift shop, based on its own social media posts, so service animals are not an issue here. For questions about any of the above, or about crowding during the annual UFO festival each summer, call (575) 625-9495 or the toll-free line at 1-800-822-3545 before you go.

More accessible places in New Mexico

• Valles Caldera National Preserve (Jemez Springs)
• National Museum of Nuclear Science & History (Albuquerque)
• Chaco Culture National Historical Park (Nageezi)
• Indian Pueblo Cultural Center (Albuquerque)
• Aztec Ruins National Monument (Aztec)
• Pecos National Historical Park (Pecos)

Photo credits

• The UFO Museum and Research Center building exterior with its blue UFO sign and entrance.: AllenS, Public domain (source)
• A ramp with metal handrails leads up to the museum's Research Library entrance door.: Myotus, CC BY 4.0 (source)
• Two life-size alien figures stand beneath a flying saucer in a desert diorama exhibit.: Myotus, CC BY 4.0 (source)