Deming - city in and county seat of Luna County, New Mexico, United States

Deming is a small town in the southwestern region of New Mexico, USA. It has attained a quirky sort of fame as the site of the Great American Duck Race, one of those little bits of Americana sometimes encountered in very small towns. Interesting country is nearby for the geologist and hiker.

Get in

Deming is on Interstate highway 10, about west of Las Cruces and about east of the Arizona state line. There is no commercial air service nearby; the closest significant airport is in El Paso, Texas, east of Deming.

By car

Interstate 10 (I-10) passes through Deming in an east/west direction. Deming is accessed from Exits 81 to 85 with Exit 82 specifically into town as Gold Ave.

to Pine St goes east-west as a local street (Old US 80) from Exit 81 of I-10, through downtown Deming and back to I-10 at Exit 85. The road itself continues another east to Arroyo Speedway at Exit 102 as NM-547 (Old US Hwy 80).

, & Gold Ave goes north of town where it splits. Going west US 180 goes northwesterly to Silver City while NM 26 goes northeasterly to I-25 in Hatch. Going east US 180 follows I-10 concurrently to El Paso. Going towards the south of town Gold Ave becomes Cody Rd which becomes Columbus Rd. It goes another south to Columbus near the Mexican border.

By bus

• Greyhound, (bus stop) McDonald's at 721 W Pine St (W Pine and Granite). As this is just a pick-up and drop-off point, tickets should be purchased beforehand online or over the phone. Greyhound travels on I-10 between El Paso, Lordsburg, Tucson and Phoenix. Some variations of the I-10 route may make extra stops in Las Cruces, Deming, Wilcox, Benson, Casa Grande/Eloy and/or Mesa. Check schedules.

By train

• Amtrak, 400 E Railroad Ave. Served by two routes: the Sunset Limited and Texas Eagle. As this is an unmanned platform with a shelter, tickets should be purchased beforehand online or over the phone to be presented to the conductor at boarding.

Get around

See

• Deming Luna Mimbres Museum, 301 S. Silver Ave, +1 575 536-2382. Open M-Sa 9-4, Su 1:30-4; closed major holidays. Fee $2 for adults, children free with adult. Native American artifacts and items of local color.

Do

• Great American Duck Race. The 2014 version was on August 21–24; dates for the 2015 edition apparently haven't been set yet, but expect it to be the last weekend in August. This amazingly quirky event defies description; the photo of the "2006 Duck Queen" on the website (above) is worth a thousand words (even if most of them are "quack") and nearly as many laughs.

Buy

There's only basic shopping, but souvenirs of the Great American Duck Race are every bit as whimsical as the race itself.

Eat

• El Mirador, 510 E Pine St, +1 575 544-7340. 6AM-9PM daily. Tolerable Mexican, nothing special but quite edible.
• Marie's Italian Grill, 110 S Silver Ave, +1 575-546-5760. Tu-Th, Sa 11AM-8PM, F 11AM-8:30PM, Su 11AM-3PM, M closed. Basic Italian-American.

• The Adobe Deli. Not the easiest place to find but you'll be glad when you found it. One of the best steaks for miles. The atmosphere is well worth the trip. They even have a place for you to tie up your horse.

Drink

Two wineries, yes, two wineries are present in this desert landscape. Neither one charges for tasting and both charge reasonable prices for their wine.

• Luna Rossa Winery. Is visible from the highway on the frontage road going into town on I-10 eastbound.
• D.H. Lescombes Winery & Tasting Room, 7075 Hwy 549 SE, +1 575-546-1179. Is a larger operation than Luna Rossa. There are signs in town directing you to the vineyard. Warning: their website blasts annoying music.

Sleep

• Best Western Mimbres Valley Inn, 1500 W. Pine (exit 81 on I-10), +1 575 546-4544.
• Grand Motor Inn, 1721 E. Pine (exit 85 on I-10), +1 575 546-2632. Restaurant on the premises.
• La Quinta Inn and Suites, 4300 E Pine (exit 85 on I-10), +1 575 546-0600. Free WiFi. Free Continental Breakfast.

Go next

• Rockhound State Park (dead link: January 2023) is about 5 miles south of town, and is notable as one of the few state or national parks where visitors are encouraged to remove natural features -- specifically the unusual minerals found in abundance there that make it a rockhound's playground. (There's a "bag limit;" check the web site for details.) Day use $5/vehicle; there are a number of campsites (extra fee).
• City of Rocks State Park (dead link: January 2023) is about 30 miles north via US 180, with weird rock formations reminiscent of the better-known Chiricahua National Monument in Arizona. Unlike at Rockhound, you can't take the rocks home with you, but they're accessible to the hiker. Day hikes, camping, stargazing; fee.