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Location
Parking
Free parking lot at museum (ask toll booth for directions). Additional paid parking available at Sun Bowl Parking Garage.
Best time
Plan your visit for when flowers are in bloom (spring/early summer) to fully enjoy the Chihuahuan Desert Gardens. Visitors note the gardens are particularly beautiful during peak blooming season.
Visitor tip
Don't miss the interactive dinosaur bone exhibit where you can actually touch real dinosaur bones—this is a highlight for visitors of all ages, especially children interested in paleontology.
About Centennial Museum and Chihuahuan Desert Gardens
Sprawling garden with 600+ native plants. Jumbo garden with walking paths offering various areas featuring over 600 native plants.
Quick Facts
- Type
- Natural History Museum
- Location
- El Paso, TX (part of UTEP)
- Admission
- Free
- Hours
- Monday-Saturday 10am-4pm. Gardens dawn to dusk.
What visitors say
Wonderful museum at UTEP showcasing plants and animals found in the region. My husband and I saw some wonderful monarch butterflies in the garden. We aren't students of El Paso, but at the gate we recieved a free 3 hour pass. All we did…
Me and my family have stopped here a few times and did it a few weekends ago again while we were in El Paso and our autistic son had just had his sixth birthday. He always enjoys it and loves anything about dinosaurs and Native American…
Really neat place. We liked it. It was my first time seeing Dinosaur bones and now I can't wait to see more. You are able to touch one of the Dino bones, which was very cool. I loved walking the gardens and seeing the beautiful blooms.…
From 256 Google reviews Read all reviews
Did You Know?
- The museum houses over 70,000 objects in its permanent collection, including dinosaur bones and 20th century luxury items
- The Chihuahuan Desert Gardens feature over 600 native plants species across sprawling garden grounds with dedicated walking paths
- Admission is completely free and open to the public, with donations supporting educational programs and exhibits
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