blackwater draw museum

It was a nice and cheap little museum with an abundance of information about archeology and the guy at the front was very knowledgable about everything there and then some. There was a video the guy let us watch all about the history of the town and archeological sites near by. There was also displays with various items, like what people use to wear to various natural plants and animals that live/lived in the area. It was about $6 for 4 people.

Very nice staff but very boring unless you LOVE i mean really LOVE history . Its very short and lists tons of facts and displays numerous artifacts but thats about it . so if you love history you will love this place otherwise dont bother

This is Not the Museum of Natural History in Philadelphia. It is, however, well worth the modest admission fee of $3 ($2 Seniors). We spent a good hour looking at over 20 displays and reading about the very early Clovis People who shared their primitive existence with the Indians. It's worth the price of admission to learn about the dig sites, view the nicely displayed artifacts, and to see the actual skeletons of the feet of a young Mammoth! This is NOT your local zoo's elephant!! We were very glad we went

Nice little museum that is a good one hour trip for those interested in the local archeology. Not a lot for kids to do......hands on.

This museum is a little hoakie and outdated, but it can be fun if you go in with the right attitude. The depiction of the early mammoth is really moth-eaten, but kind of quaint in a folk art sort of way. If they haven't changed the little theater and old movie clips, well, you've got to see those! They will draw the baby boomers back to an era in a school classroom with the claymation dinosaurs and 'put-the-record-on-when-the-film-strip-starts' type of lesson. There are some interesting exhibits and information on a really important and under rated part of history - the Clovis point discovery.

I grew up in Clovis, and went to college in Portales. I had always passed the Museum, but never stopped. One day, i did. I did not realize that there was so much history in this place. I would also recommend go to the actual dig sights were you can see tons of prehistoric fossils. i think if I had gone as a kid, I would have become a paleontologist.

The Blackwater Draw Museum, while not near the Blackwater Draw dig site, is important to undersatanding the dig site and area. I have been to the Folsum dig site, and this museum really explains both sites. The two sites changed the way archeologist and paleontologist view early man's life. The Clovis point and Folsum point were found in the vicinity of mammoths and bison and demonstrated how early man hunted these creatures. The Blackwater Draw museum has a replica of a mammoth head so you really get the idea how huge these creatures were. The other treat of the museum, they have actual bones and dinosaur eggs that the visitor can touch. So many museums have "don't touch" signs everywhere, it was nice to have "please touch" signs.

Keep in mind that this museum was made because of the Clovis Point, an arrowhead found in the area that COMPLETELY changed the way Man was known to live. Excellent for those that love ALL kinds of history.

Exhibits and explanatory material gave a good picture of the paleontology and archeology of the Clovis region and its place in paleo-Indian history. There is evidence of a lot of serious research as well as reproductions of mammoth bones, Indian artifacts and ancient dwelling places that should interest children. The curator was very knowledgeable and helpful and was able to supplement the museum presentation with his knowledge of local geology. The entrance fee was small and there were no distractions or glitzy presentations.

It's small and not flashy in the slighest. You can tell the budget isn't much. But still, this is Clovis and clovish culture is very important in the history of mankind. If you're interested in history, this is a great place to visit. I learned a lot about clovis culture and fulsom culture and am glad I went a bit out of my way to come here.My 12-year-old thought it was ok and liked looking at the clovis arrowheads and other artifacts but clearly was not as enthused as I was. Had I beed alone, I would have liked to have spent more time here.Admission price includes the museum and the actual Clovis dig site. The dig site isn't much but it's only about 10 minutes away so you might as well make the drive and go to both places.I wish they had more funding and were able to have a larger, more detailed museum. I think that with some advertising, interest in this could get pretty high.

If you are a history buff, liking the Clovis points and wanting to know about who were the first native Americans, It is a great place, I did not know that Clovis and the areas around here were jungles 11000 years ago. Blackwater is pretty cool

Amazing from an archelogical perspective. Clovis Man. Just a great museum, easy with small children, however the documentary may lose interest for the very small.

I guess the University of Eastern New Mexico is not flush with money, so the displays as well as the Blackwater Draw site itself are presented in a way that is nowhere near as flashy as better funded museums. In fact the whole thing is amateurish, but in both senses of the word. I found this museum endearing, created and staffed by enthusiastic, dedicated academics trying to present to the world outside their lecture rooms their interest in what is by any standard an astoundingly important site, the oldest evidence of human activity in the Americas, 12,000 years ago. Think your way past the deficiencies in the presentation, consider the evidence that is shown, let your mind work around the ideas that lie behind and prepare to be astonished.

There was some good things here, but it is not well developed as a tourist site. The site and the museum can both be visited in a few hours time as they are not far from each other. The admission cost covers entry into both locations. The site has a trail and some signs to read along the way to and from the dig. The dig itself is enclosed in a steel building but is not climate controlled. You can view the different layers and see the bones (of animals) that the Clovis people basically dumped a long time ago when they were done with them. The person at the site was very friendly and helpful. The museum has more animal history and human history starting at the Clovis time and going forward. There are arrowheads and some other tools that they may have used basically. I was hoping for more about the Clovis people - what they looked like, their culture, etc. but that was not something I really saw on my visit. I have to say that I feel the museum seemed dated and run down - most of the exhibits looked like the original displays that have been there unchanged since it opened in 1969. This was a bit of a let down even to my family who are very interested in archaeological attractions.

I believe the only thing worth stopping for at this museum is the bathroom. This museum is located along US Highway 70 next to a defunct rest area. The Blackwater Draw Museum features information about the Blackwater Draw National Historic Landmark. Keep in mind, the museum is not located at the actual archaeological site.The inside of the museum suggests that nothing has been changed since the 1980s. Perhaps the most interesting "artifacts" on display are a couple of spears that were featured in an episode of Star Trek. There are ZERO authentic artifacts from the archaeological site on display. It looks like somebody manufactured a few stone flakes and set them in a display case. Rumor has it that an ancient Native American skeleton is kept at this museum. They should put that on display instead of those fake mammoth bones.Be aware that the man in charge of the museum is very eccentric and might scare your kids...