New Mexico Tech is the institution that still gives Socorro much of its character, and the Mineral Museum is the best visitor-facing piece of it. The collections make sense here: Socorro grew from mining, sits in a geologically restless part of the Rio Grande Rift, and still studies the ground under its feet.
This is a small, focused stop. It is most rewarding if you like minerals, volcanoes, or the way science towns grow out of very specific landscapes.