Ahead of spring break, tourism department shares list of New Mexico True experiences

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Sure, you’re from New Mexico – but have you really experienced everything the state has to offer?

The state has put together a list of New Mexico True experiences.

“We wanted it to be an oasis, kind of a calming, if you’ve had a tough day you can come in and relax get your chocolate,” said Steve Prickett, founder of Eldora chocolate.

Eldora Chocolate is a New Mexico True cocoa experience in the North Valley.

“We make a lot of our bars using local products. For example, our lavender lemon, New Mexico true bar. We use los poblanos lavender,” said Prickett.

The business is one of 80 on the New Mexico True website under a new tab listing certified experiences.

“From farms to wineries, breweries, and you know, chocolatiers and all sorts of businesses that wanted to do more for people than just provide a product,” said Cody Johnson, communication director of New Mexico Tourism Department.

At Eldoras, KOB 4 got that experience from the moment we walked in – watching the chocolate turn into ready-to-eat treats.

“We had a group of like 12 people from Dallas and we set up, kind of, a little tour for them on the spot and they came specifically because they saw it on New Mexico True,” said Prickett.

Johnson says New Mexico True put the list out looking ahead to spring break – a way to bring in those tourist dollars to New Mexico businesses that embody the state’s spirit.

“We pretty much got to the point, we’re not really talking about, you know, recovering from a big hole, per say but we’re at a point where we’ve kind of reached that baseline of pre-pandemic levels and we can really start talking about growth again, which is very exciting for us,” Johnson said.