World’s Largest Chili Pepper at Big Chile Inn
2160 W Picacho Ave, Los Lunas, NM 87031
Free
Like most road trippers, I stop at weird attractions. The bigger the better. There’s a lot of love for chili peppers here because it is used in New Mexican cuisine. As long as there is someone working at the hotel front desk, you can see this giant behemoth. I arrived early in the morning to locked gates but a friendly front desk person came outside to grant my family access. The big chili pepper statue is surrounded by a wall to protect it from vandals during off hours. On the walls are descriptions of popular chili peppers, so you can learn a thing or two about these spicy fruits (not vegetables because they have seeds).
