Attractions - Fort Bliss; Great Day To Be A Soldier

Fort Bliss is the largest Air Defense Artillery Training Center in the world, stretching more than 1,119,700 acres into Southern New Mexico and occupying a larger area than Rhode Island. It is also home to the world’s largest Joint Tactical Air Operations exercise, "Roving Sands."

Fort Bliss was first settled in 1848 and named after Lieutenant Colonel William Wallace Smith Bliss in 1854. Primarily a cavalry post until 1942, it has served as a base for infantry, antiaircraft artillery training and guided missile systems. The fort hosts year-round ceremonies and celebrations in honor of most patriotic holidays and observances.

At the Fort Bliss Museum and Study Center and the Air Defense Artillery Museum you can view antique weapons, photos, vehicles, documents and other military items and exhibits dating from the 1800s to modern days. The museum’s "Old Fort Bliss" Mogoffinsville Post replica, created in 1948 in celebration of the fort’s centennial, includes a kitchen, post exchange and barracks depicting life on the fort circa 1857. The museums host events such as December's Star Spangled Holidays where re-enactors in period dress work, play and describe day-to-day activities of the past.

Other points of interest include the historical Pershing and Fisher houses, and the nearby NCO Museum at Biggs Army Airbase.

As a result of military realignments, Fort Bliss is projected to see up to 28,000 troops arriving in the next few years; that’s about 70,000 new residents including military families. As the fort boasts, it certainly is "a great day to be a solider."

Points of Interest

Fort Bliss Museum and Study Center and Air Defense Artillery Museum
Building 1735 Marshall Rd. Open 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Closed Sundays and federal holidays. Admission is free. (915) 568-3390.

"Old Fort Bliss"
Building 5051, corner of Pershing and Pleasanton. Open 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Closed Sundays. (915) 568-4518.

NCO (Noncommissioned Officer) Museum
Building 11331, Staff Sergeant Simms St. Biggs Army Airbase. Open 9 a.m. to
4 p.m. Monday through Friday Admission is free. (915) 568-8646.

Getting There

Fort Bliss' Fred Wilson Road gate is located off I-54 (Patriot Freeway), near El Paso International Airport. You will need to show proper identification, vehicle insurance and registration.