UFO museum gets 5 millionth visitor

ROSWELL -- A Roswell man with a daughter curious about space travel is the 5 millionth person to visit the International UFO Museum & Research Center.

Chris McDonald of Roswell took his daughter Hannah to the museum on Nov. 21 to learn more about the UFO-space alien phenomenon, Museum Executive Director Karen Jaramillo said.

“Very rarely do we see a visitor from Roswell come into the museum, so we were all shocked when we learned our 5 millionth visitor was actually from Roswell,” Jaramillo said.

The museum annually draws more than 220,000 visitors, Jaramillo said.

McDonald and his daughter received a balloon bouquet and a bag of souvenirs, along with a lifetime family membership, including free admission to the UFO Museum for life.

Jaramillo said the UFO Museum has an annual economic impact of more than $60 million on Roswell and Chaves County.

The UFO Museum opened in 1992. Museum visits are self-guided and take about 30 to 45 minutes.