The second thing we noticed was that despite the fact it was a Tuesday afternoon in late February, the place was really busy – apparently a lot of people noticed the signs. The first thing we noticed was that “The World’s Largest Pistachio” is a bit of a disappointment, as it is not a genuine pistachio, but an impressively large statue. A day later (after visiting White Sands National Park), we were headed north on US 54 on our way to Santa Fe when we saw McGinn’s like a magnet, it drew us in. My wife and I were driving east along Interstate 10, and as soon as we crossed into New Mexico from Arizona we began seeing billboards for McGinn’s encouraging drivers to come see “The World’s Largest Pistachio.” After about 100 miles of seeing these billboards, my wife admitted that she was becoming intrigued. Located on US Highway 54 on the northern outskirts of Alamogordo, McGinn’s PistachioLand is a testament to the suggestive power of roadside billboards. Probably spent 90 minutes to 2 hours in total including eating (what else) pistachio ice cream! We also saw the vineyard and lucky for us, one of the McGinns himself was harvesting grapes right next to our tour vehicle! Everyone was very friendly and welcoming too. We got to see ripe nuts on the tree, he explained the ins and outs of pistachio harvesting, and showed us the processing facility-everything is bagged and seasoned on property. The gift shop has a wide selection of fun stuff and flavored nuts, wine, and jellies, but the real highlight was the tour of the farm! Our tour guide, Matt, regaled us with history and facts about the pistachio trees and grape vines. But, the first thing I noticed was the SMELL! Apparently they were making the pistachio brittle that day and I felt like I was eating candy through my nose. I was excited to see the giant Pistachio for the kitsch (it's impressive btw it's actually a tribute that a son built to honor the elder McGinn who enjoyed roadside attractions).
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