National Border Patrol Museum

Despite the recent turmoil surrounding ICE, border patrol agents enforce the law of the USA. The individuals have made countless sacrifices to protect our borders, including the ultimate sacrifice. All of us are grateful of their service! A must-visit if you are in the area.

I am so glad we took the time to visit the National Border Patrol Museum in El Paso. It's a truly unique and educational experience, providing a deep dive into the history of the U.S. Border Patrol, from its founding in 1924 to its modern-day operations. As the only museum of its kind in the United States, it offers a fascinating and informative look at the evolution of their duties, technology, and vehicles. The exhibits are incredibly well-done, featuring a wide variety of historical artifacts, including decommissioned aircraft, vehicles used for smuggling, and uniforms. I was particularly moved by the memorial to the officers who have died in the line of duty, which gave me a new respect for the dangers and sacrifices faced by Border Patrol agents every day. It's a fantastic, free attraction that is well worth a few hours of your time. I came away with a much greater understanding of the vital and dangerous job that the Border Patrol performs. It's a must-see for anyone interested in American history."

If you haven’t been yet I highly encourage it. I was a local photographer for the past 4 years and one of my favorite locations have been the museums location. It’s beautiful, but the museum itself is very cool. I always encourage my clients to go, my husband and I thoroughly enjoyed it when we went. So glad we had the time before our next move!!

Another accidental find for us. It is a great place. I enjoyed it much more than I was expecting too and it's free.

A very nice museum. They do not have much of the modern equipment or information but I guess because it’s a museum it’s normally more about history. For that, they do a great job of discussing the historical aspects of the BP and the displays include an airplane and helicopter as well as a number of other vehicles. They have seized “vehicles” and weapons on display as well as two very moving memorial rooms. The agents of the BP have been through many good and many rough years of service and are to be honored and appreciated for their commitment and contributions to protecting our great Nation. The staff is very friendly and knowledgeable. Ask questions and find out! Definitely worth a visit.

Free to the public! Donations encouraged. No Lines, great place to visit with family, by yourself or in small groups. Staff was super friendly the gift shop has tons of merchandise.

How many years have we lived here and not stopped in? Friendly staff and all laid out in an easy to navigate museum. The history and photos are pretty amazing. The ingenuity of some items here is awesome. Very kid friendly, the vehicles were of particular interest to the younger ones with me.

Decent museum. Free entry, no waiting. Air conditioned. In a classic boring government building. Lots of artifacts from attempted illegal crossings. Some interesting vehicles and other items on display.

A very nice museum. They do not have much of the modern equipment or information but I guess because it's a museum it's normally more about history. For that, they do a great job of discussing the historical aspects of the BP and the displays include an airplane and helicopter as well as a number of other vehicles. They have seized "vehicles" and weapons on display as well as two very moving memorial rooms. The agents of the BP have been through many good and many rough years of service and are to be honored and appreciated for their commitment and contributions to protecting our great Nation. The staff is very friendly and knowledgeable. Ask questions and find out! Definitely worth a visit.

We had a great hike in recommend to stop by if you are in el paso , there is a little museum on site .

This was an informative and enjoyable visit to the museum. It seems the border patrol doesn't have the notoriety that other enforcement groups do and this was nice seeing they get their do. I spent about 45 minutes here and enjoyed the visit very much. I would definitely recommend a quick stop here if you're in El Paso.

Can't tell you how many times I pass by this place in a week on Trans mountain highway. I finally decided to stop on and check it out. It's cool to learn the History of the border patrol here in El Paso and actually all over the US. The impressive thing are how many vehicles are inside along with a full size helicopter. Definitely this should be on everyone's radar to come and do.

A very well done museum! Very historical. A GREAT gift shop! You can't touch everything, but you can touch plenty so for kids it's still interactive. We were in the museum an hour and a half. I could have stayed and read more material but the kids were getting restless. I do recommend this museum!

I thoroughly enjoyed the museum & exhibits. If you want a good history of the BP, this is the place to go. Nice gifts form purchase also. CALL FIRST just to confirm they are open, despite posted hours of operation.

This museum on my list of things to see in El Paso.. Outside there was a Ford bronco that at one time was used by the agency all look with a helicopter. Inside there is a lot to see and they have pictures and items that were used to get over the border. Lots of weapons are on display to check out. The is information on agents that had been killed in the line of duty. It's will worth the time to go check out this museum.

We spent maybe half an hour checking out this museum, but you could probably stay longer taking in all the details. It's small in size, but pretty informative and I was impressed to see what they had inside. It had a lot of history and interesting artifacts, even full size cars and helicopters! The museum itself is free and the staff there were extremely friendly and knowledgeable. The collection of weapons and coins they have was pretty impressive! There is a section that honors those who have died while working as border patrol, which was a very respectful and kind addition. Regardless of how you feel about immigration and border patrol, it was an interesting place to visit and become a little more informed about what they do. There is a free archeological museum next door as well!

Are you educational, and very historically correct. I'm about a half a mile from my house I grew up hunting and hiking in that desert before 375 will even cut through the mountain or about local fauna and flora place to do it.

We enjoyed our visit to the museum today & took many pictures but will only post 2 for practical reasons It's pretty fascinating to see how far technology has come in police work, hard to believe they were able to work with the tools they had back in the old days lol. I enjoyed looking at the history of how they started, pretty cool the guns too, wow, have really changed over time. If you ever get a chance to go to El Paso Texas, try to visit. I collect challenge coins too of my local law enforcement so of course I loved these two I'm gonna need another case for coins at home

I love history and especially the history of the US. This museum is very interesting! There are exhibits showing the very beginnings of the Border Patrol in 1904 until the present day. Cool vehicles and aircraft with hands off exhibits the kids can climb in and on. I highly recommend a visit while in El Paso. This is a privately funded museum and is not supported by the government. Admission is free but donations are appreciated.

A great place to get a history of the Border Patrol. Not actually affiliated with the government, so not a place for politics, but a good place to take in the law enforcement history. Great vintage displays. Staff is friendly. Nice gift shop that supports this FREE museum. Feel free to drop a few bucks in the donation bin.

Nice hidden gem tucked away far away. Its a small museum but packed with information. Its also free... if your a law enforcement person or have someone in law enforcement i highly feel u should check this place out.

I spent about an hour walking through this museum and I thought it was a good place to get an small history on the Border Patrol. There's definitely room for growth at this museum, but you'll leave with at least a few new nuggets of info. All of the exhibits are hands-off, but they do have a lot of historical exhibits like the uniforms over the years, vehicles and boats created to enter the US, vehicles and even a boat previously used by BP. There is also a wall for those that have donated and two rooms for those that have lost their lives serving in the BP. I'd really like to see some hands-on things at the museum that can really round out the education portion for kids that come to the museum. And I think there are some easy things they could do, like create a replica fingerprinting exhibit where a kid could be "fingerprinted". Or replica uniforms where a kid could put on a replica jacket from the 1980s and have a few pictures snapped with their parents. The gift shop is pretty nice. There's mugs, shirts, postcards, keychains, blankets, and more all with "Border Patrol" on it so you can commemorate your trip to the museum.

This is a free museum, and they depend upon the donations of those that visit, so keeping that in mind, they have done a pretty good job. The museum is definitely on the smaller side, but it does have a lot of history and plenty to read and look at while you're inside. They have a lot of vintage vehicles, and a few exhibits where you can learn about how the Border Patrol was formed and how they have changed over the years. The people working at the museum were very nice and informative. I spent about an hour looking around with my girlfriend and she thought it was a pretty good museum too. They have a little gift shop as well if you're interested in a souvenir or something to remember the visit.

If you are passing through El Paso or you live in the area and have never been to this museum you really should add it to your list of things to do! It is a small (free of charge - but leave a donation!) museum with a lot of great history. The kids can check out the different vehicles and even climb into them as well.

I didn't plan to stay at this museum for over an hour. From the outside it doesn't look big at all. When you walk in you're greeted and asked to sign in to their guest book. The museum is free, but they do accept donations since it is not federally funded. To your left their are a few quads, cars and a helicopter that you can sit on and pose for photos. They don't allow video recording though. My son especially loved sitting in the helicopter. This was his favorite part of the museum we probably spent a good 30 minutes in this area alone. Someone said in a previous review that they think this museum is for kids 12 and over and I have to disagree... my son is 2 and this was probably the most fun he had in our day trip to El Paso. There is also a gift shop with your average collectibles. Key chains, shot glasses, challenge coins, T shirts etc... Lastly after the museum we walked the little train that is in between the boarder patrol museum and the archeology museum. It's probably less than a half a mile total and easy enough that any one can do it.

Awesome free museum. Lots for the kids to run around and jump on. Really interesting exhibits showing all kinds of actual items used for drug smuggling and people smuggling. Lots of guns. Easily best free museum out there.

I'd been wanting to visit this museum and finally had the opportunity to do so. It's a great museum that provides information on the fascinating history and evolution of the US Border Patrol. There is a wall honoring PAs who perished in the line of duty, which I found very touching. Additionally, the exhibits describing the tunnel system and the K-9 units were very informative and interesting. The challenge coin collection is really cool. Learn a lot and be generous with your donation!

Lol at the guy working on Saturday June 26th that told me that they were closed at 3:50pm. I said the sign says 9-5.. and he goes, on Saturday we "unofficially close at 4pm." Federal employees right? Figures. What a mess.

Great museum. Definitely a must do if you come through El Paso. Lots of history on Border Patrol and their depaetments history. You will learn about the weapons confiscated and tools used to get through the border. They also have weapons, cameras, vehicles, a Chopper, a boat, and other cool tools and weapons used as a defense to fight and keep the border safe.

It was very cute and the history made it so interesting. The souvenir shop was so cool with unique gifts. the memorial room is very heartwarming. I recomend everyone to stop by and see it.

The Border Patrol Museum fits well into a weekend jaunt over to the Northeast. It combines nicely with the Museum of Archaeology, which is right next door, and a hike up to the Mammoth. As for what's inside-- the museum is small, but actually manages to pack in quite a number of exhibits (both interactive and viewing only). The highlight for me was the Willies Jeep (bright turquoise!!); for my fiancé, it was the "Seized Weapons" exhibit, over in the back left corner. There is also a very nice display on the usage of K9 Units in Border Patrol. Make sure you read the sign about Ninja, the Border Patrol K9 with the largest number of "discoveries." Very impressive, and adorable to boot! Keep in mind that this museum is on the small side, so you may only need to plan for an hour or so. It is also free, with a donation box by the front door. They suggest a dollar or two apiece, which is very fair. All in all, a great start to a Saturday morning!

FREE and educational on the history of the U.S. Border Patrol. Some really cool antique BP/Law Enforcement tools and efforts. A bit out of the way in NE El Paso. If you are interested in seeing some old BP stuff and history this is cool. They also have shirts & various trinkets. Love the lapel pins. Works wonders wearing them when I cross the border. LMAO.

Well worth the price of admission (free). Entire museum is located inside except for a boat out back. Will take about an hour to make your way through it if you read every printed thing in the place. Lots of vehicles for kids to climb in/on. Visit the El Paso archeology museum next door while you are here.

Awesome museum, very clean and educational. Great place to adventure with kids and its free

Informative and educational museum on the history of the U.S. Border Patrol. Many interesting things to read, a movie to watch, and plenty of other interactive displays. Admission is FREE, there is plenty of parking, and the employees were helpful and friendly. Don't forget to visit the gift shop in the back of the museum before heading out! They have lots of neat shirts, hats, and more!

Enjoyed checking out the exhibits in this museum. Some of the items on display were U.S. Border Patrol vehicles, a boat, jet ski, ATV, helicopter, firearms, uniforms, historical items, and examples of homemade contraptions used to enter the U.S. A short video that was available for viewing was quite interesting and provided some insight into the job of a border patrol agent. There is a gift shop in the back corner of the museum.

A great place to learn our history of how theses brave men and women have protected us selflessly for so many years. A nice gift shop is in museum. There are numerous displays to see both inside and out. This is a nonprofit so go out and support this cool and interesting place.

Love it here came here years and years ago for a elementary school trip and loved it. My uncle works for BP so I appreciate this museum so much and love their mercy and little nic nacks

Great museum lots of displays things to read and history everything you've ever wanted to know about the Border Patrol

The museum staff were very knowledgeable, & very helpful in research for my book. Thank ya all

Nice small museum. The had vehicles a plane and helicopter on display. Very nice history. Some really unusual information and displays. I would have liked to hear more about how and where the smugglers hide drugs and what is being done to keep terrorism out.

Interesting information on the timelines of the Border Patrol. Static displays were great, but maybe more A/V?

Good place to check out. A lot of history on the U.S. Border Patrol and their mission. They have a lot of different exhibits, photos, and even firearms. There is also a helicopter, a Camaro, ATV and even a boat you can check out. The gift shop has a few unique items and books that are interesting.

Great place with some very nice history. I was a bit put-off by the fact that they sell Customs items in their gift shop, but keep them hidden in the back room because according to the nice sales girl, even though CBP and BP are both DHS, some BP agents don't care and don't want to see the CBP items sitting along side the BP items. If this is the case, they shouldn't be selling CBP items in the first place. As a CBP officer, I was a bit offended by this, but made my purchase none the less.

Enjoyed spending the day here, interesting things to see, a must when you visit El Paso (: