McGinn's PistachioLand
McGinn's PistachioLand
4.5
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
About
PistachioLand- 2019 Alamogordo Small Business of the Year. Home of the World's Largest Pistachio, Pistachio Tree Ranch & Arena Blanca Winery -is owned and operated by the McGinn Family and is home to 12,300 trees and 6,000 wine producing grapevines. The original trees were planted in 1980. Today, Pistachio Tree Ranch is a fully integrated farm where the McGinn Family grows pistachios, makes pistachio candy and packages pistachio products sold on their farm and around the United States. Arena Blanca Winery features the McGinn Family's wines produced on the farm from grapes grown in their vineyard. The World's Largest Pistachio was finished in 2008 and was built as a tribute to Tom McGinn, whose vision was to grow pistachios in the New Mexico desert. It stands 30 feet tall and has been featured in New Mexico Magazine. Named a New Mexico Treasure by the NM Cabinet Secretary of Tourism, June 2014, on New Mexico Television episode 3. Open every day. Motorized Farm Tours Daily 10-4.
Duration: 1-2 hours
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- Wano16Plantation, Florida799 contributionsGotta Do It If In The AreaWe didn't do a tour, just shopped in the gift shop. You can find every flavor of pistachios you can image, or even plain ones. Since it was October, I found some pumpkin spice. You got to try it. Pickle flavor was another one, but I didn't care for it much. BarBQue was very good. Garlic was good and any of the ones with honey I liked. Lot's of sourveniers and all kinds of hot sauce. It's definitely worth a stop. Oh, and don't forget a picture with the giant pistachio!Visited October 2023Travelled with friendsWritten 6 October 2023
- Christina BLouisiana6,963 contributionsGreat Stop and Tour !!Great Stop and Tour !! We are on a long vacation in NM and headed to our southern stops. My husband and I both enjoyed the homemade pistachios ice cream (yes there are some blue bell flavors but not this one and a few others). We did the wine tastings and tasted 4, they were OK. Too long waiting and then pushing one I previously said I didn’t like, made me back off. I’m sure some will like them. We just weren’t crazy about those we tried. The store itself is huge with lots of items & free pistachio samples. They have a few types to try. We did buy a couple of bags. The Tour with James was great and very informative. We toured the grapevines and pistachio trees and learned. Recommend to any one there to take the tour. It’s also very inexpensive. My husband and I both enjoy our stop here.Visited October 2023Travelled as a coupleWritten 8 October 2023
- Mary MNaperville, Illinois32 contributionsPistachio visit and trolley rideWe went on the trolley tour. We had Matt as our tour guide very informative. Told us of the history and how the pistachios statue came about. We also stopped and had some ice cream, it was very good. Also tried the different flavors of pistachios and also brought some for home.Thank you for visiting! We're glad you enjoyed the farm tour and and family business.Written 7 November 2023This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.Visited October 2023Travelled as a coupleWritten 19 October 2023
- Crystal P366 contributionsFun place to stopGreat gift shop and very good ice cream. Really amazing variety of flavored pistachios, hot sauce, candy, souvenirs, you name it. The staff there were all extremely pleasant. Long line for ice cream outside, but well worth the wait. I regret that we didn't have the time to take part in one of the tours of the farm.Certainly come back for the farm tour... it's a great way to learn our family farm history and to see how pistachios grow. We are glad you waited to try the pistachio ice cream. We now make it, and a few other flavors, ourselves. We also make the wines and pistachio candies, and flavored pistachios too. Thank you for visiting!Written 7 November 2023This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.Visited October 2023Travelled with familyWritten 19 October 2023
- Jptravelswithfreedom2,195 contributionsFun tour!Fun experience! Our tour guide, Tara, was amazing ! I bought pistachio fudge and decorations for my house. I'll be back to try the ice cream! This is my second visit in four years!Thank you for coming back in to see us again! We are making our own pistachio ice cream and it's worth a visit again to try...at least that's what our customers are telling us. We look forward to seeing you soon!Written 7 November 2023This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.Visited October 2023Travelled with friendsWritten 24 October 2023
- Monica H4 contributionsGirls’ TdipWe stopped at the country store on a girls wine trip. Lori is Fantastic!! The wine was great but her hospitality made our stop memorable. We walked out with 2 bottles of wine each. We will definitely stop again.That's great to hear! She will be glad to know that she made your experience fun.Written 22 April 2024This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.Visited April 2024Travelled with friendsWritten 12 April 2024
- ReadRibbet1,628 contributionsPistachioLand is Always Worth a StopYou will start seeing the signs for PistachioLand as soon as you hit the New Mexico border (and maybe before). It's like the Wall Drug of NM. This was our second time to Pistachio land. The largest pistachio nut is worth the detour just for the photo ops. The store is loaded with pistachio products as well as many other types of souvenirs from t-shirts to wine (tasting available for adults). There is a separate ice cream shop where you can get pistachio flavored ice cream along with other items. There is free off-street parking and tables for outdoor seating. They have clean restrooms. You can actually get tours of the pistachio farm on a tourist bus. It is definitely worth a stop if you are going past and maybe worth a detour if it is not on your travel plans.Visited May 2024Travelled with familyWritten 7 July 2024
- SkwikiBurnaby, Canada1,786 contributionsFun little stop with a huge gift shop and of course the giant pistachioWe had already purchased a bundle of gifts from their other store closer to town. We picked up a few more novelties but basically stopped to get a photo of the giant pistachio. There is a great variety of pistachio and New Mexico souvenirs available. Staff were terrific and the store was very clean.Visited June 2024Travelled as a coupleWritten 13 July 2024
- SunshineGirl2016St. Augustine, Florida95 contributionsFree Nuts, Free Wine and Jack Skellington….Although we had no time for the tours, who could ever passes up a photo-op with a giant pistachio? The award-winning gift and wine shop is very nice…friendly, clean, and lots to see. Free self-serve roasted pistachio samples; 10+ flavors like Dill pickle, ranch, cinnamon, spicy habanero, cocoa and more. Lots of trinkets, tees, snacks. Smokey the Bear hats. Pressed penny machine. Typical souvenirs, but nice quality and large variety. Oh! And an AMAZING selection of flavored, crispy insect treats for those who live life on the edge…photo proof attached. :) If you are a Tim Burton/Jack Skellington fan, stopping here is a must. The perfectly appointed replica must be about 20’ tall! Very cool. And yes, there is such a thing as pistachio wine! Much better than you might think. The property vineyard has many varietals, and offers a large selection of whites and a few reds. Each visitor over 21 may taste four (4) free Arena Blanca wine samples each. The “sweet” wines, although many, are quite nice and dry. Not very sweet at all. I recommend the La Luz, Alamogordo Red and the Pistachio Delight. Wine is $15/bottle. Stop by for the freebies. And I hear the tour is fab.Jack came to visit one Halloween and now he's a permanent fixture who dresses for each season, lol. It's cool that he received a mention! We enjoy farming pistachios and wine grapes, and making our own delicious products. We're so glad that you had a great experience in our farm store!Written 4 August 2024This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.Visited July 2024Travelled as a coupleWritten 22 July 2024
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4.5
1,890 reviews
Excellent
1,376
Very good
396
Average
89
Poor
13
Terrible
16
Heather M
17 contributions
Aug 2020
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). 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. 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. 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. 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. Probably spent 90 minutes to 2 hours in total including eating (what else) pistachio ice cream!
Written 8 August 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you so much Heather for the great feedback and description of our tour. It is definitely a great time to visit and take the tour. It's the growing season and we harvest now through September. The brittle is really the best anywhere, and we make it nearly every day. We also hand-craft our chocolates, cookies, fudge and glazed pistachios too. It is one of the things that sets us apart from other farms. We look forward to hearing from you again, and we will pass on your review to Matt.
Written 18 August 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Vistaviewer77
La Vista, NE176 contributions
Feb 2021 • Couples
Friendly place. Bought some pistachios. Gift shop has typical tchotchkes but the fresh nuts are very good and make super cute gifts especially if you purchase the nuts that are in burlap bags. Ice cream station out front. Tours not operating due to covid but would enjoy taking one in the future. The worlds largest pistachio sculpture in the front makes this the perfect photo op so don’t miss it!
Written 25 February 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for visiting our farm and the World's Largest Pistachio, of course. We're glad to hear you enjoyed your visit and our friendly staff. We hope you can return for the farm tour. Once the trees bloom, it's even more interesting to take the tour through our vineyards and pistachio orchards. Thanks so much for the feedback!
Written 28 February 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
SoloMode
Lakewood, CO302 contributions
Aug 2021
They have so many flavors of pistachios and they have samples so you can try before you buy. I brought them back for friends and family and everyone loved them. All the pistachios come from the farm so they are super fresh and better than any I have ever had before. The pistachio brittle is made on site and is wonderful, especially the chocolate dipped brittle. I regret not buying multiple bags of that because to my dismay they don’t sell it on their website. In addition to the candy and nuts, they have some other local products like salsas and hot sauces. I bought a friend the roaster reaper and he’s already having more shipped to him. The wines are good too and you can sample 4 of them. It’s definitely worth stopping and take the farm tour, it’s wonderful.
Written 15 August 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Not to worry! We only take down the chocolate items from our website during the hot months. Starting in October, we will have them all back online. We're so glad you enjoyed our farm tour and hand-made products!
Written 20 August 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Hooked_on_travel77
Franklin, NC3,146 contributions
Apr 2021
We did not do the tour but it was still a fun stop to look at the huge store/gift shop. I had some trouble with so many flavors being offered as I was only used to the regular salted variety. The garlic and the lemon lime were flavors I could not get used to yet the two chile varieties were quite good. There certainly is a flavor for everyone. Rather crowded during a late April weekend. The tall pistachio statue is certainly unique.
Written 25 May 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We appreciate your feedback! Yes, we make many, many flavors of pistachios and candies too. It's just plain fun to invent so many unique ones. Plus we know you can't just buy one, so we offer a variety bag called "The Works". We do get busy, especially weekends, but we guess people really want to see that giant nut outside....lol. Thanks for visiting!
Written 26 June 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
TR26
Dayton, OH903 contributions
Mar 2023
I was a little disappointed because a truck crash along the way held us up and we had only 15 minutes to experience this place. I was delighted. Who knew that this was a pistachio production center, or for that matter so productive in a wide range of agriculture? I wish I'd had time for a tasting of their wines--in any case, I bought some local honey and jelly. Of course, got a photo of the world's largest pistavhio sculpture. I only wish I'd had more stime.
Written 8 March 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Erin M
Round Rock, TX5 contributions
Apr 2021 • Family
Very cute shop with lots of different nuts to chose from, not just pistachios. The tour isn't very long but you learn a LOT of information about the founders and both the vineyard and orchards. The tour guide is very sweet and knowledgeable and was great with the random questions my child likes to ask. Plus who doesn't want to see the world's largest pistachio.
Written 27 April 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
BruinDan
Fullerton, CA3,197 contributions
Feb 2022
Located on US Highway 54 on the northern outskirts of Alamogordo, McGinn’s PistachioLand is a testament to the suggestive power of roadside billboards.
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. 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.
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. 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.
PistachioLand itself was nicer than I thought it would be. Located next to a grove of pistachio trees, it has a convenience store, an ice cream shop, and even a wine tasting counter. But the big draw is the very large and well-kept snack section, where they feature their own McGinn-branded snacks, including (of course) all forms and flavors of pistachios, plus mixed nuts and flavored popcorn as well. And, the restrooms were clean.
So, if you’re in the area and need to stretch your legs or stock up on unique road trip snacks, McGinn’s PistachioLand is worth a stop.
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. 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.
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. 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.
PistachioLand itself was nicer than I thought it would be. Located next to a grove of pistachio trees, it has a convenience store, an ice cream shop, and even a wine tasting counter. But the big draw is the very large and well-kept snack section, where they feature their own McGinn-branded snacks, including (of course) all forms and flavors of pistachios, plus mixed nuts and flavored popcorn as well. And, the restrooms were clean.
So, if you’re in the area and need to stretch your legs or stock up on unique road trip snacks, McGinn’s PistachioLand is worth a stop.
Written 8 March 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for the great review! Yes, we enjoy growing pistachios and wine grapes and then making our own wines, and many, many, many flavors of pistachios and candies. We craft our fabulous brittles, chocolates and more by hand daily in our farm store kitchen. The pistachio statue..."The World's Largest Pistachio" is a monument built in honor of our father, Thomas McGinn, whose dream it was to farm in New Mexico. Today, our farm is home to over 12,000 pistachio trees and 7,500 grape vines. About the billboards ..we enjoy roadside attractions when we travel across America and have also followed billboards to get to those places ourselves. AND ..yes, we want visitors. We also get visitors because we are between White Sands and two very popular mountain resorts, Cloudcroft and Ruidoso. RV'ers, families, and visitors all over the world visit our part of New Mexico and there is bountiful recreation, so naturally along the tourist highway, we see many visitors. We are so blessed! Thank you for telling others about your experience at PistachioLand!
Written 17 March 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
llassocs
Houston, TX181 contributions
June 2023
This is a tourist trap. There is a huge store with overpriced nuts, jams, jellies, and other food stuffs, along with the tourist souvenirs. There is a wine bar with free wine tasing. I tried 2 wines which were so bad I couldn't drink the sample. The lady behind the bar was a bit rude too. The main attraction seemed to be the Blue Bell ice cream. There was a long line for the ice cream, which I didn't understand since you can buy Blue Bell anywhere. If you are serious about wanting to try good pistachios and good wine, go next door to Heart of the Desert.
Written 8 June 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you so much for visiting our family farm! We have grown pistachios and wine grapes for decades now and we understand that not everyone will appreciate our farm-made wines, pistachio candies and nuts and our very own pistachio ice cream made on site...these are the things that make our farm unique. We were once a small store when we opened it in 1995, and over the years many more tourists and visitors starting coming to see us., and of course asking for souvenirs and other food stuffs aside from our farm grown pistachios. My family has worked hard to be successful at farming as well as providing a tourist destination with quality products that we hand craft. We understand the one star rating was based upon your dislike of our wine and the popularity of our business and still appreciate that you took the time to visit our 111 acre farm and store.
Written 9 June 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
DrNickatNite
Spartanburg, SC461 contributions
May 2022
The Giant Pistachio harkens back to the heyday of Roadside America, and this place offers travelers just about everything for a refreshing stop on the journey: Wine tastings, an Ice cream shop, snacks, souvenirs, and of course.... pistachios! The people here were very friendly and made you feel glad you stopped in. We didn't allow time to do the tour, but everything else made the stop worthwhile.
Written 22 June 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Courtney M
Oceanside, CA166 contributions
July 2023 • Family
We stopped to see the world’s largest pistachio. The fun was going inside and sampling the different flavors they have and trying out the pistachio ice cream! Definitely a unique pit stop to see!
Written 1 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for visiting! We truly enjoy creating and making our own products on site, which makes us unique to the area. We're glad to hear that you enjoyed our farm-made pistachio ice cream and the many flavors of pistachios that we make.
Written 6 July 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Is there parking available for a large RV (60 feet)?
Written 27 October 2023
Hello! We apologize for the late response as we did not see this question until now. For future tour riders, the answer is that it depends on the tour guide and the number of fellow tourists! However, you can expect to be on the tour from 20-45 minutes.
Written 9 April 2022
Do I need to book the tour in advance? I'm hoping to take a tour (4 of us total) on Sunday 9/23 afternoon. Thank you!
Written 14 August 2019
Hello! We have a website to pre book tours. It is recommended if you are looking to tour on weekends or holidays. Simply go to PistachioLand and click book tour. Otherwise, we operate tours every day 10am to 4 pm at the top of each hour. You can walk in to our 7320 Hwy 54 70 location and purchase tickets also.
Written 23 August 2019
Buenas tardes, me gustarĂa saber la mejor Ă©poca para visitarlos, cual es el tiempo de cosecha. Gracias
Written 8 July 2019
Buenas Tardes! Puede venir en cualquier temporada. Estamos abiertos de Lunes a Viernes de 9:00am a 5:00pm y los fines de semana de 9:00am a 6:00pm. Nuestra cosecha es durante todo el mes de Septiembre!!!
Written 8 July 2019
Hello! No, we are not set up to accept the EBT card. We do accept all major credit cards.
Written 25 July 2018
Hello! The pistachios are visible on the trees during the summer, and we harvest in the fall. Our visitors are able to walk up to the trees and also see them on our motorized farm tour. Our tour guides can pick a couple pistachios to show them to our visitors. We do not have a you pick and buy system for our crop due to food regulations. I hope this information is helpful and we look forward to seeing you at PistachioLand.
Written 13 March 2018
We are going to be in the area for Spring Break in march, and we are just staying in Alamogordo for one night. Could we cram White Sands National Monument and a tour in in one day?
Written 28 January 2017
Hello! Yes, you can do both. Our tour lasts about 30 minutes. You can expect to spend an hour to an hour and 1/2 at our location. White Sands is a 30 minute drive west of us. I suggest the morning with us and then drive to White Sands in the late morning hours when temperatures in March are warmer.
Written 28 January 2017
Hello! Thank you for your interest in our farm tours. Although we provide the tour all year, 7 days a week, the best time to see the pistachios growing on the trees is from May-October. The wine grapes are on the vines too, until late July. During late July(grape harvest) and again in September(pistachio harvest), while on the tour bus you may catch a view of the actual harvesting process too. I hope this information is helpful. We are open every day from 9am to 5pm at 1-800-368-3081.
Written 8 January 2017
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