Heart of the Desert Reviews

This is THE PLACE to go for everything pistachio!!! Plentiful selection of pistachios (duh) and a myriad of other gift possibilities. PLUS they have some pretty yummy ice cream. When you are in the Tularosa Basin, make sure you go and visit these friendly folks. You WON’T be disappointed 👍🏻👍🏻

Stopped in. to learn more about pistachios and we did - Was interesting and fun to try many samples. Bonus to the great wine tastings too. Excellent friendly staff and cute store!

This is not the kind of thing we tend to do, but decided we wanted an excuse to stop by Alamogordo after visiting White Sands NM, and took the tour at Heart of the Desert Pistachios. It really was a delight. April was our guide and she was articulate, friendly and very, very knowledgeable. And she encouraged us to ask any questions at every stop. How the family built this farm from literally nothing over the past 4 plus decades is inspiring, and the tour is free. I guarantee you will learn something about pistachios, and this group of dedicated people who work together to craft a delicious product. Hopefully you are lucky enough to have April as your guide.

I bought olive oil and vinegar from here. They have samples and you can taste all of them. They also have a cute section of gifts as well.

My wife and I were on vacation and we were glad we chose to stop.
The service was great. The wine was OK. The ice cream was excellent. The pistachio nuts are great and make great gift ideas for friends and family back home.
Yes, we recommend stopping here if you're anywhere in the area.

We really enjoyed our tour of Heart of The Desert. April was our guide and she was fantastic. Everyone at the facility is really nice and you feel like you are part of the family and at home. I would definitely recommend Heart of the Desert to anyone passing thru Alamagordo

We always stop here when in Alamo. We love the pistachios, the chocolates, the wine, and just about everything else.

What a hidden gem. Be sure to stop and take the tour of the pistachios. Of course you will need to sample the wine. We bought both the wine and pistachios. It is also good to know that they offer gift baskets so we can enjoy the tasty treats just by ordering on line. What a great gift to get! They have a beautiful patio to relax in and one of the best gift shops that I have seen. Enjoy!

We stopped in on a Sunday and was not able to taste or buy any pistachio wine. However, the clerks were quite pleasant offering samples of pistachio candy, biscotti, and ice cream as well as flavored nuts. Top this off with clean facilities and the stop was quite pleasant. We will try to stop on another day next time.

Two ladies worked in shop, one of them needs to do more staff training in regard to speaking to tourists.
Still purchased some pistachios to nibble on, while on our road trip.

Less touristy than McGinns's down the street. Pistachios are ok (not nearly as good as those from CA) and wine was much too sweet for us. Better to stop at McGinns's for a photo op with the giant pistachio but not worth buying any.

We took the tour and learned a lot about the family and how they got into the pistachio business. We also learned a lot about how Heart of the Desert grows, harvests and processes the pistachios. We bought some things in the gift shop and it was wonderful that you can taste before you buy.

Heart of the Desert was our favorite pistachio spot in Alamogordo. The gift shop is nice, where you can buy everything pistachio, along with an olive oil tasting and a wine tasting. Yes you can even get pistachio wine.
We stepped back into the wine room and met Lisa for our wine tasting. She was knowledgeable about the wines and honestly their wines were fabulous. Very drinkable, and we enjoyed each and everyone. We even ended up buying a bottle we would drink at our hotels along the road. Lisa was fun to visit with and we did try a few of the olive oils and meandered around the gift shop. A good place to buy those gifts for those back home.

A fun spot to stop and enjoy for an hour or so. They do offer a tour of the pistachio farm, but we didn't have enough time, so passed on it this trip.
Definitely check them out if you find yourself in the area.

This place is a "must see" and "taste"...there are many free samples and all are delicious. We bought 10 pounds of pistachios to bring back to Florida. Pistachios can stay fresh in the refrigerator for over a year....live and learn.

A definite stop whenever you pass through. Love their pistachios especially the garlic and green chile flavor. It's a bomb!!! They have a nice selection of wine too and you can enjoy it at their pretty patio.

Pets not welcome!!! I went in with my 5lb dog that was on a leash and they wouldn’t let me shop. McGinn pistachio farm and store just down the road IS PET Friendly and they have a much nicer staff!! You can also get your picture taken with a huge pistachio nut! The prices are a lot cheaper at McGinn as well. I can see why this place was dead compared to McGinn. Don’t waste your time here. I make this trip often to Ruidoso from Tucson and I’m happy I’ve found McGinn. I won’t be back to this place and neither will my family.

Walking into Heart of the Desert truly felt like you were in the Heart of the Desert!
The ladies were so friendly and helpful and patient. They gave our children ice-cream samples as my husband and I sampled the pistachios and fresh pistachio treats! They offered us wine sampling and pictures on the patio, and they even "babysat" the children's choice stuffed animals while we were there! A lady with shoulder length dark hair was exceptionally nice and accommodating! WE ABSOLUTELY RECOMMEND HEART OF THE DESERT for all your pistachio needs, and gift shopping! We went to McGinn's Pistachioland down the road, and they never even said hello. After 15 minutes we left and we will NEVER GO TO MCGINN'S again. We headed straight to Heart of the Desert where life is friendly and heartfelt and welcoming!

We were very curious to learn about pistachios. We came out of this place with a better understanding of this great nut. We also tried their wines and all were great. They also have a great gift shop. This is one place you will want to stop in.

If you are serious about wanting to try good pistachios and good wine, this is the place to go in Alamogordo. It is a small place, but it has very high-quality products. The staff is incredible. They are so friendly, helpful, and informative. There are several flavors of pistachios to sample, all of which we liked. There are numerous size options of bags so there is something in every price point. There is, also, a wine bar with free wine tasting. All the wines we tried were good. There were two we particularly liked, and because of the excellent price, we were able to buy several bottles. There is a large selection of flavored olive oils and balsamic vinegars. Being a connoisseur of such, I bought several. I highly recommend Heart of the Desert over McGinns.

Such a hospitable place. We are enjoying our New Mexico vacation and stopped here. Wonderful pistachios, and other homegrown products. The wines were sensational. Tracy is doing an awesome job with the wine tasting. Highly recommend this spot.

Stopped in for some wine- got a full glass and sat out on their nice patio to enjoy the beautiful weather. The gift shop was cute...we picked up a few items for later. We also had some pistachio brittle while drinking our wine- very yummy.

This is the original pistachio farm. The staff are very friendly and knowledgeable. They have a gift shop that has useful things at a fair price. We had some pistachio ice cream that was not only very good but they gave you a good portion. The out side sitting area is first class with top grade furniture to sit and relax with your wine or ice cream. Will certainly return again.

People in this area are very friendly and eager to help. The workers at Heart of the Desert are no acception.

The wines were not very good, too sweet and little complexity. However the pistachios were amazing! Many different types to taste. We bought several.

APRIL provided a lively tour of the pistachio making facilities. She was engaging, had a neat sense of humor, and we learned a lot (put your nuts in the fridge?). Lynn and others were very kind, for wine tasting (we bought the pistachio rose wine), candy tasting, and gelato - everyone had a smile and a hope to help. Great tour, pleasant shopping experience..

The tour was super interesting! Loved hearing the facts about growing pistachios and how the company not only got started but how they’ve expanded. Tour was about 45minutes but sure didn’t seem that long. Great sampling of their wines and pistachio products.

The tour guide and staff were all very warm and fun.

Kids would like this tour too!

road construction made it a little difficult to get in, but glad we did. staff was knowledgeable and provided some good stories. tried a red, whites were better. and, then there were the pistachios. lots of flavors, from sugary to spicy. prices were better than other places we visited in the area. fortunately, they ship to our area, so we'll restock after we finish the bottles we brought home.

You will NOT be disappointed! We were warmly welcomed as soon as we stepped foot inside. We were given the layout of the store… & were welcomed & felt like, we were able to stay as long as we’d like. Enjoyed our tour about pistachios & their business. We enjoyed chatting with them as we enjoyed our samples of oils, vinegars, chocolates & of course the wine tasting. We had such a great welcoming vibe from this place.
After, I’ll admit, we went over to the competitors to see & experience more on pistachios here in Alamogordo. We did not get much of a warm welcome, just a hello from workers & it was so commercialized. We left shortly after. We then returned to Heart of the Desert & we were proud to spend our money here instead! It felt nice to support this cosy private business. They made us dedicated customers who will forever speak highly of this place & support it when we can.
Thank you for the beautiful experience.

I didn't have any wine so I can't speak to that, but they have a nice little gift shop with all different types of pistachio products. We always stop on the way to or from White Sands. I would recommend checking it out.

Having been on the road for 12 days and covering almost 3,500 miles in that time frame on business, I had one more stop to make. The Heart of the Desert Pistachio and Wine stop in Alamogordo! I was too late by 10 minutes! The shop had already closed. I approached the door and the manager, an extremely nice lady let me in when I let her know I was current customer and was on their wine club. I was elated. I immediately called out the wine selections I needed and quickly grabbed the pistachios that were on my list. I couldn't believe my luck! In addition to making my day and my trip complete, this last minute stop save me 1 1/2 hours or more of travel time since I was able to depart the area before the shop opened the next day. I'm a customer for life and you should be too if you're reading this!

I stopped by this excellent place just because it was open and it said they had wine tastings. I ended up buying wine and signing up for the pistachio tour the following day. It is family owned. The tour was informative and family friendly. Their patio is amazing. I would love to go back for an event.

We stopped in on a Sunday, and although there were no formal tours on the weekend, Tiffany gave us a 'personal tour', answered all of our questions, took our pictures and made this a SUPER enjoyable stop! We went on down the road to the next Pistachio place, which although larger.... didn't have the same 'classy vibe' OR Tiffany!!! Delicious pistachio samples, wine tasting, and a lovely patio to sit out and look at the pistachio trees!

Stopped in for pistachios, ice cream and a wine tasting. Definitely a Quaint place and friendly staff (Tracy) who made us feel at home on our way back from White Sands National Park.

My family and I have been visiting Alomogordo and the pistachio ranch since I was a kid. I'm 25 and grew up in Wisconsin, but am on my 6 trip to New Mexico and have never skipped a visit to Heart of the Desert. It has grown a lot over the years, especially with the addition of The Patio! Unfortunately for us, there was a wedding the night of our visit so we were unable to see the new facility. This stop is a must to pick up edible souvenirs or gifts. Be sure to try one of their pistachio ice cream cones, you won't regret it!

Stopped at Heart of the Desert, mainly to pick up a bag of pistachios. We were too early in the day for the tour, as well as early in the season. Probably the best time is late summer/early fall during harvest. We had a wine tasting and sampled some nuts before buying a bag and bottle or two. Had to try the pistachio wine of course. Not bad. All the wine offerings were sweet, but good. Personnel was friendly. I’ll stop by again on my next visit in Oct.

Our guide was April and she was fantastic! We picked up some of the new chipotle bbq pistachios and we can’t stop eating them!! We always stop by whenever we’re in Alamogordo and wanted to take the tour this time! Learned lots of cool stuff!

This family has been growing pistachios longer than anyone else, and it shows! I've been coming here since this was a little log cabin store front and I'll keep coming back. Great flavor varieties, candies, wine, and gifts. If you are looking for a local gift for somebody, this should be your first stop!

Never seen a pistachio tree before. Got a one-on-one tour with seasoned employees who knew a lot about the process and business. Tour went from beginning to end, including processing and packaging. Very interesting.

We have now been to Heart of the Desert twice. There is a shop offering a variety of excellent pistachio products. My wife loved the white chocolate pistachio ice cream. They offer a variety of wines, which you can sample before buying. I recommend taking the tour. April took us through the entire facility and was a friendly and knowledgeable guide. The tour was about 45 minutes and was definitely worth the time. Thanks April!

After munching some New Mexico freshly grown pistachios, I now know the difference between old and fresh! The green chili and garlic flavor ones are over the top! I gave a package to my Georgia friends and are begging me to send more and even willing to pay double price!!!
If you travel down to Alamogirdo, tasting the pistachio ice cream is worth the trip!
They also have mail order for gifts which helps with those last minute gifts.

Visited Heart of the Desert on a whim with my mom, dad, brother, and sister in law. Best decision EVER! April was kind enough to take us on a short tour and she was such a great tour guide. Very informative. I would suggest stopping here to anyone passing through!

This place is like a gem in the middle of the desert. It's a pistachio farm, wine tasting, gift shop, and great fun all rolled in to one stop. The tour at 10 and 1:30 is a treat like no other. We were vacationing in Ruidoso for the month of August, and with guests coming in at all time, we made several trips to Heart of the Desert. Autumn was our tour guide and she was fabulous and so knowledgeable. The wines are great and it's hard to walk away without purchasing something from the gift shop. And speaking of gifts, I decided to send a gift basket back home to our friends who were taking care of our house. I went online and it was so easy not to mention how prompt they were in shipping the basket. The owners are so down home and friendly as well as all the other employees. Again, this is a MUST for you vacation.

The staff was very friendy and helpfull. We took the tour, we learned a lot. Our tour guide Kelly was great and very informative. They have a lot of great products in the store. I would definitely recommend a visit here.

A real treat to visit. No masks required. For us, a nice break from outdoor activities in hot NM sun. Our tour was led by April, she was very knowledgeable and friendly. We learned about the fascinating processes required to make delicious pistachio treats. We were talking about it later in the day. Samples of chocolate, pistachio, ice cream and wine. All products were very high quality and fair price. You cannot go wrong. The most friendly customer service, very helpful. We love pistachios and wine, so yes we made some purchases. Veteran owned and generous veteran discount on purchases. I am always appreciative of businesses that extend veteran discount. Thank you for making our first must see stop in Alamogordo a great experience.

Wine tasting and selling ... pistachio tasting and selling ... and just an overall place to stop if you are on that road or in Alamogordo.

Driving through Alamogordo and decided to stop at heart of the desert. We decided to do the free wine tasting. The wines were very good and the floor supervisor Lisa was very friendly. If we happen to be in the area again it’s a definite stop for us from now on.

I have been here several times over many years. This place is so nice to visit. Free wine samples, free informative tour of pistachio farming and processing. The people here are always friendly and helpful. Great wines nuts and more. Nice gift shop with a lot of variety of items. They have flavored olive oils and balsamic vinegars. Ice cream is good too!! I try to stop here every time I come through town.

Everyone was so extremely kind and pleasant. We enjoyed our visit. We especially enjoyed the tour of the pistachio farm.

We had a tour by Xochitl. She was very knowledgeable and showed that she really enjoyed working at the ranch. If you get the opportunity to take the tour, do it with her. We enjoyed sitting on the patio and having a drink and some food after the tour. It was very nice and very relaxing.

Had a great look through the pistachio processing and packaging thanks to our tour guide April, who kept us entertained and answered all our questions.

Gorgeous patio. Friendly folks. Wonderful, thorough tour of the farm and factory.
Bought lots of gifts for friends here.

We loved this place the tour guide Sam she was wonderful and friendly and funny. Than we did the wine tasting I’ll not a wine drinker but bought some OMG very good. On to the gift shop for presents and ended with gelato on the patio. 3 hours later we are still talking about it. Now you don’t have to spend that much here time but we took it all in and all the ladies in the store was friendly and pleasant. They know how to treat people I wish I could be here more often but live in California thank you so much for a fun time

Linda H

Who knew the New Mexico desert was the ideal place to grow pistachios - all you ever hear about is California nuts. This family-owned operation was an unexpected delight. They have all things pistachio, from chocolate-covered to spicy chile-infused. They offer free wine tasting, featuring wines made from grapes they grow, including, of course, a pistachio-flavored wine, and have a variety of microbrews for sale as well - alas, there is no free tasting. The patio is a great place to relax and enjoy a glass of wine. They also have free samples of their products in the store. We even saw the owners out and about.

Don't miss the tour of the operation, which happens twice a day during the summer and once a day during the off-season. It lasts about 45 minutes and you will learn quite a bit about pistachio trees, how they are harvested, and how the nuts are processed & packaged. The staff is friendly and love to talk about the operation.

It is well worth a day trip from Ruidoso, Las Cruces and even El Paso.

This is the first time I see pistachio trees. The place has a farm in the back of their building, which also has a nice patio-like environment to chill out. The staff told us that we could taste wine and have samples of pistachios. We had a few pistachios and they were delicious. I ended up buying lots of souvenir here. Great way to do a business, kudos!

We visited with our (2) grandsons and were greeted at the door by a young lady who explained where everything in the store could found (even the restroom). We were offered free samples of the different pistachio flavors (the kids liked the red chili) and candies they had. Of course we bought some pistachios. What really impressed me was the very personal attention we were given by all the employees.

We enjoyed our visit. The wine tasting was fun. The back patio area was beautiful. The staff was very friendly and courteous.

We tasted wine, candy,olive oil and some vinegar. All of it was just fantastic. Our hosts were very accommodating and gave us some great recommendations!!

We stopped in for a tour as we had time to kill before heading up to Albuquerque. This is def the place to go if you’ve got a love of pistachios and are in town!! I liked it more than the one up the road A LOT. This tour offers more of a full overview of the entire process of harvesting and packing the pistachios. These are my daughter’s favorite food so it was extra special for her. :) You’ll start out in the grove and be taken through the processing plant and back into the packaging and shipping buildings too. Really interesting to see how it all goes down and watch the equipment being used. Our guide Samantha was excellent, whoever hired her knew what they were doing. She gave a great tour and even though it was just myself and 2 kids on the tour she gave it 10/10 effort. She was able to answer every question, smiled and was cheerful, and was was enthusiastic about what she was doing. Avoid the crowds and stop here for a calm and informative visit.

Been here many times. Try the pistachio wine. It is a world of pistachios. Nuts covered in chocolate, honey, hot sauce and other flavors. Lots of free samples. Friendly, nice staff. Just a nice place to stop in the middle of the desert. Walk around. Many, many gift ideas and items for the home.

The wine is good and the many flavored of pistachios are wonderful. With all the other things they sell you will drop some cash on something.

Heart of the Desert/Eagle Ranch has the nicest gift shop. I have not had a chance to take the tour, but would really like to see the full operation. The staff is very friendly. There are lots of gift choices. I really love going into the shop and just looking around, even finding something special to buy. For wine lovers, there is a wine tasting room just off the back of the shop with places to sit. The whole place is picturesque, from the gazebo out front with the horse statue to the perfectly aligned pistachio trees that stretch for quite a ways. I was in the marching band in high school, so I enjoy seeing the absolutely straight lines and then the diagonals. (We always had to make sure both were straight when we lined up!) They make the candy which is so good. They will give you samples to try and seem really happy to let you choose as many as you want. Don't miss this if you are traveling Hwy 54/70 between Tularosa and Alamogordo.--

We were their first customers of the day and they were warm and welcoming. The facility was sparkling clean and the personnel were very helpful, both in the nut room and the wine tasting room. It was refreshing to be able to taste without pay 6 to 10 dollars for the privilege! our party of 4 rewarded them by purchasing many bottles of wine and several bags of Pistachios..

We arrived an hour before closing and found the store empty. The two women working the counter were not overly friendly and made us feel unwelcomed. I understand we were visiting with our kids but they never left our side and we held our six year olds hand the entire time. I feel we would have been treated differently if we would have left our daughters behind. The samples were good but not better than the competitor next door. After spending four days in Alamogordo and meeting so many kind people we were somewhat surprised at the women here. Sorry, but we bought next door as the employees were kind and made us feel welcome.

We enjoyed the tour. It was fun to have the wine sampling and then we had ice cream on their wonderful deck. It overlooked the orchard. Lots of pistachio things to buy in the store.

I stopped really quick just to buy pistachio wine. The staff is really nice and the place is clean. The tours are free.
I highly recommend stopping here!

Whenever we are in Alamogordo, we always have to visit the Heart of the Desert store. It specializes in pistachios and wine but they have lots of other gift items and clothing as well. They have tastings of the nuts and the wine (only after noon on Sundays). We did not take the tour so can't help you there but the pistachios are delicious and make great gifts. They come in all flavors. There is a wine bistro in the back of the store with wine samplings and packaged wines for your purchase or just get a glass for yourself. There are tables to relax for a while. I love going to this place. I see something new every time I am there. The staff are very friendly and helpful.

Kids loved it, so did we. Beautiful place, infomrative free tour, delicious nuts and wines. It was really hot but worth the stop!

Very informational and intimate tour. Beautiful venue for special events. Gift shop filled with small business products as opposed to "Made in China" trinkets. Loved infused oil and vinegar bar. We stumbled on accidentally is truly a hidden gem.

Heart of the Desert is an upscale stop for both tourists and locals. Not only a pistachio ranch, it is also a nice winery with unique selections that go well with any meal. Their reds are very good and their whites range from very dry to a sweet and tasty moscato. Our favorite is their rose, a pistachio rose that has an excellent rose taste with a background hint of pistachio. It goes extremely well with both meat and fish. They have lovely and kitschy gifts as well as a venue where they provide weekly entertainment. It is worth the stop for the wine tasting alone!

We have been coming here for many years. Their products are very fresh and tasty. The staff are always very friendly. This was the first time we actually took the tour. Our guide was Tyler. She was very knowledgeable, informative and personable. Tour took about 45 minutes. We always stop here when we're in the area.

had fun on tour
selected a case of wine (at a nice price/free tastings)
selected 3 different flavors of pistachios (free tasting)
nice patio to drink a glass of wine (or two)
we were staying at the rv park just down the street(boot hill rv)
Alamogordo,new mexio is a great place to vacation we spent over 2 weeks there
great weather and a bunch of things to see and do on a day trip away

When you visit one you have to visit it's neighbor. I actually liked this farm a little more than the other one.Little classier,quieter and nicely laid out. I found some gifts here for my son and his wife along with some different flavored pistachios. All in all I will go back here before the other but only because it is my preference.

HOD was a wonderful site offering an incredible variety of wine and pistachio products. The beautiful terrace overlooks the surrounding pistachio groves where you can sip a glass and chat with the remarkable staff. Don't miss the chance to meet Lucinda, a world traveler who made our visit especially nice with her suggestions and helpful recommendations on making the right selections for our individual tastes. HOD is conveniently located just minutes outside of Alamogordo on Hwy 52/70 with plenty of available parking. A late afternoon arrival would offer coooler temps and make the terrace even more enjoyable.

Where to begin, didn't plan on taking tour but so glad we did. Very interesting!! Of course, then we went back to visitor ctr/store and bought everything pistachio. Michelle, the manager was very friendly & helpful. Our tour guide was sweet & great at her job. Wish I could remember name of lady who was doing wine tasting, she really did a great job of selling us on the wine. She was very endearing, knowledgeable & an exceptional sales person. Would recommend this to anyone who likes a simple & relaxing time.

We sampled Pistachios, then olive oils and vinegar’s. Then we took the tour it was awesome and informative. Every employee was extremely friendly. This family owned business is ran well and should be very proud of their business. I highly recommend going here.

Great place to spend some time. Excellent selection of their own wines and a gift shop with all the related gifts you could want. They have a beautiful patio with live music some nights and food trucks on Wednesday. You can arrange a tour of the vineyard and the winery. Be sure to taste their wines!

If you like pistachios, this is the place to find many different flavors including red and green chili. We also got to see the trees and how the nuts are harvested. The staff was very friendly and we bought pistachios for us and for family. It was a great stop!

We had a lovely experience here. We had fun sampling pistachios, chocolates, and wine. We enjoyed a bottle of wine on the patio, which was absolutely delightful on a warm day in November. Service was fantastic and friendly. It was a great spot to pick up some gifts to take home. Loved this place!

We come by here every time we come to the southwest. This trip we were going to Phoenix and then to Western Colorado from Central Illinois so Alamogordo wasn't really on the route, but we still wanted shop here so we made the detour to Eagle Ranch, they have the best pistachios. They are always fresh. We also think they have some of the best wines of any place we have been.

This is truly the best place to buy pistachios and pistachio products (dark chocolate pistachio bark to name one.) They also have great wine.
We have been going here for years and have always enjoyed our time here, the staff is great the smells are wonderful and it is just wonderful.

We took the tour (a Homeschool field trip) it was a waking tour, but not a lot of walking, and we were lead by Stephanie and Caroline and they did a wonderful job and were Very patient with all the kids on the field trip.

Great Job, see you soon.

Up for learning about local pistachio farming and wine production? Take a fun little tour and enjoy a family oriented business. Our group asked a ton of questions and Kia, even though it was her first tour, gamely answered everything and was a sweetie about all the silly tangents we went off...very patient woman! The ice cream in the gift shop is not to be missed; I suppose a photo would have been good but I ate it too fast. I bought gifts for everyone back home. Love this place!

Our tour guide, April, she was doing fantastic job to show us around even is on quiet New Year Day. The factory was closed , but she didn't skip ANY stage of the tour. We learned a lot from this tour. Thank you again April and highly recommend!!!

Marked this place to stop at on our way to another destination and so glad we did. Did a little free wine tasting before doing the tour of the pistachio farm and factory. This place has such an interesting history. Lacey and Bree were our tour experts and we learned a lot about growing and harvesting pistachios. We also purchased some of their wines, pistachios, and pistachio products not only for ourselves but as gifts.

This is a great place to check out. The shop had lots of wonderful, fun items, free wine tasting, samples of their pistachios. We stepped right outback to see the Pistachio trees. Great fun and we were so glad we shopped!

We visited the wine tasting room and then came back for the free tour. Lisa and Michaela were our guides. Both were very knowledgeable, answering our many questions about the pistachio orchard and processing facility. It may not sound that exciting, but it was really interesting to hear the history and learn the process the nuts go through.

There is a nice selection of wine, nuts, candy, ice cream, and New Mexico trinkets, but it's very pricey compared to other comparable shops in the area. Plus it's rather crowded with tourists.

I am new to the area and wanted to try this place. I went one evening with my husband and we were not really greeted by the staff. The shop was trying to close,but the wine are was still open for tasting and they were having a "wine down Wednesday party" There were 3 women at the tasting counter that ignored us. I had to acknowledge them, and ask about wine tasting . They gave us the list and poured samples so small that we could barely taste anything. I swear it was like a shot of wine. It wasn't until they saw that we wanted to spend money,that they became friendly. I bought 4 bottles that night and a bag of nuts (it was late, and my husband wanted wine ) I will definitely NOT give them anymore of my money, since they don't know how to welcome their customers.

If you are an inquisitive person, this might be a great stop for you. Learn about the life of a pistachio nut from beginning to end. Doesn't sound interesting? Well, it is actually. After all, who knew those darn closed pistachios were called "tights". Tours are offered at certain times, last about 45 minutes, introduce every part of the production process, and describe how the farm came to be. We found the tour enjoyable, the employees friendly and eager to answer questions (Janice and Mike - thanks), and the pistachios tasty. This can all be done in just under an hour. When its all said and done, pat yourself on the back - you now have a unique topic to discuss when someone breaks out the nuts at the next gathering you attend!

We loved learning about the trees, the nuts, the process to harvest, the sorting, the cooking, the selling - everything!

Went there after visiting McGinns Pistachio farm. Smaller than McGinns and seemed to have less flavors of Pistachios and wine. Nice gift shop, but did not see any signs of a tour.

As my husband and I were on our way to Ruidoso, we made a spontaneous decision to pull off and visit Heart of the Desert. We had a wonderful time tasting the wines, so much so, we bought almost a case of the different varietals and joined their wine club!

Glad we decided to make the stop. They had great wine choices and you could sample them. They also had chocolate and pistachio samples, but they were behind the counter so an employee had to pass thenM to you in a plastic spoon. A beautiful patio where you can sit and drink a glass of wine and look out at over 3,000 pistachio trees. They offer painting wine glasses, and wine bottles and pictures classes. Great selection of wine themed artwork also for sale.

Our family stopped by here on a Wednesday afternoon in mid-May for the farm tour. Our whole family (including four kids aged 6-13) learned a lot about what it takes to grow pistachios. It was fascinating! Our tour guide, April, did a great job. She answered all our questions, was humorous and witty. It is really neat to see a successful family business in action. We enjoyed sampling the pistachios (especially the red chile and lime!) and the pistachio ice cream. We enjoyed eating ice cream on the beautiful outdoor patio, and I was glad to take home a pistachio rose wine. We had a delightful afternoon visiting Heart of the Desert.

I just tasted samples and shopped today. Great for souvenirs and gifts. I will be back for wine tasting and karaoke.

Great stop. Wide variety of tasteful souvenirs. Samples galore. Emphasis on pistachios.
In the back of the store is the restrooms, wine tasting, and a good selection of tourist brochures. Friendly staff. Outside covered picnic area.
For pecans go toward Telarosa Pecans in Telarosa, NM. It's in a travel center with gas pumps up front. In the refrigerator are the whole and pieces of pecans. It's were locals buy pecans for baking. FRESH Big plump pecans
Mail order is available for both companies.

I've been buying from Heart of the Desert since the 1980's, Wonderful place! Back in the early days I could call & tell them that I'd be by early in the morning to catch a flight out of El Paso, they'd put my Pistachio request on the front porch & I'd pay for it on my return trip! NOW THAT IS CUSTOMER SERVICE!!!!!!!! Now I order online & everyone I know loves to share my treats.

We had spent the morning in White Sands and stopped in here for pistachio ice cream. We ended up tasting some wine and several different pistachios varieties and treats and went home with a bottle of wine, a bag of green chilies pistachios and some cookies. Great for edible souvenirs. They offer a tour of the pistachio farm on weekdays but since it was a Saturday we saw a short film on how they harvest the nuts while we ate our ice cream, instead. Nice stop if you're passing through.

Friendly people, great atmosphere, excellent tour, good food and drinks! Highly recommend stopping here!

Interesting stop and gift shop. Got a little information on pistachio farming. Great tasting pistachios and pistachio candy.

Love all the different pistachio chooses! The wine is excellent and the staff is beyond friendly and helpful. A must stop!!!!

We were traveling with a tour group and our tour manager had a "surprise stop" at the Heart of the Desert". It was a very welcomed stop as most of the ladies liked to shop. The gift shop has plenty to choose from. The wine tasting was good. Had two tastes of their locally made wines in Denning, NM.
Our group got the tour through the processing rooms which we found very interesting. The ice cream is very tasty, chock full of pistachios.
This reminds me of the date farms in Palm Springs and the date shakes. Good place to stop and take a break for a tasty treat.

The friendliest people work here. They take time to discuss their wines and pistachios. Wine tasting was free as well as samples of pistachios. They took time to tell us about pistachio harvesting. Of course we left with marvelous wine and pistachios. I will be ordering online.

While visiting the White Sands Monument we bought some of the best tasting flavored pistachios EVER from the gift shop! The search was on to find the origin of these pistachios and we didn't have to travel very far. To our surprise, not only is this a pistachio farm but also a winery! They offer FREE wine tastings and Lynne was the BEST hostess. Very knowledgeable, outstanding personality and went above and beyond to make our visit the greatest experience EVER! Thank you Lynne for sharing your knowledge of the farm and winery! We sat outside on their cozy patio, I had a glass of wine, my husband tried the craft beer, snacked on summer sausage, crackers and pistachios and thoroughly enjoyed the nice ambiance while listening to relaxing music in the background. A great way to spend an afternoon. Highly recommend!

My husband and I visited today (9/13/19) and took the tour. Our tour guide, Marci was so nice and very knowledgeable. She made the tour so pleasant and interesting and we learned a lot about the pistachio farm. Would definitely recommend this tour. The tour is free and you learn so much. The shop offers free samples of all the different flavors of pistachios, candy and ice cream they offer for sale. We tried a bunch and purchased some to take home to TN. They also offer free wine tasting. The shop and farm is very well maintained and all the staff we encountered was very nice. We actually talked to some employees in the packaging, shipping, and processing areas during the tour. It is very obvious they enjoy their jobs and are glad to tell you about it. Loved our visit

The Heart of the Desert patio is a beautiful venue. Everyone was helpful, polite and accommodating. We didn't realize this was an option, but we're excited to have the place in the area. My family is from Tularosa, and we couldn't find a venue there for my daughter's graduation. This was a superb alternative and very reasonably priced plus all the added value items that were included such as linens, the warmer and oven for catered foods, etc. Thank you to all the staff there, especially to Stephanie for your attentiveness!

Went with the family one Saturday afternoon. We stopped for ice cream and to browse. The ice cream was really good and is a bit pricey, but the size you get is worth it. You can share if need be.
The shop has a lot of items to look at and buy. Prices are about average for a tourist stop. The usual: t-shirts, nuts, coffees, novelties.
Definitely worth the stop.

After giving Christmas gifts from this company for years, I was eager to visit the location firsthand. We took the tour and learned so much about the family and beginnings of this business as well about the growing, harvesting, and processing of pistachios. It was a treat to see and sample all of the many flavors of pistachios I had gifted over the years. Also enjoyed the chocolates, brittles, and wine. Well worth your time.

We came out with a large order of everything from flavored pistachios to chocolate pistachios to gift boxes. Loved being able to taste the different varieties. I tried the red wines but none were to my liking but nice to be able to taste before making a decision. There is another pistachio store a few miles further down the road but we did not have time to visit that one. This one should meet your needs for sure. Prices are reasonable.

Heart of the Desert is a retail shop associated with a pistachio farm, located a few miles north of Alamogordo. The centerpiece of their business is pistachios, which they sell in various sized bags and in various flavors including unsalted, salted and roasted, green chile, green chile and garlic, and red chile. They also sell a number of pistachio-based food items; we really like the caramel popcorn with pistachios, and there is also pistachio brittle, chocolate, ice cream, etc. They also sell wine, but I can’t speak to it as I have never tried it. They do offer wine tasting. There are a number of other items available in the store as well; it is basically a gift shop. There is also a very nice patio area which is available as an event venue, and farm tours are also available. This is a good place for a visit if you are passing through the area.

We came to the farm on a Saturday in June. Normally, that means no tour. Fortunately for us, there was a troop of Girl Scouts who were touring and they allowed us to tag along.

I had never seen pistachios on the tree before, and that alone almost made the visit worthwhile. But we got to see the plant where they process the pistachios and learn what they do to bring them to the store. During the course of the tour, we met the lady who owns the orchard. She was very sweet and good about answering our questions and making us feel welcome. The only thing I would change about the tour is to try to come during the harvest to see everything in action. The tour is free and you will walk away from the tour with a good knowledge of pistachios.

As for the product, it's delicious. The store provides visitors plenty of chances to sample the various types of excellent pistachios. I recommend the salted. Although the chile is good, the nuts are best by themselves. This tour is worth your time.

This place is a part of my history. My daddy and a business partner bought and cleared the land for what is now the location of Heart of the Desert main store and the earliest orchard. It was much smaller then but I have fond memories of their adventures in the "nut" business. The quality of merchandise is good and the wines are enjoyable too. The owners are hands on and will visit in the store. They have made a good business and it makes me proud to know its "root stock".

Samples of flavored pistachios, cookies, candy and wine. Then we enjoyed our purchases on their back patio. Very relaxing and enjoyable. Staff is very friendly and accommodating.

Everyone the we have encountered there has been very helpful and extremely nice. This is the only place we will buy Pistachios from.

We have a cabin in Ruidoso and came up w/friends for Labor Day weekend! We were looking for something different to do so we decided to make the 50ish mile drive toward Alamogordo to the Heart of the Desert Pistachio Farm!! It was such an beautiful store! Gift items, wine tasting, pistachio goodies and ohhhh the samples!!! I took home four sacks😳😁 of stuff! We will DEFINITELY go back and I will suggest to any friends and family that come to Ruidoso to make plans to go! Friendly, helpful staff, beautiful store, great treats! Time WELL SPENT!

All I really wanted to do was get back to Albuquerque since it was getting late, but I decided to stop at this place to hopefully get a better understanding of all the pistachio propaganda you run into as you travel around the area.

Now I learned so much just by stopping here about pistachios, the agricultural impact on the area, and of course the different pistachio blends available. I would highly recommend stopping here, speaking with the staff, and sampling all that you can.

And of course make a purchase, nothing gets more 'Made in USA' than the pistachios you will find at this location. Stopping here also helped with our Christmas shopping...we decided to get all the men in our family this year bags of the Red Chile & Lime Pistachios.

Enjoy!

We love taking visitors to this local place! I took my 12 year old son and 14 year old niece on the tour and we were the only ones on the tour. April did such a great job of explaining everything to us. Loved getting to see how everything was done from the growing of the pistacios, to the sorting out of the bad ones and even the amazing smells of them being roasted! It was very engaging and loved seeing the whole process. The back patio is great to just come and sit and hang out. We love that it is a free tour and will be back next time company comes to visit!

Thank you for hosting our girl scout troop! The place is great and we will come back! April did a great job with our tour and was very informative!

We specifically went here to get the green chile\garlic and green chile\onion pistachios. They are quite tasty.The gift shop was quite small and was not easy to move around in, if there is several people in there. We did not have time to enjoy wine tasting. Maybe next time.

We drove from Ruidoso to tour this pistachio farm. Although no harvesting was being done in October, the tour was still interesting. The shop is great and you must try the pistachio ice cream. Wines were nice also and the patio is beautiful.

This tour is really interesting and worth the time to take it. It is interesting to hear the pistachios are kosher certified. Theses pistachios are the best because flavor and salting are consistent.

I stopped by here because I love pistachios. I asked if they gave tours and I was in luck, one was just about to begin. Even luckier, I was the only one there so Xotchil gave me my own private tour of this very cool pistachio farm. You get to see all the aspects of the operations and Xotchil was very informative about the product and the production. Loved it! So glad I went

Cute shop, friendly staff. They don't offer tours as often as the other pecan ranch up the street so we weren't able to do the tour.

I wish they would have some non dairy creamer (they sell shelf stable little creamer pods at Walmart, Albertsons, etc) or almond/soy milk options for their coffee bar.

I would recommend going and checking them out!

After 15+ years of spending HUNDREDS of dollars each Christmas with Heart of the Desert, they charged us a $21 address change fee on an order sent to an address we had used for at least 10 years in our online Heart of the Desert account address book. I sent sales@heartofthedesert a screenshot of my address CLEARLY showing the supposedly "missing" apartment number, but they refused to reverse the fee--thanks, Eva Lynn, Business Manager. McGinn's it is--better selection and surely better to work with.

A nice setting to have a drink and enjoy some wine, and learn a lot about growing pistachio.
Nice shop.

We stopped here on the way home to Las Cruces.

The service people are very helpful and give lots of samples so you can figure out what you want.

We missed the daily tour but were told if we call ahead they can accommodate personal tours.

We purchased red chile pistachios, garlic/onion pistachios and pistachio brittle. Everything tasted fresh.

There is plenty of parking here. We would definitely stop again.

This is a little gen in NM and a must stop for any wine lover. The free wine examples are a plus, the staff is accommodating, friendly and seem to genuine enjoy helping you. April was amazing! She made the tour interesting. Definitely coming back when the weather is nicer.

A must if passing through Alamogordo. Free wine and pistachio tasting. There is also an amazing out door patio in the back that is great for lounging while you enjoy a nice glass of wine.

Eagle Ranch Pistachio Farm is a jewel in the desert! Their pistachios are unrivaled! Their adjoining gift shop offers interesting regional gifts and is always fun to peruse. Take the guided tour if you have some time. The Eagle Ranch crew is the BEST. Treat yourself and then send pistachios to all your loved one, they will thank you!!

Eagle Ranch grows and processes the best pistachios that I have ever eaten. They offer them in a variety of seasoned flavors including red and green chili flavored. They also offer guided tours of their processing facility so you can see just how pistachios are grown, harvested, and then processed. You can sample the many items made from their pistachios and the also offer wine tasting of the wines they make from their local vineyards.

We did not take the tour, but we did sample pistachios, pistachio popcorn, and wine! We all purchased some of the above. Nice staff, nice place to visit.

Great place to visit. Very nice gift shop! They give a free tour at 1:30 every day. You can taste free samples of Pistachio’s also taste their delicious wines. There is also another Pistachio & wine farm down the road both are kinda different so we enjoyed both of them.

We stopped here out of curiosity because we didn't even know pistachios were grown in New Mexico. We took the 1:30 tour that is conducted every day and we were delighted. Our guide Autumn explained the entire process from pollination to marketing as she took us to the grove of trees and the various buildings where pistachios are sorted, roasted and packaged. She spoke with such enthusiasm about the process that we were not only informed but also entertained. What struck us besides how much work goes into pistachios was how much pride she and the other employees took in their work. After the tour we had samples of some of the products and of course we bought a few bags of pistachios. We highly recommend the green chili pistachios.

Enjoyed making the stop here, even though we were only able to stay for about 30 minutes before we had to be on our way. Was mostly interested in the wine tasting since we had purchased a few varietals of Heart of the Desert wine while in Ruidoso. We were a disappointed that several wines were out of stock that we specifically hoped to try. All in all, a quaint place that was neat and managed by friendly staff.

I had never even of Pistacho wine, so we stopped to trry aa taste. The person was very pleasant and helpful with the wine tasting. Not much to my liking, but the experience was very pleasant.

This place offers lots of samples of their delicious products so you can easily decide which items to buy. Their Pistachio Rose wine is great, along with their dark chocolate caramel tortugas and milk chocolate pistachio toffee, not to mention the pistachios! Plus you can sit outside near the pistachio trees to enjoy a glass of wine.

Stopped here on drive from White Sands NP to Ruidoso NM. Cute shop with very budget friendly wine and slushies. Did a free wine tasting and ended up buying 3 bottles of their sweet red and white wines. Shop had a visitors center with helpful staff and brochures and information. Outside was their pistachio tree farm and a veranda to use in cooler temps. Well worth the stop and tasting and wine and information!!

This was a great surprise. The FREE tour is at 1:30 and very informative. There is a nice sampling gift store and wine tasting. The patio had events scheduled. They rent out for weddings and parties. A must if you haven't been and you're in the area.

April and Juliette were our tour guides. They did an excellent job! They were very knowledgeable and fun. We were treated to a behind the scenes tour and we enjoyed meeting some of the operators. We also got an idea of all the work that goes into the wine, pistachios and other products including the packaging and shipping. A tour not to miss!

I'm a regular customer, most recently in August '19. Great selection of different flavors and shelled or un-shelled nuts. My absolute favorite is the red chile coated roasted un-shelled pistachios. I've tried most, maybe all, of their flavors and love'em all. The variety of candies made with nuts is also really good. They haven't quite made wines to my taste yet... but a lot of peoplle do like their wines, and the Winedown Wednesday event are really pleasant in the cooler months. Take a tour to learn more than you expect about pistachios !

Basically a gift shop with a jus a few pistachio products on sale. Also rather pricey in our opinion.

It was great, friendly people, and April, who gave us the tour was awesome!! Definitely would recommend visiting!!

I only wentry there cause of the giant pistachio located in the parking lot of the farm; which, I must say is very impressive. Then you go into the store and the folks inside are very friendly and as one walks around you can shop for pistachios, chocolate, books, and yes wine. They even let you taste a sample before you buy. I recommend my favorite red wine Viva La Roja. The wine is their trade mark made right there at their winery. Oh yeah and their pistachios are great too from plan to red hot chilly. A variety of different flavors, enjoy.

Fun stop. Great free tour. Full of information.
Wonderful tasting products.
There are many great gifts in their gift shop.
Online shopping available.

We visited the heart of the Dessert on a holiday and full tours were not given, however the video and the attention from the staff made us feel like we had an actual tour. The video was very comprehensive and all of the knowledge of the staff made it a very educational, enjoyable visit.

No doubt about it, this is the best pistachio in the country. I travel there often and stock up every time. If you have not tried the Green Chile pistachio you have not lived!

Go ahead, stop at Heart of the Desert. Learn about pistachio groves, harvesting, processing, etc. Enjoy some ice cream, coffee, and/or wine. They have a wonderful patio to relax and enjoy the groves/orchards and your treats. Definitely buy some pistachios for your family and friends and yourself.

A great learning experience about pistachios. Was very surprised at the quality of their wine. Great employes and a great tour. First class operation.

Janice Duncan took our group of 22 on a tour. We had toddlers, 6 and 8 year olds, and adults and she kept all interested. Then we had samples and shopped with excellent staff. Thanks for a terrific stop.

Don't think they have a tour. Lots of kinds of pistachios to buy in a nice gift shop. Also a visitor's center.

My tour guide was April she did a great job explaining what the process were and she was easy to hear

Stopped in here to try some wine but ended up having a Bone Chiller beer on the back deck watching the pistachio trees swaying in the breeze. They have quite a few different flavored pistachios as well as some good wines at good prices. The ice cream looked great, but after the beer, really didn't feel like something sweet. Great place to stop in and check out everything they have. Didn't go on the tour... maybe next time. Put this one on your list to check out.

A 45 minute short tour that was very informative about pistachios on how they are grown and how they process each piece for the different uses through the year. Amazing what you find out with small group tours. Worth my time for the tour. Thank You!

We got these pistachios around Christmas they were fantastic. My daughter had gotten a bottle of their wine so we paired them together and it was beyond delicious. So we came running or should I say driving. We took the tour and the young lady (April) was very knowledgeable about the whole process. It was very informative I would recommend this tour and for sure the pistachios and wine. Thanks April

When we visit any city that has a wine tasting, we always stop and Alamorgodo was no exception.

Heart of the Desert proved to be an excellent choice, We tasted five wines ( purchased three ) and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Our hostess was charming, attentive and quite knowledgeable.

The ending treat was the patio, We purchased a glass and then sat and enjoyed the serene atmosphere. When visiting Alamogordo, this is the place to stop,relax and enjoy both wine and the very tasty pistachios

We stopped in here when visiting friends in town. We arrived just in time for the free tour. Our friendly host, April, did an excellent job! The tour was fast-paced, with just enough information to keep it interesting and not so much that it would have gotten boring. We got to see the orchards as well as each part of the operation: roasting, sorting, shipping, etc. Our kids, ages 11, 14, and 17, all enjoyed it.

At the end of the tour, we visited the store where free samples of wine and pistachios (and various pistachio laden treats) were available. The patio area was really nice, and I imagine it would be awesome on a warm day. (It was snowing during our visit!)

Overall, highly recommend if you're in the Alamogordo area.

What's not to like about a place that has Pistachio Flavors galore. Every flavor you could think of on a pistachio is there including some chocolate treats with Hatch Chile of course....great place to pick up souvenirs and Fatman's Jerky grabbed a bag of the Lemon Pepper Flavored jerky...I should have grabbed 2. But they has a website so they will get you anything you want.

Loved this place, free tour of the operation from start to finish. It is amazing how they pollinate their trees, no bees just the wind and pray for no sand storms. We even had the owner explain pollination of the male and female trees. Very informative tour and how the machines work to get from the beginning to the end. They don’t even waste anything, there is a use for it all. Worth the trip when in the area. We had Mattie as a tour guide and she is a Military Spouse new to the area, she did a wonderful job!!

Good selection of goodies.. tried some of the assorted samples, unfortunately we couldn't do the tour of the wine tasting.. Bought a selection of goods for the road and to take home...

I really enjoyed browsing through the gift shop. I purchased a beautiful bracelet from here. My only complaint was the lady behind the wine counter. She was a little snarky and rude.

The staff are helpful. The wine tasting is professional and delicious. The patio looked very inviting. The pistachios are wonderful. Definitely the place to stop at it.

The building and entrance looks simple, inside the staff is very friendly and inviting. Lacey and Marlo put on a pot of coffee just so I could sample the pistachio coffee. They were very patient with us as we tried the pistachios, chocolates and ice cream.
Then they set up the video for us. Next we sampled the wines. Lisa knows her wines! She was very knowledgeable and a delightful hostess.
The garlic and onion pistachios were the best! Very good flavor, not overpowering.
The wines here are very tasty, and more sophisticated than other offerings in the area. Plus, they are very affordable. I may be ordering more when I return home.
Overall, this was a fun and tasty experience, very personal and friendly staff. The focus is on the wines and pistachios, not touristy souvenir shopping.

I felt this place was very commercialized compared to McGinn's up the street. Overall, we were kind of disappointed. The employees that work there seemed rather abrupt and dismissive. We had to rearrange our day so that we could take the tour since they only offer it twice a day. The tour guide had difficulty answering some of our questions. The nuts we sampled were tasty, but we didn't like that we had to ask every single time we wanted to try one. I would definitely recommend McGinn's instead of this place. We enjoyed the pleasant and friendly mom and pop feel of their establishment compared to the disinterest we experienced at Heart of the Desert/Eagle Ranch.

Stopped in on a whim, and found the most amazing rose, mixed with pistachios. Great service and ambience from the staff. Cutest little products, in addition to the wonderful wine. A great place to stop, on your way to Las Cruces.

Great family business. Very friendly staff, and accommodating. They provided my daughter and I will a very informative tour of the grounds, facilities, and groves. Very interesting history of the grove and what products they provide currently. I would visit more often if I lived closer. Their on site food products were delicious.

Not only nuts and wine, they have other gifts and items you don't see everywhere and the staff are always very helpful and friendly. There are samples of everything and we wanted everything we sampled. The dark chocolate toffee and baklava were absolutlely incredible! We have never taken the tour...too busy eating.

I'm from Maryland and had no knowledge about the harvesting of pistachios. The free tour given at the Heart of the Desert was superb!I came away so excited with all the info I acquired. The tour guide Stacey, did a wonderful job leading us around the impressive facility while giving detailed explanations of the entire process, while allowing questions to be asked along the way. It was so very interesting! The entire staff were incredibly friendlyand welcoming. The nicely appointed gift shop, outdoor porch and seating area that can be hired for events, is all tastefully decorated and comfortable. I can't say enough positive comments about this "must visit" attraction on Alamagordo's main thorofare.

If you like pistachios, this is the place! This is a working farm, with a tour through the groves and the factory. So interesting to learn the process of picking, preparing and packaging. Everyone was friendly and our tour guide, Madison, did a great job. Pistachios in many flavors, sample a few so you know which ones are going to be your favorites. Personally, Garlic & Onion is the way to go. Some of the pistachio flavors are kosher, and they also sell an assortment of other goodies, such as chocolate, ice cream and wines.

We participated in a tour of their facilities and it was wonderful. We were able to witness them harvest the pistachios from the trees with the shaker and catcher. They then took us through the process of sorting, cooking, flavoring, and then packaging for shipment. Very interesting to see this process. Marianne and the tour guide did a wonderful job of explaining their history and processes. We purchased items from the gift shop including their wonderful Pistachio Ice Cream. Thanks Marianne and their entire family of associates.

There are two pistachio farms right next to each other. McGinn's and this one, Eagle Ranch. We went to both out of curiosity.
Eagle Ranch sells pistachios under the Heart of the Desert brand. For what it is worth, I found Heart of the Desert brand pistachios being sold in Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Taos, in stores and also being used in restaurants, but not McGinn's.
Eagle Ranch has a beautiful patio to sit and relax in while gazing out at the trees. If you want to sit back and relax, and have a slower pace, I recommend Eagle Ranch. You can sample / buy pistachios (with different flavors, including brittle and chocolate covered) and ice cream in the small store and sample / buy wine in the wine bar area. They have one farm tour a day.

I love this place because of how it seems family run. I have noticed however the owner doesn't seem to smile all that much and it does make it a bit awkward. Maybe it's because both times I've come she has been catering a wedding. But that doesn't turn me away from the delicious white chocolate chunk pistachio ice cream. They don't dye their ice cream green like most places. And you can ask for free "sprinkles" which are all the crumbs of leftover samples. It sounds wierd but they are delicious for pistachio lovers like myself! They have a wine tasting room although they don't carry super sweet wines, so I didn't purchase any. But, the ice cream is enough for me to go back for! They have a variety of pistacio flavors. Not as much as the nearby Pistachio land, but that place isn't as friendly and is far too touristy.

Try the wine! Get the green chili pistachios! And there is so many more amazing items for sale. The staff is always friendly and kind. Great place to check out.

We visited the farm and stayed for the tour. Josie did a great job discussing the history and process of harvest, roasting, packaging, and shipping all products. Loved seeing the pistachio trees and walking thru the farm.

What a great find. Enjoyed the wine tasting and learning about the area. Vinegars, oils, and other edibles were found, as well as unique items. Nice place to sit outside and enjoy the wine and the scenery. Staff was incredibly helpful and made the experience even more enjoyable.

This place is excellent to visit. Also if you are looking for a place to hold an event such as a wedding look no further. Try their wines, beers, ice cream N
And oh yes the pistachios.

We started with the wine tasting and it was fun. They have a rose grape wine with pistachio extract that is so delicious and unique. They have many other wines made from their own vineyards as well. April conducted the wine tasting and she also served as our tour guide through the pistachio farm as well as through the processing and packing plants. You could tell that April was passionate about her job there. She was informed and had a great sense of humor. We ended up buying lots of wine and pistachios. They even have pistachio ice cream and brittle there. Lots of samples to help you make your purchasing decisions. I highly recommend a stop at Heart of the Desert.

This place is right off the highway and worth pulling in for a visit. They offer wine tasting and have a beautiful garden area to enjoy. They also have a wide variety of flavors of pistachios.

A very short visit for us, but a nice place to stretch your legs and see pistachios on the trees. FREE wine tasting a real treat and cute gift shop with very tasty pistachios for sale. Would go again when we had more time!

I live local and this is the place I go to purchase pistachios for gifts that I have sent world wide! The have many flavors, but my favorite are the green chili garlic ones! I highly recommend Eagle Ranch and they have a great gift shop too!

I liked this place a lot better than Pistachio Land because it was more chill, not as many people and just less crowded. Their prices are way better too. They don’t have the variety, but the prices were worth it. It’s a gorgeous place, and well maintained. They also have dipping oils there in many flavors and they are amazing! Wonderful staff. Michaela was an absolute sweetheart. Loved this place!

We were here during Covid, so the tour’s weren’t available. However, we were shown a video, then Kelly (I think that was her name) took us out to the patio and told us more about the family, the growing, harvesting etc. It was our own personal tour. Everyone was wearing a mask. They have an extensive gift shop, selling their pistachios and wine, with a good selection of other items as well. We were thrilled with the customer service.

We took in the daily 1:30 tour. They show a video to start with the owners and staff, then the guide tells the history of acquisition and development of the combined orchard and vineyard. They then take you through the whole pistachio process. It takes about 46 minutes but is well worth it. There is an optional free wine tasting offered after the tour. So great.
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Get some pistachios, try the wine and take home, I also go to Las Cruces and Mesilla to this store to get pistachios and wine, they are really good I recommended highly.

We tasted various pistachios, candy and wines and everything was delicious. I especially love the green chili and garlic pistachio but do not inhale or you will end up coughing. The staff was so nice and helpful. Was surprised to find a nice Cabernet.

They have a great selection of pistachios with many different seasonings, and are generous in offering samples.

Heart of the Dessert is less touristy than the other Alamogordo pistachio farms and while there you can sample chocolates, pistachios and wines. In addition to pistachios and all kinds of candies and other goodies they sell ice cream, and wine by the glass and by the bottle. The red chili pistachios were quite tasty and were our favorites. We tried two wines and bought a bottle of Rosé Pistachio to bring home as a gift for some friends. This was a nice stop for us and we were happy we could help support a local family business.

I first had some of these pistachios from buying a bag at a grocery store traveling through NM. I loved them and wanted to find them again so when we were traveling through, we went out of the way to go to their farm.

I wanted to go on the farm tour but during the time period we were visiting they only had 1 time slot per day so I missed it.

We went to the store anyway prepared to buy a bunch of bags. When we got there however, we were treated very welcoming-ly... I don't even know how else to put it. I told them I wanted to buy a lot and they just seemed to not care at all. Then I asked to try some samples to see if I wanted more flavors which it seemed like they were not really wanting to do either. They have a sample station but the women on it just was not a happy camper. My husband was with me as well and she didn't even offer him any as I was trying them and he asked a few times to try them and ended up feeling guilty as she didn't seem to want to give him them! It was weird!

Anyways we ended up walking out with almost $80 worth of product even with this weird interaction. It would have been more if the experience was nicer! The pistachios are delicious though but if I'm going to pay a premium I would like to feel good about it and in this case I didn't :/

Great place to visit with or without a tour. They have added a patio for relaxing out door fun. Don't leave without buying some pistachio popcorn!!

We didn't have time for a tour, but loved the wine tasting and samples of pistachios and popcorn. The staff was super friendly and helpful. I couldn't decide between the wines I tasted because they all tasted great! Definitely worth a stop.

Stephanie did a fantastic job! Very cheerful and informative. Pleasant surroundings and the Tuscan patio is a perfect ending! Cheers!

My wife and I wanted a tour of a pistachio farm, and this one is the best available. Our tour guide (April) was fantastic. She was knowledgeable, funny, and catered to everyone in the group. There are two pistachio farms within a 1/2 mile of each other. The tour option at the other farm was a ride-only tour, lasted only 20 minutes, and doesn't show any of the processing. Heart of the Desert is a walking tour, takes about 45 minutes, and shows everything from the groves, to processing, to seasoning, to packaging, to shipping. Since you're walking, there's plenty of opportunity for pictures of everything. Once the tour was done we tried some of the house wines (excellent) and had a beer on their beautiful patio (overlooking the groves). We would Highly recommend this tour and their pistachios and wine.

Stopped out of curiously. Cute shop, plenty flavored nuts to choose from. Tasted a wine recommended to me by staff and loved it. Got a bottle to take with me.

Short stop good for getting out of the car and doing a little exploring. Allow about 30 minutes.

What a fun experience! We had a really nice wine tasting experience and especially liked their Pistachio Rose. We did not have a formal tour of the pistachio plantation, but we did walk out to the patio and viewed the trees close up. It was very interesting to see how they grow.
In addition to the wine tasting we had a pistachio tasting. Many flavored varieties were offered.
They also have a really nice gift shop. We have really enjoyed the wines and pistachios we purchased.

Great tour with an excellent tour guide! Stayed and enjoyed a bottle of wine with my friend!! Very informative!!

The gift shop, patio, and orchards are awesome. They have many flavors of pistachios that you can taste before you buy them. The ice cream is also delightful. The staff customer service is excellent.

We had the best time touring and sampling the variety of pistachio items. Everyone was kind, helpful and patient. Our children and friends were very impressed. Great place to visit.

We are two seniors who enjoy doing unusual activities. We were pleased with an excellent tour given by Carolyn. Very informative. We also sampled pistachios and wine. The gift shop was pretty and we bought a couple of lovely items. No pressure.

After our visit to McGinn's Pistachioland, we were disappointed at what was offered here at the Heart of the Desert. They didn't have many flavors of pistachios - did try some samples. We were not impressed. Did try some of the wines and again were not impressed. My husband did buy some chocolate covered almonds which were good.

We were too late for the tour, but still had fun taste testing pistachios. Staff was friendly. Nice clean bathrooms. Tour is free, offered on weekdays. Once a day at 1:30 currently but looks like 10:00 and 1:30 in summer months. Wish we had been able to time our visit to take the tour.

Great stop while we were visiting White Sands. Tour was very interesting, understand more now why pistachios are expensive! The tour was very informal as the four of us were the only ones on the tour so were able to really get a feel for the operation. We were offered samples of anything we wanted...pictachios, wine, brittle. We actually saw the owners eating ice cream in the shop. Once we were on the tour and saw pics we recognized them! Everyone was super friendly. The outdoor area is awesome but we weren't able to enjoy it because it was freezing cold the day we were there. Definitely worth the stop!

Had to make a side trip to see this farm. The workers were very friendly and helpful. We ended up buying more pistachios than I thought we would...lol! It was interesting to see rhe nuts on the trees, and it is harvest season.
There is a sign on the door saying no pets. I completely understand as they have a place to eat by sales floor.

We stopped in very spur of the moment & just before they closed. We had a lovely wine tasting, hosted by a very knowledgeable young woman. We recommend stopping in !

What a fun place to visit. We took a tour of the Pistachio Orchard and processing plant. It was very interesting to learn about pistachios and how this farm started with 400 trees and now they ship all over the USA. We tasted all the flavors and took home our favorites including garlic and green chili. They also have free wine tasting including their signature Pistachio Rose. The staff was very friendly and welcoming.

Great place to buy your pistachios at a better price than the competition. Also, a nice gift shop and separate café area to sample the tasty products they offer. If you'd like to know more about growing pistachios, they have fun and informative tours of the orchard and processing area. Well worth a short visit if your in the Alamogordo area.

Very nice vineyard/pistachio farm. The facility is beautiful, and the help are are fantastic (Xochitl). The wines are good and the pistachio flavors are great. They also have homemade chocolate and gelato.

We drove back to this place after stopping at another farm. I am so very glad we did! We walked in and a free tour was starting and were invited to join. It was relaxed and interesting. The guide went out of her way to answer some of the strangest questions from a guest. The patio is beautiful. The ice cream is delish! (Not green dye). We did some awesome tastings, wine, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. All were amazing! Of course I wanted flavors that weren't bottled, they bottled it while we waited. We bought gifts...they never made the trip home, we ate them. And we found the pineapple on the horse!

On our way back from Ruidoso my wife and I recently stopped at the Heart of Desert gift shop to pick up our delicious pistachios. This has become a bit of a tradition for us as we make it a point to always stop at this pistachio store and not the pistachio tree ranch. We enjoy coming to the Heart of the Desert store every year to pick up our favorite chili lime pistachios. The store has a great variety of flavors for all. The staff is very friendly. The pistachios make a great gift or a nice snack for the road trip back. Even the prices seem to be a bit more reasonable than the shop up the road. We find it to be more personalized and not so commercial, not to mention the wine selection is excellent.

Worth a stop if you want freshly-roasted pistachio's & fairly decent wine (but for GREAT wine, head to small, 100% family-run Tularosa Winery, just a few miles away).

its a must stop, great wines and tasting is free. if you really enjoy them you can join their wine club and have their wines shipped to your door. And they have added a patio to sit and have a bottle of wine with friends. And don't for get the the pistachio's in a lot of great favors ,plus outstanding candies, popcorn and cookies. and of course New Mexico products. and don't forget McGinn's both are worth the stop

Very nice variety of snacks, most made from pistachios. Friendly staff provided nice samples. Gift shop & easy parking.

Great pistachio farm and wonderful gift store. The tasting samples are very helpful. Friendly staff.

Do you like souvenirs? Do you like unusual jewelry? Do you love pistachios? How about chocolate or wine? If you said YES to any of the questions then you will want to stop at the Heart of the Desert/Eagle Ranch Pistachio Farm. It is fun for all ages........farm tour wine tasting, etc. Every trip to Alamogordo we make sure to stop and buy goodies to take home.

Interesting and informative tour. Very knowledgeable tour guide. Free wine tasting. Delicious wines to purchase.

This was an accidental drive by stop as I needed a restroom. Boy am I glad I did. The shop was incredible. There was a great patio out back to relax on and enjoy a drink. I was not able to take a tour. But I was able to walk a bit into the orchard. Luckily the clerk in the shop was able to answer the few questions I had. I bought a variety of different flavors and loved every choice. If in the area stop by.

This was a unique venue that is head and shoulders above that huge tourist trap down the street. The heart of the desert is a pistachio farm, gift shop, and much much more. We took a 45 minute tour to see how their pistachios are grown, processed, packaged, and shipped. In the back of the gift shop is The Patio which is decorated nicely with the backdrop of the pistachio trees. We went Sunday for our first visit, enjoyed free wine tastings, (bought a few) and listened to live music. We went back the next day, took the tour, and shopped. If you happen to be in the area for White Sands National Park, it’s not far from there. Just look for the big red heart sign.

If you love Pistachios and also enjoy a glass of wine.... this is your place. Convenient locations and great service.... p.s. you can sample the various Pistachios prior to purchasing.... and some great flavors!

We were warmly greeted and invited to watch a short film about the pistachio growing cycle and processing. That was interesting as we didn't know anything about it.

We sampled several different types of candies and made a couple of purchases because of that.

I’ve stopped by in the Fall and loved their pistachios so much I had to stop again on my way to Alamogordo. I bought 6 different flavors and really enjoy the garlic and onion. They have a cute store and you can even pick up a bottle of wine to go.

Stopped in on our way to White Sands, fun and worth it. Lots of free tastings, yummy pistachios and wine. Beautiful back patio with live music. We had a well-behaved dog and 2 little children with us, all very friendly. Pistachios Grove is beautiful 😍

My nieces and I stopped by the Heart of the Desert! And I have to say my experience was very, very nice! I sampled several of their candies, had some very, very yummy wine and enjoyed a wonderful tour of the pistachio farm with our tour guide Merci!!! She was the BEST!!!! And no doubt very knowledgeable of everything we saw on the tour! When you are in Alamogordo, stop by the Heart of the Desert and enjoy this very lovely, quaint and cozy place!!! You will not regret it!

Thanks again to Merci for the tour and everyone else on staff during our visit!!!

Yolanda ;-)

Great place to visit. Prices range is from low to high. Fresh and delicious pistachios as well as unique wines. Lots of local and New Mexico souvenirs. Very knowledgeable staff and excellent customer service if you need to mail something. We visit there every time we are I Alamogordo and always recommend them.

I had a great time learning about the ins and outs of pistachio growing and processing with tour guide Stacey. Didn’t have a chance to taste the wine, but the pistachio candies were delicious! 🙂

Heart of the Desert is a working pistachio farm and vineyard, known for their pistachios and wines. The farm, vineyard and main store are on the highway just north of Alamogordo and they have three other stores (two in the Las Cruces area and one in Ruidoso). They are probably best known for their pistachios, which they make plain, salted or unsalted, and in several flavors including red or green chile. We love their caramel popcorn and pistachio mix. The store sells their nuts, wines, various other pistachio based food products, and other gourmet food items. They offer tours of the farm but we’ve never gone.

Heart of the Desert is part of (or at least sharing a building with) the Alamogordo Chamber of Commerce. It is the real OG of Alamogordo pistachio farms, I came to learn from the in-house sommelier; the fun and also recommended Pistachioland came after it.

Heart of the Desert offers a wine flight at an excellent value. You may also bring home a bottle of pistachio wine for a low price. I tried both HotD and Pistochioland's flagship pistachio wines, and HotD complimented the pistachio's length and earthiness far better.

Oh, and did I mention fresh pistachio ice cream? Also at a good price.

Highly recommended for any vacationer or passersby.

It is a very nice place with beautiful patio and good wine but definitely NOT pet friendly. I was asked to leave and my pet is 5 pounds and was in a bag and didn't bark a word. I went up the road and was able to take her and enjoy wine and pistachios.

This is a nice place just not for visitors with pets.

We stopped for wine tasting and purchased 4 bottles the ladies working there were exceptional. We also bought wonderful pistachios.. plus, we ate some great pistachio ice cream. It was a wonderful experience. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

HOTD has more jewelry and curios than their neighbor. Also some delicious candies and biscotti that are made somewhere else but unique ( pistachio chocolate bark, pistachio cranberry biscotti ). The products are available in burlap or plastic bags. Quality and freshness top rated as expected. Best advice is to stop here and pistachioland both. I make the time to do it when i pass through.

From Alamogordo. Great place to taste wine!!! They also have other items that r perfect gifts. Buy a glass of wine or beer and relax on the Patio!!! I take all visitors there. Aok place for kids. Enjoy

Haven't encountered free samples in a very long time! And it was a huge plus and prompted us to buy a bottle of wine and a large bag of nuts.
The wines were a lot sweeter than I expected even the "dry" ones. It was explained to me that the soil is the reason for the difference. Surprisingly, I liked the Pistachio Rose and I don't typically like rose as they are too sweet but theirs is very unique and so good we bought a bottle.
I love pistachios and their pistachio milk chocolate toffee is to die for!
I could have sampled myself silly!!!!

Always get great gift ideas when we visit. My mom loves her earrings bought from the Heart of the Desert every Christmas or Birthday, sometimes both.

We stopped on the way out of town and were pleasantly surprised at the professionalism of the tour and people working here. We didn't even know that pistachios were grown in New Mexico, let alone Alamogordo.
The tour was informative, about an hour long, and is a wonderful made in America success story.
Please visit their store, take the free tour, buy some amazing pistachios.

If you want want to learn all about how Pistachios are harvested, processed and packaged, then you want April to be your tour guide at Heart of the Desert just outside Alamogordo, New Mexico. April was very informative and patiently answered all our questions. Visit Heart of the Desert and take this tour with April. Thanks so much April !!!

April did a wonderful job on our free tour of the farm and buildings. The wine tasting was good and the products we bought were fresh and very good. Wonderful rest stop.

Interesting place to visit. Nice little gift shop and, of course, lots of pistachios available for purchase.

You will love this place if you love pistachios - and add the wine and you just can't go wrong. They offer a tour, which is wonderful if you have the time. Add your name to their mailing list and their email list and you get offers as well. If you'd rather, they can ship your pistachios as well. Very cordial and cooperative. Highly recommend!

The pistachios are fantastic. All kinds of flavors. Favorite was the garlic and green chile's flavor. Nice wine tasting and out door area with trees right up to the patio.

This place is smaller than the one across the street but it had a more intimate feeling to it. The ladies were very nice and didn't mind that my husband and son had to try every single pistachio they had. We also tasted the wine which was very good. They have a very nice patio out back where you can sit and drink wine or beer or like my son enjoy your pistachio ice cream. Sadly we were too late for the free tour of the farm.

Don’t get me wrong, the pistachios are delicious, but their pricing structure is borderline offensive. I understand that it is a business, but they would still make a profit if the prices were more competitive. Having said that, they do have a good selection of seasoned pistachios and pistachio bark.

Stopped by here on a Saturday afternoon. They were getting ready for a wedding. They have a wonderful space to host that. There are samples of their pistachios and they give free tasting of their wines. They have a nice gift shop and a few selections of ice cream. The only issue is they don't have tours of their orchard and vineyard on the weekend. Worth a stop.

We love to go out on the patio and have a glass of wine. The staff are friendly and we always have a great time.

Meet up for one of their many little events to have a glass of wine with some other couple friends of ours. Great time good music and just a great atmosphere.

THE ONE place to go for pistachio perfection!! Free sampling of pistachios of all kinds of flavors, milk and dark chocolate and brittle. Just wonderful!! We also had white chocolate pistachio ice that is amazing ( with pistachio crumbs)!! Sampled all and bought 6 bags, $8.99, each. Including biscotti with pistachio!! Aw....so good.

The tastings were great and we made sure we got a glass to drink too. Great staff took a picture of us! Enjoyed the pistachio samples too!

This was a 45 minute tour. Of the facility and provided me with a nut education. They also make and sell wine there prices are reasonable and they sell ice cream with free tastes

Although the shop is small, there is a wide variety of wine, nuts, and other artisan crafted goods.
Young children will have a hard time in the store as there are many items on low shelves that are breakable. Good place to stop and look around!

I took the husband and kids for a tour while we were in town. My 8 year old daughter loves pistachios so she was excited to see the farm. My 14 year even liked it. Our tour guide Sam was ADORABLE. We loved her! The tour was great and really showcased what an awesome family owned company this is. We left with lots of wine and pistachios. I’m so glad we went.

A must do when in Alamogordo. Great pistachios and wine tasting. Cute gift shop. The wonderful staff gives personal attention and evidently they have special events like live music some evenings.

The gift shop has some interesting items
The sales personnel are friendly and knowledgeable. The pistachios are delish.

The atmosphere is very welcoming and the employees are friendly and helpful. My wife and I were the only two for the afternoon tour as we came in the afternoon, but that did not dissuade Stephanie from providing a very thorough and personable experience for us. Michael, who worked where all the sorting of the pistachios takes place, also went out of his way to answer questions that we had and to show us how the machines worked. Which added significantly to the overall experience. Finally, the assorted wines and pistachio products are delicious and very reasonably priced for such a hands on, quality controlled operation. We would recommend that you stop by if you're ever in the area.

Heart of the Desert pistachio farm and vineyard is a fun and interesting place to spend some time. Some friends and I stopped in there on a recent road trip and took advantage of the free tour, olive oil tasting, candy tasting, and wine tasting. We ended up buying a little bit of all of it, because it is all excellent and we haven't discovered anything like it in Texas. We relaxed with wine and snacks on their Tuscan-themed patio and wished we had more time. We also enjoyed a wine tasting at one of their satellite shops in Ruidoso, The Cork and Kettle. Be sure to stop in there if you get the chance! I don't typically like a lot of wines offered in wine tastings, but I enjoyed everything I tried and bought several bottles in Ruidoso and a few more at the "Mother Ship" location on the farm.

The Heart of the Desert Eagle Ranch is definitively a must do when visiting Alamogordo.
Thoroughly enjoyed the pistachio farm and processing tour with Samantha, our very knowledgable tour guide. Afterwards, got to sample a variety of different pistachio nut flavours before moving on to the wine tasting. The Pistachio Rose got our vote. Their pistachio ice cream gets the thumbs up too.
Both the tour and tastings are FOC.
Needless to say, we left with a couple of bags of goodies.
Highly recommended.

This is a nice place to stop. Didn't take the tour since it wasn't available the day we were there. The oldest pistachio farm it has lots of choices of pistachio to buy. Good place to have a wine taste test. We tried two both which we liked. Very homey back patio to sit with a glass of wine. Nice gift Shoppe with lots to look at and choices to buy.

I loved that you could taste all the different flavored ones, sweet and salty types. My favorite was the green chili ones...just enough heat! There patio is absolutely beautiful!! I tried some of their wines too and ended up buying a bottle. Wish we would of had time to enjoy a glass of it on their patio...just lovely!

This is a wonderful place. They have pistachios and wine and very nice little gift shop. One of the wines they sell is their Pistacio Wine and it's very delicate with a light, fruity flavor. They have special events, some in the evenings.

Very pleasant experience. We were warmly greeted by the staff and they were eager to assist. Nice selection of gifts and souvenirs reasonably priced. Wine tasting experience was fun as well as tasting some flavored pistachios. Patio out back to enjoy a glass of wine and views of the pistachio grove. Make sure you take a picture of the gorgeous heart sign outside on the right side of the parking lot as you drive in.

We did not do any of the tours or tastings. In my opinion this is a typical tourist venue. Lots of typical items to spend money on that are not unique.

We stopped here on a whim while headed to Cloudcroft. The place is cozy and the staff was very friendly. The pistachios we sampled were very good (didn't get to try any wine). Definitely worth a stop

Our friends in Mayhill, NM highly recommended we visit. Stacey did a great job as our tour guide! It was her first presentation and April, veteran employee, came along as support. Both ladies also assisted in the gift shop and we were able to sample before purchasing.. Colleen made excellent suggestions for their wines. I look forward to visiting again or know the staff will have my order accurate if placed online!

Tastefully laid out centre with large pistachio selection, wine and souvenirs. There is also an additional beautiful outdoor patio for special events.

We went early in the day and Carolyn took time to share the history of the farm and answered many questions. It was a great experience, we learned a lot and bought several items (oils, nuts & wine which we were able to sample). Carolyn is a gem, very kind and obviously has a passion for the pistachio farm and vineyard. Great visit!

Enjoyed this family operated facility that produces a variety of processed pistachios as well as candies and wines.

Heart of the Desert/Eagle Ranch Pistachios has a better selection of pistachios and gifts, and DEFINITELY less expensive pricing than their "next door neighbor to the north". In my opinion, since Heart of the Desert is somewhat less of a 'tourist draw' than their neighbor, they have more of a casual, hometown "flavor" in all their services and products.

I was delighted to see sampling during Covid. The employees to great precautions. Sampling always does me in. I bought wine, flavored balsamic, and sweet and spicy pistachios. Everything is delicious!!!

Plenty of parking and pet friendly (on the outdoor patio) - which was quite nice. Service was excellent. Large selection of wines and all were very good (bought some to bring home). Friendly staff and good prices. Pistachios were also very good.

Great wine. Sitting on the patio sipping wine enjoying good music. Dog allowed on patio. Neat gift shop too.

Everybody was helpfull and the tour was interesting. The pistacios are great no matter what flavor you choose. The wines have to be sampled.

Fun stop at this shop! Tasted roasted salted pistachios, chili flavored ones, caramel corn and brickle. Bought all of them. Also bought a pistachio flavored rose wine that was very good. Worth the trip. Very friendly people work there.

Nice shop and people that are very helpful. Didn't feel like someone trying to take my money. Good prices, 30% below "the other one". You still have to watch your prices however. Check the local groceries.

We were looking for something fun to do one a weekday afternoon in Alamogordo and read the information here about the free tour. We browsed their extensive gift shop, sampled some wines and pistachio nuts and took the interesting tour. Learned about how the pistachio grows here in southwest NM and about this thriving agribusiness. Worth the stop.
They also have a number of regularly scheduled events on their patio space. We weren't in town at the right time to participate, but hope to do so on a future visit.

We arrived just in time for a free tour. It was great. Rachel did a fantastic job! Had only been there 4 weeks! The garlic/green chili flavor was my favorite!!😁

The pistachio tour was very interesting. The guide was very friendly and it was a great way to spend 45 minutes. The flavored pistachios were wonderful and the pistachio flavored wine was both tasty and affordable.

Lacey did a wonderful job and gave us a complete tour of the orchard and facility. Very interesting – from the characteristics of the trees and pistachios to all the steps of harvesting, processing, packaging, and marketing. A truly unique experience that we all enjoyed. Lacey was very pleasant and knowledgeable and made the tour educational and fun. Give this stop a try and you will enjoy it too. Great for kids and adults. Lots of snacks and samples to enjoy as well.

Driving down highway 70 in either direction you'll notice the giant "heart" of the desert and that describes this place perfectly. It's not as gimmicky as a giant nut but that's what makes this place so great. The atmosphere, the people, and of course their delicious variety of pistachios. The owners Mary Ann and George are also some of the nicest people I've ever met. They also have a great selection of souvenirs, treats, and wines! I recommend taking a tour and taking one of their fairly priced baskets of pistachios. They make great local gifts for friends and family. Finally, if you'd like to just relax with a nice glass of pistachio wine or a cup of their pistachio ice cream, the back patio has amazing atmosphere.

We visited here on a bus tour and were pleasantly surprised at how interesting it was. We were greeted by a staff member who gave a history of the farm and also explained the growing operation, harvesting and processing. There is a small gift shop and a wine tasting area.

Awesome find! Great wine and delicious pistachios! Kendra took us on a tour and she was fabulous! Even had a wheelchair for my husband, otherwise he wouldn’t have been able to join us. Check this place out, you won’t be disappointed!

Clean, bright, all kinds of pistachios, wine and nice gift selections. Folks are always friendly. Wine tasting is offered. Wed. Evenings 6-9 live music on the Patio. It is worth the time to visit. There is a cover charge for the Wed. Evening live music.

We visited the Pistachio ranch in November as we were on our cross country trip to California. The tour was excellent, we knew Pistschio's were a higher priced nut which we love and now after the tour we see the time
and care that goes into the process, we bought bags of Pistachios which everyone has enjoyed. And the other great thing on the tour was getting to taste the delicious wine, We bought many bottles of the Merlot and they have been very tasty. Everyone at the ranch was incredibly nice and very willing to show off their job and the awesome product. We would definitely come back to visit, it was one of the highlights of our stay in New Mexico.

My husband and I were just driving through over the Labor Day weekend and stopped to taste some wine... We LOVED every sample!! Highly recommend!!

The pistachio tour is well worth it. Key is taking the tour. While waiting, enjoy the beautiful patio (warm clothes if winter), sample their excellent wine (no charge), while nibbling on cheese (purchased).

Our tour left at 1:30 pm (lasted almost an hour, mostly inside, all on foot). One of the two company founders - Mary Ann - likely will be accessible in an open office. How and why she and her husband became the first to grow these nuts in New Mexico is an amazing story. It is fascinating to learn how the two dealt with challenges: Location, water, male vs female trees, effect of wind direction, harvesting, processing, product mix, marketing, employees, their professional association, and the town folks.

Carolyn is a super guide. Nevertheless, you likely will want to fill in the fine points by chatting with Mary Ann if possible.

Placed an online order on Dec 7. On Dec 16 they called, talked with my wife, and said they were out of one of the ordered items now is out of stock......took a week for them to even begin to work on my order....we agreed to accept a substitute item, thinking it would be shipped at that time. Today, Dec 17, I called to ask the status of the order. Was told it should be processed and mailed in the next day or 2. Although, it's a busy season during this pandemic year, taking 2 weeks to process and mail an order is not acceptable, especially when their website indicated the order would arrive in 3 or 4 days. Please update your website so customers are aware of your long delays.

Very small gift store with a coffee and try it counter. Off the wine bar is patio that looks out to the pistachio field is relaxing. If you can get one of the personnel to speak to you, they will run a 5 minute video describing for you that explains the beginnings of the Heart Ranch. They seem to do very good online ordering and hosting events. 30 minutes, 45 tops.

We travel to tularosa about every other month to race. And is a must to stop and get some pistachos and there wonderful icecream on our way back home. Staff is great and friendly and the place mis beautiful, prices are fair .

We had a wedding ceremony and reception on The Patio and it was gorgeous! The staff are friendly, courteous, and go out of their way to be helpful. Would I use this venue again?? In a heart beat!

Outstanding selection of NM wines. Great flavored pistachio offerings as well. Great stop for gifts. Patio is pet friendly when weather permits.

What a beautiful ranch/farm. The tour was very informative and well done. We walked right out to the trees and went to each building to watch how the process works. We ended our tour with a pistachio ice cream cone. They also have their own vineyards and sell pistachio wine. The back patio is a beautiful spot to sit and enjoy the surroundings.

This is the oldest pistachio farm in New Mexico and I have been here twice now. The tour is very informative and you get a sample at the end. They have wine to taste, ice cream to eat and of course different flavors of pistachios to buy. If you have time to stop I would recommend it.

We enjoyed our tour of the operation. We had pistachio gelato and sat on the patio to enjoy the background music and solitude. Very nice gift shop. Wine sampling and pistachio item sampling. Love the pistachio brittle.

If you like pistachios, you will love this place. I go there strictly for the wine, and occasionally bring visiting friends and family so they can buy souvenirs.

We came to Alamogordo, thinking about a pistachio farm tour. We inquired about the tour, which was at 1:30 (on Monday - Friday), and the people at the front desk said it was free. Before the tour, we wanted to try the free samples. We got as many as we wanted, and all of them were tasty! The tour started, and Kendra, our guide showed us a video about the farm. After the video, we started the tour at the sorting facility and went through the steps of how the pistachios are processed, roasted, and packaged. Kendra was very nice, and she helped us understand the life of the pistachios on the tree to the packages you see in stores. I was pleased by the tour, but disappointed that nothing was running. I would recomend doing the Heart of the Desert tour during the summer to fall, when activity is more lively. Wonderful facilities, restrooms, and gift shops, plus samples. My parents liked the wine tasting, and ended up getting two bottles of pistachio wine. We also purchased some salted and roasted, and some garlic and green chile pistachios. I would recomened this to families or couples. Wheelchair and stroller accessible.

What a great place! Highly recommend this pistachio farm and winery. The staff was so friendly and helpful. Loved the tour, we learned so much - April was great! The nuts have so much flavor and the wine is incredible!

Good wine not great. Great nuts! The pistachio wine is unique and a great gift idea. The staff is kind and knowledgeable about the product an must do.

Wine tasting, pistachios in all kinds of flavors, dark chocolate dipped pecans plus Ice cream and an incredible place for a wedding or party. We had a lot of fun on the tour and learned a lot too!! Enjoy it in the heat to cause there's lots of trees!! We will be back!!

The best tour ever! Delicious wines, nuts, ice cream, chocolates, etc. loved it & want to come again!!🥰💕

Stopped to get some pistachios and found a cute little store. I just wanted some pistachios, but oh was so tempted to do some more shopping as I saw that their shirts were Made In USA.

Our tour guide Amy provided an excellent tour today! My wife an I have stopped here for the wine several times in the winter but the tour is really worth it if you are here in the summer months.

My in-laws live in a little town just down the road from Heart of the Desert. Everytime we are in town visiting, we always make a stop here for the wonderful pistachios, wine and candies. Often, we go back multiple times to buy gifts for our friends and family back home. This place never gets old and they keep adding to their inventory. You cannot imagine all the ways you can use pistachios, yum!!! Plus, they have started Fill Your Glass Fridays with live music, beer, wine and snacks. If you are nearby, don't miss this place!

My husband and I took Lacey's tour and it was fantastic. She cares about the company and its history and is extremely knowledgeable about the process from picking to shipping. After the tour we each had a pistachio ice cream cone sitting out in their beautiful patio overlooking the trees. Very classy place!

I have purchased goods from this location online in the past so actually visiting Heart of the Desert was a wonderful treat! The pistachio chocolates are amazing and the wine tasting experience was both informative and fun.

Although this is a similar experience to McGinn's, this place has a nice bar where you can taste wine, but we chose to purchase a couple of New Mexico beers to drink out back on their nice patio. Their pistachio tasting is more controlled than McGinn's, with a couple of people handing out the little bites to you, so it might take more time to taste everything you are interested in if they are busy, as it's a rather small area in the shop. If they would just sell some locally made fresh sandwiches, we would have given it 5 stars though, as everyone was very nice and we really enjoyed the patio experience. They have a decorated raised platform for weddings (one was scheduled, according the the sign) or a band; they also must be hooked up with a bbq caterer and had a cook setup out back for events, but we couldn't figure out where the bridal party would get dressed etc. We will definitely stop in here again when we are through that way.

Great wine and yummy pistachios. Smaller than the place next door but better flavor by a long way! The gift shop is small but has some nice things and tasty treats to sample. True to New Mexico, they have delicious 'green chili' pistachios!

This is a perfect introduction to the world of pistachios and the guide was very informative, even though she confessed it was her first time! We were able to see the pistachio plantations (a shame that they were all bare, I went there in winter), the different facilities where the pistachios are processed and at the end of the tour we were offered a glass of wine from their own farm. Very interesting if you have 2 or 3 hours to spend in Alamogordo.