With majestic mountains, pine-filled forests, and sparkling lakes, Ruidoso is a nature-lover’s delight. When you stay at Mockingbird Cabin, nature’s glory is right outside your door, and the home’s wide decks allow you to revel in it whenever you please. At the same time, the three-bedroom house is just minutes from such indoor attractions as the galleries of Sudderth Drive, the Inn of the Mountain Gods casino, and the Hubbard Museum of the American West.

Looking out over dense Ponderosa pines toward the Sierra Blanca, Mockingbird Cabin’s decks span the width of the home. Furnished with well-cushioned seating, tables to rest drinks, and a glider the kids (and adults) will love, the main deck includes an overhang to provide welcome shade during sultry summer days. You can cook outdoors on the gas grill and dine alfresco at the backyard’s patio table. Chirping hummingbirds will provide the perfect background music while you enjoy time with your loved ones.

The interior of Mockingbird Cabin is equally inviting. The wood-planked sloped ceiling and comfortable leather sofas make the living area of the great room an ideal place to kick back after a day of hiking, skiing, or horseback riding. Watch a movie on the flat-screen TV with cable, surf the web via the free WiFi, sprawl out on the rug with the kids for a game of Uno: In other words, make yourself right at home.

The great room’s dining area, furnished with rustic charm, can seat as many as nine people. Six can gather at the table, and three more can sidle up to the adjacent breakfast bar. On the other side of the breakfast bar is Mockingbird Cabin’s large, well-equipped kitchen. Even if you eat your main meals out at the numerous nearby restaurants, it’s still great having a refrigerator to store milk and wine, a blender for mixing up smoothies or daiquiris, and a coffeemaker for brewing a cup of joe anytime you want.

The en-suite priamry bedroom is on the same floor as the great room; two additional bedrooms and the second bathroom are upstairs. All three bedrooms include a king-size bed, making Mockingbird Cabin as well suited for three couples as it is for a family. An air mattress in the great room can sleep two more people, enabling the home to accommodate eight guests in all.

When you arrive, you’ll find the beds beautifully made up, plenty of clean towels for both bathrooms, and extra bedding ready and waiting. You can treat yourself to a nap or a bath as soon as you arrive. What’s more, you can pack light: Mockingbird Cabin has its own full-size washer and dryer.

As you relax on the deck, watching eagles soar over the mountains or deer scamper across the yard, you can easily forget that Mockingbird Cabin is conveniently close to the area’s numerous attractions. Grindstone Lake and Trail System, where you can fish, canoe, kayak, hike, ride mountain bikes, and play disc golf, is less than 15 minutes away. Also nearby are Two Rivers Park, the galleries and shops of downtown Ruidoso, Ruidoso Downs horse track, several golf courses, and two casinos. In less than an hour you can drive to Ski Apache, where in addition to skiing you can view the mountains from a gondola or while zip lining. (Because this is snow and mountain country, vehicles with four-wheel drive are strongly recommended in winter.)

No matter how you spend your days, one thing is certain: You’ll love returning to the comfort and serenity of Mockingbird Cabin. Book your stay today, before someone else beats you to it!