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Tucked into a courtyard in sa国际传媒官网网页入口鈥檚 Old Town is something that is truly one of a kind 鈥� a feat rarely achieved in 2026 鈥� the largest collection of live rattlesnakes in the world.

The Rattlesnake Museum is home to 31 rattlesnake species and 20 other reptile species, along with hundreds of reptile-related artwork, artifacts and knick-knacks. The museum, started in 1990, gets around 60,000 visitors a year and is open Tuesday through Saturday year-round.

Owner Bob Myers said many visitors are actually afraid of snakes and come to face their fears. He said, in those instances, he will stay close to answer questions and make them comfortable.

鈥淚n so many cases, when somebody鈥檚 afraid of an animal, they just don鈥檛 know anything about it 鈥� just know what they鈥檝e seen in movies or the stories they鈥檝e heard from family members, but it鈥檚 not always fact,鈥� he said. 

For instance, he said, even before the rattle, the snakes鈥� first line of defense is lying still and hoping to go unnoticed. He said rattlesnakes in particular fascinate people enough 鈥渢o come through that door.鈥�

鈥淭hey鈥檝e got to see them. I used to compare that to me getting on a roller coaster, scares the heck out of me, I got to do it anyway,鈥� Myers said, adding that it鈥檚 like a stamp collection that is more rewarding to share with others.

Myers said since starting his 鈥渞attlesnake career鈥� in college, he has caught or relocated 鈥渋n the neighborhood鈥� of 20,000 snakes. And he has only been bit once, in 1995, while out with National Geographic in the East Mountains.

鈥淚 was paying a little too much attention to the cameras 鈥� didn鈥檛 give the snake my full attention 鈥� and paid the price,鈥� he said. On a pain scale, Myers said if smashing his finger with a hammer as a teenager was a 10, the bite was a 鈥渟ix or seven.鈥�

But he had prepared for the moment a long time.

鈥淏y the time it happened, it was almost routine 鈥� and I was the one in the group that was calm and trying to calm others,鈥� Myers said. 鈥淚n a weird way, I enjoyed it and learned by it, and I can speak of it through experience.鈥�

Myers, a former high school biology teacher, said he briefly considered working at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science, but decided to open his own museum.  

鈥淭he scary part wasn鈥檛 the snakes, it was starting a business with no business experience, that鈥檚 still the scary part,鈥� he said. The majority of snakes he has collected were acquired from zoos, private breeders or, sometimes, unfortunate situations like a drug dealer whose apartment was raided.

Aside from the snakes, scorpions and a tortoise, the museum also has the oldest Gila monster in captivity. While usually living 10 to 20 years, he said, Molly will turn 38 in September.

Myers said they got Molly from a previous owner that got bit and said the pain 鈥� which is infamous 鈥� 鈥渨as worse than childbirth.鈥�

鈥淚 have people coming in now in their mid 30s to early 40s that remember Molly when they were here on a field trip in first or second grade,鈥� Myers said. 

With no retirement plans on the horizon, he said he wants to open a bigger space to 鈥渨ow the socks off people鈥� with the 20,000 artworks and artifacts he has in storage. 

Looking back, he said the museum has brought many fond memories, but one sticks out. As a boy interested in reptiles, his parents got him a book by herpetologist Roger Conant, which he used for years to reference and learn.

Soon after opening the museum, in walked Conant, by then in his 80s. He said Conant began hanging out at the museum, and they were friends until Conant died.

鈥淜ind of surrealistic to have known him for so long through his book, and then meet him in person, and then attend his funeral,鈥� Myers said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 all a crazy story. He鈥檚 buried very close to my parents, so I still see him all the time.鈥�