Favorite Spots in Sante Fe/Albuquerque?
 

Hi all,

I'm taking a trip with a friend to Sante Fe and Albuquerque at the end of July. Any necessary places to visit? The kind of place where you say, "You MUST visit this while there!"?

Thanks!

The Plaza in Santa Fe and Old Town in ABQ are pretty much required. The Sandia Tramway is a cool thing to do in ABQ. Canyon Road in Santa Fe is famous for impressive art galleries and the like. The Georgia O'Keefe museum is also in Santa Fe. Taos Pueblo and Bandelier make great daytrips from Santa Fe. The Turquoise Trail, from Albuquerque, through Madrid, to Santa Fe is worth the extra time it takes.

I just got back - the highlights of our trip included Bandelier and a class at the cooking school. Those in addition to the OKeefe musuem made for a fun trip!

San Miguel Mission in Santa Fe is one of the oldest churches in the USA.

Recently back from a trip that included this area. About an hour northwest of Santa Fe is a hot springs called Ojo Caliente if that is of interest to you. There are several mineral pools and spa services available. Can also stay overnight. Much info available at their wesite. We visited and enjoyed the relaxation and massages.
Highly recommend the Mineshaft Tavern at Madrid on the Turquoise Trail between Santa Fe and Albuquerque. Great food!
We visited Acoma Pueblo west of Albuquerque. Also called Sky City because it is built on a high Mesa. Tour was very good. There is a charge for the tour and another charge if you want to take pictures, but then it is part of there livlihood.
If you are shopping, there is an Indian (as in Native American) market out near the Sandia Mountains by the casino. Everything for sale is guaranteed authentic. Generally speaking, most of the jewelry and pottery you will find for sale in the Southwest is not authentic, but imported, much of it from the Phillipines. There was an interesting display in the visitor's center at the Zuni Pueblo describing this phenomenon, along with a guide to markets that only sell authentic goods.

I always take a ride on the Sandia Peak Tramway.It is the world's longest aerial tramway.Everey time is like the first.You get on at the base,you look up and think to yourself well it couldnt be all that bad...then you reach the top of the foothill,and the whole world bursts open like a dream!Down slowly and then back up it is truly breathtaking.Last time we were with some hang gliders who showed us how they fit their rigs and then just jum off, and glide...it was awesome!

If you love art, go down Canyon Road. There are many, many art galleries with great art. On Friday nights, openings are sometimes held, and it's fun to walk around and see new art and artists. I would also check on the Opera. There is nothing prettier than the Santa Fe Opera. Check their website. Have fun!

The Folk Art museum just outside downtown Santa Fe is captivating - there's so much to look at! Also, try to fit in a visit to Taos, taking the very scenic "High Road to Taos." If you're interested in pottery, on the way back, take the other route that goes through the Santa Clara reservation. There are a number of potters in the reservation who sell their pottery from galleries in their houses.