My wife and I want to go somewhere over spring break (both teachers - early April). We have heard Santa Fe is great but we really don't know much about it. I guess the question is...what is so great. A bit of background to help you help us...we are 40 somethings dinks (double income no kids)from the southeast, we have traveled to Europe and Asia, love history, art, food and wine, natural beauty (but her idea of roughing it is a three star), learning and discovering new places. The closest we have been to Sante Fe is a trip to Arizona that we really enjoyed. Anyway...should we go? What is great? What would we love? We would love to hear your comments. Thanks in advance. JWH.

I'm from Mississippi and roughed it a lot traveling around the South. I absolutely loved SF. It's no larger than a few towns near where I live but it's full of history and things to do. It's a big artist community and there are many many shops with local artist work for sale. There's a flea market outside of town at least it used to be one there that my wife loved for the inexpensive art work for sale. The hotels and restaurants are absolutely wonderful. I love the Inn of the Annasazi, Coyote Cafe and more. I would go back in a second. I flew into Albuquerque and drove up to SF from there to Los Alamos and Taos. There's a great drive to Taos one way in the desert and one way back/going in the hills. It's very beautiful. There's an unbeliveable spa, 1000 Waves, there but it's outside town. I loved that place. There are many church's museums and fine places to visit. And the tourist crowd was not that bad. All the restaurants are superb. Lots of good things to eat. Good luck.


Rancho de San Juan is not too far away. It's a very fine place to stay.

Inn of the Five Graces is a very wonderful B&B with 20 something rooms.....Go and have fun..........

History, art, food and wine, natural beauty, oh yeah, you'll love Santa Fe. It can be a bit cold in early April, but just bring a coat. It's not a large town, but you'll enjoy the museums, galleries, stores, and the beauty of the country. For indian arts (jewelry, pottery, rugs, etc.) we love Packards and Ortegas, but of course, there are so many. All of the museums are great, I especially enjoy the folk art museum (I think that's what it's called). For dining, Geronimo's for upscale, and El Shed for New Mexican. Drive the high road to Taos for natural beauty, be sure to stop in Chimayo. That's just a beginning, enjoy, and let us know how you like it (I promise you will).

With a car I recommend that you take the Turquoise Trail from Albuquerque to Santa Fe. You can also make the 45 minute drive to Bandelier National Monument. Go early and you will have some quiet before the groups arrive.
Here is a link to my New Mexico trip in 1997.
http://travelswithus.net/newmex/newmex.htm

If you love history, art, food and natural beauty, dis is da place! You must fly into Albuquerque which is an hour away. You can take a shuttle bus but I would urge you to rent a car so you can see some of the area outside town as others have said.

http://www.seesantafe.org/places.asp?section=things

I second all of the above suggestions.

To me, Santa Fe is very close to heaven. It is gorgeous there, the air is crystal clear, the sky a blue like none other.

Do drive to Bandelier for a great day trip.

Also, drive out to Abiquiu. It's not so much a "spot" to go, as it is the drive for the scenery. Also, go see Madrid. It's a cute little mining town. Have the blue cheese burger at the Lost Mine Tavern.

Then, there's the drive to Taos. It's all very, very stunning.

Great food, great shopping, great art to be had in Santa Fe.

I hadn't been to Santa Fe in almost 20 years before a four night visit there last week with my wife. My how things have changed! I wish I could say it was for the better. You did say you like to shop?

By appearances, the town is driven completely by tourism and 2nd home buyers and/or retirees. That's not to say Santa Fe isn't everything other posters have written; it's cute (love that SW adobe architecture), historical, cultural, sophisticated, loaded with art galleries and good food, and surrounded by beautiful scenery. But to me, it had a staged, almost Main Street Disneyesque feel.

If you go, take the drive to Taos and visit the Pueblo, where some natives live in the same homes, with conditions similar to those of their ancestors 1000+ years ago. But even there, you'll pay $10 each to enter, $5 per camera, and gratuity for the tour. So it too felt as much staged as real.

I expect I'll get flamed for this response. Maybe I missed something.

Actually, I also agree with some of what beachbum says. As is true for most "tourist" towns, there is a certain staged aspect to Santa Fe. For instance, Coyote Cafe. While they have good food (arguably) there, it's just a little too "artificial." I prefer for local food with local flavor, the Teseque market, where many locals eat. Some of this, though, is a matter of preference.
I still say that of all the places in the high desert region of the southwest, Santa Fe winds hands down.

First...thank you for all the comments..quite a bit to consider. After the first few posts I said...ok, lets go, but the artificial aspect worries me a bit. I mean I loved Italy and actually liked Venice quite a bit but there it was that "artificial" and "disneyesque" quality of a place that was once real but the real left and in its place a character of what it was is all that remains. Still undecided but I have to decide in 3 hours or we lose our airline reservations.....but again, thanks for the imput. Fodorites always show us places from many views. If we go I'll post what we thought of it.

If you have never been to Santa Fe and Taos, you must go. We have been many times and they are both special places. You will love it. Confirm those reservations now. Stay at the Inn of the Annasazi if possible - beautiful property and wonderful location.

Mrs. MileKing and I are considering visiting New Mexico next year. From everything I've read about Santa Fe, both on Fodors and elsewhere, it seems that museums and art galleries are the main attraction. If not interested in museums and art galleries, what else is there to see/do in Santa Fe?

What ELSE to do in Santa Fe? Consider the Opera in the summer. Exquisite open air house--not to mention the wonderful music. We have gone for many years--only popped over from AZ--but yes, the place has changed, not all for the better. However, this year we tried El Rey Inn--out on the old highway--not the greatest area---but we have done all the expensive on the Plaza places--and this was a delight! Many Europeans there--charming, gardens, less expensive. A car is nessecary in Santa Fe--you need to get up to the old villages on the high road--find the local artisans. There is much to see if you don't get drug in by the touristy stuff.

Actually MileKing, It seemed to me that the museums and art galleries were secondary to shopping and dining, both surprisingly world class in a unique Santa Fe way. Others have mentioned historical attraction, some in town, and some worthy of day trips. Then, there is the scenery; the high desert has a beauty all its own.

In spite of my comparatively negative review, my wife and I agree we'd like to return. When we do, we'll be intentional about not missing events of the annual Wine & Chile Fiesta we regretfully missed this time around.

This thread is so sad! What on earth is Disney-esque or "staged" about Venice or Santa Fe? The fact thtat there are lots of tourists around doesn't in and of itself mean that what you're seeing is fake. Nor does authenticity alone make a place fun to visit. Is it the breathtaking beauty of Venice and Santa Fe that is causing this jaded reaction--as in, "they're too pretty to be real"? I am honestly baffled, and saddened that people will miss out on a world-class travel experience out of some misguided sophisitication, so-called. Someone explain this to me!!

Amen E, amen.

I love the food in Santa Fe. The "local" food is great, especially the black beans and the cheese enchiladas in red sauce. Yum, would love some right now.

We also poked around in some of the gallaries, on a long street with a lot of gallaries and that was fun and very informative, IMO.

Like any place, it is kind of what you make of it. Yes, there are the chain stores moving in, but just ignore it and have fun.

Isn't there a Georgia O'Keefe museum there? I think we tried to go and it was closed. The scenery is breathtaking!

Okay... I'm not sure that I won't dig myself deeper here, but since you asked, E....

Please note that I'm comparing my recent visit to one 20 years ago, when most of the stores targeted to tourists were within a building or two of the plaza, and Canyon Road was a residential neighborhood. Today, it seems as if the entire downtown area is targeted to tourists. Other than as restaurant, museum, vendors, and shopworkers, locals are seldom to be seen (unless you count retirees and 2nd home owners). If that qualifies as real to you, okay, but I have a different perspective. When we asked for recommendations from locals, without exception we were told to avoid the plaza area if we wanted to experience the "real Santa Fe". And more than one of them used the term "Santa Fake".

As I wrote above, none of this takes away from the spectacular beauty of the place and/or the other reasons to visit there. As I wrote, we will return. I guess it's just that "progress" doesn't always mean progress that I'm lamenting.

What your saying could be said about ANY town. Twenty years is a long time and most any town would have changed.
Sante Fe is the second largest art market next to New York City in this country.
Even the plaza which has the largest concentration of out of towners who will be seen shopping has some Great shopping and its very beautiful. What do other citys have....malls? Boring.

So if a city is driven by tourism that's bad? Tell that to Las Vegas, all the Caribbean islands and many of the other places to which most of us travel.

Santa Fe ain't Disneyland folks and neither is Venice. Just because they choose to retain their history rather than building strip malls in the middle of town it's Disneyesque? People LIVE there, work there.

And what is this nonsense about locals? Are retirees not locals? When do they get to become locals or is it never?

If you don't like beautiful natural scenery from mountains to desert, history, Spanish Mexican and Native American culture, great food, world class spas, art, opera, horseback riding, hiking, Santa Fe is not for you.

First off, beachbum, I'm not trying to flame you; an open and civil exchange of ideas should be possible!

But I would like to point out that locals in any place are usually most easily spotted at places like grocery stores, WalMarts, the library, and other places tourists don't go--why would they?? So it seems to me that just because locals are rare on the Plaza, that doesn't mean the Plaza is in some way less worthy of attention. It just means that, like most of us, locals don't shop for turquoise jewelry or admire architecture every day.

There are restaurants in Santa Fe that are off the beaten path and wonderful and that attract locals in droves; some have been recommended on this board. And I bet you'll find locals hiking at Abiquiu (spelling??) or Bandelier or checking out a new museum show or gallery opening, or attending the opera or the Tesuque flea market, even if they're outnumbered by tourists at times.

I imagine 20 years ago Santa Fe had a more "undiscovered by the hoards" flavor, and I wish I'd seen it then. But I love it now, even as I'm always hoping to find my own "as-yet-undiscovered-by-the-hoards" vacation spot.

Happy Trails!