New Mexico
 

Next trip is to New Mexico. Not sure where to go yet. We've never been there before. Any suggestions on the best places (cities or towns) to find cultural aspects, great restaurants, day trips, site-seeing, shopping, etc? Also, what month is best for comfortable weather?

We are doing a combination trip AZ/NM next month (3-12/3-22). We've been to AZ before (Jan 2002) and loved it. Will give you a trip report when we get back.

Having lived in New Mexico for a few years, I will recommend the places I enjoyed visiting:
-Cloudcroft, great to visit when the summer heat is too much.
-Albuquerque, for the old town on the Rio Grande and for a drive to the top of Sandia Mountain, stopping for a picnic along the way.
-Jemez Springs, where a huge spring surges right out of the rock.
-Battleship Rock, a famous rock outcropping in the middle of a dense forest.
-Santa Fe, for the artsy-fartsy crowd.
-White Sands, for the dunes that make you think of Saudi Arabia.
-Any one of several Indian pueblos; Zuni is a good candidate.
-Los Alamos, for the history of atomic bomb research and for the scenery.
-Taos and the mountains around there and to the south, for the beautiful scenery (and good skiing in winter).

Those are my favorites. Good luck.

Wayne has given you a great list. If you like caves, you would enjoy Carlsbad Caverns. Ruidoso is a nice mountain town as well.

Thank you all so much for your info. Do you think 10-14 days would be enough time to see all of these places?

There is never enough time so the hard part is deciding what not to see on this trip. Whatever you do, do not bypass the 'Native American'culture and the wonderful ruins. Chaco Canyon is at the top of my list and Bandelier Nat'l Monument is also great. Early spring is very nice as late summer may see rain storms. Actually, I have not found a time of year I did not like.

If you're headed to Carlsbad, be sure to go through Lincoln and Ruidosa. And the Gila Cliff Dwellings in the SW are spectacular, though a bit out of the way. Four Corners in the NW, Acoma Pueblo there as well. I think 14 days is a good start. Be sure to bring your appetite. Nothing like NM food. Go to Hatch for some fresh chiles, that's where they're all grown. If you go to Carlsbad Caverns, be sure to go to Sitting Bull Falls. It's absolutely gorgeous.

Definitely include Santa Fe and Taos.

I love New Mexico in the spring when the desert is in bloom.