Santa Fe/Albuquerque questions
 

Booked to see eclipse in October, staying at Inn of the Governors for 6 nights (maybe 1 night too long but flight schedules worked out this way).
Please comment on plans.
1) day trips to Taos, Los Alamos/Bandolier National Monument. Others?
2) know the standard SF sites, anything off the beaten track? (Not spa people)
3) do many restaurants have outdoor seating, heated if necessary?
4) we have few hours in Albuquerque before evening flight. Anything special to see/do?
TIA

I highly recommend a visit to Acoma Pueblo about an hour west of Albuquerque. Maybe spend your last night in Albuquerque so you’ll have time for a leisurely drive & visit to the pueblo.

https://www.acomaskycity.org/page/home

I second MmePerdu’s recommendation of Acoma Pueblo. We crisscrossed the West on family car trips; it was a highlight of a trip to Santa Fe.

For other day trips I would highly recommend near Santa Fe the Pecos National Historical Park https://www.nps.gov/peco/planyourvisit/guidedtours.htm and nearby Glorieta Pass one of the most western battlefields of the Civil War. There is a nice little trail with descriptive signs. https://www.nps.gov/peco/learn/histo...rieta-pass.htm. Ask at the Pecos park for directions and access code to the battlefield area.

And in Santa Fe itself the museum at the Institute of American Indian Arts. It is right in the center of town across from the cathedral.
https://iaia.edu/2023-iaia-museum-of...-by-usa-today/

I also urge you to go to Acoma: Sky City which is about 90 minutes west of Alb.It is perched on a mesa about 367' above the valley floor and dates from the 1100s AD. You can buy Pueblo pottery for good prices. Also, the Old Town in Alb.is worth a visit.

While I also recommend a visit to Acoma, note that the pueblo tour is currently closed.
https://www.acomaskycity.org/page/tours

The Pueblo of Acoma is currently closed for in-person tours.
Sky City Cultural Center & Haak'u Museum are open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
Reservations now being accepted for onsite vitual tours of the Pueblo
in our very own Ts’iKinuma K’aiya (Story Telling Room/Theatre).

It may still be worth going out there, but don't have your heart set on visiting the actual pueblo.

Take the high road between Taos and Santa Fe

https://taos.org/discover/the-high-r...-and-santa-fe/

https://flic.kr/p/pTQS4N

1) day trips to Taos, Los Alamos/Bandolier National Monument. Others?

Do you hike? We loved Valles Caldera (although we visited in snowy winter):

https://www.nps.gov/vall/planyourvisit/hiking.htm

If the Acoma Pueblo is closed you could go to the Taos Pueblo which is open. https://www.newmexico.org/native-cul...s/taos-pueblo/

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...453a0d995.jpeg
A dwelling you can climb into at Bandelier.
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...197ccc013.jpeg
Rock art at Bandelier
Some of the interesting things at Bandelier.

Ask the rangers at Bandelier if the elk are in rut at Valles Caldera. One fall there were several bucks gathering females and bellowing at rivals. We watched from a pull off from the road and it was spectacular.