Your journey begins on the north end of Highway 14. This stretch of road features picturesque ghost towns and thriving artist colonies. Start at Shona Sol Sculpture Park and Gallery 2 miles north of Cerrillos. This Sculpture Park is open on weekends and by appointment. It features monumental stone sculpture from Zimbabwe. For more information please call (505) 473-5611 or visit www.collectorsguide.com/shonasol.

Next stop is JW Eaves Movie Ranch, an actual movie set located on the tip of the Turquoise Trail and just north of the sleepy town of Cerrillos. This movie ranch has been used in countless old west movies such as Silverado, The Legend of The Lone Ranger and Wyatt Earp.
Call (505) 474-3045 to schedule a tour.

Next stop is the almost-ghost town of Cerrillos. The county's oldest designated mining district once yielded fabulous lodes of turquoise, silver, gold, lead and zinc near this boomtown of the 1800s. You may recognize this town, as it has been the host of many movie crews striving to capture the old west. Movies such as Young Guns, John Carpenter's Vampires and Convoy to name a few were filmed in this picturesque setting. Other notable historic attractions and artist galleries to explore in Cerrillos include:
Casa Grande Trading Post, Petting Zoo and Mining Museum offers visitors a chance to walk inside a 28-room adobe building filled with magnificent collection of turquoise and other native rocks as well as a petting zoo. The Moroles Cultural Center occupies the grounds of a former 1880 school building. Diamond T Hacienda Lodging and Art Gallery is located in the 1886 adobe building featuring a flower and sculpture garden and old saloon gallery. www.diamondthacienda.com Allan Houser Compound is home to Chiricahua Apache, Allan Houser Haozous. He was a featured artist of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. You may make an appointment to visit the Compound Monday-Saturday. For more information please visit http://www.allanhouser.com/.
To request a free visitors guide, please call (888) 263-0003 or visit www.turquoisetrail.org.


Madrid

Next stop is the colorful mining town of Madrid. Madrid's rich history, dating from the early 1800s, has taken it from the discovery of coal, to a mining town, to today's distinctive artist community. Because of the unique geology of the area, a phenomenon found in only two other mines in the world, hard and soft coal were mined here with shafts as deep as 2500'. In the early 1970s , artists and craftspeople arrived. They converted old company stores and houses into quality shops, galleries and services. Madrid has a mining museum, an original tavern, blues concerts at the ballpark, and walking tours. In the summer the Engine House Theater holds a melodrama. Current residents have revived the Fourth of July parade and Christmas celebrations (the first two weekends in December). Enjoy a green chile cheeseburger at the Mine Shaft Tavern in Madrid. This old building contains an Old Western long bar. Spend the rest of the day browsing the town's seven artist galleries or explore a three-acre museum preserving mining and the railroad history including antique vehicles, original buildings and equipment. Touch an actual below-ground coal seam and climb aboard a 1900s steam locomotive. For more information, please call (505) 438-3780 or visit www.oldcoalminemuseum.com. End the day at The Engine House Theater and Melodrama where the whole family can "Boo! Hiss! And Cheer!" the villains and heroes on. To request a free visitors guide, please call (888) 263-0003 or visit
www.turquoisetrail.org