Santa Fe County has a multitude of interesting things to do, from hikes in the beautiful New Mexico wilderness to a tour of the best in contemporary art & sculpture to attending Native American feast-day dances. It really is No Place Like Home!
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The Ortiz Mountains Educational Preserve |
The Ortiz Mountains Educational Preserve is an isolated cluster of mountains along the Turquoise Trail, 28 miles south of Santa Fe. It is a spectacular natural area, a ponderosa and pinon habitat with everything from brown bears (Ursus americanus) and coyotes to horned toads and lions, and over 80 species of birds.
Santa Fe Botanical Gardens
1213 Mercantile, Suite A
Santa Fe , NM 87507
505-471-9103
Website: www.santafebotanicalgarden.org
The Ortiz Mountains Educational Preserve is located in Cerrillos, New Mexico, near the end of Santa Fe County Road 55, also called Gold Mine Road.
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Housed in a spectacular outdoor theater, the Santa Fe Opera is internationally famous for cutting-edge production and flawless casting. The electronic libretto system is one of only two in the world, and provides audience members with a simultaneous translation of the opera right in their seats. Call or visit the Web site for a complete schedule or to reserve a seat. Located north of Santa Fe.
The Santa Fe Opera
17053 U.S. Highway 84/285
Santa Fe, NM 8704-2408
Show Information Office at (800) 280-4654
Box Office at (505) 986-5900
Website: www.santafeopera.org
Lodging near the Santa Fe Opera includes:
The Bishop's Lodge (Santa Fe/Tesuque)
Hacienda del Cerezo (Tesuque)
Ranchero de Santa Fe (Santa Fe)
Rancho Jacona (Pojoaque)
Santa Fe Lodge (south of Santa Fe)
Inn at Santa Fe (south of Santa Fe)
Inn and Spa at Sunrise Springs (south of Santa Fe)
Ten Thousand Waves (north of Santa Fe)
The Triangle Inn (Tesuque)
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Why take the fast-paced interstate between Albuquerque and Santa Fe, when you can take an adventure into the past along the Turquoise Trail? Consisting of 61.2 miles of back-roads, including Highway 14 and NM-536, the National Scenic Byway passes through many colorful and history-rich towns, offering visitors everything from arts and crafts to tours of Old West movie sets and ghost towns.
The trail begins on NM-536 at the summit of the Sandia Mountains, with an amazing view of the state. Here one can ski in the winter, and hike or bike in the summer. Upon descent, visitors take Highway 14 north to Golden, a ghost town named for the gold mining that occurred here during the 1800s. The trail continues onto Madrid, a former coal-mining town transformed into a myriad of shops and galleries offering arts and crafts. Events such as the Christmas celebration and the numerous jazz concerts have made Madrid a favorite stopping place along the Turquoise Trail. The next stop is the turquoise and stone mining town of Cerrillos, with the oldest known mine in North America. Cerrillos offers a mining museum, a petting zoo, a trading post, and a B&B and Spa. The trail concludes in the historic town of Santa Fe.
To request a free visitors guide, please call (888) 263-0003
Website:www.turquoisetrail.org.
Driving Directions
From Santa Fe take I-25 south to Highway 14 and continue to drive south. The stretch of Highway 14 between its intersection with I-40 and its destination in Santa Fe is the Turquoise Trail.
Lodging along the Turquoise Trail includes:
The Bobcat Inn (southeast of Santa Fe)
Crystal Mesa Farm B&B (Cerrillos)
Hacienda Doña Andrea (Cerrillos)
High Feather Ranch B&B(Between Cerrillos and Madrid)
Santa Fe Lodge (south of Santa Fe)
Santa Fe Skies RV Park (Hwy 14)
Inn at Santa Fe(south of Santa Fe)
Inn and Spa at Sunrise Springs (south of Santa Fe)
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Tsankawi at Bandelier National Monument |
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 The Tsankawi Trail, located in Santa Fe County, is part of Bandelier National Monument, the site of an ancient Anasazi civilization, c1200 AD. Dwellings and ceremonial sites found among the mesas and steep-walled canyons are accessible by hiking the back country and foot trails. Tsankawi,which was home to the ancestral Tewa Pueblo people, is of great interest to those who would liike to see a more pristine example of cliff dwellings. The balance of Bandelier National Monument (the Visitor Center in Frijoles Canyon with its displays of prehistoric and historic Pueblo culture and an interpretive trail) is not in Santa Fe County proper but is a short distance from Tsankawi. With its colorful section of the Rio Grande River Valley, its waterfall, its plentiful wildlife, the towering Frijoles Canyon, archaeological sites, plentiful volcanic rock and ash, thermal springs, campsites, and nearly 70 miles of back country trails, Tsankawi and the rest of Bandelier National Monument offer one of the most unusual and interesting natural historic sites in the Southwest.
Bandelier National Monument 15 Entrance Road Los Alamos, NM 87544 (505) 672-0343 (505) 672-3861 x517 (Visitor Center) Website: www.nps.gov
Driving Directions
From I-25 take the St. Francis 84/285 exit for Santa Fe, go through the city, then follow signs for Bandelier at each major junction.
Lodging near Bandelier National Monument includes:
The Bishop's Lodge (Santa Fe/Tesuque)
Hacienda del Cerezo (Tesuque)
Rancho Jacona (Pojoaque)
The Triangle Inn (Tesuque)
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Wildlife West Nature Park |
This 122-acre wildlife refuge park and enhanced zoo features plants and animals native to New Mexico. Every Saturday night in summer the park features the Wildlife West Chuckwagon with a BBQ feast and a live western music stage show. The Park is open year round with several summer weekend celebrations. Call for a schedule of events. Located near Edgewood.
Wildlife West Nature Park
Edgewood, NM
505-281-7655
1-800-981-9453
Website: www.wildlifewest.org
Driving Directions
Take I-40 East from Albuquerque. Take Exit 187 and go North on Highway 344. Take a left on the frontage road. The park will be on your right.
Lodging near Wildlife West Nature Park includes:
Crystal Mesa Farm B&B (Cerrillos)
Hacienda Doña Andrea (Cerrillos)
High Feather Ranch B&B(Between Cerrillos and Madrid)
Santa Fe Skies RV Park (Hwy 14)
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