I’m going to Santa Fe with my mom, sisters, and daughter in around a month. Anyone have any recommendations? We are definitely looking for a nice spa and restaurants and probably light hiking. Thanks!
The Santa Fe Chamber of Commerce/ tourism bureau has a restaurant guide with menus. It’s free. Very helpful.
Might be this (not sure):
https://Santa Fe.org/advertise/dining-guide/
Hit the link: “dine”.
For art, Canyon Road is the best place. Over 100 galleries–however, the artwork is expensive. According to some art collectors living in the US, California galleries are more reasonably priced even though not low priced.
Although not on Canyon Road, Manitou Gallery is also interesting.
Short drive to St. John’s College and Santa Fe prep.
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We ate at Cafe Pasqual’s and it was amazing (albeit a bit on the expensive side for Santa Fe). Book well in advance as it’s tiny and wildly popular.
For a nice, cheap pizza we thought Upper Crust Pizza was great.
For hiking, go to Bandelier, the walk along the canyon is beautiful and not too long (just over 2 miles if you go all the way to Alcove House), though the ladder climb at Alcove House is scary but optional if you are afraid of heights. You can combine it with a trip to Los Alamos and potentially Valles Caldera.
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I know there are some old threads on Santa Fe.
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We liked a walking history tour in town. And Georgia O’Keefe museum.
If you want a bit of a ride to picnic/hike area (with peek at cave dwellings) consider Bandelier
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Great place for a trip! Assuming you will have a car, one place to visit outside of Santa Fe is the Georgia O’Keefe home and studio in Abiquiú (about an hour from Santa Fe). We also went to the Ghost Ranch nearby where there is some nice and not difficult hiking, although it was too hot for the others in my group to want to hike very much.
Another interesting place, also out of town, was Chimayo where there is a very old church and associated buildings and chapels.
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Start your day with a hike at Tent Rocks. New Mexico heats up quickly even during this time of the year. Lunch at Cafe Pasqual’s. I’m a big fan of the community table because the wait is shorter and I like meeting new people. Explore the museums on Museum Hill. I also recommend the New Mexico History Museum off the plaza. Meow Wolf is a cool place to visit too. Happy hour at Rio Chama Steakhouse. They serve a perfectly cooked steak but I recommend sampling the local fare at The Shed. Refresh at Ojo Santa Fe Spa Resort. Have a great trip!
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You might consider day trips to Taos and Roswell.
While traveling by auto, don’t be surprised if you feel like stopping for photos of some of the more awesome physical features. New Mexico is gorgeous.
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I believe that Tent Rocks has been closed since the Covid outbreak. Visitors have to travel through the Cochiti Pueblo and I think the Tribe got tired of the disruption.
And sorry Prezbucky, but I wouldn’t recommend anyone drive all the way to Roswell unless they’re a space alien super geek. Not with all the other great places to visit.
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This one is not to be missed!!!
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These too!!! Definitely go!!!
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Three spas to recommend. The first is above Santa Fe not far from the ski area. Ten Thousand Waves. Japanese themed.
Huh. Looks like they now have a resort w/ food and lodging. They didn’t used to. Just gorgeous views from private outdoor soaking tubs.
For a less pricey spa and soak, try Ojo Caliente. Natural hot spring with bathhouse. (This place used to be really rustic, but in the last 10 years, it has been completely redone. Ojo Calinete is about halfway between Santa Fe and Taos on the high road to Taos. Lovely drive.
Mesa Vista Cafe across the highway from the hot spring has pretty decent New Mexican food and is less expensive than eating at the spa.
Other stops on the High Road to Taos is Chimayó with its famous Sancturario. Truchas–also with a very recognizable adobe church. If you’re interested in handwoven rugs, blankets, jackets –Tierra Wools In Chimayó is very well known for its hand dyed, hand woven goods.
(For variety, take the Low Road to Taos back to Santa Fe, it runs along the Rio Grande gorge and follows the river back to Santa Fe. It’s a shorter drive with fewer places to stop–although in fall, there are plenty of small farm stands selling local apples.)
A bit farther away–and more rustic-- is the Jemez Spring Bathhouse in Jemez Springs. You’ll drive across North America’s largest caldera (Valles Caldera National Preserve (U.S. National Park Service)) to get there.
Jemez Spring is in the middle of National Forest lands and adjacent to the Jemez Pueblo. But check to see if the Pueblo is open before you make plans to visit their visitor center. The town of Jemez Springs. the bathhouse and the historical hotel will be open and accessible since you don’t go thru the Puenlo to get there.
Stupid stuff-- Camel Rock is just north of Santa Fe. It’s worth a quick stop if you happen to be driving by, but it’s not a worthy destination by itself. (Unless, of course, you want to hit up the Camel Rock Casino that more or less across the highway from the rock formation.)
In Santa Fe, there is The Palace of the Governors’ museum on the central plaza downtown. . The Georgio O’Keefe Museum. that’s also close to the downtown plaza.
For trippy art experience, try Meow Wolf.
El Rancho de Las Golondrinas is a living history museum that re- creates daily life in colonial New Mexico.
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Yeah, no to Roswell, Roswell is 6 hour drive from Santa Fe, through a lot of empty (and rather unattractive high prairie lands) and honestly unless you’re a UFO geek, there isn’t much once you get there.
ETA: Every weekend, there are Native American artisans selling their handmade goods on the Plaza. Mostly jewelry, but sometimes pottery, sandpaintings, weavings. leather goods, too.
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More ideas-- try the Railyard It’s about a mile to walk from downtown.
Artisan’s Market every Friday, plus lots of bars,restaurants and shops. You can even take the RailRunner to ABQ from the Railyard if you don’t want to drive there.
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There is an Ojo spa in Santa Fe now that is more luxurious, or so I’m told by a coworker who goes several times per year. I haven’t been yet. I recommended it upthread and will link to it here.
ETA: my apologies if you were simply making an alternate suggestion.
OP, if you’re going all the to Taos, check out the funky village of Arroyo Seco, Taos Pueblo, and the Harwood Museum. The hike to Williams Lake is nice but might be too strenuous. For dining, Lambert’s used to be excellent.
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Another off the beaten path idea, the town of Madrid, NM (Pronounced. MAD rid).
It’s an old coal mining town on North Rte 14 (The Turquoise Trail National Scenic Byway) between ALBQ and Santa Fe. The town was abandoned after the mine closed but reclaimed by hippies and squatters who revived the town. There’s all kinds of boutiques, galleries, alternative health practitioners, tarot readers, antique shops coffee shops and cafes.
Madrid is home to the Oscar Hubert Ball Park--the FIRST electrically lighted ball park in North America.
Travel a bit further south on North 14 to the turn off for Sandia Crest. There is a road to the top of the mountain that’s well paved but full of tight curves. Great view from the top. (Windy, though and at over 10,000 ft altitude, can be much cooler than lower altitudes).
If you approach ABQ from the west side of the Sandia Mountain, there’s the Sandia Peak Tramway, the worlds’ 3rd longest single span tram. (not for those with a fear of heights!) There’s a restaurant (TEN 3) at the top of the tram that has fine and casual dining. Good food. Great views.
And sadly, you can’t drive to the top of Sandia Peak and get to the Tranmhouse. (Well, you can, but you probably don’t want to do it. It’s a very, long rough trail that runs along an exposed mountain ridge that takes several hours to traverse.)
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Yes! That road is gorgeous too! It’s called the Turquoise Trail. We drove back to ABQ on this road as the sun was going down.
I highly recommend visiting Bandelier Nat. Monument and Los Alamos as an easy excursion from Santa Fe. It’s only about 45 minutes to Los Alamos. The walking trail in Bandelier is easy, and relatively short. You could easily do Bandelier in the morning and then Los Alamos for lunchtime and afternoon. I recommend Bandelier in the morning for sure because at about 5, there will be a horrendous traffic jam as employees at the Lab leave work for the day. The museums at Los Alamos are really interesting.
Meow Wolf in Santa Fe is a hoot. So incredibly creative, immersive, strange, fun, weird and just totally different. Your daughter will probably love it.
Chimayo is wonderful. Buy a bg of homemade chili powder in the shop there. It comes in a very high-tech ziploc bag and is delicious.
I have heard great things about 10,000 Waves. My niece lived in Santa Fe and loved it.
If you do go to Taos, we got a real kick out of visiting the utopian community near the Rio Grande parking area, can’t remember the name. Also in Taos at the Hotel La Fonda, there is a secret display of DH Lawrence’s very titaliting and scandalous paintings. You pay $5 and watch a short little film, then a curtain pulls back to show the paintings.
@mountainsoul regrettably, as of now, the tent rocks are STILL closed due to a dispute with the Native Americans who own the land, I believe. It has been closed since 2021, I think.
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Does not take reservations for breakfast or lunch, only for dinner.
Have to scroll all the way down to the bottom for the dinner menu.
Very casual, moderately pricey–but reasonable for Santa Fe.
When we went, we sat next to/with/on top of (take your pick) another couple from Seattle (who actually had not watched or heard of Loudermilk).
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I second the suggestion of Meow Wolf. Very engaging, weird, cool, immersive experience.
Had a great and inexpensive meal at Annapurna’s (lunch after Meow Wolf- it’s very close) with our vegan friends. Restaurant doesn’t look like much but the food was fantastic.
Ice cream- it was absolutely terrific everywhere. Little hole in the wall places with strange but delicious combinations. I’d have been happy skipping lunch everyday for the ice cream!!!
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Geronimo’s on Canyon Road for dinner.
https://geronimorestaurant.com/menu (This is the best. Famous & very highly regarded.) Geronimo’s is among Trip Advisor’s Top 10 restaurants in the country (USA). OpenTable’s Top 100 Best Restaurants in America. Forbes 4 star. AAAFour Diamond award.
Coyote Cafe
Dining Experiences | The Inn of the Five Graces | Santa Fe, NM (The Pink Adobe is adjacent to the Inn of the Five graces hotel/spa.)
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When I was there one time in April , this actually happened every day. But that was a while ago. Free advice…if you see something you like, buy it…because the vendors are chosen by lottery and are not the same from day to day. I missed out on a great set of earring for my daughter because I wanted to think about it for a day. That vendor was never back the whole 10 days I was there.
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