• It’s a great idea to get a Library Card while you are in Santa Fe. Not only can you use it to check out books, the library has a program where you can check out museum passes for free admission to 15 state museums.
• Cross of the Martyrs Park at 617 Paseo de Peralta Drive is a short hike with a huge payoff – a spectacular view of the entire city. It also has a series of historical markers on the way up describing the history of the city.
• In the early fall before ski season starts, the Santa Fe ski slopes have a weekend where you can ride the chair lift up to the top of the mountain and hike down. It’s especially beautiful because it runs over the aspen that change to gold in the fall.
• While the galleries all over town are great places to see art, I think the best place to see wonderful Santa Fe art is the Capitol Building. Open to the public, it’s filled with beautiful artwork. You can sign up for a tour or go look on your own.  
• The rooftop bar at the La Fonda Inn is a nice place to go for a good view and a glass of wine. It can get busy, so best to get there early.
• La Casa Sena — on Palace Street less than a block from the main plaza, the restaurant and bar feature both quiet inside seating and quiet outside garden tables.   You can also just order a beverage and take a break in the day there.  Very nice place yet reasonably priced.
• Lensic Performing Arts Center – This venue is georgeous inside and often offers free events – such as a themed class movie for Halloween. 
• Santa Fe Opera – You don’t have to like opera to enjoy this venue.  They offer all sorts of shows there.  What makes this stand out is the venue.  Outdoors, but covered with great views of the sunset on the mountains.
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Day Trips

• The Cumbres and Toltec Steam Rail is a very enjoyable ride with spectacular views. You can get a lunch or brunch trip. Make sure you schedule this early and early in your fall stay as it stops running mid October and sells out quickly.  You might also combine this with a visit to Ghost Ranch, which you will pass along the way.
• A trip to Taos is pretty much a “must do” but mostly because of the fantastic High Road to Taos. Make sure you stop at the town of Chimayo. One of our favorite restaurants is there, (Rancho de Chimayo), there’s a really interesting church that is still the site of pilgrimages and there is a world class weaving shop you can visit. You can meet seventh generation Native American weavers at the Centinela Traditional Arts shop. Lisa is not only an outstanding and very creative weaver but she was wonderfully kind and informative with me, a beginning weaver. The Ortega Weaving shop, while not the museum-quality work you’ll see at Centinela, has work you might actually afford, and there’s a wonderful craft shop next door. In Penasco, a bit further north, you’ll find Sugar Nymphs Bistro, renown for their home cooking and especially their desserts.
• When you get to Taos, visit the weirdly wonderful Earth Ship community. It’s probably not worth paying the extra fee to get the full tour, (because it’s not very full!) but you can explore the area a bit on your own. Driving on the way back to Taos, stop at the Rio Grande Bridge. You can walk across and look down from a pretty dizzying height. Native Americans sell their goods in a corner of the park by the bridge.
• This is hardly a secret, but you won’t want to miss Bandelier National Monument. There are very accessible Native American ruins. It’s very different from Chaco Canyon, as these are cliff dwellings. It can get very crowded in the summertime – a great reason to travel on the shoulder seasons!
• Take a day to geek out at Los Alamos, the site of the Manhattan project that developed the nuclear bomb. You can book a walking tour, which is highly informative, and check out the Science and the History museums.
• Albuquerque:  Only an hour’s drive from Santa Fe, Albuquerque can easily fill a day.  A good day would include the nuclear museum, the history museum, and a walk through old town.  Oh yes, the nuclear museum is a real jewel – well done and relevant to the region.  If you just want to check out the history museum and old town, consider taking the commuter train.  It’s convenient, and inexpensive (free for vets).  
• Turquoise Trail, also known as New Mexico Rt. 14, is a great day trip south of Santa Fe. Make sure you explore the eclectic town of Madrid (pronounced MAD-rid), eat at the Hollar and find the town cemetery up on the hill behind the town. The creative homemade gravestones are worth a trip in itself.  
• If you are adventurous, visit the Sandia Man Cave located between Madrid and Albuquerque.  The hike to the cave is easy, but bring a light to walk/crawl as far into the cave as you dare.  Great place to bring older children as well.

Chaco Canyon: One of the highlights of our trip was camping at Chaco Canyon. Ok, this was a two-day trip, but worth it.  The canyon is filled with native American ruins that are both impressive and deeply mysterious. No one is quite sure who lived there or what the cities were used for; many think that they were only inhabited during religious festivals, but the size of the ruins are stunning. Chaco Canyon is very remote, and the nearest hotel is hours away, so camping is your best bet. You will need to bring all the food you will use, too, as there are no grocery stores nearby, although there is water available at the campsite. Make reservations at the Gallo Campground which is near the ruins. In fact, if you can get a site in the back side of the loop (away from the road) you’ll be very close to ruins and if you get campsite 23 you’ll actually have a ruin right at the back of your site. It can get very cold at night. But you will be rewarded – Chaco Canyon is a Dark Sky Park, and the sky is stunning at night. It is also relatively empty because of the remoteness of the park. I should also note that the roads leading into the park are dirt and are quite rutted in some areas, although once you get into the park proper, they are paved. Although the southern approach is longer, the roads are better and the scenery is wonderful. Make sure you tank up though – gas stations are few and very far between.

When you Pack, Make Sure you Bring…

• A hat to shield you from the sun
• Camping gear
• Hiking boots

If you enjoy good wine, don’t miss going to Casa Abril vineyards south of Santa Fe. It’s a tiny production and they don’t sell their product anywhere but on site, but the wines are absolutely superb. Raymond is warm and gracious and the vibe is like going to someone’s home for a special celebration. It doesn’t look like much as you drive up to the gate, but you’ll be glad you stopped.

Of course you also need to check out Meow Wolf, but that’s hardly a secret. What might be a secret is that we heard that after we left, the same organization that runs Meow Wolf now also runs a train to Lamy with live art performances on the train. After a dinner in Lamy, you return home to Santa Fe. If it’s anything like Meow Wolf, it’ll be a wild ride!