Visiting Taos/Santa Fe, NM - Must See/DO?

[+tsunrisebey]

After GCF in Colorado, I'm heading straight down to the Taos and then Santa Fe areas. I'm pretty excited to visit your beautiful state, especially these areas.

 

I've been doing some research but I'd like some advice from the "locals". I'm going to try and spend 2 days in each area and then I'll head back home to Montana.

 

I'm just going to leave it open to any/all suggestions. First I'll tell you my interests and maybe you could make suggestions based off that?

 

I'm an outdoorsy gal and I spend time hiking in the mountains here, so that is my first love. Anything outdoors and nature related would be of interest to me. Drives, caverns, rock formations, lakes, you name it I'm interested. I also love artsy stuff, so if there is something I need to see, throw it out there.

 

Places to eat, places to stay, I would like to hear it all. Must do caches even better.

 

Santa Fe I hear is a great community for the arts and to be inspired, so where do I need to go and what do I need to see?

 

Thank you in advance for helping me plan ahead and sharing your knowledge, it's much appreciated.

 

I'll be traveling in my Jeep Wrangler which is well equipped for mountain/snow driving conditions, so if you have a great mountain "loop" I should be driving, I'm game.

 

Stephanie/tsun

[+Let's Look Over Thayer]

You may wonder why someone from San Diego is responding to this message...well, in some ways I probably qualify more as a local than some of the people who live there. I was born in Northern NM, lived there for many years and still go back regularly to visit my parents (and my parents-in-law).

 

As far as artsy stuff, you will find it hard to avoid both Santa Fe and Taos. I would recommend visits to the New Mexico Museum of Art, the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum and the Museum of International Folk Art all in Santa Fe. There are a number of galleries in the general vicinity of the Museum of Art that are worth visiting.

 

For outdoorsy stuff, I would recommend visiting Bandelier National Monument and the Valle Caldera near Los Alamos. The Rio Grande Gorge near Taos is also worth seeing. Taking the High Road to (or from) Toas is also worth the time. (Just Google it...)

 

Places to eat -- The Shed (not far from the Palace of the Governors) in Santa Fe.

 

Above all, though, just go there and follow your nose. No matter where you go and what you do, you'll find things that will be worth the trip.

[+Mauison]

Aloha Steph! To copy Let's Look Over Thayer, you may be wondering why someone from Hawaii is responding to this message...well, a couple of years back we visited Santa Fe on our cross-country road trip. One of our stops that you might be interested is the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian. It's near the Museum of International Folk Art and it looks like there's a Museum of Indian Arts and Culture as well nearby.

 

Here's a link to my road trip blog for that day.

 

http://mauison.blogspot.com/2009/06/day-9-albuquerque-and-santa-fe.html

 

And there are a few caches in the area!

[+DonB]

Some more input from Wisconsin. Check out the ice caves just south of I-40, and there is also an extinct volcano that you can hike up the side of and look down in the cone. Maybe "Let's Look Over Thayer" can help out on this one because it's been a few years since we were there. I believe we were on our way from Taos to Santa Fe and we stopped at some Indian ruins that were quite interesting. We got down by the hotel La Fonda fairly early one morning in Santa FE and had breakfast...one of the best three egg omelets I have ever had, and by the time we were done with breakfast the Indians had their jewelry displays setup near the hotel. One other place we enjoyed was browsing the trading posts in Gallup. Also Blue Hole by Santa Rosa.

 

We spent a week in NM that year and the farthest south we got was the ice caves, we had to come back a couple of years later to check out the rest of the state.

[+tsunrisebey]

Thanks for the additional responses, I've decided to extend my stay by 2 days so I can fit some more stuff in So many things to see and do and so little time.

 

tsun

[+thequeenbee]

I'm also from Hawaii but love to visit the Southwest, especially Santa Fe and Taos. It seems like there is never enough time to see and enjoy everything there. In Taos I have stayed at the Taos Inn (very cozy and historical-just off the Plaza) and at El Monte Sagrado on Kit Carson Road. (An incredible property with gorgeous grounds, a full service spa and maximum tranquility) For some real down home New Mexican cuisine you got to go to El Taoseño. It's a no-nonsense local diner with yummy big portions. The chicken stuffed sopapilla is to die for! For something fancier there is El Meze. If the weather is nice opt for an outdoor table timed so that you catch the sunset.

I especially enjoyed visiting the Taos Pueblo on the north side of town. It was amazing to see a place that has not changed much in a thousand years. As for museums, you will probably find a geocache in front of each one in Taos!

 

Not sure what I can say about Santa Fe that hasn't been said already. My favorite thing to do is to visit and chat with the Native American artists who are at the Palace of the Governors. I always buy something there to support their crafts. (Yes, and there is a geocache near them too!)