When you have:

• only Evenings free
• 1 – 3 Days to see Santa Fe
• Time for Day Trips outside Santa Fe

Additional Info:

• Walking Map (PDF)
• Guided Tours (local tour services, listed below the landing photo)
• Santa Fe Visitors Bureau

When you have only EVENINGS free

• Enjoy browsing the historic area (around the Santa Fe Plaza, which is about 10–15 minuts walk from the venue hotel).
  
  Map (PDF): Self-guided Downtown Tour
  Difficult to walk? Ask the hotel's front desk for complimentary car service to drop you off (and pick you up) within the local neighborhood (subject to availability of the vehicle).
• Enjoy New Mexican cuisine.
  Green chile is considered to be the defining ingredient of New Mexican cuisine. Red chile, beans, and corn are also basic ingredients of New Mexican cooking. Some restaurants have live music in the evening, including "Amaya" at the venue hotel.
  
  Restaurants near Hotel Santa Fe & The Hacienda (Google map). Ask the front desk for more dining and nightlife options.
  
  
• Thursday evening, September 5: Burning of Zozobra ("Old Man Gloom"). An annual Santa Fe event (88th), where a giant marionette effigy (50-foot tall = about 15 meters) is torched in flames to get rid of people's worries and troubles of the previous year. Ticket $5-$10. Fort Marcy Park. Admission rules.
  
  
• September 6–8 evenings: Live music and dances at the Bandstand (gazebo) on the Santa Fe Plaza (80 East San Francisco Street). 10AM-10PM on 9/6–9/7; 11AM-5PM on 9/8. Free.
• Friday evening, September 6: These museums are open until 7 or 8PM on Fridays (some of them offer free admission after 5PM): Georgia O'Keeffe Museum  |  New Mexico Museum of Art  |  New Mexico History Museum  | Palace of the Governors.
• September 7 evening: The Gran Baile de la Fiesta, a colorful, intricate, and historical grand ball held in honor of the Fiesta royalty. Start at 7:30PM at Santa Fe Community Convention Center (near the Plaza). Tickets $15. Info 505-988-1234.
• Theaters: Check the calendar at Lensic Performing Arts Center or Santa Fe Opera
• Spa & Massage: Various spa services are available in Santa Fe, from massage, skin care, body treatment to nail service, etc. Some offer evening hours, including the Spa at Hotel Santa Fe. Advance booking is necessary.

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When you have DAYTIME free

In addition to the listings above,

• Try some of Santa Fe's Photogenic & Cultural Sights. Our favorites are:
• Georgia O'Keeffe Museum
• Native American artists' jewelry and craft sale
• New Mexico Museum of Art
• St. Francis Cathedral
• San Miguel Mission
• Canyon Road art galleries
• See more...
• (you may like these Museum Passes)


• Self-guided walking tour (PDF map) or join one of the guided tours.
• Morning of September 8 (9:30AM–10AM): Solemn Procession (a part of the 300-yr old Fiestas de Santa Fe) retraces the footsteps of New Mexico’s ancestors. The procession marches with the image of the La Conquistadora, from the Palace of the Governors (105 West Palace Avenue) to the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi, where a pontifical mass will be held.
• Evening of September 8 (7PM–9PM): Mass of Thanksgiving and Candlelight Procession. A candlelight procession following a Mass of Thanksgiving at the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi. Hundreds of participants make their way through the historic downtown streets from the cathedral and up the hill to the Cross of the Martyrs, where luminarias (vigil bonfire) dot the hill.
• Hiking / Horseback Riding / Outdoor Activities: Locals enjoy Dale Ball Trail System (PDF map), which is a network of several hiking and mountain biking trails that total 30 miles, all starting within 2 miles of the Santa Fe Plaza. Also see Guided Hiking (vendors listed below the big photo).
  For horseback riding, try Broken Saddle Riding or Bishop's Lodge Ranch.
  More info on Outdoor Activities in Santa Fe.

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DAY TRIPS

The following sights are outside Santa Fe but worth driving to, if you have time to visit. If you don't want to drive, join in one of the guided tours offered by local tour companies.

• Taos and the High Road (round trip of approximately 165 miles). Highlights include the village of Chimayó (known for traditional weaving products and Chimayo hot peppers), Santuario de Chimayó (known for "miraculous dirt" of healing powers), San Jose de Gracia de las Trampas (an 18th-century mission church) in Las Trampas, Carson National Forest, Ranchos de Taos where many artists visit to paint and photograph the famous San Francisco de Asis Church, city of Taos and historic Taos Pueblo. (Taos is 72 miles = 116 km, about 1.15 hours from Santa Fe).

Taos is also a home to Kit Carson Home & Museum, Millicent Rogers Museum, and Taos Pueblo.

• Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument (40miles southwest of Santa Fe; 505-761-8700) Cone-shaped tent rock formations formed by volcanic eruptions 6-7 million years ago. The Cave Loop Trail (easy 1.2 mile hike) and Canyon Trail (1.5 miles one-way in a narrow canyon then steeply up a 630-foot climb to the top of a mesa).
• Jemez Mountain Trail and Los Alamos (round trip of approx. 160 miles). Highlights include San Ildefonso Pueblo (best known for the famous black-on-black pottery), Santa Clara Pueblo (known for hand-crafted black ware and redware pottery), Tsankawi Mesa and Frijoles Canyon (two separate locations of Bandelier National Monument), Bradbury Science Museum (exhibits of the atomic bomb and research of Los Alamos National Laboratory), Valle Grande (calderas formed when a volcano crater collapsed one million years ago), Jemez Springs (public tubs and bathhouse), Jemez State Monument (magnificent ancient Indian ruins and the Jemez Pueblo's Walatowa Visitor Center).

[Video] Bandelier National Monument

• Abiquiú, Ghost Ranch and Chama (round trip of approx. 250 miles). Highlights include Ghost Ranch, Abiquiú Lake, Heron Lake and the Brazos River, a steam train (Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad) from Cham to southern Colorado, and Taos.



• "The Enchanted Circle" National Scenic Byway is an 85 mile winding route that begins in the city of Taos on NM 522 (Taos is 72 miles = 116 km, about 1.15 hours from Santa Fe). The Enchanted Circle takes you through some of the most beautiful areas of North Central New Mexico, such as San Cristobal in Taos where D. H. Lawrence is buried, steep ascent into Red River, Eagle Nest Lake State Park and more. More information...
  
• The Eight Northern Pueblos between Santa Fe and Colorado. (Note: When visiting pueblos, be respectful and follow the etiquette.)
• Pecos and the village of Las Vegas in New Mexico (not to be consued with Las Vegas in Nevada). Rround trip of about 186 miles. Highlights include Pecos National Historical Park (the ruins of Pecos Pueblo and a Spanish mission church), Las Vegas on the old Santa Fe trail (one-time trading center and a bustling railroad town; today it is a small village of historic buildings and antique shops), Storrie Lake, Cleveland Roller Mill Museum.

For more information, please visit Santa Fe Convention & Visitors Bureau.

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SANTA FE: Photogenic & Cultural Sights

WALKING DISTANCE from Hotel Santa Fe:

• Santuario de Guadalupe (100 Guadalupe, +1 505 988-2027; Free) An excellent example of Spanish Colonial architecture that contains a superb collection of religious artworks.
• Palace of the Governors (105 E Palace Ave. on Santa Fe Plaza, between Palace Avenue and Washington Street; +1 505 476-5200) The site originally served as the seat of government of the Spanish colony of Nuevo Mexico, and then became New Mexico's first territorial capitol when New Mexico was annexed as a U.S. territory. Today the adobe structure is a Registered National Historic Landmark and the state's history museum (Open Tue–Sunday 10AM-5PM $9; Friday free 5PM–8PM). See Museum Passes.
• Native American Artisans Program at the Palace of the Governors (105 E Palace Ave. on Santa Fe Plaza, between Palace Avenue and Washington Street). During daytime, New Mexico's Native American artists sell their handmade crafts under the portal of the Palace of the Governors. This is a good place to buy locally made jewelry and pottery for reasonable prices because this is a regulated market in which artisans must be members of New Mexico tribes/pueblos and must follow strict rules designed to ensure the authenticity of their goods.
• New Mexico Museum of Art (107 W Palace Ave — just west of the Palace of the Governors, +1 505 476-5072) Open Tue–Sun 10AM–5PM $9; Friday free 5PM–8PM. An impressive collection of New Mexico arts. See Museum Passes.
• Georgia O'Keeffe Museum (217 Johnson St, +1 505 946-1000) Dedicated to the artistic legacy and life of Georgia O’Keeffe (1887-1986), one of the most important artists of the 20th century American modernism. Open daily 10AM–5PM except Friday until 7PM. Adult $12.
• New Mexico History Museum (105 E Palace Ave. on Santa Fe Plaza, +1 505 476-5200). Located behind the Palace, this museum opened in 2009. Three floors of exhibits on the history of New Mexico, including artifacts from the prehistory to the early history of indigenous people, Spanish colonization, the Mexican Period, and travel and commerce on the legendary Santa Fe Trail. (open 10AM– 5PM Tues–Sunday $9; free admission Friday 5PM– 8PM). See Museum Passes.
• St. Francis Cathedral (213 Cathedral Place, +1 505 982-5619; Free) Built by Archbishop Jean Baptiste Lamy between 1869 and 1886 on the site of two older churches (original 1626 and La Parroquia 1714). Literature enthusiasts may be delighted to know that Willa Cather's "Death Comes for the Archbishop" is based on the history of this cathedral.
• Loretto Chapel (211 Old Santa Fe Trail, +1 505 982-0092; Sunday 10:30AM-5PM, Monday–Saturday 9AM-5PM; $3) Built in 1878 and modeled after the Gothic Sainte Chapelle in Paris. Known for the Miraculous Staircase.
• San Miguel Mission (401 Old Santa Fe Trail, +1 505 983-3974; Donation) Thought to be one of the oldest surviving mission churches in the United States (1610–1625).

• Canyon Road is a 3/4-mile street (somewhat uphill from downtown area) dotted with over 100 high-end art galleries displaying paintings, sculpture, jewelry, photography, etc., as well as various architectures (Spanish colonial, Pueblo, and American Territorial style). Most galleries welcome visitors; just hop in and chat with the artists. Maps of Canyon Road.

• The State Capitol Building (corner of Old Santa Fe Trail and Paseo de Peralta, +1 505 986-4589) Open for self-guided tours Monday–Friday 7AM-6PM. Call for guided tours.
• Institute of American Indian Arts Museum (108 Cathedral Place, across the street from St. Francis Cathedral, +1 505 983-8900) A superb collection of contemporary Indian art. Monday & Wednesday– Saturday 10AM–5PM, Sunday Noon–5 p.m. Adult $10. See Museum Passes.

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SHORT DRIVING DISTANCE from Hotel Santa Fe: The following sights are located on "Museum Hill," which is a few miles from downtown. Use a taxi or public bus. (See Museum Passes.)

• Museum of International Folk Art (706 Camino Lejo on Museum Hill, +1 505 476-1200) Tue–Sunday 10AM-5PM. $9 adults; discount pass for Museum of New Mexico applies.
• Museum of Indian Arts & Culture (710 Camino Lejo on Museum Hill, +1 505 476-1250) Tue–Sunday 10AM-5PM.$9 adults; discount pass for Museum of New Mexico applies.
• Museum of Spanish Colonial Art (750 Camino Lejo on Museum Hill, +1 505 982-2226) Tue–Sunday 10AM-5PM.$9 adults; discount pass for Museum of New Mexico applies.
• Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian (704 Camino Lejo on Museum Hill, +1 505 982-4636) Native American art collection, with a quaint little gift shop. Free.

4-DAY MUSEUM PASS: $20 per person for these Five (5) museums: Museum of Indian Arts & Culture (located on Museum Hill) | Museum of International Folk Art (Museum Hill) | New Mexico Museum of Art (downtown) | Palace of the Governor's | New Mexico History Museum (downtown).

1-DAY MUSEUM PASS: $15 per person for any two (2) combination of these museums: New Mexico Museum of Art (downtown) | Museum of International Folk Art (located on Museum Hill) | Museum of Indian Arts & Culture (Museum Hill) | New Mexico History Museum (downtown)

Information on this page was provided by Santa Fe Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) and compiled for the convenience of QFD attendees. For more information, please visit the CVB web site.

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