Things to Do

We love Santa Fe and more broadly New Mexico. This page comprises some of our favorite things to do in the area.

Culture

Museum of International Folk Art

On Museum Hill. 15 min drive or bus from downtown.

The largest collection of Folk Art in the country. Crazy permanent collection with unique rotating exhibits. Great place to get lost. Owen worked here in college!

One of the best small museums in the country.

Georgia O'Keeffe Museum

On Johnson St, a short walk from the Plaza.

The only museum in the world dedicated solely to O'Keeffe's work. The permanent collection spans her entire career and includes layers of context. The building itself is also beautiful.

Wonderful O'Keeffe collection.

Santa Fe Opera

About 20 min north of Santa Fe. Check the schedule at santafeopera.org.

The open-air theater sits on a ridge with views of the Jemez and Sangre de Cristo ranges. The season runs July through August. Highly recommended if you can get tickets.

Open-air opera in the mountains.

SITE Santa Fe

In the Railyard district. Easy walk from many hotels.

SITE always has wonderful contemporary and installation art work. Worth checking what's up during your visit.

Unique contemporary art museum.

Canyon Road

Easy walk from downtown. Mostly flat.

A historic road lined with galleries, studios, and one very good coffee shop. We recommend walking the whole thing while taking time to smell the roses.

A mile of galleries and gardens.

Museum of Indian Arts and Culture

On Museum Hill. 15 min drive from downtown — pair it with the Folk Art museum.

A serious collection covering the art and history of Southwest indigenous peoples, spanning from prehistoric through living artists. On Museum Hill alongside the Folk Art museum, so easy to combine both in a morning. One of the better museums in Santa Fe that most visitors skip.

Southwest indigenous art, ancient to contemporary.

Reptile and Bug Museum

South side of Santa Fe. Need to drive.

Very wholesome museum in the mall with collections of reptiles and insects. Sleeper hit. The staff know their animals and will tell you about them at length.

Live reptiles, live bugs.

photo-eye Bookstore

Off of Rufina Circle near Meow Wolf.

photo-eye has been a destination for photography books since 1979. The selection is extraordinary — new releases, rare monographs, out-of-print finds. Even if you don't buy anything, it's the kind of place you want to exist. Owen also worked here for many years.

Legendary photobook store.

Loretto Chapel

A short walk from the Plaza. Small admission fee.

A small Gothic chapel built in the 1870s, famous for its spiral staircase: a piece of joinery that has no visible means of support and, depending on who you ask, no natural explanation. The chapel is now deconsecrated and operates as a museum.

The miraculous staircase.

Outdoors

Ten Thousand Waves

15 min drive up Artist Rd. Reserve online, often weeks ahead.

It's kind of crazy that Santa Fe has a Japanese spa. They no longer have day passes for the main tubs but you can still book private hot tubs or massages/treatments. Very relaxing and unique experience.

Japanese mountain spa.

Diablo Canyon

About 30 min north of Santa Fe. Bring water and sun protection.

A recreation area near Española where the Rio Grande cuts through dark basalt canyon walls. The hike along the river is easy and very beautiful. We used to go here for weekend camping trips and hikes frequently. This is where Esme learned to swim.

Volcanic basalt, the Rio Grande, almost no one else.

Ski Basin

Drive up Hyde Park Road. Bring layers, it's 20 degrees cooler at the top.

The road up to the Santa Fe Ski Basin is one of the best easy drives in New Mexico — you climb from 7,000 to over 10,000 feet in 16 miles through aspen and spruce. There are hiking trails at the top and views in every direction. In July the wildflowers are out.

Worth it for the drive alone.

Monte Sol

Trailhead off Old Santa Fe Trail Rd. 2–3 hours round trip.

A relatively short and accessible hike in the foothills south of town with rewarding views of Santa Fe and the Jemez Mountains to the west. Not as dramatic as the Ski Basin trails but much closer to the city. It's amazing how quite it is at the top.

Easy hike, good views back over the city.

Dale Ball Trails

Trailhead off Upper Canyon Rd.

A network of well-maintained trails in the foothills just east of downtown, accessible on foot from most hotels near Canyon Road. Good for an early morning run or a casual hike without committing to a drive.

The city trail network. No drive required.

Randall Davey Audubon Center

At the top of Canyon Road. Free to walk the grounds.

A wildlife sanctuary tucked into the foothills at the top of Canyon Road. Has a strong beaver communtiy.

Birding and trails at the edge of the city.

Food

El Chile Toreado

Small, cash-preferred, closes early. Breakfast/lunch.

A small, unassuming spot that most tourists walk past. Do not walk past it. Their burritos haunt me in my dreams. (— Owen)

Our favorite food truck.

The Pantry

On Cerrillos Rd. Breakfast and lunch only.

A classic New Mexican diner that has been feeding Santa Fe since 1948. Breakfast all day, huge portions, green and red chile on everything.

The classic Santa Fe diner.

Izanami

15 min drive up the mountain. Reserve ahead.

The restaurant at Ten Thousand Waves serves world class Japanese izakaya food. It's a good dinner even if you're not staying at the spa. Reservations strongly advised. We love the Wagyu Beef Ishiyaki.

Japanese izakaya on the mountain.

Harry's Road House

Old Las Vegas Highway — a short drive from downtown.

Harry's is the place you go when you want green chile on everything and you want it to be good. A Santa Fe institution. Last time we were there they picked the mint for the mojitos from the courtyard.

New Mexican comfort food.

The Shed

Closed Sundays. Expect a wait at peak lunch.

The Shed occupies a courtyard compound from the 17th century and has been serving New Mexican food since 1953. The red chile is famous for a reason. Lunch lines get long — plan around it or go at opening.

New Mex & Margeritas

Paloma

Reservations recommended, especially on weekends.

A upscale Mexican restaurant with thoughtful cooking, good drinks, and a room that feels like a special occasion without being stuffy. If you're looking for one good dinner out in Santa Fe, this is a strong answer.

Upscale New Mexican.

Ras Rhody's

Food truck — check social media before going.

A food truck serving vegan Jamaican food from the owner's front yard. Menu rotates daily but always slaps. The type of meal that leaves you feeling alive.

Vegan Jamaican food truck.

La Choza

On Alarid St, near the Railyard. Closed Sundays.

Owned by the same family as The Shed and serving the same New Mexican food, but without the Plaza location and without the wait. The red and green chile are equally good.

The Shed's less-touristy sister.

Kakawa Chocolate House

Small shop on Canyon Road. Worth combining with a gallery walk.

Kakawa specializes in historically researched drinking chocolates — Aztec, Mayan, Colonial, European. It's unusual, it's small, and the chocolate is really good.

Drinking chocolate.

Drinks

La Reina at El Rey Court

At El Rey Court on Cerrillos Rd. A short drive from downtown.

Good margaritas, good lighting, and cool vibes. Really lovely location. It's right next to the house Owen lived in senior year of college.

The hip bar.

The Brake Room

In the Railyard. Check hours — can close early on slow nights.

A low-key neighborhood bar in the Railyard district serving Santa Fe Brew Co Beer. It's in a historic railyard building that is kind of amazing to be in.

Straight forward bar.

Second Street Brewery

Both locations are great.

Some of the best beer you can get. Highly recommend the Chill Pils. Two locations — the Railyard and Rufina Tap Room on the South side of town (near Meow Wolf).

Local beer, good patio.

The Dragon Room

On Old Santa Fe Trail, a short walk from the Plaza.

The bar at the Pink Adobe, one of Santa Fe's oldest restaurants. Dark, eclectic decor, strong drinks. A good spot for a late drink with cool decor.

Historic moody bar.

Tonic

Downtown Santa Fe.

One of the better cocktail bars in Santa Fe. Our favorite drink is the Cactus Coke.

Serious cocktails.

Arroyo Vino

On Old Santa Fe Trail. Reservations recommended for dinner.

Best bottle shop in Santa Fe with very knowledgeable staff. Also has amazing food for a high end dinner.

Bottle shop and restaurant.

Day Trips

Bandelier National Monument

About 45 min from Santa Fe. Timed entry required in summer — book at recreation.gov.

Bandelier preserves the remains of ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings carved into the volcanic tuff walls of Frijoles Canyon. The main loop trail is easy and takes about 1.5 hours. One of the most accessible and genuinely moving archaeological sites in the country.

Ancient cliff dwellings in a canyon.

Ghost Ranch

About an hour north toward Abiquiu — plan a full day.

Georgia O'Keeffe lived and painted here for decades. The landscape is exactly what's in those paintings — red and ochre cliffs, sky that goes on forever. You can hike to the top of Chimney Rock. The drive through the Chama Valley to get there is half the point.

Georgia O'Keeffe's home.

Taos

About 1.5 hours north of Santa Fe. Plan a full day.

Worth a full day. Taos Pueblo is a UNESCO World Heritage Site — a multi-story adobe community that has been continuously inhabited for over a thousand years. The Rio Grande Gorge Bridge is genuinely dramatic: a 650-foot drop into the canyon. The town itself has good galleries and food. The earthships are also amazing.

Taos Pueblo, the gorge, earthships.