New Mexico · best-of list
31 Top Things to Do in New Mexico
All 31 things to do our route editors picked in New Mexico, across 6 destinations, gathered in one list. 2 spots on this list appear on more than one of our routes.
Our curated picks
31 things to do in New Mexico, grouped by destination. Destinations with the most picks come first; this is not a ranking.
Santa Fe 11 picks
Loretto Chapel
Santa Fe · On our Northern New Mexico High Desert route + 1 more
Gothic chapel known for its 'miraculous' spiral staircase.
Photo: User:Camerafiend · CC BY-SA 3.0
Santa Fe Plaza
Santa Fe · On our Northern New Mexico High Desert route + 1 more
Historic square framed by adobe buildings, with Native artisans selling under the Palace portal.
Photo: See above · CC BY 2.0Canyon Road Farolito Walk
Santa Fe · On our Santa Fe & Albuquerque route
On Christmas Eve, the gallery street fills with walkers, carolers, small bonfires and thousands of candlelit farolitos.
Tip: Arrive around dusk and walk uphill from Paseo de Peralta; dress for well below freezing.
Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi
Santa Fe · On our Santa Fe & Albuquerque route
Romanesque stone cathedral at the end of San Francisco Street, with a midnight Mass on Christmas Eve.
Tip: Arrive early for Christmas Eve Mass; the pews fill well before it starts.
Photo: SarahStierch · CC BY 4.0
Georgia O'Keeffe Museum
Santa Fe · On our Northern New Mexico High Desert route
Focused collection of O'Keeffe's paintings and her New Mexico landscapes.
Tip: Buy timed tickets online.
Photo: Feng Chu · Google
Meow Wolf House of Eternal Return
Santa Fe · On our Northern New Mexico High Desert route
Immersive art installation inside a Victorian house with secret passages.
Tip: Book a timed ticket; give it at least two hours.
Photo: C Hill · Google
Museum of International Folk Art
Santa Fe · On our Northern New Mexico High Desert route
Huge folk art collection on Museum Hill, including the Girard miniature dioramas.
Photo: John Phelan · CC BY 3.0
New Mexico History Museum and Palace of the Governors
Santa Fe · On our Northern New Mexico High Desert route
1610 adobe palace and adjoining museum covering New Mexico's history.
Photo: Irene Eng · GooglePalace of the Governors
Santa Fe · On our Santa Fe & Albuquerque route
Adobe seat of government from the 1610s, now a history museum; Native artists sell jewelry under its portal.
Tip: Buy jewelry directly from the artists under the portal; each seller is licensed by the museum.
Ski Santa Fe
Santa Fe · On our Santa Fe & Albuquerque route
Ski area 25 minutes above town with a base above 3,000 m and views over the desert from the top lifts.
Tip: Opening depends on snow; check conditions before driving up Hyde Park Road.
Photo: Scopulorum · CC BY-SA 3.0Ten Thousand Waves
Santa Fe · On our Santa Fe & Albuquerque route
Japanese-style mountain spa with outdoor hot tubs among the pines; soaking while it snows is the classic winter visit.
Tip: Book private tubs ahead over the holidays.
Taos 7 picks
Earthship Biotecture Visitor Center
Taos · On our Northern New Mexico High Desert route
Self-guided tour of off-grid homes built from tires, bottles and earth.
Photo: Vadim Solodukhin · Google
Harwood Museum of Art
Taos · On our Northern New Mexico High Desert route
Art of the Taos Society and Agnes Martin's octagonal gallery.
Photo: newmexico.photographer · CC BY 2.0
Millicent Rogers Museum
Taos · On our Northern New Mexico High Desert route
Native American and Hispanic art collection in a hacienda-style house.
Photo: Peter D. Tillman · CC BY-SA 2.0
Rio Grande Gorge Bridge
Taos · On our Northern New Mexico High Desert route
Steel bridge 650 feet above the Rio Grande, among the highest in the US.
Photo: Daniel Schwen · CC BY-SA 4.0
San Francisco de Asís Mission Church
Taos · On our Northern New Mexico High Desert route
Adobe church with massive buttresses painted by O'Keeffe and photographed by Ansel Adams.
Photo: Liveon001 © Travis K. Witt · CC BY-SA 3.0
Taos Pueblo
Taos · On our Northern New Mexico High Desert route
Multi-story adobe village lived in for over 1,000 years; a UNESCO site.
Tip: Closed for some ceremonies and in late winter; check before going. Ask before photographing.
Photo: John Mackenzie Burke · CC BY-SA 4.0
Williams Lake Trail
Taos · On our Northern New Mexico High Desert route
Alpine hike from Taos Ski Valley to a lake below Wheeler Peak.
Tip: High altitude; start early to beat afternoon storms.
Photo: Sashin Aluwihare · Google
Albuquerque 4 picks
Indian Pueblo Cultural Center
Albuquerque · On our Santa Fe & Albuquerque route
Museum run by New Mexico's 19 Pueblos, with weekend dances and a café serving Pueblo dishes.
Tip: Check the calendar for dances, which are often held on weekends.
Photo: Chris English · CC BY-SA 3.0
Old Town Albuquerque
Albuquerque · On our Santa Fe & Albuquerque route
The original 1706 plaza, with adobe shops and a lit Christmas tree, lined with luminarias on Christmas Eve.
Tip: Come back after dark to see the luminarias lit around the plaza.
Photo: John Phelan · CC BY 4.0
River of Lights
Albuquerque · On our Santa Fe & Albuquerque route
Walk-through light show at the ABQ BioPark Botanic Garden, with large lit sculptures of animals and plants.
Tip: Buy timed tickets ahead and go on a weeknight to avoid long lines.
Photo: John Fowler · CC BY 2.0
Sandia Peak Tramway
Albuquerque · On our Santa Fe & Albuquerque route
Aerial tram climbing about 4 km to the 3,163 m crest of the Sandias, often snowy in winter, with views over the city.
Tip: Ride up an hour before sunset and bring a warm layer; the top can be 15 C colder than the city.
Photo: AdamSelby · CC BY-SA 3.0
Old Town Albuquerque 4 picks
Albuquerque Museum
Old Town Albuquerque · On our Albuquerque New Year's Eve route
The city's art and history museum on the edge of Old Town, with a free family New Year's Eve Before Dark event on Dec 31.
Tip: Go on Dec 31; city museums close on major holidays.
Explora
Old Town Albuquerque · On our Albuquerque New Year's Eve route
A hands-on science center next to Old Town; its Noon Year's Eve on Dec 31 ends with a big balloon drop at noon.
Tip: Arrive at opening on Dec 31; the noon countdown fills the building.
Old Town Plaza
Old Town Albuquerque · On our Albuquerque New Year's Eve route
The shaded plaza at the heart of the 1706 villa, ringed by adobe shops and galleries around a white gazebo.
Photo: Chris English · CC BY-SA 3.0
San Felipe de Neri Church
Old Town Albuquerque · On our Albuquerque New Year's Eve route
The adobe church on the north side of the plaza, dating to 1793 and still an active parish.
Tip: Jan 1 is a holy day with morning Mass; visit quietly between services.
Photo: Chris English · CC BY-SA 3.0
Abiquiú 3 picks
Chimney Rock Trail
Abiquiú · On our Northern New Mexico High Desert route
3-mile round trip up a mesa to views over Ghost Ranch and Abiquiú Lake.
Tip: Little shade; carry water.
Photo: Garrett Peck · Google
Georgia O'Keeffe Home & Studio
Abiquiú · On our Northern New Mexico High Desert route
Guided tour of the adobe home and studio where O'Keeffe lived and worked.
Tip: Tours sell out; book weeks ahead. Seasonal, mostly Mar–Nov.
Photo: National Park Service · Public domain
Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs Resort
Abiquiú · On our Northern New Mexico High Desert route
Historic hot springs resort with soaking pools of different minerals.
Tip: Book ahead for weekends.
Photo: Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs Resort & Spa · Google
Nob Hill 2 picks
Guild Cinema
Nob Hill · On our Albuquerque New Year's Eve route
A single-screen independent cinema on Central Avenue showing art-house, foreign and cult films, with its neon sign lit after dark.
Photo: John Phelan · CC BY 4.0Nob Hill Chile Drop
Nob Hill · On our Albuquerque New Year's Eve route
A giant lighted red chile is lowered at midnight over Central Avenue at Hotel Zazz, with a street party from about 10 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Tip: Free to watch from the street; arrive by 11 p.m. to stand close to the drop.
How we picked these
Every entry is a stop on at least one of TripsCircle's hand-curated routes, chosen by our route editors, who wrote the reason to go shown with each place. These are our curated picks, not a scored ranking: we haven't rated or reviewed them against each other. The list is grouped by destination, and within each destination places that appear on more routes come first.
Prices ($ to $$$$) and visit lengths are rough guides from our route notes, not quotes. Check opening hours before you go.
About this list
How did you choose the things to do in New Mexico?
Each one is a stop on a TripsCircle route that our editors built by hand, and each comes with a written reason to go. This page shows all 31 of them. They are curated picks, not a ranked score.
Which part of New Mexico has the most things to do on this list?
Santa Fe has the most (11 of 31), followed by Taos (7) and Albuquerque (4).
Are any of these free?
11 picks on this list are marked free in our route notes: Santa Fe Plaza, Canyon Road Farolito Walk, Chimney Rock Trail, Nob Hill Chile Drop, Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, and more. Check ahead, since parking or special exhibits can cost extra.
More lists for New Mexico
Top things to do nearby
Destinations on this list
- Santa Fe 11 on this list
- Taos 7 on this list
- Albuquerque 4 on this list
- Old Town Albuquerque 4 on this list
- Abiquiú 3 on this list
- Nob Hill 2 on this list
Turn this list into a plan
Open a curated route in TripsCircle, add the spots your crew wants, vote with polls and keep everyone on one shared itinerary.