5 Great Things to Do in Santa Fe, NM

Santa Fe is a vibrant and truly historic city in northern New Mexico. Most people think of Native American pottery or silver and turquoise jewelry if they think of the City Different at all. Santa Fe is so much more than those things, though, with a history and culture all its own. Blending Spanish, Mexican, Native, and modern American ideas isn’t easy, but Santa Fe seems to do it easily.

There are dozens of wonderful sights and sensory experiences in Santa Fe, from outdoorsy to the opera, but there are some prominent themes to the Santa Fe experience, and here are a few of them to get your Santa Fe experience started. If you only have a day or two, these sights and tastes will get you through.

Start out right by staying at an old hotel. Whether you’re interested in the Santa Fe trail, the religious history of the city or a craft cocktail, Santa Fe has an antique hotel for that. La Fonda, which bills itself the Inn at the End of the Trail, is a historic landmark which was a Harvey House in the railroad heyday. While the recent renovation had changed the landscape inside the hotel, it’s still packed with art, food, and style unique to Santa Fe. The Inn at Loretto is on the site of an old nunnery and has a spa to die for. The Hotel St Francis is a boutique hotel with old world style, an amazing front porch, and a mean smoked sage margarita. All of them are just steps from the historic plaza at the center of the city and are just the tip of the hotel iceberg. For a Route 66 roadshow try the Old Santa Fe Inn, which is an old motor inn redone in comfort and great flavor. Their breakfast burrito buffet will fill you up in the morning!

Eat something spicy. The state question in New Mexico is red or green. The answer should really be Christmas, which will get you half and half of each sauce on everything from enchiladas to huevos rancheros. Try the chicken mole at the Plaza Cafe on the plaza or savor the Aztec got chocolate at the Kakawa Chocolate House with its red chile kick. Green chile comes on everything from cheeseburgers to pizza, and most Santa Fe restaurants certify that they use only truly New Mexico grown. Cool off after your meal with sopapillas, or pockets of fried dough with honey.

See a glorious old church. Santa Fe was a center of Catholic faith, and is still a major diocese. From the Loretto Chapel with its miraculous spiral staircase to San Miguel mission, arguably one of the oldest churches in the states, you can see carved altars and ring 500-year-old church bells. The cathedral is dedicated to Saint Francis de Assisi, and boasts a grand stained glass rose window, Italiante altar, and saint’s relics.

Visit a unique museum. The Governer’s palace with its Indian market on the porch and low ceilings charms one and all. All sellers at the palace must prove tribal heritage, so all of their art is authentic. Native American art, Georgia O’Keefe’s paintings, Spanish Colonial Arts... you can see it all, just not in one day. Museum hill alone will take you a full day of browsing. Luckily, the city shuttle runs to most of the museums from the railyard and the plaza.

Visit an Indian Pueblo. Eight northern pueblos are within easy reach of Santa Fe, all with unique language differences and decorative styles of pottery and jewelry. Feast on fry or oven bread and learn about the first people to inhabit the area.

Santa Fe offers so much to see and do. Try any of these tips, and if you still feel up to it, go shopping for those rugs and that jewelry.