The state of New Mexico draws filmmakers and television producers from all over the world to its unique beauty. Similarly, Santa Fe’s striking vistas, distinctive landscapes, and attractive landmarks have landed The City Different many movie and TV roles. If you want to pretend you're a star in one of those productions, visit some of areas famous locations during your stay.
The Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi
Just one block from the historic Plaza, you will find the photogenic Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi. Arguably, the most recognizable building in The City Different, this church framed this famous scene with Danny DeVito and Arnold Schwarzenegger in the movie Twins.
Santa Fe Opera
Sitting atop a hill just outside of The City Different, the Santa Fe Opera is familiar with hosting stars. One of the most acclaimed opera houses in the world, the architectural wonder of an amphitheater was featured in the blockbuster Crazy Heart. Also featured in Crazy Heart is a famous Santa Fe watering hole called Evangelo's, established in 1971 by a Greek immigrant of the same name.
Galisteo
With a distinctive Wild West feel, the area near Galisteo and Highway 41 has provided wide open spaces for well-known Westerns such as Lonesome Dove, Silverado, 3:10 to Yuma, and The Cowboys.
Cerrillos
Once a booming mining hub, the village of Cerrillos has welcomed a handful of feature films over the past few years. Perhaps most notably, the town played hideout to Billy the Kid and company in the 1988 classic Young Guns. Also filmed in this funky, historic spot worth your time are Dark Winds, We’re the Millers, Outrageous Fortune, Convoy, Hi-Lo Country, The Hitcher, Beer for My Horses, Trigger Warning, John Carpenter’s Vampires, and Seal Team Six.
Madrid
Just south of Cerrillos, on Highway 14, lies Madrid. Like Cerrillos, Madrid is a former mining town that has recently undergone rejuvenation due to a thriving art community. The Mine Shaft Tavern played the role of the Red Pony Bar in the critically acclaimed series Longmire and you can visit Maggie’s Dinner from Tim Allen’s Wild Hogs as well. Also, The Man Who Fell to Earth, The Cheyenne Social Club, Young Guns, Hi-Lo Country, The Hitcher, Seal Team Six, We’re the Millers, and Lincoln all include scenes filmed in Madrid.
Rio Grande River
The scenic stretch of the Rio Grande that runs between Taos and Santa Fe has made cameos in many major motion pictures. Avengers, Thor, and Cowboys and Aliens were all shot below the White Rock Lookout near Diablo Canyon. A bit further north, you will find the Rio Grande Gorge, which you might recognize from flicks like Terminator: Salvation, Transformers 2, No Country for Old Men, and Natural Born Killers.
Santa Fe Indian School
Rez Ball, a movie about the emotional triumph of a high school basketball team Chuska Warriors after tragically losing its star player. Produced in 2024, the movie was filmed in part at the Santa Fe Indian School, established in 1890.
Bataan Memorial Building
Visit the Oppenheimer House and Fuller Lodge in Los Alamos to get the true Oppenheimer vibe, but don't skip Santa Fe, which hosted the pivotal government hearing scenes at its Territorial Style Bataan Memorial Building, located at 407 Galisteo Street. The building served for more than half a century as the New Mexico State Capitol and it is now on the National Register of Historic Places. Other locations of the film include Ghost Ranch and the Village of Lamy.
El Rancho de las Golondrinas
Don't miss a chance to explore El Rancho de las Golondrinas, a living history museum located on 500 acres in a rural farming valley just south of Santa Fe, New Mexico. Once an important paraje or stopping place along the Camino Real that facilitated the trade between Mexico City to Santa Fe, find colonial buildings dating back to the 1700s and see guides dressed in period clothing as they recreate 18th-century ranch life with demonstrations of sheep shearing, blacksmithing, and candle making, among other activities. Here you can imagine the scenes from films like Wyatt Earp, Young Guns, Seraphim Falls, All the Pretty Horses, News of the World, Fools Rush In, and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
Ghost Ranch
Take a day trip jaunt up to Ghost Ranch, an Education & Retreat Center, 65 miles northwest of Santa Fe. You'll know you are close when you see the red and yellow cliffs of the Piedra Lumbre. Most people think of Georgia O’Keeffe in connection with the 21,000-acre ranch, but the Gallina people from a pre-puebloan culture and the Triassic residents both have museums in their honor on the property. So many movies, including Oppenheimer, The Magnificent 7, Silverado, Wyatt Earp, 3:10 to Yuma, Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Crystal Skull, Lone Ranger, The Missing, No Country for Old Men, Wyatt Earp, Wild Wild West, Silverado, City Slickers, Anthony Bourdain, Parts Unknown New Mexico were filmed here over the years.
Plaza Café Downtown
Located on the historic Santa Fe Plaza, the Plaza Café Downtown has become one of the most iconic eateries in The City Different. The restaurant was featured as a backdrop in Nick Nolte’s Graves and Did You Hear About the Morgans?
Diablo Canyon
If you are an explorer at heart, drive the 20 or miles northwest of the Santa Fe Plaza to the dramatic vertical cliffs of Diablo Canyon Recreation Area. Most hike the couple of miles out to the Rio Grande and back, and a select and talented few climb the cracked basalt cliff walls, which offer some of the best multi-pitch traditional and sport climbing in New Mexico, ranging from 5.8 to 5.13 in difficulty. Here you can imagine scenes from the following films: The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, The Harder They Fall, Godless, 3:10 to Yuma, Walker, and Texas Ranger.
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