Every year mom insists that she doesn't want a big production for Mother's Day, but we all know better. Take the mom in your life on a surprise adventure to Santa Fe with these words in mind: SEE, SPA, SIP & SNACK, SHOP, SEEK. All the while, SAVOR your mom on her day, which comes but once a year!
1. See the artistic, cultural, outdoor sites
There is so much to see and do in The City Different, so consider a few of your mom's favorite things. Santa Fe really has it all—from museum hopping Downtown or on Museum Hill (we have 20+ to choose from), gallery browsing on Canyon Road or in the Railyard Arts District (we have 250+ to choose from) to hiking the nearby trails (we have 300+ miles to choose from) or visiting one of the Eight Northern Pueblos. Make a day of it!
2. Spa days for luxurious relaxation and reconnection
Renew mom's mind, body, and soul in The City Different with a day of soaking her bones in the healing waters of Santa Fe. Remind her what Northern New Mexico’s Indigenous peoples have long known: a soak in natural mineral hot springs has a magical power to heal and rejuvenate. Ten Thousand Waves, Ojo Santa Fe, Ojo Caliente, and Jemez Hot Springs offer communal and private soaking options, and all are within easy, scenic driving distance. Or check with your local lodging—many have spa and sauna services onsite. For other ideas, check out our Spa page.
3. Sip & Snack at dozens of award-winning restaurants
Santa Fe’s culinary scene is a gastronomic epicenter in the Southwest with hundreds of one-of-a-kind, locally owned restaurants to choose from. During this trip, mom can enjoy someone else's cooking! And that someone else could be a James Beard Foundation Award nominated Best Chef of the Southwest. Chef/Owner Mark Kiffin of the Compound Restaurant (in 2005) and Chef/Owner Fernando Olea of Sazón (in 2022) received top honors!
Also, Santa Fe is home to the only AAA Four Diamond restaurants in the state of New Mexico—Geronimo on Canyon Road, Terra at the Four Seasons Rancho Encantado, Sazón near the Plaza, and Sassella next to the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum. So, peruse your options on our Dine page or flip through our Menu Magazine, the Official Guide to Dining in The City Different.
4. Shop in a multicultural city
Your mom can uncover one-of-a-kind items in Santa Fe on an afternoon's shopping odyssey into exquisite locally owned and independent boutiques and charming stores housed in historic buildings. If art is her obsession, pass along that Santa Fe is one of the largest art markets in the United States, where she can shop at our 250+ galleries or locally through many artisan markets.
Whether she's looking for fashion or furniture, rugs or hats, cowboy boots or concho belts, salsa, or silver and turquoise jewelry, she'll be rewarded in this shopper's paradise of Southwest specialties and wonders from around the world. Start a list of where to go by visiting our Shopping page.
5. Seek new skills
If your mom is likely that "constantly learning" student-of-life type, you should know that in the small city of Santa Fe, she'll find thousands of creative people and artists prepared to share their crafts with her. Whether her interests lie in cooking, music, spirituality, photography, painting, sculpture, cuisine, glass-blowing, writing, or drawing, she'll find instruction here. And The City Different is the perfect place to learn something new, amid kindred creative people in a peaceful high-elevation mountain setting. Visit our Classes & Workshops page to learn more.
Get a taste of The City Different! Order your Official Santa Fe Visitors Guide now or browse our deals and specials to help you plan your next trip to Santa Fe.
