Biking, Food Trails, Museum Hill & Sky Railway
A great introduction to Santa Fe is its cuisine! And there are many different ways to get some guidance: Choose from the Santa Fe Menu Magazine, the Dine section of our website, Food Truck Tour, or Breakfast Burrito Tour to name a few. Sated? Get a physical tour of your home for the next 48 hours by renting a bike to tour the five nicely connected neighborhoods of Canyon Road, the downtown Plaza, and Railyard & Guadalupe District. Consider looping in the Baca District, along the Acequia Trail, where the resident eatery Cafecito will honor your arrival on wheels with 10% off.
Return the bikes and check in to your hotel for a freshen up. If you’re feeling up for a lowkey evening, see what’s playing at the Jean Cocteau Cinema, owned and operated by George R.R. Martin of Game of Thrones fame. There are plenty of great restaurants in the area or consider a tasty meal inside one of the downtown hotels, including Anasazi, Chimayó, Eldorado, La Fonda, Inn and Spa at Loretto, Inn of the Governors, Inn on the Alameda, La Posada, St. Francis, and the Drury Santa Fe. (We’re not kidding—there are that many to choose from!).
After a deep slumber, stroll the 400+-year-old Plaza the following morning in search of a cup of coffee and make it a point to visit the Native American artisans under the portal of the Palace of the Governors to learn about their processes and techniques. Be forewarned that you may not be able to resist the beautiful authentic jewelry! Next, get yourself (by Lyft or Uber or perhaps via your hotel's shuttle service up to Museum Hill), where museum hopping must have gotten its fame. There are four on this namesake hill (read our blog roundup), plus a grand lunch spot in the Museum Hill Cafe, which purports to be one of the largest covered patios in Santa Fe and offers 100-mile views. If you have the time, definitely tour the Santa Fe Botanical Garden’s three main sections: the Orchard Gardens feature perennial borders, roses and lavender, meadow, and a xeric garden; Ojos y Manos is an ethnobotanical garden featuring raised beds for annual crops and an extensive collection of plants with traditional uses; and the Piñon-Juniper woodland is a natural area showcasing native plants common to the community.
After this explore, it’s all aboard the Sky Railway. Make your reservations in advance for the relaxing up to 3-hour train ride through the gorgeous scenery of New Mexico. Choose from wine tasting, flamenco show, the lore of the land, jazz, and many more. There are hearty snacks on the train, but if you are still hankering for more of our great cuisine, use our many avenues mentioned above to find a spot to refuel!
Native American Culture & Flamenco, Spas & Performing Arts
Often overlooked is an institution designed for the preservation and revitalization of Native American cultural heritage: The School for Advanced Research offers informative morning tours by advance registration of its 16-acre property, where you can learn about its 100+-year history and its current mission to understand humanity through a unique alchemy of creative practice and scholarly research in Native American arts, anthropology, and related disciplines. You’ll not want to leave this Eastside neighborhood too soon, so head on over to Canyon Road for a bite to eat at one of the many eateries, and then spend the rest of your afternoon poking your head into the 100+ galleries.
Regroup at your hotel and get ready for your exciting advance reservation evening of Flamenco at either Spanish tapas bar El Farol or the intimate cabaret setting of Entreflamenco. The heritage of flamenco in The City Different is five generations strong and counting, which has contributed to Santa Fe being one of the top destinations in the United States to see flamenco outside of Spain.
The following day is your chill time at one of our day spas, Ten Thousand Waves or Ojo Santa Fe Spa Resort. Each offers a luxuriously relaxing experience, but are a bit different atmospherically, with Ten Thousand Waves being a high-elevation Japanese-like bathhouse in a mountain setting with the option of upscale izakaya (or small plates) fare at restaurant Izanami. Ojo features multiple spring-fed pools on 77 tranquil acres and the resident restaurant Blue Heron promises seasonal dishes sourced from their sister resort Ojo Caliente Farm. Both have numerous treatment options to guide you even more deeply into relaxation.
But don’t get so relaxed that you don’t make it out to the Santa Fe Opera, which presents five performances throughout July and August. You’ll be extra specially wowed by the architectural open-air wonder of the building as well. Opera not your thing? Check out the many other performing arts in Santa Fe, including theater, music, dance, comedy, and more.
Icons of Santa Fe
It’s “learn about the historic icons of Santa Fe” day, with a series of advance reservation visits. At the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, you’ll fall in love with the modernist artist who adopted Santa Fe and the region as her home. At the National Register of Historic Places’ Randall Davey House & Studio, on the property of the Audubon Center & Sanctuary, learn about this freewheeling painter and teacher’s life. (If you’ve some extra time, tour the grounds in search of flora and fauna.) Then make your way to the 1926 registered historic building of the Acequia Madre House, where you’ll be awed by the altruistic force of multigenerational mavens of Eva Fényes, Leonora Scott Muse Curtin, and Leonora Frances Curtin Paloheimo. Round out your day at the Ahymo Wine Garden on Canyon Road, where they purvey local wines and craft beers and offer delicious snacks.
For dinner, stay with the icon theme: Choose your restaurant based on its acclaim with the James Beard Foundation Awards. You have so many options for world-class cuisine in the high-elevation hamlet of Santa Fe. Scour the history of The City Different’s chefs and restaurants and the famous James Beard Awards, which are designed “to recognize exceptional talent and achievement in the culinary arts, hospitality, media, and broader food system, as well as a demonstrated commitment to racial and gender equity, community, sustainability, and a culture where all can thrive.”
The next morning, find a strong cup of locally roasted coffee to get you moving on your busy day of other advance reservation activities, beginning with a walking tour or hands-on cooking class hosted by Santa Fe School of Cooking. Make sure you’ve time to browse their market for the food items you’ve just learned about and the kitchen items you must have. Las Cosas also offers classes and their shop will deck out your kitchen in ways you have never imagined. Continue your tasting with a trip to the Santa Fe Spirits Distillery, where you can learn about the behind-the-scenes process of crafting vodka, gin, and apple brandy. Pleasantly full and happy, you might enjoy an evening walk along the Santa Fe River, beginning at Patrick Smith Park.
As the sun sets, make your way over to the iconic 100-year-old La Fonda on the Plaza, a former Harvey House, architecturally preserved landmark, and a member of the Historic Hotel of America, regardless of whether it’s your hotel for the night. City records indicate that La Fonda sits on the site of the town's first inn back in 1607, which over the years, with a growing reputation for hospitality, became the preferred lodging option among trappers, soldiers, gold seekers, gamblers, and politicians. Walk through the lobby, enjoy the art and architectural detailing brought to bear by famed architects and designers Mary Elizabeth Jane Colter and John Gaw Meem. Also of note, you are now on also famous Route 66, celebrating its Centennial in 2025! If your appetite has returned, consider one of La Fonda’s 3 wonderful eateries.
