Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian
Santa Fe
Mary Cabot established this museum in 1937 to showcase Navajo ceremonial art, and its major strength is Navajo and Zuni jewelry, in particular silverwork…
Must-see attractions in New Mexico
Santa Fe
Built in 1878 for the Sisters of Loretto, this tiny Gothic chapel is famous as the site of St Joseph's Miraculous Staircase, a spiraling and apparently…
Albuquerque
From the lofty high-wire bike to the mind-boggling Light, Shadow, Color area, this gung-ho museum offers a hands-on exhibit for every type of child (don't…
Albuquerque
The ABQ BioPark Aquarium, a few blocks west of Old Town and the centerpiece of the northern segment of the ABQ BioPark, holds a 285,000-gallon tank where…
Albuquerque
Dating in its present incarnation from 1793, the facade of this adobe church now provides Old Town's most famous photo op. Mass is celebrated Sunday,…
New Mexico
The rugged El Malpais National Monument consists of almost 200 sq miles of isolated volcanic terrain. There are numerous trails here, accessible via Hwy…
New Mexico
A 214-sq-mile adventure camp for the Boy Scouts of America, the ranch complex is also home to four unique museums. The new National Scouting Museum, which…
New Mexico
As far as we know, the dusty southwestern corner of New Mexico isn't haunted by spirits speaking in iambic pentameter, but it is where you'll find…
Capulin Volcano National Monument
New Mexico
A 60,000-year-old cinder cone, Capulin is the most accessible of numerous extinct volcanoes in the Raton-Clayton Volcanic Field, which covers a whopping…
New Mexico
Animal lovers won’t want to miss the Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary, 20 miles southeast of Ramah off Hwy 53. Home to rescued and captive-born wolves and wolf…
New Mexico
One of the 10 best dive spots in the US is, surprisingly, right here in li'l ol' Santa Rosa. The hourglass-shaped, 70ft-deep Blue Hole is 138ft in…
New Mexico
By far the coolest sight around these parts, Shiprock – Tsé Bit'a’à (Rock with Wings) in Navajo – looms eerily over the landscape 40 miles west of…
New Mexico State University Museums
New Mexico
If you're looking to engage the intellect, the university museums are a fantastic choice. While small, the exhibits are well curated. The Zuhl Museum, in…
Taos
A short walk east of the Plaza, the little-changed former home of Kit Carson (1809–68) – perhaps the Southwest's most famous mountain man, guide, trapper,…
New Mexico
One of New Mexico’s best regional museums, a sprawling, enormous affair that holds a superb display of Mimbres pottery and a great doll collection,…
New Mexico
Opened in 2018, this small but engaging museum spotlights the history and traditions of the Boy Scouts of America and shares historic artifacts connected…
Taos
Wonderfully preserved adobe residence, dating originally from 1797, which provides a vivid glimpse of life in Taos’ artistic community during the 1920s…
New Mexico
Just north of Glenwood, Hwy 159 twists its way off Hwy 180 for a vertiginous – and scenic – 9 miles on the slow-going route to Mogollon, a semi–ghost town…
New Mexico
Rockhound State Park, 14 miles southeast of Deming via Hwys 11 and 141, gives visitors the chance to collect all sorts of semiprecious or just plain…
New Mexico
Used by Native Americans since ancient times, the three pools here are simply lovely. Caretakers regulate the temperatures throughout the day so that they…
New Mexico
Established in 1859 as a gold-mining town, Pinos Altos, 7 miles north of Silver City along Hwy 15, is almost a ghost town these days, though its few…
New Mexico
This general store from 1880 is now a museum with a rich collection of paraphernalia form Chloride's heyday, including wooden dynamite detonators, farm…
Taos
Set amid the fields 2 miles southwest of the Plaza, this fortified adobe homestead was built in 1804. It served as a trading post, first for merchants…
New Mexico
Even if you don’t plan to spend the night, be sure to sneak a peek behind the Territorial-style adobe exterior of the St James Hotel, which started life…
White Sands Missile Range Museum
New Mexico
Explore New Mexico's military technology history with a visit to this museum, 25 miles east of Las Cruces along Hwy 70. It represents the heart of the…
Taos
Attractively displayed in a gorgeous and very spacious mid-19th-century adobe compound, the paintings, drawings, prints, sculpture and photographs here…
National Museum of Nuclear Science & History
Albuquerque
Located at the edge of the massive Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque’s southeast corner, and surrounded by an outdoor Heritage Park holding discarded…
National Hispanic Cultural Center
Albuquerque
In the historic Barelas neighborhood, near the river a mile south of downtown, this modern, architecturally imaginative center for Hispanic visual,…
Taos Art Museum at Fechin House
Taos
Russian artist Nicolai Fechin moved to Taos in 1926, aged 46, and adorned the interior of this adobe home with his own distinctly Russian woodcarvings…
Museum of Spanish Colonial Art
Santa Fe
Celebrating the long history of Hispanic culture in New Mexico, this museum places the religious and domestic art of the region in the context of the…
New Mexico
This engaging museum showcases all manner of prehistoric beasts, from ferocious 40ft crocodiles to battling saber-tooth cats and the T-Rex-like…
Santa Fe
This little-known research center, specializing in archaeology and anthropology, holds one of the largest collections of Southwestern Native American art…
Albuquerque
There are several museums and galleries packed into the small but peaceful campus of UNM, along with abundant public art and a performing arts center. The…
New Mexico
This cultural center houses a good little museum of Native American art on the 2nd floor, including excellent collections of kachina dolls both new and…
Taos
The wooden cross marking the grave of actor Dennis Hopper is wrapped in bandannas and Mardi Gras beads. They're a simple nod to his role in Easy Rider,…
Santa Fe
Looming over the Railyard District, the enormous and ever-expanding SITE Santa Fe is a nonprofit art gallery dedicated to presenting world-class…
Taos
Just off Hwy 68 in Ranchos de Taos, 4 miles south of Taos Plaza, this iconic church was completed in 1815. Famed for the rounded curves and stark angles…
New Mexico
Ensconced in an elegant 1881 Victorian house, the local history museum displays a recreated family parlor from the 1890s, as well as a fascinating exhibit…
New Mexico
This museum pays homage to the mother of all roads by spotlighting four-wheeled travel. Boasting around 35 cars from the 1920s through the 1960s, all in…
New Mexico
Home to a private collection of more than 60,000 items, this main-street museum is a veritable shrine to the famous outlaw – don’t miss the photo of the…
