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TIME
Mountain Standard Time


STATE
New Mexico

REGION
South West States




Santa Fe: Getting to the Museums

Santa Fe is known as a city of quality museums and with 16 major and minor museums in town it is a well-deserved reputation.

The Museum of New Mexico (MNM) and the City of Santa Fe bus system, Santa Fe Trails, collaborate to provide simple direct access to some of Santa Fe's most popular museums.

The 'M' line provides quick dedicated service from historic downtown to Museum Hill, the site of four remarkable museums: the Museum of International Folk Art containing the largest collection of folk art in the world, the Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, the Museum of Spanish Colonial Art, and the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian.

All but the Wheelwright, which is admission by donation, are part of a MNM multi-day, multi-museum pass system which allows entrance to all of the MNM facilities, including the Museum of Fine Arts and Palace of the Governors history museum downtown, for four days.


Cultural charm, historic surroundings, and natural beauty are just a few of the reasons why Santa Fe continues to be one of the country's most popular travel destinations.

Founded in 1607, thirteen years before the Pilgrims established the Plymouth Colony, Santa Fe is the second oldest city in the USA. Almost 400 years later Santa Fe still lives with many of its centuries old ways.

But it is not a city lost in time. Santa Fe is a vibrant and alive place where the old and new co-exist just as the Native American, Hispanic and European cultures mix to form a distinctly diverse population.

Santa Fe is a small, sophisticated city, population 65,000, that proudly displays its historic roots through its many traditions, cultural celebrations, and the soft, rounded architecture found throughout town.

A visit to "The City Different," as it is known to local and visitor alike, is best begun on the Plaza, the heart of the city. A day spent walking the narrow streets and poking around the many shops, museums and galleries that make up historic downtown is easy to do on foot and there is much to discover.

The Museum of Fine Arts, Palace of the Governors history museum and its decade's old Native American Artists Vendors program, Georgia O'Keeffe Museum, Institute of American Indian Arts, Basilica Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi, San Miguel Mission, and the city's prolific gallery district on Canyon Road are just a few of the attractions found in and around downtown.

Outside of Santa Fe are historic Spanish villages, even older Pueblo Indian communities and the ancient sites of their ancestors. Everywhere is the remarkable geology of northern New Mexico that has inspired artists for the last century including Georgia O'Keeffe and her many contemporaries.

To the uninitiated, Santa Fe's geographic location can come as a shock. While many might envision a land of tall cactus and rolling sand, Santa Fe is actually perched at an elevation of 7,000 feet at the base of the pine and aspen filled Sangre de Cristo range of the Rocky Mountains.

For lovers of the outdoors the mountains provide plenty of places for hiking, backpacking, horseback riding, camping, mountain biking and Nordic and alpine skiing while the Rio Grande valley below is well known for its white water rafting, kayaking and fishing. With four distinct seasons, three hundred days of average annual sunshine, a temperate climate even in the snowy winters and unbelievably blue skies, Santa Fe is a beautiful place to visit any time of the year.

In the summers the world-class Santa Fe Opera, Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, and dozens of other performing art groups give the city a festival atmosphere with multiple-performances almost every night.

The city is known for its savory regional cuisine and other foods of the world served in more than 200 restaurants and, with over 250 art galleries, Santa Fe is one of the most important art cities in the country.

There is abundant lodging from pampering hotels and B&B's to comfortable rooms to fit most any budget. For history, culture, shopping, cuisine, natural beauty, art, and outdoor recreation or to find a slow-paced place to relax, a trip to Santa Fe will fill more than any one visit can hold.

SANTA FE HOTELS


Photo courtesy Chris Corrie

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