A self-guided walk around downtown:
To experience Santa Fe to its fullest, you have to immerse yourself in its history, cultures and quaint ambience. You have to forget about day-to-day stresses and slow down a little. The best way to get started is take a walk around the downtown area. La Fonda Hotel, located on the southeast corner of the Plaza, is a good base from which to start. Directly behind the hotel, on San Francisco Street, is the massive St. Francis Cathedral. Simply stepping into this sanctuary cleanses the mind and soul. Fifty-foot floor-to-ceiling stained glass windows cast a magical light onto a historic alter, which is still used every Sunday for worship services. From the cathedral, cross the street to the Institute of American Indian Arts, where dozens of artists study, train and practice in the visual arts. At times you can watch the students at work as they sculpt, paint, carve and sketch pieces that are occasionally available for sale.
Back across the street, just to the north of the cathedral, is a small iron gate. If you are lucky enough to find it open, it leads to a stone path that winds among tall, thick cottonwoods that shade a grassy lawn. The walk leads to the east, and emerges near the side entrance of La Posada de Santa Fe, an old mansion that was converted into a grand hotel. The quiet lounge is a good place to refresh and re-energize.
North, across Palace Avenue, you will find yourself walking beside thick adobe walls that hide numerous private haciendas, and a few stylish bed-and-breakfast inns. If you are here in the spring, the aroma of lilacs will weigh heavily in the air.
Go one block to the west, and you will find yourself walking beneath a covered portal. Arched gateways reveal small, shaded plazuelas with fountains, small shops and fine restaurants. Eventually, your stroll along Palace will lead back to the Plaza. Here, on this northeast corner, you may be lucky enough to find Roque Garcia selling his famous carnitas, a good energy restorer for the next, arduous stage of your tour.
Right behind Roque is one of the city’s most popular destinations: the Palace of the Governors. Beneath its portal, Native American artisans spread their handiwork on colorful blankets. This is an opportunity to buy directly from the artists. Buying at this popular spot does not ensure the best price, but it does ensure authenticity. Take your time, enjoy, and ask questions of the vendors. Most are happy to chat, if their day is not too busy.
Continuing to the west, along Palace Avenue, is the Museum of New Mexico. Here the history and art that spans three cultures and more than a millennium of time is interpreted through displays of artifacts, paintings and photographs. This adobe structure is a tour in itself.
Turn back to the southeast, and head onto the Plaza, where locals and tourists mingle among the cottonwoods and grassy lawns. Take a break to just sit and do some people watching before returning to La Fonda Hotel where you can grab a bite or some refreshment at the rooftop Bell Tower Bar.
Self-guided tour opportunities abound in and around Santa Fe, but a number of reputable companies offer well-interpreted walking, or riding tours of the area.
The Loretto Line offers an open-air-tram ride around the downtown area, with extended stops at the more interesting sites. If you or your group would rather tailor your tour, then a number of companies will customize one for you. Custom Tours by Clarice offers personalized walking or riding tours in or out of the city. The company even offers a luxury shuttle to the Santa Fe Opera for individuals or groups.
At the Roundhouse, New Mexico’s state capitol building, tours allow you to wander through the legislative chambers and even up to the Governor’s office. If you are lucky, you may get a chance to witness one of the legislature’s famous verbal duels right on the House or Senate floors.
A relatively well-kept secret is the Santa Fe Southern Railway. You can ride in the forgotten luxury of high-class rail on a 60-mile round-trip odyssey from the old Santa Fe Depot to the main line in Lamy, 30 miles to the south.
Offering the full gamut of area tours is Santa Fe Detours. If the company’s walking tour of downtown is a little too tame for you, maybe a guided trip to one of the surrounding pueblos will fit your bill. At most pueblos, tourists are welcome to experience the traditions and cultures of the Native American descendants of the Anasazi. If your sense of adventure is still unfulfilled, then a white water rafting trip through the Rio Grande Gorge may be more to your liking.
If you aren’t ready for a thorough drenching, you may want to try one of the guided tours of historical and cultural sites offered by the Santa Fe Guiding Company. The cliff dwellings at Bandalier are as inspiring as its steep-walled canyon setting is beautiful. Or, you can stroll among the ponderosa pines as you experience the cliff dwellings at Puye.
Does a trek into the Pecos Wilderness sound appealing? A number of trails offer a variety of entrances into this alpine paradise. At Santa Fe Ski Basin, you can drop into the wilderness from a high pass. To the east, at Cowles, you can seek the true source of the Pecos River along a series of trails that parallel this pristine watershed. Be wary of the elevation. Many trails crest at over 12,000 feet and the air is thin. Also, storms can appear out of nowhere and it is not uncommon to find yourself in a mid-May snowstorm on the high mountain passes. A way to ensure your safety and experience this national treasure to its fullest is to take a two or three-day horseback pack trip with Making Tracks Tours.
From the nearby rivers, to the surrounding mountains, and from the pueblos to the ancient heart of the city itself, Santa Fe offers literally hundreds of tour opportunities. But give yourself just one afternoon to lay back under a big cottonwood on the Plaza and gaze up at the leaves as they filter the New Mexico sun. You can almost hear the clatter of hooves and the clank and rattle of harnesses among the modern sounds of daily life.
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