Comprising a blend of Native American, Spanish, Mexican, and American influences, Santa Fe is one of the country’s most culturally and historically significant destinations. Walk its adobe-lined streets or dive into one of its cutting-edge restaurants to explore what truly makes this “the City Different.” Here are the top things to do in Santa Fe.
Visit the Railyard
The Santa Fe Railyard is a newly revitalized district on over 13 acres of open space where you can shop at a year-round farmers market and an artisan market every Sunday inside the pavilion. Farmers, makers, and artists from all over gather to sell everything from goat’s cheese to hand-blown glass, making it a great place for unique gift shopping. There is also a movie theater, shopping and dining, and a park with an outdoor stage that hosts live music throughout the summer.
Walk the Plaza
As a National Registry of Historic Places site, the Plaza District is the literal and figurative heart of Santa Fe. At over 400 years old, Santa Fe is one of the oldest cities in the United States, with pre-colonial roots stretching back thousands of years. Door-to-door galleries, shops, restaurants, museums, and historical sites line every street along and adjacent to the Plaza. The richness of cultural identity in Santa Fe is evident in its preserved adobe architecture, fabulous public art, and unique foods.
Meet artists near the Palace of the Governors
Along the south side of the Palace of the Governors, under a covered walkway known as the Portal, Native American artists from forty-one tribes, Pueblos, and villages in New Mexico, the Navajo Nation, and parts of Arizona sell handmade jewelry and art almost every day of the year.
Before the creation of formal markets in the 20th century, the Palace of the Governors portal was used as a market for produce, game, pottery, and basketry. Today, different artists present their work daily, regulated by the Portal Committee, which emphasizes authenticity and traditional materials.
Gallery hop along Canyon Road
Santa Fe is considered one of the great art centers of the world, and its community of artists spans generations. Gallery hopping along Canyon Road is a fun, free way to see all the types of art Santa Fe offers, from classic Western scenes to cutting-edge contemporary work. With over 100 galleries located along this deeply historic and world-famous road, you can easily spend a day just wandering.
Try some chile
From vegan and fusion food to tapas and tamales, the Santa Fe food and beverage scene is the best in the Southwest. Enjoy a flavorful meal at colorful La Choza, known for being worth the wait (arrive early). Alternatively, savor unpretentious dishes at Cafe Pasqual’s, famous for its huevos motuleños, made with feta cheese and sautéed bananas. Almost anywhere you go, red and green chile will be involved.
Watch the sunset from a rooftop bar
La Fonda hotel’s rooftop bar is arguably the best place in the city to watch a legendary Santa Fe sunset. On almost any evening, the sky comes alive with electric oranges, reds, and ribbons of gold that fade into neon pinks, blush, and purple before being filled with twinkling stars.
Go tequila tasting
A Santa Fe tradition since 1950, Maria’s New Mexican Kitchen offers over 150 margaritas, more than 170 tequilas, and an excellent menu of traditional New Mexican food to complement the drinks. If undecided, the House Margarita, made with authentic agave tequila, triple sec, and freshly squeezed lemons, is their best-seller.
Explore Museum Hill
Art history is as important to the landscape of Santa Fe as is the cutting-edge contemporary work that the city proudly displays. A quick drive from the Plaza leads to Museum Hill, home to world-class museums where you can easily spend an entire day admiring priceless collections within the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture, the Museum of International Folk Art, the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian, and the Museum of Spanish Colonial Art. These museums consistently feature special exhibits that are worth planning for.
Visit MoCNA
For a twist on the norm, check out the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Art (MoCNA) located on the Plaza – the only museum dedicated to collecting and exhibiting contemporary Native art in the United States. Owned by the Institute of American Indian Arts, MoCNA houses 9,000 contemporary Indigenous artworks from 1962 to the present.
Be drawn to the art festivals
Santa Fe hosts art markets year-round, drawing in thousands of visitors. Celebrating its centenary in August 2022, the annual Santa Fe Indian Market attracts over 150,000 people to the historic Santa Fe Plaza and surrounding neighborhoods for an extended weekend of artist booths, a juried art show, gala, auction, fashion show, and more. It is the largest Indigenous art show in the world and features work from at least 1,200 artists.
December sees a more scaled-down event during the Winter Indian Market. Other annual events include the International Folk Art Market, Traditional Spanish Market, and Fiesta Fine Arts and Crafts Market during the Fiestas de Santa Fe.
Picnic at the open-air opera
Founded in 1956 by a former New York-based conductor named John Cosby, the Santa Fe Opera is an open-air venue 7 miles north of Santa Fe, surrounded by high desert piñon and sweeping vistas. Local lore suggests that Cosby and his acoustic experts fired rifle shots until they discovered the ideal location on their newly acquired 199-acre guest ranch.
In a unique fusion of Paris meets the Wild West with a Santa Fe twist, opera-goers arrive at the dirt parking lot early with champagne, wine, and elaborate picnics for an evening filled with good old-fashioned white tablecloth tailgating.
Dance like nobody’s watching
If there’s one thing Santa Feans truly enjoy, it’s dancing freely, and as a visitor, it can be one of the most enjoyable and liberating experiences you’ll have. Catch a free summer concert at the Plaza Bandstand, enjoy Latin music at El Farol, rock ‘n’ roll at Evangelo’s, or savor dinner and a dance at Cowgirl BBQ.
Go down the rabbit hole at Meow Wolf
You might have thought we forgot about Meow Wolf. As if. Plan ahead and carve out a full day for the wildest ride in Santa Fe. Once merely an art collective in a run-down building, Meow Wolf has transformed into an immersive art experience inhabiting an abandoned bowling alley and has launched second and third locations in Denver and Las Vegas, gaining national attention.
The centerpiece of the Meow Wolf Art Complex is The House of Eternal Return, a permanent installation where you can easily imagine what Alice felt like when she chased that rabbit – completely lost, but in the most magical way. With 20,000 sq ft for visitors of all ages to explore, touch, climb, and photograph, the scope of the journey is entirely up to the individual.
