Santa Fe Plaza is a must-see and is in a bustling area with beautiful buildings, shops, and…read moreentertainment. The history and architecture is amazing. Note: Street Parking is a bit challenging and the area can get quite busy, but it's a fun spot.

I love that Santa Fe's Historical District restrictions allow the Plaza to retain its old world…read morecharm and wide accessibility for the community. The rest of metro Santa Fe might be their version of suburbia, but the heart that anchors Santa Fe is right here. Yes, the shopping on the adjacent streets is a bit high end, but the classy charm of the plaza and the Tribal merchants across the street at the Inn of the Governors grounds the experience. Besides the interesting mix of people at the Plaza, I note 2 interesting experiences: 1. The Classic Car show on Friday night that circled the entire Plaza on the outside, accented by "Low Riders" occasionally circling. Our friend Laurie even found the model of car that her family drove around during her childhood. 2. The Santa Fe Plaza Obelisk, historically known as the Soldiers' Monument, was toppled by protestors in 2020 and its pieces are slated for a museum. What will become of the Monument proper is in community committee hands, which will probably go round and round without much meaningful progress short term.

What a beautiful building. It is filled with artwork by local artisans. So bright and open…read more There was a small group of friendly demonstrators out front, which reminded me that our democracy still works :-) The entry guard, Sandra, was both helpful and funny.

We didn't get to go inside the Capitol building as we visited it on a weekend and it was closed…read more The building itself and the grounds around it are absolutely gorgeous and I love all the Native American heritage that is captured here. Whenever I visit a state's capital city, I always like to go and see their Capitol building so this was a treat to see!

SITE is located in the Railyard Arts District. We had been trying to visit this gallery and it had…read morealways been closed. We were excited it was open. The exhibition focuses on the Native American. Many paintings, sculptures, quilts and videos to see. I really enjoyed the feeling exuded from this gallery. Staff were pleasant and ready to answer questions. They have a small bookstore with fine art books. Admission is free. Metered parking.

The finest modern art museum/gallery in Santa Fe, and one of the best in the world…read more With no permanent collection, SITE is all about cutting-edge exhibitions and retrospectives. The curation here is spectacular, each show having something unique to say that you might never find in another museum. Their thoughtful and dramatic large scale installations aren't something you can see in other galleries. Every time I come in inspired (the "muse" in "museum") delighted and moved. It's a MUST-SEE for art lovers and curious minds of all kinds. Free admission ($10 donation requested -- and always well worth it). GO. SEE.

Looking for a fun interactive art exhibit to explore? Meowwolf will keep you immersed with its…read moreeccentric art and quirky rooms. This is the 4th Meowwolf location I've been to. While they eventually give the same effect overtime, I still wanted to visit this location because it's the OG. It's still very unique in its own way. Some highlights include, a spooky house to explore, a telephone booth that connects you virtually to Oklahoma, many portals, etc. So fun! Tip: purchase tickets online in advance for cheaper prices. They go up if you purchase the day of. There's a food court where you can purchase some drinks and snacks. However, I just came for the art.

This place is wild, weird and wonderful. Disclaimer that I didn't know much about Meow Wolf before…read moregoing, just that its an immersive art exhibit and one of the most popular attractions in Santa Fe. I went on a random Tuesday in early afternoon thinking it wouldn't be busy but it still was! If you plan ahead, you can save yourself some money by buying less coveted time slots online. There is a big, free parking lot with a few cool instillations outside. Love that it's in an old bowling alley and they kept the carpet vibe in the lobby. They also have a cafe but I didn't partake. Since it's a self-guided experience, you can spend as little or as much time as you want exploring. I feel like I stopped to investigate things (e.g., opened cupboards, flipped through albums) and still got through all the rooms in a little over an hour. Meow Wolf was unlike anything I've seen before - when you think about how many artists came together to create all the details that amassed into such a monumental exhibit, it's really incredible. Definitely worth checking out!

It's part of the Meow Wolf experience located in their parking lot. There are now three metal…read moresculptures with the third being a blue Coyote.. - Free! But you'll have to find parking. - If you eat at Tortilla Flats you get 20% off admission to Meow Wolf.

As a Texan, I'm used to things being big. But I ain't ever seen a 30 foot robot before! This huge…read morerobot is called, "Becoming Human" and was built by Christian Ristow outside of Meow Wolf. (If you're unfamiliar with Meow Wolf, check out their separate Yelp page) The robot looks like it used to be menacing, but now is picking a giant daisy! The robot sits out in the parking lot, so it's easily accessible for photos. Don't worry, he won't crush you and take over mankind with ruthless calculating prowess. He just wants to give you a daisy! The spider, named TaranTula, is pretty big, even by Texan standards, but we've been known to have some larger ones out near Amarillo. The spider was made by Christina Sporrong, from the Spitfire Forge in Taos. With the two giant creatures in the parking lot, it looks like some sort of strange sci-fi action scene is about to go down, and your ride is parked right in the middle of it! Food trucks can often be found out in front of the spider, along with places to chill. Please don't climb on the creations.

After watching the movie on the miracle staircase probably 40 years ago we decided to visit the…read morestaircase in person at Loretto Chapel in Santa Fe. The Chapel is a very close walking distance from the Santa Fe Plaza. The cost to enter was $5.00 general admission and $4.00 for seniors. Inside the Chapel beside the staircase there is a beautiful alter. We had a nice visit but 10 minutes is all you need to see everything. Will return.

This chapel charges a fee to enter, most likely because of the staircase. The chapel was…read moreovercrowded with people who weren't being very respectful and there was an automated message over the loudspeaker, which made it feel like this beautiful chapel was now a tourist trap. The staircase was pretty, but it wasn't anything to marvel at for longer than a few seconds. The only "neat" thing about it was that it was modeled after St. Etienne in Paris, which I have been to and loved. NOTE: They do have a great giftshop!

Lots of shopping, art, historic sites. Loved our time here. Shops in all price ranges and options…read more Lots of food options. Beautiful and large.

I always wanted to visit Santa Fe and it didn't dissappoint! The historic district is so charming,…read moregreat to stroll its streets and discover it by foot. The Plaza is beautiful, full of charm, there are many historic buidlings around like the Palace of the Governrrs, many museums with architecture alike a pueblo, cathedrals in Spanish Revival sytle, great shops, art galleries, restaurants. This is the kind of place with so much personality that is hard to describe. They have events here often, market, the place is lively with lots of cultural activities to discovere, Georgia O'Keefe Museum is a must, but there are so many other great museums and small galleries that you can pop in any time. Santa Fe might remind you of a cute town in Mexico but it has its own original features, it is such an unique place!

Great spot to visit. My ancestor created the top middle piece or art on the altar screen so we came…read moreto see it in person. Amazing to see something so old created by someone I am descended from. The chapel is beautiful. You can feel how old it is. I recommend a stop.

I have always loved really old churches and to go to the oldest church in the country was…read morewonderful. It doesn't take long to see it, but it's absolutely worth it to drop in. It's free.

Santa Fe is a cool town but I was only excited for a few things there before visiting. When coming…read moreacross this place, I suddenly found myself in some type of wonder world. Walk around Santa Fe and you never know what could be around the next corner. This place isn't exactly a tourist destination. While I took pictures and walked around the place, I'm still not entirely sure of its purpose. It's my understanding that this church is named after a virgin from Mexico. Forgive my ignorance on the subject. You would think that a virgin church in the middle of many other churches(ONE OF THEM HAS TO BE HAS TO LIKE HER, RIGHT? RIGHT??)... virginity is rare so it has that going for it. Hook up with one of those other churches already! The place was locked as it was a mid-week weekday. We also weren't chased off by any type of security guard so we were able to snap pictures and view the outside. I wish it would've been opened so I could've checked it out.

Beautiful church away from the touristy Plaza. The grounds are covered with the most beautiful…read moreblooming rose bushes. The statue of Guadalupe catches your eye, but immediately in front of Guadalupe is a life size Rosary shown as pavers on the ground for the Rosary beads. Definitely a working church, as there were parishioners lining up for weekend mass while Hubby and I were visiting. We did not visit the sanctuary because of mass, but thought the grounds were beautiful.

OMG! Even if you're not interested in going to an art gallery, if you like gardens - go here!!…read more The garden out back is AMAZING and it presents a cool, relaxing oasis in such an arid climate. There's no place to sit and relax out there (intentional, as I'm sure else no one would want to leave), but it's really worth walking around (it's not huge and doesn't take long to walk around all of it - except for me since I dawdled because it was so lovely). OK, so I'm admittedly not an art gallery person (The Hubs is), however, I did like this gallery. They had a nice variety of different art media (medium?) that I actually found interesting. I'd definitely come here again. The art was very good, but the garden absolutely made my day.

Fine art in Santa Fe with beautiful sculpture garden in back. Our family has been visiting this…read moregallery every summer since I can remember. The best.