Burro Alley is a short, historic pedestrian lane a few blocks down the street from the Plaza, next…read moreto the Lensic Performing Arts Center, and across from Tia Sophia's. We were first introduced to Burro Alley by Terry of Santa Fe Footprints walking tour. Here's what he told us: - Dating back to 1610, the alley got its name from the burros (donkeys) that were used to carry firewood--the primary heating source for the adobe town--into the city from the surrounding mountains. - Once the wood was sold, the burros and their handlers were relegated to the alley. The area quickly evolved into a rowdy, "sinful" stretch featuring gambling dens, saloons, and cheap boarding houses. - During the mid-1800s, this block was home to an infamous gambling house owned by Doña Tules (Maria Gertrudis Barceló), a highly influential and controversial female entrepreneur who amassed great wealth during the frontier era. Terry indicated that a lot of this came to an end when the Puritans came to town and did away with behavior that the Catholic Church looked the other way. Past that, we used the Alley as a shortcut to and from our VRBO on several occasions. Along the way, we admired the life-size bronze statue of a wood-laden burro and the vibrant murals.

An alley with long history all the way to the 17th century. The wood used for heating the houses…read morewas brought by burros to the town and sold in this alley. After it was sold, some of the money earned would be spent in the same alley in saloons and brothels. The bronze statue of the burro at the entrance of the alley and the mural are the homage to burros that literally carried the West.

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.

Exposed (i.e. no shade), but a convenient way to go for a run if you're visiting and don't know the…read morearea. Nice paved path in great condition. Be on the lookout for loose dogs. Encountered 1 on each of my runs. One followed me, barking, for a short distance until I bent down to pick up a rock. The other one looked like a pit mix but was friendly and docile.

A very nicely constructed, paved, walk/run/bike trail following the Santa Fe River. It joins…read moreseveral parks and a recreation center along the way. It currently ends at Frenchy's Field, but plans are to extend it all the way to 599.

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.

I have been going to Indian Market on and off for 35 years- I noticed this year several booths that…read morehad non-Native components incorporated into their items- and a lot of booths with low level items- this used to be a strict juried event- not so any more- very disappointing-

Welcome to the 100th anniversary of the market. This is how you avoid mass produced products sold…read moreby people who don't know the story and meanings of symbols. Everything here was sold by the artists who could talk about symbolic meanings Before buying we asked about the story and symbolic meanings of the item. Sellers were more than happy to answer our questions. It was a great education and provided better understanding of Native Americans and their relationship with the earth.We made a few purchases as soon as we entered the selling area and had to remind ourselves much more remained to be seen. Booths could be found on most streets surrounding the plaza. Despite the rain it was still fairly crowded. Many booths were not yet occupied. This also equates to a lot of traffic trying to find limited parking spaces close by. Surprisingly we managed to cover almost 3 miles. Most vendors take credit cards but many don't. There are ATMs close by but save a trip to find one and bring cash too. We definitely enjoyed our excursion and are already looking forward to next year's! Oh, one last thing - bring snacks and something to drink. If you want a sit down meal expect a wait in almost all eateries in the area.

If you're looking for a very unique place in Santa Fe, please visit Kakawa. All employees are…read moreusually very helpful with recommendations and patient while choosing from many liquid chocolates, truffles, and other sweets. We ordered the Jeffersonian and the Italian Citrus elixirs. Both are 74% chocolate. While the Italian has lemon and orange zest with cinnamon and vanilla, the Jeffersonian has nutmeg and vanilla. The citrus was quite evident and refreshing while the nutmeg gave the Jeffersonian a very earthy flavor. Even though this time we didn't have their truffles, their flavors are unique with lavender, fruits, and even chiles. If you are in for unique sweets and rich elixirs, I absolutely recommend Kakawa.

This place is so cute. The moment I stepped in, I smell the chocolate scent overfilled in the shop…read more There are a huge selection of chocolates , with unique flavor of green and red chiles that belong to New Mexico. Though the chocolates are quite costly, $4-5 per piece. I also had a mint chocolate ice cream. The mint flavor here is so unique, of fresh mint, which might not fit well with people who likes mint chocolate ice cream. I like it though. The ice cream is soft and smooth. Chocolate pieces are creamy Mango smoothie is refreshing. I recommend checking this unique place out when visiting Santa Fe.

This has been one of my favorite pizza places in Santa Fe for years. The salads and bread is also…read moredelicious. I love the chili oil that's at the table. It's so good to dip my bread into.

Took my mom to New Mexico for her birthday weekend, and for some reason I was craving a good pizza…read more We came across Il Vicino and figured we'd give it a shot. First impression was solid--the place has a nice atmosphere, clean setup, and a good vibe. Customer service was friendly too, so no complaints there. But at the end of the day, we came for the food...and it just wasn't there. I ordered a Caesar salad that never showed up, and the pizza was just meh. Not terrible, not inedible, just nothing that made me say, "Damn, I need to come back here." Especially when you're craving a good wood-fired pizza, you expect it to HIT. Service and atmosphere can definitely carry part of the experience, but they can't carry the pizza at a pizza place. Two stars for the food. Nice place, good people, but the kitchen missed the mark for me.

We had a blast! We signed up for this class knowing we would be in town for a couple of days. It…read morewas hands on and is definitely something we will always remember! The class size was just right, enough people to make it fun and social, but still small enough that everyone got involved. Chef Mica kicked things off by giving us an overview of the history of the area, its chile traditions, and the differences between the peppers we'd be working with and seeing around the city. That context added so much depth to the cooking, it wasn't just a class, it was a cultural experience. Each of us prepared a different type of relleno, and then at the end we all sat down and shared the full spread together buffet style. It was such a fun way to learn, connect, and taste a variety of chiles without spending hours cooking everything on your own. It was well organized, engaging, and easy to follow. My anxiety did kick in once I realized other people would also be eating what I made, but we made it through and I loved what I got, the jalapeno poppers. You can feel the passion in what the chef does and everything ran very smoothly even though we were the last done lol Come hungry and ready to learn! We walked away with some new skills, a deeper knowledge of peppers, and some great recipes we can't wait to try at home. This truly will be memorable for us!

We took a cooking class here and it was good. Not great but good…read more They have a very well put together kitchen for classes and the instructor has a long list of credentials. Our class was on salsa sauces with different peppers and home made tacos. The class started with the chef walking us through the printed recipes and what was wrong with them. (Maybe redo these with correct recipes? And then go right to cooking and teaching?) Then we all chopped and cooked. At the end we got to taste everybody's products.

We wanted something other than just walking around and doing a self-tour, wanted a tour with…read moreknowledge of the area. Jose gave us a great tour, the food was great and the group was fantastic. Street Taco's, Enchilada's and a cup of Green Chilie, outstanding. Did I mention the Margaritas and Churro for desert..... What was "great" and made the tour was Jose's knowledge of Santa Fe, the food and culture; even recommending a great steak restaurant! We could have gotten lost in Santa Fe for several weeks eating and enjoying the culture. The food was the media for the tour, but the entertainment was Jose! Thanks!

We enjoyed the food tour with Jose. The Margaritas were a great touch and went perfectly with the…read morefood. Maybe have one flavored margarita is my one critique. Our food was a good selection: chicken enchilada with Christmas was excellent, asada street taco, and tortilla soup. We had margaritas with each meal. Last stop was Churro Bar and it was Amazing! Best churro my husband & I have ever had! And we have tasted lots of churros. Freshly fried and delicious. It was great to walk around histrionic plaza and see the historic downtown with Jose. We appreciated the stops at the Loretta Chapel & San Miguel Church. They give the history only and you have to comeback to tour on your own. Great food tour. Side note:Del Charro has the best red sauce I've had. All the flavor and perfect spice. Not hot or overwhelming. Seasoned perfectly. First Christmas enchilada I enjoyed as I usually only get green sauce only. Kudos to them & Jose for picking them.

We took the Wander four hour food and drink tour in Santa Fe. Lauren was our host and she is…read morefantastic, with a wealth of information about the area and local food...and she was a lot of fun. We met so many nice people from all over the country. I highly recommend this tour the next time you are in Santa Fe. Thanks, Lauren, for a terrific afternoon

We did the Historic Plaza Food Sip and Savor Tour. It included 4 stops; 2 with food and alcoholic…read morebeverage taste, 1 stop with champagne flight, and 1 stop with churro dessert. Lauren was outstanding host but the $179 per person plus expected tip is outrageous pricing and would have expected more value (food and drink or 5 versus 4 stops).