Santa Fe, New Mexico is a city unlike any other. Sitting at 7,000 feet, Santa Fe is at the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo mountain range and enjoys over 300 days of sunshine per year. Ranked #1 city by readers of Travel + Leisure in 2025 and the #2 city in the U.S. by Condé Nast Traveler, “Santa Fe acts as both New Mexico’s political and creative capital: Wander its wide streets, flanked by adobe houses, and you’ll begin to see why artists like Georgia O’Keeffe were so inspired by this eclectic, historic town. The city’s many art institutions, 250-plus galleries (notably SITE Santa Fe, in the Railyard, an emerging contemporary arts hub), and Spanish colonial churches keep culture fiends busy. If the fantastical is more your thing, Meow Wolf’s House of Eternal Return is an explorable art experience with more than 70 rooms of immersive art. To recharge after an active day of museum-hopping, we recommend ordering 505 Manhattans at Radish & Rye, whose 75 bourbons and whiskeys are an antidote to tequila overload.”
Santa Fe: The City Different
1. Crank into gear on the area’s many mountain biking trails.
2. Hit the links for a round of 9 or 18 at one of Santa Fe’s golf courses.
3. Get outside and take a hike!
4. Float the waters of the legendary Rio Grande and Rio Chama.
5. Uncover the rich turquoise mining history at Cerrillos Hills State Park
6. Get your fishing license, gather your tackle, and head for a lake, river, or stream.
7. Ride horseback through nearby wilderness areas or sail through our skies with a licensed balloon ride outfitter.
8. Spot the 190+ species of birds that can be found at the Randall Davey Audubon Center & Sanctuary.
9. Take yourself on a tour of some historic sites in Santa Fe.
10. Take in a sunset, spectacular views, and a little bit of history at Fort Marcy and Cross of the Martyrs.
11. Uncover centuries-old communication at one of the area’s petroglyph sites.
12. Find a sense of calm and develop a sense of wonder at El Santuario de Chimayó.
13. Road trip along the Turquoise Trail.
14. Spend an entire day on a hill devoted to art at Museum Hill.
15. Stroll through the Allan Houser Sculpture Garden.
16. Browse the galleries along the Canyon Road Arts District.
17. Discover 7 locations to pose like a movie star in The City Different.
18. Fill your Instagram feed with spectacular shots from these stunning Santa Fe locations.
19. Treat yourself to a soak, nourishing food, or a treatment at Ten Thousand Waves or Ojo Caliente or Ojo Santa Fe.
20. Explore the wellness options at various spots in Santa Fe.
21. Clear your mind in one of Santa Fe’s many labyrinths.
22. Uncover a one-of-a-kind margarita experience on the Santa Fe Margarita Trail.
23. Take a class in cooking Northern New Mexican cuisine at Santa Fe School of Cooking or Las Cosas Cooking School
24. Grab a smothered or handheld breakfast burrito, a beloved Santa Fe staple that’s delicious any time of the day or make a reservation at one of the restaurants in our Menu Magazine.
25. Answer the official state question (“Red, Green, or Christmas?”) before sampling traditional New Mexican cuisine just the way you like it!
