After nine days, I let the horse run free.. 'Cause the…read moredesert had turned to sea.. There were plants and birds and rocks and things.. There was sand and hills and rings.. We settled in at the "Blue Heron Restaurant" late lunch following our fun escapades at the adjoining.. "Ojo Santa Fe Hot Springs".. what better way to be, totally Zen like mon..:) We started w. a "Spinach & Goat Cheese Salad" of baby spinach, candied pecans, goat cheese, roasted gold beets, champagne vinaigrette" "..So fresh good.. &..,hold!, hold!!.. "Ojo Poblano Fries" of potato crusted chiles, sweet and spicy vinegar..So wickedly good.. Last Up: "Brisket Sandwich" slow roasted grass-fed brisket, farm fresh arugula, cheddar cheese, grilled onions, balsamic glaze, baguette..So tasty juicy good..:) Washed down w. A glass of "Pinot Noir Wine" (Oregon relations) by The Lass..& A glass of "Lime Mint Ojito" (wanna-Be vodka mojito) by The Lad.. A Culinary Epic Finale, Thanks out to our Spit Spot Server Erick and the Staff of the Blue Heron. Well Done..:) You see I've been through the desert.. On a horse with no name.. It felt good to be out of the rain In the desert, you can remember your name.. 'Cause there ain't no one for to give you no fame. La, la, la, la, la, la La, la, la, la, la, la Best, Avram Americo Jr.

We are here as part of day pass experience. It was delightful to eat lunch in our robe and slippers…read moreafter a relaxing soak! The food was good quality and reasonably priced for a spa. Highly recommend the shrimp tacos and brisket sandwich.

Just wanted to say a sad goodbye to the Grey Heron. This has always been one of my favorite stores…read moreand I'm sad to see it go. Just letting everybody know right now they have 75% off of everything except furniture. I was there yesterday and bought quite a few things including this adorable jacket, but everything is going fast! I wish the owner well and hope they open another store someday.

Had my 1st visit to this beautiful store and it won't be my last! Home decor and gifts that are so…read morevery unique and lovely. Every thing from candles to toys to women's and baby clothes. They have a wonderful selection of teas, boxed baked good mixes, jams, honey and candy. They carry the most luxurious body lotions and soaps, jewelry and even some living and dining room furniture! The staff are friendly and helpful but also allow you to browse at your leisure without being over bearing. The parking is plenty and this store is a delight to visit. My purchase of a 24 count variety tea assortment and lavender sugar will be perfect for a tea party I will be hosting in the Spring.

Great food - drove over from Ojo Caliente and this place did not disappoint. Beer was great and…read morethe pizza outstanding.

This small brewing company is along the Rio Grande between Velarde and Taos. If you blink while…read moredriving, you'll miss this establishment. My wife and I stopped in on Sunday, August 22, 2021. Luckily, they were open and my wife and I were greeted by a liberally tattooed female bartender with a giant smile. She looked happy to see us and the place had not another soul inside. We sampled the Highside Hefeweizen, Lady Bug IPA, and the Tarantula Trek red ale. Unilaterally, we ordered two pints of the Hefeweizen ($5 each). It had beautiful banana notes with a hint of cloves. The Highside went down refreshingly and super smooth. We enjoyed our pints on the outdoor rear patio, under a large sunbrella. This place offers Karaoke on Thursdays from 5-7 pm, Trivia on Fridays from 6-7 pm, and Live Music on Saturdays from 5-7 pm. They also have a refrigerator with four packs of their beer ($13) to go as well as growlers. Of course, we left with a cold four pack of the Highside Hefeweizen.

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.

Founded in 1609 by the Spanish, this plaza is the main heart of Santa Fe with a lot of shops and…read morerestaurants accessible from here. This was where El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, the royal road of the interior, ended, having begun in Mexico City. This is where the Santa Fe Trail ended its 900-mile-long journey from Independence, Missouri. There are markers in the plaza commemorating both. The best part of the plaza is the Native American street vendors that sell arts and crafts on the street. Many of them have their ID card and we loved meeting Paul and buying some of the hand painted see pots him and his wife made with hummingbirds on them. We asked him what the bird meant and he said "the beauty of life" and it made it a must buy. We saw other vendors selling jewlery, turquoise, paintings, and sandstone art but this was the tail end of our trip and we had no space anymore. This is an idea/tip but we asked around for fry bread or other Native American foods and nobody knew anywhere close by that served it. A nice Native American food truck or small stand would make a killing in this area!

Peyote Bird Designs. What I can say about this business, purchased on-line and never been inside…read morethe 'brick and mortar', is they exceeded my expectations and felt their prices are fair. I purchased gifts for my wife's birthday and she was delighted! I found their website extremely helpful to navigate. The pictures true to the purchased items. And what made it even more special, was knowing the artists who were behind making these fine pieces of jewelry. You have to navigate through their website to find the artist, yet not difficult. I printed that information, and shared it after the gift giving so she felt that it was more personal. I will shop here again, on-line. And when I return to Santa Fe I will be sure to stop in. I recommend this business to friends and family.

It's about time I review watches:…read more Peyote Bird watch is a watch bought during our road trip to New Mexico, 20 years. (I know, because that was the same year we bought a car, that we still drive today!) Other than changing batteries, the watch is as good as when I first got it. To be honest with you, I think it was tarnished when I bought it, but I polished it up when I got home. I know this for a fact, because the logo had a bit of patina around it, I thought it was used, but it was new! I found it in my drawer of watches, polished it with sterling silver polishing cloth, and wearing it during Lent season.

We popped into this brewery off the side of the road on our way between Taos and Santa Fe. We tried…read morea flight of beer! It was fabulous! We walked away with several beers on our way...it was AWESOME!!!

Awesome, hyper-local, a true gem. Great beer, great pizza, great staff and an overall awesome vibe…read more Dropped in after rafting the Rio Grande and it was just what we needed.

Without a doubt one of the best national parks or monuments I've ever been to! Highly, highly…read morerecommended if you are in the Santa Fe area. A couple notes: 1. Parking looks like it might get tough on busy weekends, mid-week we didn't have an issue early, and but when we left in the early afternoon, the main lot was pretty full. 2. The main Pueblo Loop trail was well maintained and quite accessible up to and just past the Big Kiva and Tyuonyi. The top-back part of the loop was a little more broken up, but still a pretty easy stroll. 3. The trail out to the Alcove House was absolutely beautiful! It's not paved, but it's a well maintained gravel. The ladders to the alcove itself are an interesting experience. If you don't love heights, there are some benches at the bottom of the ladder to sit on and relax. 4. Helpfully, there is a well-maintained pit toilet about halfway out, in case you need it. 5. The restaurant at the visitor center might not be the most efficient place, but the food was much better than you would expect!

I have been fascinated by Native American cliff-dwelling habitats since studying them in grade…read moreschool, but I never had, nor took the opportunity to explore them, until daytripping to Bandelier. The visitors' center and the grounds were everything. The paths were clear and an easy hike. Looking off, beyond the paths was the gem. You could viscerally feel as though you were on the otherside of the looking glass, into time forgotten. There was almost a sacred quality to the excursion, which could've been because it was a weekday and there weren't many other tourists. Or, it could've been because the Pueblo people who lived there from 1150 to 1550 were still there, peacefully watching over the place. Haunted is different than sacred. I guess the best way to describe it is: It was a place of a more natural, more wild west and awareness. It's a well-known place to New Mexicans as well as people studied in the culture of the area. As a layperson, I was both surprised and captivated. If you are mesmerized by history and want to step into a different culture, a different time, this is a place you must explore.

The wine here was delicious, its not at all pretentious, and you feel like you're getting an…read moreauthentic experience, not something commercialized. They have a huge variety of wines and only use grapes from New Mexico, which was a cool touch. They also let you sample as many varieties as you'd like, but they don't see glasses, so you can taste before you decide which bottles you'd like to buy. I would come back here in a heartbeat. Everything was good, even types of wine I don't usually prefer.

Wine here is delicious. The cool thing is that they don't sell wine by the glass or a flight- but…read morethey do allow you to taste as much as you want. It's the oldest operating winery and the charm of the establishment adds to the experience.

I can't sing the praises of this outfit enough. We came there as a family of 9 with ages from 6 to…read more76 with little to no experience and they were able to accommodate us. We went on the Race expedition which was easy enough for novices but thrilling enough for the adventurers. My 76 yr old dad has balance issues and fell out but Ben quickly got him back in. He got a little scraped up and Ben handled it professionally and calmly, minimizing the inconvenience of having to do some first aid on the river but taking it seriously enough to provide care. He rearranged the seating somewhat and there were no other scares. He was a truly fantastic guide.

My husband and I recently visited NM for a couple of days. He had purchased us this adventure and I…read morewas excited, but nervous, since I had never been river rafting before. Brian was our guide for the AM Racecourse and eased my apprehension with his knowledge and welcoming personality. By the end of the course, I was ready to do it all over again! I can totally understand the importance of having a safe group who will handle all the details and a well versed instructor. Super fun way to spend a morning on the Grande.

Had an awesome day rafting the race course with Orlando! He was extremely knowledgeable about the…read moreriver, rocks and surrounding wildlife. Best of all he made the entire trip fun! The kids loved rafting, surfing and warming up on the Australia Rock! Thanks Orlando and New Wave! We will be back

Our guide, Socia, was on time, super friendly, and the perfect guide for our family of three (mom,…read moredad, and a nervous 5-year-old). Britt, the owner, met us before we headed out for our float, and we just casually conversed until it was time to go. Our outing coincided with a group of 25 Boy Scouts, so we could've been quickly lost in the shuffle, but Socia held us back and let the kids get way out ahead of us, so we felt like we were all by ourselves for the majority of the trip. She was so considerate and engaging and made it feel like we were on the river with an old friend. At the end of the trip, Britt met us again and hung out while we ate just casually conversing as if once more, we were catching up with an old friend. Thank you, Socia and Britt for the memory of a lifetime! Our little guy hasn't stopped talking about whitewater rafting on the Rio Grande.