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.

I loved attending the Loretto Chapel because of its rich history and seeing the architecture up…read moreclose is a sight to see. There was a $5 admission fee but it was worth it. The church and gift shop was smaller than what I thought but I enjoyed my time here.

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!

Interesting attraction - this is reportedly one of the oldest residential dwellings in the country…read more- although it is no longer in use as a residence and is instead attached to the Gift shop. The residence portion is free to check out and only takes a minute to walk through as it's small. I was actually shocked that they didn't ask for a few bucks - even just a dollar - to walk through it - but they don't so I imagine the shop must be doing ok on its own. So this is a cute attraction to check out - young kids will probably be impressed trying to imagine how people could have once lived this way - adults will be equally impressed. Worth the quick look. And it's next door to San Miguel Church which is definitely worth the visit. Enjoy!

In old town Santa Fe, this is a very old home. This is a nice place to visit while in the area…read more There is no admission charge. It is something you can see in 5-10 minutes, during which you get to see how inhabitants lived centuries ago. Part of the house is a souvenir shop.

A quick walk up with interesting plaques to read. The view from the top is nice even though the…read morecell phone tower kinda ruins it a little.

Truly an amazing area to be in!!! It felt really nice to watch one of the best sunsets over the…read morelovely Santa Fe city from up here. There is a little bit of a hike to get to the cross, but honestly no complaints because the whole place is simply beautiful, so I really dont get why some folks give it less stars. My one suggestion is to come around sunset or sunrise because that is when the views really are mesmerizing. I even saw 2-3 professional photographers setting up their time lapse cameras and a bunch of other people just standing around enjoying the views. I loved the whole experience and I would recommend it to everyone planning to visit Santa Fe!

The Palace of the Governors is the oldest public occupied building in the United States. The…read moreNative Americans use the outdoor portion as their jewelry market. Lines of Native Americans, sell their jewelry, blankets, and some pottery to the tourists. Metered street and lot parking.

Palace of the Governors (Palacio de los Gobernadores) at New Mexico History Museum was the former…read moreseat of government, opened in 1610 in Nuevo México, till 1901. The one story building style is adobe. The ticket is included in the history museum, and the access is only through the history museum. There are a few interesting exhibits. The early 20th century Cupboard doors were documented in the drawings by the Historic American Building Survey 1934. At that time, this was located in Room 2 of the Palace. Lew Wallace (1827-1905), the bronze bust by Randolph Rogers (1825-92). Wallace, a lawyer and Union general, served as governor 1878-81, during this period, he finished the novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1880). W Palace Avenue separates the southern side of the Palace of the Governors and the Plaza. The Native vendors program is hosted in the outside corridor.

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.

This church is known to be one of the oldest churches in the area. The admission fee is $7 adults…read moreto get in. I was fine with it since this helps them pay for the church to do this tour service. Beautiful church, smaller crowd and I love how the tourists were reverent here.

Interesting and free local attraction (a little further away from downtown Santa Fe) that drives…read moretoday's needs for environmental awareness. Ethyl isn't super huge and as well known in Santa Fe yet, but it's hopefully making Santa Fe (and the US heading in the right direction with the use of recycling! Check this free local quirky attraction out if you have some time in Santa Fe!

While planning our day trip to Santa Fe from Albuquerque, we discovered Ethyl the Whale, a…read morelife-sized blue whale sculpture made entirely from single-use plastics to raise awareness about reducing plastic waste and encouraging recycling. She's located at the end of the track at Santa Fe Community College. We parked across the street and walked over for some great photo ops. It's an impressive and meaningful sight, definitely worth a quick stop on your way to or from Santa Fe!

De Vargas Street House is a museum that claims to be the "oldest house in the U.S." While the…read moreaccuracy of this claim is uncertain, it's a charming little piece of American history. The entry fee is donation based, I contributed $10 since I visited alone, but the suggestion is $2 per person. Inside, there's a small gift shop with souvenirs. It's a quaint stop, I would say a bit of a tourist trap, but still an interesting place to visit just to say you've been there!

The Oldest House Museum, also known as the De Vargas Street House, is a historic site located on De…read moreVargas St. in Santa Fe. It's a two-room adobe building with a collection of historical artifacts not related to the home. The "oldest house" claim isn't accurate; a study of the wooden ceiling beams in the house reportedly showed they were cut between 1740 and 1767 - a century after the Braman-Nothnagle Log House which was built between 1638 and 1643 in Gibbstown, New Jersey. There also isn't a firm date for when the De Vargas House was constructed and different scientists and historians have posited different date ranges. Despite this, the museum not only makes the claim it's the oldest home, but has posted a condescending list of claims of why people shouldn't question them, writing "think about it." The museum isn't manned with any personnel or docent, and there isn't a check-in of any kind or reception area. You enter into the gift shop, take a left, read the condescending signs in the first room and then step down into a second room with unrelated items along the walls. To call this former house a "museum" is generous. It's a gift shop that happens to have two rooms attached with an undetermined history and will take about 10 minutes to walk through if you include the gift shop. It is not a member of the New Mexico Association of Museums. Don't waste your time here - there's much better sites to visit in Santa Fe.

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.