It has been many years since I last attended the event and this is my first review of the fiesta…read more The event reopened in 2021 after being a Virtual Festival in 2020. This is the 30th annual fiesta and was held September 22 - 25, 2021. In addition to wine dinners at local restaurants, chef luncheons, a golf classic and cooking demonstrations, the Grand Tasting was a 2 day event held in Mager's Field at Marcy Park. The Grand Tasting featured 90 wineries and 35 restaurants serving samples of their cuisine under 8 tents. Entertainment was provided by a live band. There was plenty of shade under two large tents which had tables and chairs. Shuttle service was provided from several locations to the Grand Tasting. This years attendance was limited to half the size of previous fiestas to provide more space and shorter lines. Kudus to the Board of Directors and others that participated in making this a great event.

This is such a good time! Great selection of wines from local vineyards in New Mexico and a few…read moreCalifornia. At the festival, you will find everything from sweet whites to dry reds and ports. There are also an assortment of vendors selling food, clothing, art, and other specialty artifacts. The festival is completely outdoors so pray for good weather and dress comfortably because it will be dusty. Definitely check it out! My only gripe is that the tasting lines do not have a good flow so things don't move very quickly.

I love this museum. Their regular exhibit is a blast (devils in the pit a personal favorite) and…read moretemporary exhibits are interesting too. If you are interested in Mexican arts and culture, in particular, this is a win. Not a massive museum, you likely can see it all in about an hour. Easy parking and it's a nice area to museum hop. Museum shop is excellent. Also you can use reciprocal museum cards here so if you are a member you may get in free.

July 10th from where I live and call home...the awful music from our neighborhood park which we…read morecannot use until IFAM leaves is so loud and awful. I have my windows closed and doors closed but cannot hear my programmed TV. my dog is in need of medication to cope. this is not america! trump might as well have been in charge of this sh-t show, no rights for the residents! this all should have been kept at the museum hill and not a neighborhood where it interferes with tax paying residents. I think this is all political and a lot to do with under table cash pay offs.

This is a tradition in Santa Fe, and it was my first time going with someone that had experienced…read moreit as kid. The idea of the festival is to mark the start of the fiestas, and to do so, they burn this giant marionette. The marionette is called "old man gloom" and inside of him are all the worries and troubles people want to leave behind, forget, and symbolically see them burn when the marionette burns at the end of the festival. The burning of old man gloom is the finale, followed by a show of fireworks that will keep everyone in awe. While the festival gets to this point, there's music, food trucks, and vendors keeping the people entertained. It is a first come event, so if you get there early the better chance you get to be closer to the stage but honestly it doesn't matte much. The main event, as mentioned, is the burning of mad who stands 50 feet tall, so everyone in attendance can see it and celebrate the start of a "new year". I was very impressed with how organized and safe the whole thing was, especially when there was (reported) about 60K people there. Nice to have started my trip to Santa Fe with a local tradition.

First time attending this annual event. Was not thrilled with production- given 250th anniversary…read moreUS. Script didn't make sense. Very long if you go right at 4. Not having been before, I scoured the do's and don't listed on the website. Despite rereading on day of event- there were significant changes made that were not updated on the Zozobra website. No lockers for items not allowed in, bag policy was changed without notification. Once in the venue- certain areas were not clearly marked (beer garden). Lots of security present- multiple items on the not allowed list seen in the venue. Fireworks and burning were good to see. Need to review the website to ensure accurate information- not wait until people arrive. Honestly, wait to enter until 730pm. Still plenty of time to peruse the vendors, buy merch, grab a spot on the lawn (general admission).

Fans of live music and performance DON"T MISS THIS. I didn't understand a word but felt every note…read moreand step deep in my bones. Not a single weak link. Every element worked intimately and collectively together. Simply outstanding. I can't recommend this enough.

This was my favorite part of our Santa Fe trip. (Season was April to June). I bought tickets a…read moremonth in advance which I recommend. I bought the best seats and we ordered dinner when we got there, definitely go right at opening, we were late and they almost did not serve us dessert. For dinner we had the Chicken in Lemon Sauce, and the Pork Roast. It came with veggies and a side potato salad. I also ordered the Spanish Omelette which we liked. And I ordered the Assorted cheese board which we loved. For dessert we had the flan, and vanilla ice cream, which was simple but a nice way to end the meal. The show was fantastic, loved the dancers in their costumes, and the live flamenco guitarist was marvelous. Excellent show, well worth it and very much, a treat.

* Lovely farmers market with lots of fresh produce offerings and stands…read more *Not a lot of fresh / made to order food stands * There are a couple coffee shop options - didn't try them cause I was already caffeinated- but just in case you find yourself needing some morning joe- options exist at the market area! * Indoor and outdoor space with vendors- and indoor tables to sit and enjoy your purchases * Had a delicious Green Chile sausage from Lotus Farms *Got apricots from the Rancho L Lam stand that were so good and the vendor was so friendly. *Got quiche from Crumppackers and bread from the Intergalactic Bread Co to take back home. * The Santa Fe Farmers City Hall sells pastries and baked goods from various vendors and perfect for a one stop shop! * In addition to food/ produce/ eggs etc, there were artisan stands with artwork/ clothing etc. * Across the street is the el Mercado that opens a hour after the market opens with additional stands that sell beads, jewelry, clothes etc. * Totally a fun thing to do on a Saturday morning when visiting Santa Fe! Highly recommended

The farmers market was much bigger than we expected! I really liked how they split food and…read moreartistry across the train tracks. It helps so there isn't as much crowding while you're trying to go through. I have been to farmers markets in multiple states, but I have never seen one with a gift shop! That was very interesting to see. The market itself had a nice array of fresh produce, food, and artists' work. It was cool getting to see them roasting fresh chile and the band that played was soo much fun! The best booth for us was Dancing Turtle Studio. Absolutely stunning pieces of art and my guy bought me one of the hot air balloon pieces to commemorate our 1st anniversary. It honestly couldn't have been more perfect! The artist herself was incredibly sweet and wonderful to talk with. It was amazing getting to hear about her process as well!

First time at an opera and it was a great experience. I liked it much more than I thought, and I…read morethink the Santa Fe Opera's location and building played a part in that. This is a unique location, right in the mountains outside Santa Fe. It's an open-air theater with a beautiful southwest and modern design. Getting there and parking is easy considering how many people there are. There's shuttles to help get you around or you can walk. There are people to help you find your seat. The seats are comfortable and there's small screens with translations for you. Restrooms, concessions, gift shop were all good too. Overall, a great time and I'll definitely go again.

Impressive open air venue, beautiful and clean. Excellent views throughout. We saw Madame Butterfly…read morehere. I chose Mezzanine seats in the top right and we still had a great view. Parking lot is huge and they have shuttles. There is a gift shop, box office, restrooms, and security. Concessions are on various floors. We were able to order during intermission, mostly snacks and drinks. English and Spanish written translations provided electronically on the back of each seat for viewers. Great service and ushers too!

El Rancho de las Golondrinas Is to New Mexico what Colonial Williamsburg is to Virginia, though a…read morebit smaller in size and historical importance. During the 17th and 18th centuries, this was the last stop on the Santa Fe Trail right before arriving in that city. Visiting this "living museum", you get something of a feel for what it might have been like to live in a time when it took many months for caravans traveling the Santa Fe Trail to reach their destination. The living areas, workshops, farm, and animal pens give visitors a look at the hard lives of those who blazed the trail for the settlement of this part of the American Southwest. If you're traveling with children, you'll find that there are walks (both short and long) through the property with space for children to explore and run. Situated only about 20 minutes South of Santa Fe and accessible from I-25, the site is good to visit year-round, but in the Summer months it's probably best to come in the mornings while the temperature remains below 90+ degrees.

My son from Dallas found this place in his google search & wanted to visit. We have lived here 5…read moreyears & didn't know about this great place. The maps make it easy as long as you understand how to orient the map to where you are. We had no problem. We spent all morning here walking the place. You will do a lot of walking, because it is a distance between exhibits. I saw someone say this place is dusty, well YES it's an historical village. Kids can really get exercise & will love the water mill. We plan to go again during the harvest festival. The historical volunteer experts were outstanding & a wealth of knowledge. There are lots of shade trees If you bring a picnic lunch. This place is very much worth the drive. Tips: good walking shoes, water, hats, suntan lotion, walking sticks (because of rough terrain if needed) Go early to beat the heat....

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!

Folk art (now more often called outsider art) is one of my favorite genres. I love the edginess,…read morethe roughness. The lack of refinement. At first I was not excited because the first couple of exhibits were southwestern themed (it's a me thing, not a them thing, it's just not my style or particular area of interest). A lot of pottery and Mexican/southwestern blankets. They also had a couple of other rotating exhibits. But then I entered their main exhibit. It's a GIANT room with winding pathways full of folk figurines and scenes. Western scenes, English scenes, Indian, indigenous, Mexican, African. All types. Many presentations of whole worlds throughout this room. My primary complaint is what others have voiced: most of it is exhibited without any context. There is a bare bones basic museum guide you can get at the exhibit entrance, but it still doesn't really tell you much about each scene. I can't remember what I paid, but it was less than 20 dollars. It's also on museum hill, so you can catch a couple other museums while in the area. This spot is away from the main drag for sure. I had to take a Lyft. The staff was helpful and super kind. I had forgotten my credit card at a restaurant and had to leave and go get it. They didn't make me pay a second time for coming back in, and I really appreciated that. Probably my favorite and most impactful museum in Santa Fe. Probably spent a couple of hours here. Very worthwhile, even without the in depth explanations. Enough eye candy to make up for it.

I really enjoyed this museum! They had an impressive collection of folk art from around the world…read moreand throughout many decades. I have never been to a purely folk art museum before, so this was cool to see and definitely opened my eyes to more of what folk art is and exposed me to some new concepts. My one wish is that there would be more explanations about the art piece, such as who made it, meaning, where it was found, year, etc. Some pieces had this but it wasn't consistent throughout (and I am sure that info is hard to know so I get why). Located in Museum Hill near the botanical garden, this is a great place to visit and definitely felt like a unique draw to the area.