Entry was 12 or 13 dollars. Worth every cent. Desk workers appeared to be indigenous or at least…read morenative to the area and were super kind. Right off the plaza and also connects directly to the Governor's Palace, which you can also visit. It's a very large and sprawling museum. Some rooms have a lot to read and others have sparse explanations. Of course the exhibitions focus on New Mexico. When I visited, they had exhibits on Southwest jewelry, New Mexico stories, southwestern paintings, and one about the railroad. Other exhibits: history of printing presses in New Mexico, along with cool print examples. Another large exhibition they had (Home on the Range) was about how the US government/military seized large swaths of private ranch land from New Mexico ranchers to test war weapons. Some of them never got that land back. I HAD NO IDEA! This lead me to learn more on my own. They have other features on New Mexicans fighting back against the system, such as when three Navajo women defeated the construction of a coal-fired power plant. One of my other favorite exhibits focused on dining in New Mexico. It was set up like a cool 50's diner and played awesome music that made it more fun. Panels covered numerous famous New Mexican dishes and eateries. It was a lot of reading, but worth it. There were several other worthwhile side quests in this museum. Should definitely make it a stop early in your Santa Fe trip to add context and a sense of appreciation to your journey.

Our Guide (Terry) of Santa Fe Footprint is a Docent here and recommended that we visit. We did and…read morewe really enjoyed our too short visit, especially New Mexico History and the Zozobra Exhibit. The Gift Shop/Book Shop was very impressive, including a nice section on frontier and Conversos Jewish History. Our ticket was good for the day on a come and go basis.

Museum right on the Plaza (the main drag in town, this is not including the Vladem contemporary…read moremuseum). Has a lot to offer, but not so large that it's intimidating or overwhelming. When I visited, they were featuring "roadside attractions," focusing on Route 66 and all the kitsch and neon found along the "mother road." They also had some abstract art called "Visions of America from New Mexico." Like many museums I've visited in the Southwest and west, they had a "selections from the 20th century collection," which focused on cowboys, Mexican and southwestern motifs, and livestock. Along similar lines, they had a room on Paul Burlin, "An American Modernist in the Southwest." I've included photos of some of his beautiful, colorful work. They had a great pottery exhibit. It wasn't just any type of pottery. A lot of it had modern design (like one pot had Osama bin Laden on the side and George Bush on the other, to capture the feeling of 9/11). They also had "visions of America from New Mexico," which is a contemporary/modernist exhibit. I can't remember my cost, but I feel like it was around 12 bucks or so and was good for this museum as well as the contemporary museum. Also nice and cool inside on a hot day!

It was an in and out of visit, having just done a heaven on earth two hours private tour at Georgia…read moreO'Keeffe museum. The adobe style of building is more interesting, which was completed in 1917, by architect Isaac Rapp. In front of the museum is New Mexico's walk of fame of the artists. Of course I found Georgia O'Keeffe - my most favorite artist!

*Been wanting to visit and this did not disappoint * It…read moregets super busy and they do reserved time slots... but also take do walk ins and we got lucky as we went earlier and got to enjoy it without feeling crowded. * Not a large museum and you can enjoy the museum in about 2 hours. *PRO Tip: Get the audio guided tour which is FREE included in your ticket purchase- it will give you a better appreciation and more information. You have the option of using your own phone app and ear buds or getting a device from the check in station. Whatever you decide- highly encourage doing the audio tour * Some very interesting pieces that I hadn't seen before- while OKeefe is known for her flowers... her techniques and subjects were more expansive than I knew. * The special exhibit Tewa Country beautifully weaves history, art, controversy while gleaning new perspectives and also celebrating O'Keeffe's art in its own. *Backpacks are not allowed in the museum but lockers for free available. * Parking is challenging downtown Santa Fe- but fortunately the Plaza area is very walkable. * Construction for a new and larger museum is underway and I look forward to visiting again

A very small, expensive museum that with a limited collection that disrespects its namesake. I…read morecannot recommend this museum. Many of O'Keefe's most well-known works were bought up by bigger museums (Met, Art Institute of Chicago, etc), and so this museum mainly has smaller pieces and studies. The curation is a bit thin, loosely chronological with some decent historical commentary, but not much placement within the broader artistic traditions within she worked. Several of her stronger pieces were stuck in weird crannies, like the side of a room showing a movie about her life, or in odd places where viewing them is blocked by installations in the center of the room. On the day we went, a show showcasing local artists' responses to her work dominated 1/3 of the exhibition space, with several of her works unceremoniously sprinkled among the local works. One of her most important late works, portraying a pelvic bone, was positioned along a passageway, while a work by a local artist riffing on the work was positioned front and center.

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.

Make a visit to one of the oldest homes in the U.S. in Santa Fe, dating back to 1200 CE. Located…read morearound all the tourist spots in Santa Fe, there's something special about visiting the Oldest House Indian Shop. Admission is free, as part of the building is a gift shop and the other side is the actual house that you can walk through. What I especially like about the oldest house is seeing the structure and how the building was built. You can actually see the straws that were used in forming the walls with the clay. Where else in the U.S. can you see that? Very unique, so make sure to look up close at the walls. The rooms are small, with furnishings inside the rooms, making it so that you can picture what life was like back in its time. It doesn't take long at all to get through and there's very little information about the history, so I would suggest reading up on your own about it. It's worth a visit if you have time and are in Santa Fe.

Placed just minutes from many attractions, it is a must spot to check. Just behind the oldest…read morechurch, nestled on De Vargas Street, this house, now an Indian Shop is a free to check, and you might even walk out with some cute memorabilia.

Meow Wolf Santa Fe is definitely shows its age a bit - but in a way that feels more like wear from…read morebeing loved than anything else. You can tell it's the OG location. There's this scrappier, slightly rough-around-the-edges feel compared to the newer installations, and I think that's part of its charm. We actually went out of our way to visit New Mexico just for this, which says a lot - and I'll say it was worth it. However it did leave wishing for a bit more, especially knowing how expansive and polished the newer Meow Wolf locations have become. But in a weird way, it made me appreciate the evolution of the experience even more. You can really see how much the artists and teams have grown across locations, and how much love and intention is going into what they're building now. This location certainly helps you understand the whole Meow Wolf story a little better!

The OG Meow Wolf location is such an interesting immersive art exhibit that will both wow your…read moreeyeballs and make you think to try to connect the storyline of the whole place. I always love seeing art, interpreting meanings, and putting the storylines together. Overall, this place is very well done and I enjoyed my visit. Thank you! My only complaint was that tickets online seemed priced different than tickets in person and seemed to change price depending on the day/time. We came about 3 hours prior to closing and this was more than enough time for us to fully enjoy the place and see everything. They do have a bar out front to the side before you enter as well and a gift shop. I have attended their other location in Las Vegas, so it was fun to compare it to this location and see how different they are all around. This location definitely is smaller in size and very different in theme, but still cool to see.

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.

Santa Fe Plaza has a block sized park for sitting. On occasion you're all fine artist selling…read moretheir wares in the park. The Plaza is surrounded by the Palace of the Governors, and many merchants on the other three sides of it. Much of the street is closed off to automobiles. Pedestrians can walk safely through the Plaza without worry of a car. Metered street and lot parking.