21 Unique and Exciting Things to Do in Santa Fe, New Mexico
Looking for some exciting activities to add to your Santa Fe itinerary, but aren't sure where to start? In this article, travel journalist Stasha Healy shares her favorite things to do when visiting Santa Fe, New Mexico!

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Steeped in history yet hip, Santa Fe, New Mexico is a wonderful blend of old and new.
Santa Fe’s clear blue skies, ideal natural light, expansive landscapes, and ease of living have drawn artists for years. Justly famous for its arts scene, the city has no fewer than 20 museums, 300 galleries, and a destination-worthy opera house. In fact, it’s the country’s third largest art market.
Another top reason to visit Santa Fe is that the city is rich with Native American and Hispanic culture. It was settled by the Spanish more than 400 years ago, and before that, indigenous people built still-existing pueblos and farmed the land. Here are 21 top things to do in Santa Fe.
Georgia O’Keeffe Museum
Peak Season
March to May and September to November
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Cultural Explorers, History Buffs, Museum-Goers, Photography Aficionados
People tend to associate Georgia O’Keeffe and New Mexico, so it’s a big surprise for many Georgia O’Keefe Museum visitors to learn that she was from Wisconsin and lived two decades in New York City.
The small but very worthwhile museum has wonderful examples of her iconic flower and skull paintings, but you can also see Manhattan skyscrapers and Machu Picchu—she circumnavigated the globe in 1959—painted in her recognizable style.
Meow Wolf
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June to August
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Art Enthusiasts, Immersive Experience Seekers, Fantasy Lovers, Interactive Art Enthusiasts
Santa Fe’s most popular attraction is House of Eternal Return, a trippy, sci-fi funhouse created by a team of artists called Meow Wolf. More than a million people have explored this Victorian home built inside a former bowling alley secured with the backing of Game of Thrones author George R. R. Martin.
Not an ordinary house, here you can walk into a refrigerator, dive into a clothes dryer, and duck into a fireplace to discover enormous fuzzy aliens or a tree house and play a laser harp or a free arcade game. This fun-for-everyone concept has been so successful that it’s expanded to other cities.
Canyon Road
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June to August
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Art Enthusiasts, Gallery-Goers, Cultural Explorers, Collectors, Photography Aficionados
One of America’s most famous art destinations is Canyon Road, a picturesque, winding street lined with art galleries, artists’ studios, and jewelry and design stores. With 100 and counting, it has the highest density of art galleries in the U.S.
Flowering trees, cactuses, and sculptures enhance the beauty of the century-old adobe buildings. Works for sale include not only paintings but sculptures, photography, ceramics, jewelry, metalwork, and textiles. Art styles also vary as do subjects.
Native American Market
Peak Season
Summer Months
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Art Enthusiasts, Cultural Explorers, History Buffs, Collectors of Native American Crafts
Under the portal walkway of the Palace of the Governors, Native Americans sell jewelry, pottery, textiles, and crafts daily 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.
The artisans authorized to sell here must both demonstrate technical mastery of their craft and be a member of the state’s 23 federally recognized Native American tribes, pueblos, or nations. This program has operated successfully for decades, and this market is a reliable and reputable way to purchase the exquisite handiwork of local Native Americans.
New Mexico History Museum
Peak Season
Summer Months
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History Enthusiasts, Cultural Explorers, Art Lovers, Educational Seekers, Photography Aficionados
European history began in Santa Fe in the 16th century, but indigenous people lived in the area thousands of years earlier. Spanish explorers built the Plaza and Palace of the Governors—both still standing today—in 1610. The Spanish were expelled in the Pueblo Revolt of 1680 but returned and held the area until Mexico won its independence in 1821.
Santa Fe then became capital of the province of Nuevo Mexico until the end of the Mexican-American War when the region was turned over to the U.S. The American possession became the 47th U.S. state in 1912.
The New Mexico History Museum is the perfect place to understand this state’s unique and layered history.
Tomasita’s
Peak Season
June to August
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Food Enthusiasts, Lovers of Southwestern Cuisine, Cultural Explorers, History Buffs
Santa Fe is known for its food, so you’ll want to spend time sampling local cuisine. Tomasita’s has been serving classic New Mexican dishes for 50 years. Plus, it’s locally owned and operated.
The authentic, from-scratch food is served with sopaipillas—a local take on the bread and butter put on tables in restaurants across the country. Sopaipillas are puffed bread, fried and crispy yet light, and accompanied by house made honey butter.
Tomasita’s does not take reservations, so try to go at off times.
Pueblo
Peak Season
June to August
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Art Enthusiasts, History Buffs, Cultural Explorers, Architecture Admirers, Family Visitors
Pueblos are culturally significant historic Native American settlements, and there are several near Santa Fe.
One of the oldest pueblos in the Southwest—dating to circa 1250—Tesuque Pueblo is ten miles north of Santa Fe. There are approximately 800 people who live in this stone and adobe multistory village on 17,000 acres of land in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.
Residents are farmers and artists and celebrate annual events like field blessings and feast days.
Museum of Indian Arts and Culture
Peak Season
August
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History Buffs, Cultural Explorers, Art Enthusiasts, Families, Native American Heritage Admirers
If you’re looking for culturally accurate and inclusive displays of Native American art, this is the place.
This museum, one of several on Museum Hill, in its own words “tells the stories of the people of the Southwest from pre-history through contemporary art.”
Here you’ll find art and crafts including jewelry, baskets, pottery, and textiles. As it’s also the keeper of the state’s archaeological artifacts, there are also displays of ancient items that shed light on the ways of life of the area’s earliest people.
Museum of International Folk Art
Peak Season
August
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Cultural Explorers, Art Enthusiasts, History Buffs, Families, Educational Groups, Craft Lovers
The world’s largest collection of international folk art holds more than 135,000 items from paintings to toys representing more than 100 countries.
Explore the four wings to discover items including African masks, Indonesian shadow puppets, flamenco dresses, and Turkish ceramics.
Displays interpret the items in the context of their cultural use and shed light on traditions across the globe.
As one would imagine, Spanish Colonial Art and Contemporary Hispano and Latino Art are particularly robust areas of the collection.
The Pantry
Peak Season
July
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Food Lovers, Breakfast Enthusiasts, Family Diners, Comfort Food Fans
At least once in your visit to Santa Fe, you should eat breakfast at The Pantry.
First welcoming customers in 1948, The Pantry serves breakfast all day. Note though that it’s open daily until 8:30 p.m., and in addition to its famous breakfast burrito and chilaquiles, you can also get a hearty dinner of chicken fried steak or a snack like chili cheese fries or Frito pie.
There are now three locations in the city: the original, plus The Pantry Rio downtown and The Pantry Dos on the south side.
Santa Fe Opera
Peak Season
August
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Opera Enthusiasts, Music Lovers, Cultural Explorers, Theater Aficionados, Art Admirers
On the radar of opera buffs around the world for the quality of its productions as well as its scenic setting, the Santa Fe Opera presented its first season in 1957.
The open-air theater is set in a natural amphitheater on 155 acres commanding views of two mountain ranges. A diverse repertoire in a season that runs June through August usually includes a mix of old favorites and new compositions.
The opera offers opportunities to enhance your experience including behind-the-scenes tours and talks about performances.
Santa Fe Railyard
Peak Season
July
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Art Enthusiasts, Cultural Explorers, Photography Lovers, Foodies, Music Aficionados
An urban planning triumph, the Santa Fe Railyard development includes an arts district as well as a farmers’ market, children’s play area, park, plaza, and rail trail. It’s also still an active train station with service between Santa Fe and Albuquerque.
Here you can see a movie, pick up a souvenir at a shop or gallery, grab a bite, and try a locally made beer at a brewery. If you’re in town on the last Friday of the month, join the Friday Night Art Walk.
Ski Santa Fe
Peak Season
January
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Skiing and Snowboarding Enthusiasts, Winter Sports Lovers, Families Seeking Snowy Adventures
If it’s never occurred to you that there’s skiing in Santa Fe, you’re not alone. It comes as a surprise to many that the city sits at an elevation of 7,000 feet, making it the highest capital city in the United States (Denver is 5,280 feet).
Only 16 miles from the center of the city in the Santa Fe Forest, Ski Santa Fe is open from Thanksgiving through Easter and rarely has lift lines.
Santa Fe School of Cooking
Peak Season
September
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Cooking Enthusiasts, Culinary Adventurers, Foodies, Cultural Explorers, Amateur Chefs
If you’d like to return home with the knowledge of how to recreate the flavors and dishes you tasted in Santa Fe, check out the classes at the Santa Fe School of Cooking.
They offer hands-on classes as well as demonstrations, and their restaurant tours are also popular with foodies.
Rodeo de Santa Fe
Peak Season
June
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Rodeo Fans, Western Culture Enthusiasts, Horseback Riding Aficionados, Family Visitors
Santa Fe hosts 80 major annual festivals and events. If you’ve never seen a rodeo, try to visit in June for the Rodeo de Santa Fe.
First produced in 1949, this is one of the top 60 PRCA Rodeos in the U.S., often featuring 500 contestants, including many world champions.
Daily events include bull and bronc riding, barrel racing, steer wrestling, and “Mutton Bustin’, which is when children ride sheep. In addition, you can cheer on the participants in the Exceptional Rodeo that’s open to children and adults with physical and mental differences who rope hay bales and ride stick horses.
New Mexico Museum of Art
Peak Season
July
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Art Enthusiasts, Cultural Explorers, History Buffs, Photography Aficionados, Museum-Goers
Part of the Downtown Arts District, just west of the Plaza, the New Mexico Museum of Art is another museum in Santa Fe that has an impressive collection of works by Georgia O’Keeffe.
Other artists represented in the collection of more than 20,000 artworks include Ansel Adams, Bruce Nauman, and Gustave Baumann.
Its building is architecturally interesting as it’s modeled on historic mission churches in a style called Pueblo Revival. It opened in 1917; a newer addition, the Vladem Contemporary Annex, opened in 2023 in a former warehouse.
Rancho Encantado
Peak Season
July
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Luxury Travelers, Spa Enthusiasts, Nature Lovers, Art Aficionados, Culinary Explorers
The healing powers of the dry climate and hot springs of the Southwest have been prescribed for generations. Add Native American traditions and modern techniques and you have Spa at Rancho Encantado.
Inspired by the sacred kiva rooms of Pueblo Indians, the Spa at Rancho Encantado is unadorned, and its treatments reflect regional practices.
A sage smudging ceremony clears negative energy, adobe clay purifies skin, and a chakra-balancing massage restores balance and the unrestricted flow of energy.
Horseback Riding
Peak Season
September
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Outdoor Enthusiasts, Horse Lovers, Nature Explorers, Adventure Seekers
Don your cowboy gear and giddy up to Broken Saddle Riding Company near Santa Fe in the historic mining town of Cerrillos. Trail rides in Cerrillos Hills State Park provide sweeping vistas of the high desert.
The Tennessee Walkers and Missouri Foxtrotters are well trained, and guides share interesting information about the area.
Margarita Trail
Peak Season
July
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Cocktail Enthusiasts, Margarita Lovers, Rooftop Bar Aficionados, Foodies, Cultural Explorers
Not only does Santa Fe take its food seriously but its margaritas are also worthy of global attention.
Dedicated margarita drinkers will want to pick up a Margarita Trail Passport and make their way through the 50-plus drinks listed. Or you could use this list as a guide to some unusual and outstanding beverages.
How about the hatch-chile-infused Norteño Margarita at Coyote Rooftop Cantina or the Cowgirl Cadillac Margarita at Cowgirl BBQ featuring organic reposado, Grand Marnier, fresh-squeezed orange and lime juice, and a red chile salt rim?
Download the app or pick up a paper passport at a Tourism Santa Fe visitor center.
Santa Fe Farmers’ Market
Peak Season
August
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Food Enthusiasts, Local Produce Lovers, Farmers Market Aficionados, Culinary Explorers
One of the best farmers’ markets in America, the one in Santa Fe draws 150 vendors to the railyard every Saturday morning.
In operation since 1968, the market is a colorful place where you can sample and photograph chiles, tomatoes, peaches, and other fresh produce and agricultural products like meat and eggs.
Buffalo Thunder Casino
Peak Season
July
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Gambling Enthusiasts, Casino-Goers, Entertainment Seekers, Luxury Lovers, Nightlife Aficionados
You probably didn’t come to Santa Fe to gamble, but an evening at one of the area casinos can be a fun distraction.
The Hilton Santa Fe Buffalo Thunder Casino Resort is 15 minutes from downtown. You can amuse yourself here with 1,200 slot machines, keno, poker, a race book, and more.