Tours

New Mexico is known for its great weather throughout the year, as well as its rich and unique history. You may choose to stay right here in the “City Different” and explore the historic and cultural treasures of downtown Santa Fe or you may wish to venture out to some of our nearby fascinating sites. Whether your group would like a mountain adventure or an exploration of the desert regions of the state, we provide a wide selection of exciting recreational activities and tours to choose from, all accompanied by professional guides in either half or full day trips. Here is just a small sampling of the tours available:  

BANDELIER & SAN ILDEFONSO PUEBLO

Travel northwest out of Santa Fe to Bandelier National Monument, and descend into a canyon filled with the ruins of the Anasazi Indians, colloquially "the Ancient Ones." Located on the Pajarito Plateau of the Jemez Mountains, Bandelier was the home of the Anasazi from the eleventh to fourteenth centuries. Excavated over 90 years ago, these ruins were once home to over 200 people, ancestors of today's Pueblo Indians. Walk along easy pathways past the remains of ancient Pueblo dwellings, to the cliff dwellings where you can climb ladders to peer inside. Take a walk further up the path that leads to the Cere­monial Cave, where the Anasazi and later descendants held spiritual rites and celebra­tions.

On the return trip to Santa Fe, stop at San Ildefonso Pueblo, along the banks of the Rio Grande. San Ildefonso is famous for its "black on black" pottery. Maria Martinez, perhaps the most famous of all Pueblo potters, was from this village and many of her descendants still reside and make pottery here. M ore than any other single artist, Maria was responsible for generating western interest in American Indian pottery. She and her husband Julian rediscovered and perfected the method of creating her famous black pottery. Her work is revered and collected worldwide.

BEHIND ADOBE WALLS HOME TOUR

Guests will enjoy touring some of Santa Fe’s most distinctive homes. Showcasing adobe styles of pueblo, territorial, and new contemporary homes, guests will also enjoy these local personalities who own such homes and are proud to open their doors to Santa Fe visitors. From gardening enthusiast to artist and collector, every home will be a unique look at “Behind Adobe Walls.”

CHIMAYO DINNER TOUR

Enjoy an evening drive through the beautiful sandstone formations into the lush Chimayo Valley. The tour will take you north of Santa Fe along the “High Road”, passing through several small 18th and 19th century Hispanic farming communities before finally arriving at the village of Chimayo, located in a beautiful valley in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. 

You will have a stop at the charming Santuario de Chimayo, the most important Catholic pilgrimage site in the Southwest. The Santuario is famous for the professed healing powers contained in the earth near the church which can be gathered from a small hole in the floor of an anteroom within the Santuario.   Your guide will lead you through the church and adjacent hamlet where you will have the opportunity to shop for souvenirs and some of the famous chile of the area, perhaps the most flavorful of any chile grown in the US.

Next stop at Centinela Fine Arts, where seven generations of the Trujillo family have produced their spectacular Spanish-style weavings.  The late Jake Trujillo won many awards for his work in preserving the old techniques of Spanish weaving; his son and daughter-in-law, Irvin and Lisa Trujillo, are currently producing museum quality work (some of which is on display at the Smithsonian).  This stop is a rare privilege because Centinela has some of the finest weavings in the area, yet is not generally known to tourists.

Next stop is to a local pottery shop to see a broad assortment of Pueblo pottery and a demonstration of building a pot by a local artist. Rancho de Chimayo Restaurant is one of the most visited dining establishments in the world and is continually listed as a top 100 restaurant establishment in the United States.  This century old adobe home with whitewashed walls, hand stripped vigas, cozy dining rooms and lush terraced patios has become one of New Mexico's more popular places to dine.  Restaurante Rancho de Chimayo is known for its unique native New Mexico cuisine, prepared with locally grown products from recipes that have been in the family for generations.

GEORGIA O’KEEFFE LECTURE & TOUR OF MUSEUM

The Georgia O’Keeffe Museum opened to the public in July 1997, eleven years after the death of the artist from whom it takes its name. One of the most important artists of the 20th century, Georgia O’Keeffe (1887-1986) was devoted to creating imagery that expressed what she called “the wideness and wonder of the world as I live in it.” She was a leading member of one of the avant-garde art movements that blossomed in New York in the 1910s and 1920s. O’Keeffe’s images—often instantly recognizable as hers—include large-scale flowers, New York cityscapes, animal bones, and the high deserts and dramatic cliffs of her beloved New Mexico. The Museum’s permanent collection of over 130 O’Keeffe paintings, drawings, and sculpture is the largest in the world. Today’s tour begins with a “behind-the-scenes” talk with one of Santa Fe’s top O’Keeffe experts and then proceeds on to the Museum itself. Afterwards, end this delightful morning with lunch at the wonderful O’Keeffe Café.

ABIQUI TOUR—O’KEEFFE COUNTRY

Travel north through the Rio Grande Valley into the Chama River Valley area, northwest of Santa Fe, to view the spectacular Chinle red rock formations, which were the frequent subject of paintings by Georgia O'Keeffe. En route see the mission church photographed by Ansel Adams, in his famous photograph, “Moonrise, Hernandez”. Visit the village of Abiquiu and the morada, the chapel of the Penitentes of northern New Mexico and the home of Georgia O’Keeffe to learn about her life there, as well as the terrain that inspired her greatest works. Stop at Echo Canyon Amphitheater, a natural geological formation, where group members may take an easy hike and hear their voices echo throughout the canyon.

THE GEORGIA O’KEEFFE HOME & STUDIO

The Abiquiu home is one of two properties Georgia O’Keeffe owned in northern New Mexico with parts of its structure dating back to the 18th century. O’Keeffe purchased the property from the Archdiocese of Santa Fe in late 1945, shortly before the death of her husband, Alfred Stieglitz, in 1946. She spent the greater part of the next three years having the house rebuilt and renovated. By 1949 O’Keeffe took up full-time residence in New Mexico. Many of her works were inspired by the Abiquiu house and its surrounding views, including its patio and black door, the cottonwood trees along the Chama River, and the road to Santa Fe. To the extent possible, the house remains as it was left by O’Keeffe in 1984, when she moved from Abiquiu to Santa Fe prior to her death in 1986. Tours last approximately one hour and are limited to a maximum of twelve people. Exterior tours may be arranged for larger groups.

GHOST TOUR OF SANTA FE

Take a chilling tour through the shadows to learn the secrets of Santa Fe. Trace the lives and deaths, the myths and legends, and the history and folktales of Santa Fe from Colonial times through the Wild West, into statehood and beyond. Learn about such exciting characters as “La Tules” and her loans to the Army, and the ghost of Julia Staab. The guide will recount the Indian, Spanish and Anglo superstitions, as well as stories of vigilantes, gunfights, murders and hangings—the ghosts that haunt, and the things that go bump in the night just scratch the surface of what’s to be found!

SECRETS OF CANYON ROAD

Zoned strictly for “residential arts and crafts,” on Canyon Road you will find Spanish colonial, Spanish/Pueblo an American territorial architecture, which has been burnished and mellowed by the passage of the years. Discover this world-famous destination containing more than 60 galleries with paintings, sculpture, Native American crafts, traditional Spanish crafts, Santa Fe fashion, mixed media, photography and antiques literally spilling out of the doors and windows. Walk the length of Canyon Road, with its one-story common-walled structures and narrow sidewalks, and see that it has historic roots in ancient village streets of Mexico, Spain and Moorish Africa. Discover little passageways and alleys, which convey a sense of mystery and sometimes surprise with a garden of sculpture and blooming roses. End your tour with lunch at a top local restaurant.

HISTORIC WALKING TOUR


This is a leisurely one and a half-hour stroll through more than 400 years of history, art, and culture. The walking tour presents an extra­ordinary introduction to Santa Fe and provides an enter­taining, humorous, and accurate portrayal of the "City Different." Your experienced guide will lead the group to the historic Plaza and to the Palace of the Governors (whose occupants have included government and military leaders from Spain, Mexico, the Confeder­acy, the U.S. and Indian nations). The group members learn about St. Francis Cathedral, and will explore the Loretto Chapel and its miracu­lous staircase; the oldest church; and the capitol, and other major Santa Fe historical sites. The tour can end either at the Plaza, where the walkers are free to shop and browse on their own, or can end back at the Hotel.

TAOS & TAOS PUEBLO

This full-day tour will take you to the charming town of Taos, located 90 miles north of Santa Fe. On the way to Taos see the enchanting San Francisco de Assisi Church in Ranchos de Taos, made famous by many artists including Georgia O’Keeffe, Peter Hurd, Fritz Scholder, and Andrew Wyeth. The next stop will be Taos Pueblo, which has been designated a World Heritage Site, indicating its world cultural importance. Taos Pueblo is on the National Historic Register and remains in it pristine, traditional state. After visiting the Pueblo, head for the Taos Plaza to browse and shop before lunch at a superb Taos eatery. This tour can also include stops at the Hispanic villages of Truchas, Trampas and Chimayo.

MUSEUM HILL

Santa Fe’s “Museum Hill” tour begins at the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian, founded in 1937 by Mary Cabot Wheelwright. A traditional Navajo hooghan was the inspiration for the design of the eight-sided building housing the museum. Changing exhibitions in the main gallery include contemporary and traditional American Indian art, with an emphasis on the Southwest and outdoor sculptures.

The tour will also visit what is perhaps Santa Fe’s most unique museum, the Museum of International Folk Art, one of the highlights of a visit to Santa Fe. Regularly voted Santa Fe’s “ Best Museum,” this one houses the world’s largest collection of cross-cultural traditional folk art from dolls, puppets and masks to textiles, ceramics and Spanish colonial folk art. Experience the music, drama, dance, storytelling and material culture of more than 100 countries as presented in life-size interactive exhibits.

Newly opened in July of 2002 by the Spanish Colonial Arts Society, thMuseum of Spanish Colonial Art collections were initiated in 1928. Today with 3,000 objects, the collections are the most comprehensive compilation of Spanish Colonial art of their kind. Among the various media featured are santos (painted and sculpted images of saints), textiles, tinwork, silverwork, goldwork, ironwork, straw appliqué, ceramics, furniture, books and more.

The Museum of Indian Arts and Culture will introduce the group to the historical and contemporary lives of the Pueblo, Navajo and Apache cultures. Using poetry, story, song, dance and artifacts to present the rich and complex stories that illuminate the art and history of the Americas and the American Southwest through two millennia. This collection contains 72,000 objects and more than 10 million artifacts from 12,000 carefully excavated archaeological sites.  

BACKSTAGE OPERA & SHIDONI FOUNDRY TOUR

A guided behind the scenes tour of the world famous Santa Fe Opera will teach participants how it all happens. Everything for the opera is made right there, including costumes, wigs and stage sets and even if you're not an opera fan you'll love this 45-minute tour and gain a greater appreciation of it all.

You will then move onto the Shidoni Foundry located five miles north of Santa Fe in the village of Tesuque, Shidoni Bronze Foundry is one of the greatest resources available for sculptors and collectors alike. This guided tour of the art foundry, sculpture garden and gallery, will delight your sense.

Located along the Rio Tesuque on an eight-acre apple orchard and founded in 1971 by sculptor-owner Tommy Hicks, Shidoni has grown into an internationally known facility. Visitors to Shidoni frequently have the opportunity to watch 2,000-degree molten bronze being poured into ceramic shell molds. The pouring is one of the several steps in the complex, wax-casting technique. Miniatures to monumental works by more than 100 artists are exhibited. On the return to Santa Fe stop in the adjacent glass-blowing factory for a quick visit and then continue on to lunch at Gabriel’s, a restaurant with a Southwestern-New Mexican cuisine.

NEW MEXICO SAMPLER

There is so much to see and enjoy in New Mexico, that sometimes you just need to opt for an experience that gives you a sampling of a lot of things. This tour is designed with that in mind and is great for anyone looking for the combination plate of tours. Enjoy a genuine taste of both Spanish and Pueblo cultures with a visit to the Spanish village of Chimayo with its legendary Santuario, local crafts and chile. Next, travel across the Rio Grande to an Indian Pueblo renowned for its pottery and finish with spectacular views from the high cliffs at White Rock.

TEAMBUILDING EVENTS

If you are looking for a more interactive experience, we provide an exciting, hands-on approach to teambuilding. Imagine spending the morning refining your mission and the afternoon working through team challenges that call you to put your mission to work. Whether we use a ropes course, a cooking class, a river trip or a scavenger hunt, your group will have the opportunity to explore leadership, communication, vision, and laughter while enjoying Northern New Mexico. We customize programs for groups of 10 to 200, young and old, for businesses, schools and non-profits.

Santa Fe Destinations is a professional services company possessing extensive knowledge and expertise and is dedicated to designing and implementing your program to make your Santa Fe experience a success.

We look forward to working with you!