Soror Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 We're planning our vacation now and have to redo our plans a bit, so we have a night and day to spend in either of these places. Which would you recommend? We are already going to be doing a TON of hiking and camping, so we enjoy that but if we have a day with more inside adventures that is welcome too, we'll likely be staying at a hotel there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catz Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 Well, personally I think I'd pick Santa Fe. There is so much to do right there and much of it in walking distance. Beautiful and super historic. Love it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corraleno Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 Santa Fe is much prettier. You can park near the plaza and walk to the museums, shops, and historical buildings. There's also an amazing Museum of International Folk Art, but that's a bit outside of town. Worth a visit, though, and there is a museum of American Indian arts and culture next door. In Albuquerque the main attractions would be the museums and the zoo in Old Town. The Natural History museum is really great, especially for kids who like dinosaurs, and it has a really nice planetarium. Explora, the science museum, is across the street from Natural History, and the Albuquerque Museum (art & history) is a few blocks away. The zoo is maybe a mile or two from the museums. It's a nice zoo, as zoos go, but nothing special (ETA: except for the naked mole rat exhibit, which is awesome!). There is also an aquarium and botanical park there. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 Following as we are flying into Albuquerque in Oct. and doing some things there and then driving to Amarillo for 2 days. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corraleno Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 Following as we are flying into Albuquerque in Oct. and doing some things there and then driving to Amarillo for 2 days. Will you be there for the Balloon Fiesta? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie4b Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 Santa Fe. As others have said, it's beautiful, historic, you can walk everywhere. Lots of cultural stuff. Old mission churches. Very nice art museum. That mysterious staircase.... We spent a day there on a cross-country trek and I would love to go back someday! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 Will you be there for the Balloon Fiesta? We are flying in the Tuesday after that. I could get free mileage tickets then and while it would be beautiful, we are not crowd people at all. We need to go to Amarillo as one of my daughters was born there and wants to go see where she was born and the rest of us have never been there as she was adopted. I am trying to plan out which days to be in ABQ and which to be in Amarillo area and how much we will really have time for. If I only knew the weather forecast NOW for the week we will be there it would be a HUGE help :-) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 Would there be things for teen girls to do in Sante Fe? I see that we could ride the commuter trail from ABQ and back again. I know they would like the train ride but not sure if it is worth taking the time. Are there many things in walking distance from the train station? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wapiti Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 When I think of Santa Fe, I get hungry :tongue_smilie: 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justified Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 The Albuquerque zoo is nice. The Botanical garden and the aquarium is a combo park and it was a lot of fun. Both are very inexpensive in comparison to what most zoos cost. A train goes between all the parks. We really enjoy stopping at all three. The zoo is filled with exciting animals. We really enjoyed the seals, the koalas, and tigers. My kids also enjoyed the enchanted giant garden with fun castle, dragon and giant ants. The aquarium had beautiful tanks filled with amazing fish, Sharks, sea turtle, etc. There is a fun touch tank where you can touch sharks and rays. We had fun in Albuquerque. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greta Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 Would there be things for teen girls to do in Sante Fe? I see that we could ride the commuter trail from ABQ and back again. I know they would like the train ride but not sure if it is worth taking the time. Are there many things in walking distance from the train station? My teen daughter LOVES Santa Fe, but she is an art fanatic, so I don't know if that applies to your girls or not. The train station is within longish walking distance from the Plaza, but there is a free shuttle that runs very frequently from Plaza from the train station and vice versa, so most people use that. There are lots of great art museums and galleries. And shopping and restaurants. And beautiful old churches. Would any of that appeal to your girls? ETA: Oh, and as someone who lives in Albuquerque, I definitely think Santa Fe is the more fun, interesting, and beautiful town! But if you do come to Abq, I think the tram and the Botanic Gardens would probably be my top picks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corraleno Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 We are flying in the Tuesday after that. I could get free mileage tickets then and while it would be beautiful, we are not crowd people at all. We need to go to Amarillo as one of my daughters was born there and wants to go see where she was born and the rest of us have never been there as she was adopted. I am trying to plan out which days to be in ABQ and which to be in Amarillo area and how much we will really have time for. If I only knew the weather forecast NOW for the week we will be there it would be a HUGE help :-) Well, if you're hoping for good weather in NM, the middle of October is probably the safest bet for good weather out of the entire year. The first couple of weeks of October, when the Fiesta is there, are usually a mix of gorgeous and rainy, but mid-to-late October is pretty spectacular. Mild temperatures (although with cold nights) and blazing sunshine. Because of the altitude and low humidity, the light in NM is like nothing else... brilliant yellow and orange leaves against a turquoise sky, glowing red chile ristras, green piñon trees, yellow chamisa. Add in the smell of piñon smoke and roasting green chiles, plus awesome food, and it's really a feast for the senses. I miss it! There's usually fun stuff going on in Corrales, just north of Albuquerque along the river, that time of year, so that would be a fun way to spend an afternoon. The big Wagner Farm store is full of ristras and pumpkins and bushels of chiles that they roast for you right there, and they have a cafe where you can get a bowl of green chille stew (yum!). They usually have a big corn maze, too, and there is a historic adobe church and hacienda, Casa San Ysidro, nearby. Plus cute shops, nice restaurants, and a winery. With teens, I would definitely do the Sandia Peak Tramway that goes up to the top of the mountains — the view over the Rio Grande valley, with all the fall colors, is amazing. There are 2 IMAX theaters in Albuquerque, one at the Natural History Museum and one at Winrock shopping mall. The Bio Park (zoo, aquarium, botanic garden) is nice that time of year— the animals aren't just hiding in the shade like they do all summer. And just walking around Old Town can be fun (check out The Candy Lady's shop). Santa Fe would definitely be worth a day trip — or two. A round-trip on the Rail Runner is about 10 bucks I think, and there are double-decker cars so you can sit up top and watch the scenery. It's only about an hour's drive, though, if you want more flexibility (e.g. to go to the Folk Art Museum and the Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, which are on the edge of town rather than in the Plaza area). I've been to Amarillo a couple of times for fencing competitions, and there's not a lot there. I think there's a small art museum and a history museum. And the drive between there and Albuquerque is about the dullest drive on the planet. I wouldn't plan more than 1 night there — drive out in the morning, see whatever you want to see during the day, spend the night, drive home the next day. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corraleno Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 Soror, I just noticed that your kids are 2, 5, 7, and 10. In that case I would definitely choose Albuquerque, and I would probably go to the Natural History Museum and Explora (the science museum). Both have tons of really cool interactive exhibits that would appeal to that age range. The Natural History Museum has replicas of a cave and a volcano that you can walk through (complete with "glowing lava" under the floor and "steam" coming through the walls) and a nature room where you can handle all kinds of cool things, including sometimes live critters (snakes, turtles, frogs, insects), as well as the planetarium and IMAX theater. They also have a big space exhibit, which includes a Mars Rover replica that kids can control. The Bio Park would also work if you won't be there at the peak of summer, when it's too hot for littles to be walking around all day, and most of the animals will be sleeping, if not hiding, anyway. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 I've been to Amarillo a couple of times for fencing competitions, and there's not a lot there. I think there's a small art museum and a history museum. And the drive between there and Albuquerque is about the dullest drive on the planet. I wouldn't plan more than 1 night there — drive out in the morning, see whatever you want to see during the day, spend the night, drive home the next day. :001_smile: We HAVE to go to Amarillo to see where she was born. They also want to see the Quarter Horse museum (huge horse lovers here). We plan on a horseback ride near Palo Duro Canyon and visiting the Canyon itself. I will be prepared for the boring drive between the 2. Hopefully they find it more interesting than Iowa. At least it is only about 4 hours. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted April 29, 2015 Author Share Posted April 29, 2015 Corraleno and everyone else, thanks so much for all the info, I'll show it to dh and we'll check it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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