I have to confess that I made many trips to Albuquerque to see family during my childhood, but I never really explored the city or the surrounding area until recently. Not only did I find some unique activities and places to see, but I’m ready to return and continue discovering its history and character.
Albuquerque, New Mexico’s largest city, is a 6 1/2-hour drive from Denver or an easy 1 1/2-hour direct flight. Depending on what you want to see and do here, it could be a weekend or a full week of culture, food and more.
Of the top five cities where visitors come from to visit Albuquerque, Denver is third (preceded by Phoenix and Dallas), according to Visit Albuquerque.
Here a few things I experienced during my trip that I believe are only found in and around Albuquerque.
1. Albuquerque is home to what is estimated to be the largest collection of petroglyphs in the country at Petroglyph National Monument with perhaps as many as 25,000 rock drawings here. Petroglyphs are rock carvings made when someone chiseled into the rock surface and these were likely made between 1300 and the late 1680s by ancestors of the Pueblo people.
Interpretive signs provide insights into what the various drawings might have meant, such as representation of a tribe or clan — or one of my favorites showing a macaw parrot is said to have represented “the complexity and development of Pueblo culture through trade and communication of ideas with the Mesoamerican cultures.” When visiting here, it’s critical to know that there are a few distinct sites to drive between for hiking around to see the rocks.
Tip: This 17-mile-long area is completely exposed, so if it’s sunny, you will be hot and you’ll need water and a hat, but if it’s cold, you will need a warm coat (and also water and a hat).
2. While no one is getting a college degree in a weekend visit, the University of New Mexico is the only place in the United States where you can minor in flamenco dancing. Visitors can see a flamenco dance performance — Tablao Flamenco is one example — and also sign up to take a flamenco dance lesson.
The National Institute of Flamenco is based here and puts on summer camps and an annual Flamenco Festival in June. The institute partners with UNM’s Department of Theatre and Dance to offer the only accredited dance program in the country with a flamenco concentration.
Although I didn’t have expectations before watching a flamenco performance, I was deeply moved by this style of dance that has roots in Spain. Speaking with one of the dancers after the soul-stirring show, I learned it is “like jazz,” as she described it, which provides a one-of-a-kind experience each time.
Tip: Combine flamenco with petroglyphs when a performance is scheduled at the park.
3. New Mexico is one of two states with an official state cookie, and here it is the biscochito (or bizcochito, pronounced BIZ-co-cheeto). This cinnamon-dusted shortbread-style cookie is a local favorite worth sampling. At Golden Crown Panaderia, they also make a version with blue corn flour that is scrumptious. This family-run bakery thinks beyond the traditional with a green chile bread and a 24-hour vending machine where you can pick up some cookies anytime you like — the only vending machine, or “Cookie ATM,” for a state cookie.
Tip: Order a dozen of these because you’re sure to eat more than one.
4. The largest concave fresco in the U.S. can be found at the National Hispanic Cultural Center’s Welcome Center and Torréon. Inside this tower there are benches for visitors to sit and gaze up and around at this 4,000-square-foot painting, “Mundos de Mestizaje” by artist Frederico Vigil. It is literally dizzying! There are guided tours available of this painting that shows people, food, buildings, animals and more representation to tell this immense story. You can sign up in advance for a tour on the center’s website.
Tip: Plan your visit around one of the many events that take place at the center of such dance performances, poetry readings, live music and more. La Fonda del Bosque is the on-site restaurant for a weekday lunch or Friday night dinner.
5. If you’re staying at the Hotel Albuquerque or Hotel Chaco adjacent to Sawmill Market, you are an easy walking distance from many museums and the city’s Old Town, but it’s worth renting a car to take a day trip to Acoma Pueblo and tour Sky City. The drive there is about one hour, then the guided tour is another 1 1/2 to 2 hours long.
Acoma Pueblo claims to be the oldest continuously inhabited community in North America dating back to 1150 A.D. You start your experience at the Haak’u Museum and Sky City Cultural Center, which is worth your time to explore, and also shop and dine in the Y’aak’a Café, and then you pay a fee to join the tour. The shuttle bus will drive visitors to the top of the 370-foot mesa, where you are then led through the village and can take in the gorgeous views. One of the interesting things we learned on our tour is that this is a matriarchal society.
Tip: Bring cash to buy some locally-made items near the end of the tour.
6. At the Albuquerque Museum there are several galleries worth exploring, but one of them is simply called, “Only in Albuquerque,” and it is a history of the city. Take a few minutes to step inside and learn about Albuquerque’s duke, Route 66 and a lot more.
Tip: Stop in at the gift shop where you can buy many locally-made items, including Kei & Molly Textiles such as kitchen goods.
7. The Indian Pueblo Cultural Center is a nonprofit that was created by the state’s 19 pueblos. Pueblo is a term used to describe a tribe or a village of a tribe, and it is also used by some people in place of “reservation.” Each pueblo is a sovereign nation. Modern pueblos might include casinos, hotels and other businesses, as well as tours of historic buildings. If you can’t make it to any of the state’s pueblos during your time in Albuquerque, stop in at the center to see a live dance performance, look at (and maybe purchase) jewelry or pottery, explore art on display, or dine at the Indian Pueblo Kitchen.
Tip: Schedule your time here to include a meal and to watch a dance.
Each of these places and activities can be experienced anytime of the year, but some also include annual events, so check the calendar in order to include — or avoid — these celebrations too. If you want to visit museums, note that a lot of places in Albuquerque are closed on Mondays.
