What to do in Santa Fe?
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Have never been but have heard it's a wonderful place!
Paging @Piano-Dad .....
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This is the company that represents our house when we're not in it. Something from them might be a good alternative to a hotel in the downtown area. They have a lot of nice properties in good locales near or in the city.
https://www.casasdesantafe.com
Need more about your group's tastes to go into much detail. There are excellent restaurants at a wide range of prices ... few that have prices that would make a big city dweller blanche, however.
Do you like to hike? Amazing set of options. Happy to chat.
Here's one you have to book in advance ... Kasha Katuwe (Tent Rocks)
Santa Fe has a huge trail network (Dale Ball Trails) right close by to explore:
https://sfct.org/dale-ball-trails/
Further afield there are many more fabulous sites to visit:
https://www.nps.gov/band/index.htm
https://www.nps.gov/vall/index.htm
https://puyecliffdwellings.com
https://www.santafe.org/blog/post/a-day-trip-to-chimayo-from-santa-fe/
https://www.ghostranch.org
https://www.puebloofacoma.org
https://taospueblo.comAnd if you do make the trip up to Taos, it's incomplete without a visit to the Rio Grande Gorge bridge.
Art galleries and museums (contemporary to traditional native arts) are all over the place in the downtown and rail yard areas. And then there is Museum Hill.
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Thanks so much - plenty to read-up before even knowing what else to ask!
MrsTuner has a 'big' birthday next year, so this is her wish - to get the kids and spouses and one grandkid together, so a house sounds like the best option. She and I eat out all the time, so that a good option and one of the couples is vegan and happy to cook on their own if there are decent grocers, which I assume won't be a problem.
Museums and art - great!
Hikes - wonderful!
Trail rides - horses?
Breweries/wineries?We will start looking!
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I don't know your budget, but some of the places that Casas de Sante Fe rents out do have pools and hot tubs. They're more expensive though.
We have tons of craft breweries in the area and brew pubs for each.
New Mexico does have wineries. Most are decent, but not great. Two that stand out (I think).
Gruet: https://www.gruetwinery.com
We used to be in their champagne club but pulled out after Laurent Gruet severed his connection. They have gone toward sweeter stuff now, but a few of their 100% New Mexican grapes vintage bubblies are still very good. They have a tasting room in Santa Fe at the St. Francis hotel ... which also has a great "farm to table" bar inside called Secreto. Ah, their smoked sage margaritas!
Another is Vara: https://varawines.com
They too have a tasting room in Santa Fe. And that's where Laurent Gruet now hangs out, making his Vara/LG line.
There is a wonderful resort (with full spa and excellent restaurant named Campo) down in Albuquerque named Los Poblanos. Worth a trip. It's an organic lavender farm as well. They also make spirits, which you can try at THEIR tasting room in Santa Fe! Getting a theme here?
A small sample of our favorite restaurants includes:
Geronimo (often the #1 rated place). They have a vegetarian tasting menu. Alas, I don't think it's vegan.
The Compound (like Geronimo, on Canyon Road which is full of galleries).
Coyote Cafe, and its rooftop (less formal) cantina. Reservations for the former, but none for the latter.
The Shed (on Palace Avenue). Modestly priced, touristy but fun.
Sazon. Very high end Mexican inspired but not like any Mexican we're usually used to.
Jambo. Afro-Caribbean. Not in downtown. More in the strip mall part of town
Paloma. Good New Mexican and modestly priced. In the rail yard district off of Guadelupe.
Izanami!!! I put the exclamation marks there. It's sort of my neighborhood's restaurant. Off of the access road to the ski area. Japanese izakaya-style (small plates). If I'm in NM for two weeks, I'll go there at least twice. It's part of a larger complex called Ten Thousand Waves, which is one of the best spa complexes in the US. Izanimi isn't cheap, but it's also not exorbitant. The spa is high priced, but we think it's worth a splurge. You soak in the grand bath before massage, and use the sauna and bath afterward. It's your afternoon.
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@Piano-Dad Santa Fe sounds absolutely lovely. I'm not surprised you chose to buy a house there.
I wonder if the Tuners would notice a ninth adult hanging around with them...
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One more suggestion. If you like chocolate ... most people do ...
Kakawa: https://kakawachocolates.com
Their main location is within walking distance of the plaza, and fairly close to the start of Canyon Road.
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BTW, the grandkid is the proverbial fly in the ointment. Don't get me wrong, I have no problem with grandkids! But having a four year old in tow might really shift the things you can do, or that you're willing to do. Santa Fe has some kid attractions ... a kid's museum for instance ... https://santafechildrensmuseum.org
But then you're spending your day at a children's museum instead of hiking up to Picacho peak or exploring the Georgia O'Keefe museum. Are you planning to take the tyke hiking with you? Then you're probably done when they poop out, which might be long before you want to, and long before you get to what you actually want to see and do out in nature. Would you have to plan your dinners out based on the tastes and attention span of a four year old? Could be a problem.
Spoken by someone who has had to deal with the forcefulness of three to eight year old grandkids who occasionally don't want to do what the adults plan to do.
It's not the world's most children-oriented tourist destination. I think of Santa Fe as an adult playground.
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You asked about riding. Yes, there are a number of places in and around town that lead guided rides.
Here's one at a prominent resort just north of town (Bishop's Lodge)
But the grandkid wouldn't be allowed to ride. The minimum age is 8.
