A repository of history a short drive from downtown Albuquerque, Old Town retains the architectural style of the 1700s and is home to more than 150 stores, 25 galleries, plenty of fine restaurants and several museums. Centered around the plaza, it offers 10 blocks of historic adobe buildings. The Pueblo-Spanish style architecture features flat-roofed buildings, soft contours, long porches in the fronts of most buildings and benches often found built into the back walls of the portals.
Things to see in Albuquerque
Tourist offices
Address: 303 Romero Street NW, Old Town, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Tel: +1 505 842 9918
Opening Hours:
Daily: Apr-Oct 1000-1800, Nov-Mar 0930-1630.
https://www.visitalbuquerque.orgThe city’s main tourist office, the Old Town Information Center, is just off the plaza in the Old Town, near the church. There’s another information centre in the lower level of the airport.
The centre interprets the history and culture of New Mexico's 19 American Indian pueblos, and presents ceremonial dances and craft demonstrations on weekends. The contemporary arts and crafts section features work by a collection of artists from each of the pueblos but is being renovated at present. There are also short films.
This important archaeological site contains the world's largest accessible collection of petroglyphs - ancient Indian images carved into the black rock remnants of extinct volcanoes featuring designs and symbols by Native Americans and Spanish settlers 400 to 700 years ago. Visitors are allowed to hike the volcanoes, rinconada and canyons from sunrise to sunset by simply parking outside of the gated parking lots.
The world's longest such conveyance, this 4.2km (2.7-mile) tramway transports visitors above deep canyons from the city's Northeast Heights neighbourhood high into the spectacular terrain of the Sandia Mountains and the Cibola National Forest. There's a popular restaurant at the top. The observation deck at 3,163m-high (10,378ft) Sandia Peak offers a 11,000sq mile panoramic view of the Rio Grande Valley and the Land of Enchantment.
In the heart of Old Town, the museum features art of the Southwest as well as permanent and travelling exhibits detailing 400 years of Albuquerque and Rio Grande Valley history. Check out exhibits on the city’s origins as a Spanish colonial village and artworks, from the works of indigenous peoples to Spanish colonial art to cutting-edge modern installations.
This offbeat museum holds the world's largest collection of live rattlesnakes, as well as a wide array of snake-related artwork, artefacts and memorabilia.
Hot-air balloons have been used for adventure, scientific experiments, warfare, the arts, espionage and the exploration of space. Albuquerque, considered the world capital of recreational hot-air ballooning, celebrates this heritage with a high-tech museum filled with historic artefacts and impressive interactive multimedia displays.
The largest Latino cultural centre in the country, this extensive facility includes state-of-the-art performance spaces and galleries that present a variety of programmes and installations celebrating Hispanic culture both locally and regionally. There's also a restaurant serving authentic New Mexico food.
Explore volcanoes or the solar system and take a peek at dinosaurs at the worthy museum, which also houses a planetarium. There's a range of permanent and temporary exhibits too.
Founded in 1927, this 26-hectare (64-acre) facility houses more than 1,000 animals in their natural habitats, including an African savannah and Amazon rainforest. Popular species include seals and sea lions, chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans, elephants, polar bears, giraffes, hippos, camels, tamarins, koalas, Mexican wolves, mountain lions, monkeys, jaguars, zebras and rhinoceros.
The University of New Mexico Art Museum has a permanent collection of over 30,000 objects such as paintings, drawings, prints, photographs and sculptures -the largest fine art collection in the state.
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