Posted: 02/09/2007--25/11/2008 || Rate this Article: 3 || Views|| Sign In || Register ||Hello Guest
Santa Fe, New Mexico is a year-round family vacation destination. Folks of all ages will enjoy what this area has to offer, from museums to nature hikes or from snow skiing to white water rafting.
If a winter vacation is in order, Santa Fe is the perfect place to visit. Snow skiing is prime from Thanksgiving to Easter, with several good snowfalls throughout this time. Visiting Santa Fe during the Christmas season is special. On December 15, Santa Fe celebrates the Christmas season with Las Posadas, an evening event that reenacts the search Joseph and Mary had looking for shelter on Christmas Eve. Christmas season also includes the traditional Christmas Eve walk. During this time, Santa Fe is lit with farolitos (little lanterns) and has bonfires and carolers for everyones enjoyment. The Palace of Governors, decorated with Christmas decorations, has special visitors such as Santa and his elves along with carolers are another favorite stop during the Christmas season.
Several attractions are open year round. Riding the Santa Fe Southern Railway during winter provides a very different view of the high desert than the other seasons as the desert changes with each season. Area museums are open year round and the childrens museum is a perfect place to visit especially if the family has younger children. Museums are similar to the season changes in the high desert in that they change the exhibits occasionally. Ice skating is another attraction that is available year round as is the Casa Grande Trading Post which has a petting zoo and mining museum. For a little more cultural experience, take the family to the Santa Fe Playhouse or the Santa Fe Youth Symphony to see a performance.
Vacations during the other seasons offer lots to do. The family can choose to venture down the Rio Grande by floating in a raft or the more adventurous may enjoy a white water rapid trip, available either all day or half a day. If stargazing is something your family enjoys, then the Planetarium should be on the list of places to visit. Showtime is 7pm while tickets go on sale at 6:30. Santa Fe has two skateboard parks where boards or blades are welcome. Horseback riding and mountain biking are both available.
Santa Fe also offers historical and educational attractions. Among these is Cochiti Pueblo, Tent Rocks, Rancho de las Golondrines, Randall Davey Audubon Center, Santa Fe Botanical Gardens, and Taos Pueblo. Cochiti Pueblo and Lake is where handmade storytelling dolls, animals and pottery as well as ancient deep toned ceremonial drums are found. Tent Rocks has hiking trails that pass by rocks that are tent-shaped from years of erosion. Rancho de las Golondrines (The Ranch of the Swallows) is a living history museum that depicts life in New Mexico in the 1800s and teaches important history lessons. The Randall Davey Audubon Center has hiking trails and a Nature Center, which offers programs related to the native plants and animals. The Santa Fe Botanical Gardens is 25 acres of beautiful gardens and walkways. Taos Pueblo is the perfect place to take older children who already have an understanding of history.
Santa Fe also has beautiful accommodations and wonderful restaurants for the family who is interested in visiting. It also has breath taking sunrises and sunsets and beautiful scenery thanks to the backdrop provided by the mountains surrounding it. No matter what time of the year, there is something for everyone here, young, old or in between.
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