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New Mexico

The Best of New Mexico: Santa Fe, Taos and Albuquerque

Program No. 11005RJ

Learn the history and culture of northern New Mexico as you explore Native American sites, visit historic monuments and communities and experience the art colonies of Santa Fe and Taos.

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Itinerary

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Duration

8 days

7 nights

What's Included

16 meals ( 7B, 4L, 5D )

3 expert-led lectures

13 expert-led field trips

1 performance

An experienced Group Leader

7 nights of accommodations

Taxes and customary gratuity

Road Scholar Assurance Plan

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Day

Check-in, Program Registration, Orientation, Welcome Dinner

Location: Albuquerque, NM

Meals: D

Stay: Best Western Plus Rio Grande Inn

Activity Note

Hotel check-in from 3:00 p.m.

Afternoon:

Program Registration: 3:00-5:00 p.m. After you check in and have your room assignment, join us at the Road Scholar table to register with the program staff, get any updated information, and confirm the time and location of the Orientation session. If you arrive late, please locate your Group Leader and let them know you have arrived. Orientation: 5:00 p.m. The Group Leader will greet everyone and lead introductions. We will review the up-to-date program schedule, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer questions. Our experienced and knowledgeable Group Leader will provide educational content in addition to local experts from time to time. Transportation for program-related activities will be via motorcoach unless specified otherwise. Periods in the schedule designated as “Free time” and “At leisure” offer opportunities to do what you like and make your experience even more meaningful and memorable according to your personal preferences. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. Program activities, schedules, personnel, and indicated distances or times may change due to local circumstances/conditions. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding.

Dinner:

At the hotel.

Evening:

At leisure. Continue getting to know your fellow Road Scholars, settle in, and get a good night’s rest for the day ahead.

Day

New Mexico History, Old Town, Indian Pueblo Cultural Center

Location: Albuquerque, NM

Meals: B,L,D

Stay: Best Western Plus Rio Grande Inn

Activity Note

Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 10 miles, approximately 1/2 hour riding time. Walking up to 2 miles, standing up to 3 hours at a time; mostly level, paved terrain. Elevation 5,300 feet.

Breakfast:

At the hotel.

Morning:

We will begin the morning in the hotel meeting room with an overview by our Group Leader of the area’s history, from its earliest Ancestral Puebloan inhabitants to the Spanish and American soldiers and settlers who followed. We’ll then board our motorcoach and set out on a field trip to the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center. Operated by the nineteen Pueblos of New Mexico, the IPCC is dedicated to preserving and perpetuating Pueblo culture, highlighting the accomplishments and evolving history of the Pueblo people. Our self-directed exploration will introduce New Mexico’s many different Pueblos as we view the Pueblo-curated exhibits on the lower level.

Lunch:

At the Pueblo Cultural Center.

Afternoon:

We’ll ride to Old Town, where our Group Leader will introduce the oldest part of Albuquerque during a walking exploration of the plaza and surrounding area. Old Town has been the focal point of community life since Albuquerque was founded in 1706. About ten blocks of historical adobe buildings surround the central plaza, including San Felipe de Neri Church that dates back to 1793. The city’s settlers built their homes, shops, and government offices here; many of these historical structures have been converted into the restaurants, art galleries, and shops that we see today. We will have some time for independent exploration. Nearby museums include the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science across from Old Town on Mountain Road and the Albuquerque Museum of Art and History adjacent to Old Town.

Dinner:

At a local restaurant.

Evening:

Returning to the hotel, the remainder of the evening is at leisure. Prepare for check-out and transfer in the morning.

Day

Turquoise Trail, Pueblo Feast Day meal, IAIA Visit

Location: Taos, NM

Meals: B,L,D

Stay: El Pueblo Lodge

Activity Note

Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 175 miles, approximately 4 hours total riding time. Walking up to 3 miles; varied, uneven terrain.

Breakfast:

At the hotel.

Morning:

After checking out of the hotel, we’ll ride north towards Santa Fe via the Turquoise Trail National Scenic Byway that will take us through the mining towns of Golden, Madrid, and Cerrillos. We’ll make a stop to explore one of the towns along the way. We will arrive at the Institute of American Indian Arts in time for lunch.

Lunch:

We will enjoy a traditional Feast Day meal prepared and served by members of the Hena family from Tesuque Pueblo.

Afternoon:

Next, we will have a discussion with a member of Tesuque Pueblo who will share stories of life within the Pueblo communities. Then, we will take a tour of the IAIA campus. Learning about the history and future of the Institute of American Indian Arts. We’ll then ride north to Taos and check-in to our hotel.

Dinner:

At a local restaurant

Evening:

At leisure.

Day

Rio Grande Gorge, Taos Pueblo, Free Time, Storyteller

Location: Taos, NM

Meals: B

Stay: El Pueblo Lodge

Activity Note

Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 45 miles, approximately 1 hour. Walking up to 4 miles; paved, sometimes uneven terrain with inclines. Elevation 7,000 feet.

Breakfast:

At the hotel.

Morning:

We’ll board the motorcoach for a short ride to the Rio Grande Gorge and cross via the “High Bridge.” The bridge spans the Rio Grande Gorge 565 feet above the river, affording breathtaking views, and has been used as a location in a number of motion pictures. Our Group Leader will provide commentary. We’ll then ride to Taos Pueblo (if the Pueblo is open; it sometimes closes with little to no advance notice for private Pueblo events). This picturesque Pueblo at the base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains is one of the oldest continuously inhabited communities in North America. The multiple-storied adobe dwellings reflect an ancient culture. Approximately 100 Pueblo residents still live much as their ancestors did 1,000 years ago, without electricity or running water. Taos Pueblo is the only living Native American community designated both a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and a National Historic Landmark. At the Pueblo, we'll enjoy an expert-led walk through the community.

Lunch:

This meal has been excluded from the program cost and is on your own to enjoy what you like. Not to be confused with “Tex-Mex,” New Mexico’s unique cuisine has been influenced by ingredients and techniques used in Native American and Spanish cooking. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions.

Afternoon:

Free time. This period of time has been set aside for your personal independent exploration to see and do what interests you most. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions.

Dinner:

On Your Own

Evening:

After regrouping at the hotel, we’ll be entertained by Cisco Guevara, a professional storyteller from Taos. A river runner since his teenage days in Los Alamos, Cisco honed his storytelling craft around campfires deep in the canyons of northern New Mexico. Cisco’s stories range from his rebellious youth, to tales that draw on his Hispanic and Native American heritage, to hair-raising adventures in the wilderness, to haunting tales of love and loss. A headliner at the Taos Storytelling Festival for over a decade, Cisco performs regularly for groups in Santa Fe and Albuquerque, and has told his stories to rapt audiences as far afield as London and Paris. Prepare for check-out and transfer in the morning.

Day

Santa Cruz Farm, Chimayó, Museum Hill

Location: Santa Fe, NM

Meals: B,L,D

Stay: Hilton Santa Fe Historic Plaza

Activity Note

Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 70 miles, approximately 2 hours riding time. Walking up to 3 miles over the course of the day, standing up to 2 hours at a time; unpaved, uneven dirt paths.

Breakfast:

At the hotel.

Morning:

We will check out of the hotel, board our motorcoach, and ride to Santa Cruz Farm. Don Bustos, owner of Santa Cruz Farms, has been farming since he was a young child, on the land his family has farmed for 400 years. Don still uses traditional practices, while incorporating new technology and using nothing but solar energy to grow 72 different types of produce from salad greens, asparagus, squash, and cucumbers, to their famous blackberries. Don has amassed many generations of farming knowledge, and has passed it on to more than 225 farmers around the state. In a presentation by Don, we’ll learn how he aims to empower and educate others as he shows them how to work the land. We will then board our coach and travel to nearby Chimayó.

Lunch:

At historic Rancho de Chimayó, a charming restaurant housed in an old hacienda, featuring traditional New Mexican cuisine.

Afternoon:

After lunch we will ride to Santa Fe, our first stop will be Museum Hill where we’ll explore the Museum of Indian Arts & Culture and the Museum of International Folk Art. The Museum of Indian Arts and Culture features pottery, jewelry, sculpture, baskets, and other objects made by Native Americans from the earliest times to modern day, scrupulously documented and beautifully displayed. The Museum of International Folk Art focuses on indigenous populations from around the world through their art – ranging from ceremonial dress and masks to furniture. It holds the largest collection of international folk art in the world, including wings featuring some of the 106,000 pieces donated by collectors Alexander and Susan Girard and Lloyd Cotsen’s Neutrogena collection. We’ll check in to our hotel in the late afternoon.

Dinner:

At the hotel.

Evening:

At leisure.

Day

Architecture & History, Santa Fe Plaza, Free Time

Location: Santa Fe, NM

Meals: B

Stay: Hilton Santa Fe Historic Plaza

Activity Note

Walking up to 4 miles over the course of the day; uneven sidewalks during Santa Fe Plaza exploration. Extent and duration of walking and other activities during free time according to personal choice.

Breakfast:

At the hotel.

Morning:

We will be joined by a local expert who will introduce Santa Fe’s architecture and history. We will learn how Santa Fe gets its distinctive look from the Pueblo Revival style of the southwestern United States — also known as Santa Fe style — that draws its inspiration from traditional Pueblo architecture and Spanish missions. Where did this style come from, why did it take hold, and how have city policies nurtured it? Then we’ll set out on a walking field trip to explore the Santa Fe Plaza area, historic heart of the city. We’ll visit the impressive Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, the Palace of the Governors, and other sites as time permits.

Lunch:

On your own.

Afternoon:

Free time. This period of time has been set aside for your personal independent exploration to see and do what interests you most. Please refer to the list of Free Time Opportunities. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. Please note that the period scheduled for free time is subject to change depending on local circumstances and opportunities for independent exploration. There are a number of museums, shops and galleries in this area, all within walking distance of the Plaza. Nearby museums include the New Mexico Museum of Art, the New Mexico History Museum, the Palace of the Governors, the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, and the Museum of Contemporary Native Art. You might also enjoy visiting Loretto Chapel with its intriguing spiral staircase and the State Capitol building. The State Capitol houses the “State Capitol Art Collection,” featuring the work of local New Mexico artists, sculptors, and photographers. Those willing to travel a few miles down Cerrillos Road (city bus transportation available on Sheridan Street near the Plaza) might enjoy visiting “The House of Eternal Return” at the Meow Wolf Art Complex.

Dinner:

On your own.

Evening:

At leisure. Prepare for check-out and transfer in the morning.

Day

Los Alamos History and Bradbury Museums, Bandelier Monument

Location: Albuquerque, NM

Meals: B,L,D

Stay: Best Western Plus Rio Grande Inn

Activity Note

Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 80 miles, approximately 1.5 hours total riding time. Walking up to 4 miles; paved and uneven packed dirt terrain, stairs, ladders (elective) at Bandelier, inclines. Elevations 6,000-7,500 feet.

Breakfast:

At the hotel.

Morning:

We will check out of the hotel, board our motorcoach, and ride to the Bradbury Museum of Science and the Los Alamos History Museum. The Bradbury Museum of Science has wonderful exhibits about the history of Los Alamos National Laboratory, its national security mission, and the broad range of science, engineering, and technology research programs including the Lab’s focus on Stockpile Stewardship. The Los Alamos History Museum is located next to Fuller Lodge, once the dining hall for the Los Alamos Ranch School. Its mission is to preserve and share the history of Los Alamos through award-winning exhibits that include the geology and archaeology of the area, as well as exhibits dedicated to various aspects of the Manhattan Project. Next, we’ll take a short drive to Bandelier National Monument.

Lunch:

Boxed lunches.

Afternoon:

Next, we’ll take a short drive to Bandelier National Monument, fascinating both for its geology and archaeology. After a rest stop at the Visitor Center, we’ll explore some of the trails in Frijoles Canyon where we can see “cavates” — the cave-like dwellings used by the Ancestral Pueblo people who lived here 400 to 800 years ago. Reboarding the motorcoach, we’ll ride on to Albuquerque and check in to our hotel.

Dinner:

At the hotel. Share favorite experiences and enjoy camaraderie with new Road Scholar friends during our farewell dinner.

Evening:

At leisure. Prepare for check-out and departure in the morning.

Day

Program Concludes

Location: Albuquerque, NM

Meals: B

Activity Note

Hotel check-out 12:00 Noon.

Breakfast:

At the hotel. This concludes our program.

Morning:

If you are returning home, safe travels. If you are staying on independently, have a wonderful time. If you are transferring to another Road Scholar program, detailed instructions are included in your Information Packet for that program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on rewarding programs in the future. Don’t forget to join our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram. Best wishes for all your journeys!

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The Best of New Mexico: Santa Fe, Taos and Albuquerque

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