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Bring the family to Santa Fe, lots of fun activities for all to enjoy
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The mesa top at the Puye Cliffs,Santa Clara Pueblo*
Coming to Santa Fe with the kids in tow? There are no easy-fixes like Disney World, Sea World, Busch Gardens or Six Flags. It may take a little imagination and advanced planning, but it's worth it. You can design a trip that is sure to charm even the grumpiest child. Here are some places the entire family will enjoy.
THE SANTA FE CHILDREN’S MUSEUM is a great place for families with young children to visit. It is intimate with hands-on interactive stations to delight the young. The museum’s enthusiastic volunteers will engage the kids in activities. The grounds offer more fun activities, including a green house with a menagerie of small critters and an area with giant percussion instruments, all of which encourage youngsters to indulge their natural curiosity and explore the world around them.
BANDELIER NATIONAL MONUMENT located about an hour north from Santa Fe, offers a view into the past of New Mexico. First settled circa 12th century, the ancestors of the current-day Cochiti Indians lived here until the mid-fifteen hundreds. You can see pueblo ruins, explore the caves via ladders, see petroglyphs and hike the extensive trails. Kids will really enjoy climbing the ladders into the caves.
The Girard Gallery at THE INTERNATIONAL MUSEUM OF FOLK ART will delight kids. The colorful folk-art is from more than 100 nations. There are dioramas loaded with small colorful people and miniatures that kid can relate to. It’s a bright, happy place and people leave with smiles on their faces.
THE PUYE CLIFFS on the Santa Clara Pueblo have reopened this year after over an 8 year closure do to damage sustained in the Los Almos Fire in 2000. There is a new visitor’s center that welcomes guests. The only way to see the Pueblo’s ancestral home is with a Tribal guide. The guides are very knowledgeable and the tours vary somewhat, guide to guide. There are three tour options: the Cliff Side Tour, the Mesa Top Tour and the Puye Experience, which includes both places.
RANDALL DAVEY AUDUBON CENTER sits at the top of Upper Canyon Road at an elevation of 7500. Families can hike and explore nature at this local outpost of the National Audubon Society. There are 135 acres of land at the center, surrounded by thousands of acres of National Forest and the protected lands of the Santa Fe River Watershed. The center offers guided bird walks on its two nature trails. There are over130 species of rare and common birds- apparently someone has counted- as well as lots of plants and wildlife. A great trick with kids is to get them to sit quietly in the wood and see what animals will come by. If one shows up, they will remember forever. Take a picnic and spend the day.
If you want a family vacation that is fun and different, think Santa Fe, you'll be glad you did.
*Photo courtesy of the Puye Cliffs and the Santa Clara Pueblo
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