Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Santa Fe: Something for Everyone

Santa Fe is a haven for artists, foodies and wilderness lovers – so it's pretty much a place for everyone.

The art on Canyon Road extends up a mile-long road with gallery after gallery filling the windy hill. With world-renowned fine, contemporary and abstract art as well as elaborate, intricate sculpture, the variety is diverse. The galleries themselves feel more like the homes of people who’ve been collecting art for generations than places to purchase pieces.

I learned so much just from the gallery hosts – with New Mexican friendliness, you can't go anywhere with only a, "Hi, how are you?" There’s a great park at the top of Canyon Road to relax in the sun or have a picnic and an amazing tapas place with Flamenco and Latin Jazz depending on the night.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Santa Fe National Forest is only a 30-minute drive, and aspen and pines glitter the mountains as you depart the high desert of Santa Fe. The altitude reaches 8,000 ft, so you need to drink lots of water to fight altitude sickness. The forest is beautiful; a variety of trees jut out of deep red/orange soil. Rivers bend throughout, with fly fisherman simulating visions of Colorado and Montana.

There are lots of natural hot springs right off the road as well as ones you can hike a few miles in to. Ignore the "Do Not Trespass or You Will Be Shot" signs – as long as you stay on the designated roads and trails you're on public property. The hot springs are perfect after a day of hiking, cross-country skiing or downhill skiing/boarding at one of the countless ski mountains within an hour’s drive of Santa Fe.

We personally enjoyed Taos. It had the big, steep “mountain feel” minus the resort and fur-coat attitude that other resorts have sold out to. There’s amazing terrain and tons of snow even after closing day at the beginning of April.

Only 2 hours away from Santa Fe, the town of Taos is a sleepy mountain town replete with artists and culture. Go to Cafe Rellenos and get their stuffed pepper special...a poblano pepper stuffed with beef, dried cranberries, cinnamon and mushrooms and topped with a sweet mole sauce. Then go see live music with the locals at The Taos Inn any night of the week.

If you're not the wilderness activist type but still appreciate the outdoors, check out Bandelier National Monument. About 45 min outside of Santa Fe are ancient ruins and cliff dwellings where you can feel the presence of the Native American spirit. Deep in Frijoles Canyon, you’ll walk past ruins and climb ladders to cliff dwellings where fire stains and petroglyphs still exist.

Santa Fe is small, with a condensed city center that revolves around the Old Town. It's a great place for shopping, with an amazing variety of turquoise, handwoven blankets and art. There are countless restaurants serving traditional Southwest food with specialties like blue corn pancakes, green chili cornbread and enchiladas Christmas-style – which means with both red and green chilies.

Our favorite restaurant was Cow Girls because it felt like that Southwest restaurant/bar you might imagine: older local waitresses who don't care, the strongest margaritas, and food that couldn't be better.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Why Unified® Review: What To Expect Dropshipping (Positive & Negative)

Next Article

Gonzo Report: Stinkfoot Orchestra conjures Zappa at Winstons

His music is a blend of technical excellence and not-so-subtle humor

Santa Fe is a haven for artists, foodies and wilderness lovers – so it's pretty much a place for everyone.

The art on Canyon Road extends up a mile-long road with gallery after gallery filling the windy hill. With world-renowned fine, contemporary and abstract art as well as elaborate, intricate sculpture, the variety is diverse. The galleries themselves feel more like the homes of people who’ve been collecting art for generations than places to purchase pieces.

I learned so much just from the gallery hosts – with New Mexican friendliness, you can't go anywhere with only a, "Hi, how are you?" There’s a great park at the top of Canyon Road to relax in the sun or have a picnic and an amazing tapas place with Flamenco and Latin Jazz depending on the night.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Santa Fe National Forest is only a 30-minute drive, and aspen and pines glitter the mountains as you depart the high desert of Santa Fe. The altitude reaches 8,000 ft, so you need to drink lots of water to fight altitude sickness. The forest is beautiful; a variety of trees jut out of deep red/orange soil. Rivers bend throughout, with fly fisherman simulating visions of Colorado and Montana.

There are lots of natural hot springs right off the road as well as ones you can hike a few miles in to. Ignore the "Do Not Trespass or You Will Be Shot" signs – as long as you stay on the designated roads and trails you're on public property. The hot springs are perfect after a day of hiking, cross-country skiing or downhill skiing/boarding at one of the countless ski mountains within an hour’s drive of Santa Fe.

We personally enjoyed Taos. It had the big, steep “mountain feel” minus the resort and fur-coat attitude that other resorts have sold out to. There’s amazing terrain and tons of snow even after closing day at the beginning of April.

Only 2 hours away from Santa Fe, the town of Taos is a sleepy mountain town replete with artists and culture. Go to Cafe Rellenos and get their stuffed pepper special...a poblano pepper stuffed with beef, dried cranberries, cinnamon and mushrooms and topped with a sweet mole sauce. Then go see live music with the locals at The Taos Inn any night of the week.

If you're not the wilderness activist type but still appreciate the outdoors, check out Bandelier National Monument. About 45 min outside of Santa Fe are ancient ruins and cliff dwellings where you can feel the presence of the Native American spirit. Deep in Frijoles Canyon, you’ll walk past ruins and climb ladders to cliff dwellings where fire stains and petroglyphs still exist.

Santa Fe is small, with a condensed city center that revolves around the Old Town. It's a great place for shopping, with an amazing variety of turquoise, handwoven blankets and art. There are countless restaurants serving traditional Southwest food with specialties like blue corn pancakes, green chili cornbread and enchiladas Christmas-style – which means with both red and green chilies.

Our favorite restaurant was Cow Girls because it felt like that Southwest restaurant/bar you might imagine: older local waitresses who don't care, the strongest margaritas, and food that couldn't be better.

Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Gonzo Report: Stinkfoot Orchestra conjures Zappa at Winstons

His music is a blend of technical excellence and not-so-subtle humor
Next Article

Why Unified® Review: What To Expect Dropshipping (Positive & Negative)

Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.