FAMILY ADVENTURES IN SANTA FE
The City Different cannot wait to welcome you and your family. Plan ahead by checking out our accommodations and our extraordinary cuisine!
There are a ton of ways to make great memories in Santa Fe, whether you are here for a weekend getaway or a Spring Break adventure for the entire family. We know it’s best to keep the young ones engaged, so why not plan a bit with our guide, organized by the temperament of your kiddos! Or please visit the calendar of Tumbleweeds Magazine, a local resource for things to do, events, and more.
And here's a little itinerary, courtesy of AFAR Magazine, in their piece "Our Favorite Family Destinations in the U.S. for 2024."
Adventurers of all ages can climb the brightly colored walls at the Santa Fe Climbing Center. Day passes, rentals, and instruction are available.
LiggettVille Adventure Center dominates when it comes to fun and variety—a ropes course and a zip rail for tykes and older kiddos, plus a climbing area. And all of that jazz amid a delicious food court in Santa Fe Place Mall environs.
Do you have a ripper, a rider, or a racer? Skate School could be the spot for your boarder. The no-frills indoor facility offers lessons and emphasizes the fundamentals and safety and fun. If your kiddo is already schooled, check out these parks: downtown at DeVargas or southside at General Franklin E. Miles.
A pretty obvious destination for your kiddos 10 and under: the Santa Fe Children’s Museum! Plan a multi-hour stay, exploring the many immersive exhibits, inside and out on their 1.5 acres of space. Take note of their special days.
At Genoveva Chavez Community Center, the city’s public recreation facility, there are hoops, an ice skating rink, and a sloped-entry Leisure Pool (featuring slides, toilet bowl, and a lazy river) to occupy and delight your active youth. Affordable entry fee, snack bar, and rentals.
Go old school and take the fam rollerskating at this funky Santa Fe fave–the alien-themed (yup, you read that right) Rockin’ Rollers Event Arena. Skate rentals, snack bar, and fun game diversions.
Your family could spend at least half a day at The Alley Lanes, just a 10-minute walk from the Plaza. With bowling, billiards, darts, bocce, shuffleboard, an arcade, AND great food and a full bar, you might want to stay all day. Tons of specials, too.
There’s nothing like relaxing in front of a good family movie, particularly when there’s food and drink involved, all of which you can find at the Railyard District’s Violet Crown Cinema or Jean Cocteau Cinema.
Regardless of your kiddos’ interest in ancient history, Bandelier National Monument’s petroglyphs and rock cliff dwellings are pretty cool. Thanks to the National Park Service for preserving the evidence of the Ancestral Pueblo people from 1150 CE to 1550 CE. Or enjoy an adventurous tour of the Puye Cliff Dwellings, where you and yours will journey back in time two thousand years and imagine the ancestors of Santa Clara Pueblo thriving.
You do not have to call it a hike—just an easy walk ‘round a 1.3-mile loop at the Santa Fe Canyon Preserve. There are plenty of opportunities to pause and some great interpretative signs along the way. For more inspiration and guidance, check out our Foothill Trails map.
If you’d call your kids (and yourselves!) rugged, consider a guided day trip in our great outdoors with Santa Fe Mountain Adventures. Their longtime guides can enhance your experience with extensive knowledge of the flora, fauna, and history of the area.
A delightful spot for picnic, play, and general discovery is at the Randall Davey Audubon Center. Be sure to ask the friendly volunteers at the visitor information center any questions about the nature trails and opportunities for bird and wildlife sightings. Don’t miss the Nature Discovery Area, including a treehouse and a seed library.
Is your child a burgeoning mountain biker? The 25 miles of dirt trails at La Tierra Trails are in consistently excellent condition, and you’ll never lose your way with the maps at every juncture. Any of the three different trailheads are a great option. For the beginner, pump and practice at Alto Park.
If there’s ample snow on high, try sledding at Hyde Memorial State Park or Black Canyon Campground, 15 to 20 minutes from downtown.
Skiing at Ski Santa Fe is pretty glorious. Terrain for all levels, no lift lines, rentals, instruction, and two cafes with beautiful decks for soaking up that wonderful spring sun.
The 9-hole Great 28 at Marty Sanchez Links de Santa Fe is a perfect little course, featuring eight par 3s and one par 4! You’ll have spectacular views the whole time. The Pro Shop will rent you a cart and a decent selection of clubs. Adjacent is a delicious cafe with TV screens, a bar, and ample outdoor seating.
Every season is a great time to wade in nearby waters in search of fish. With guidance and equipment from The Reel Life, your family will have an excellent time.
Our small capital city sports no shortage of playgrounds, parks, and recreation centers offering options for tennis, basketball, and swimming, or just plain swinging from the monkey bars. Nicknames of some faves include Alto, Ft. Marcy, Frenchy's, Patrick Smith, Railyard, Salvador Perez, Ragle, and SWAN.
A super fun attraction in Santa Fe is Sky Railway. Choose from among a variety of themed adventures aboard these restored and decorated train cars hailing from the early 1900s. Completely entertained, you roll along the tracks to Lamy, New Mexico and back.
Here’s something your kids—and the kid in you—will love: a scavenger hunt, designed by the locals at Discover Santa Fe. Get to know The City Different with clues and hints and suggestions for deeper exploration.
For a quick walk and some grand views, park near the Plaza and climb up to the Cross of the Martyrs. Along the way, there are placards describing The City Different’s fascinating history.
Learn about and interact with birds of prey, turtle, rattlesnake, gray fox, and bobcat at the New Mexico Wildlife Center, where veterinarians treat orphaned and injured animals from across the state.
Visit Los Alamos for a dose of recent history at the Manhattan Project National Historical Park Visitors Center, the Bradbury Science Museum, and the Los Alamos History Museum. Great for its natural surroundings, too, including Pajarito Environmental Education Center (there's a planetarium!).
The original Meow Wolf is a must see and do. Carve out several hours for romping through the House of Eternal Return, a permanent art installation of more than 70 rooms of interactive, hands-on art. Kids under four are admitted for free.
Local flora may not be intriguing to your kids, but when it’s mixed and married with massive sculptures along curvy pathways at the Santa Fe Botanical Garden, it can be very exciting. Open April through November.
There’s nothing like the circus and at Wise Fool New Mexico, your kids can get a little glimpse with instruction on acrobatics, trapeze, gymnastics, and more. There are specific programs tailored for youth!
With 20+ museums to choose among, you are likely to find one that the whole family can enjoy. The Museum of International Folk Art is a kids’ fave for the permanent exhibit of Alexander Girard's collection of folk art and the Tree of Life play area, and a parents’ fave because children 16 and under are admitted for free. Your kids could also make some art of their own at Dragonfly Art Studio and Santa Fe Art Classes.
Located in the Railyard District, independent bookstore Bee Hive Books is a sweet stop for a selection curated just for your reader. Check online for storytimes and workshops.
What's more inspiring for your budding artist than seeing other budding artists in action. To stir the muse, check out what's on tap at the National Dance Institute (NDI) New Mexico, the Candyman Strings & Things, or Pandemonium Productions.
