Albuquerque, new mexico
Attractions Guide

Be sure to walk around the historic Old Town Albuquerque amongst its adobe buildings. This area features great restaurants and shopping, as well as the old San Felipe de Neri Church from the time of Spanish rule.

Museums & Gardens

Around the Old Town you'll also find the Albuquerque Museum with great exhibits on the city's history and the New Mexico Museum of Natural History with amazing dinosaur skeletons. Also popular is the beautiful sprawling ABQ BioPark Botanic Garden. Another great museum is the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History featuring replica missiles and bomber planes.

Be sure to visit the Anderson Abruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum. This museum which features exhibits on the hot air balloons that fill the city's sky during the famous Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta festival, which takes place every October.

You might like to take a ride from town on the Sandia Peak Tramway up into the Sandia Mountains for incredible views over Albuquerque and beautiful scenery at the top. One hike you might consider from the tramway is the 3.6 mile (5.8 km) round-trip trail to Kiwanis Cabin and Sandia Crest along the rim of the mountains.

Alternately you can drive up to Sandia Crest and hike along the southern cliffs via the La Luz Loop, which is approximately 3.2 miles (5.2 km) round-trip (or slightly longer with Kiwanis Cabin). Additionally there are many other hiking options, including the 1.8 mile (2.9 km) round-trip hike to Kiwanis Cabin from Sandia Crest.

To the west of Albuquerque is massive Petroglyph National Monument, which features several volcanic cones and countless petroglyph carvings, along with many Native American archaeological sites and trails to explore. The most popular hike here is the Piedras Marcadas Canyon Trail, which is approximately 1.7 miles (2.7 km) round-trip.