It’s been easy for me to find myself in New Mexico quite often visiting some of my close family. However, driving in to Albuquerque to visit them has the potential to be extremely boring. Since my aunt and uncle are quite a bit older and not as mobile as myself (one is in a wheelchair), I decided to go on a hunt to find some interesting things to do in and around Albuquerque! Here’s what I found:
1. Hot Air Balloon Ride
Riding in a hot air balloon was pretty high on my bucket list (pun intended). World Balloon is a great company to fly with. They even have promotions and discounts for off season balloon rides. Getting there before the sun came up definitely was not my favorite part of this experience, but getting to watch the set up and balloon fill was pretty cool! Overall, being in a hot air balloon is not a very exciting event, but I definitely think everyone should go up in one at least once in their lives. I mean, just look at those views! We flew over the Rio Grande for about an hour watching the fog roll in and out. After the flight, they even brought breakfast snacks and champagne as a balloonist tradition.
2. Old Town
Shopping, historic buildings, local artists, and food galore. Old Town presents itself as a quirky, eclectic place for wandering around and getting surrounded by the cultural influences around Albuquerque. There are many shops that house local artists who produce everything from paintings to sculptures to jewelry. Just make sure you have enough room in your bags for all the stuff you will want to buy!
3. Santa Fe
If you have a free day, I suggest taking the approximately one-hour trip up to Santa Fe via car or train. This is a very touristy city, but there are some beautiful shops and delicious restaurants that you can visit along with the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi in the middle of the square. What I love most about visiting Santa Fe is that it is a great place to people watch, and during the off season every place seems to have crazy awesome sales going on! Fair warning: prices in Santa Fe are MUCH higher than most things in Albuquerque. But hey, there’s nothing wrong with a little window shopping!
4. New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science
I had a love-hate relationship with this museum. The dinosaur recreations and exhibits on how the Earth has transformed are amazing. However, I found out that there is a Da Vinci exhibit from February 2018 to July 2018 and got SO excited. I’m not sure why I didn’t expect this, but the first sign at the museum is a paragraph about how everything in the exhibit is fake because the originals can’t be moved.
I got pretty upset that this wasn’t advertised, but continued to walk through the exhibit. I did find that the Mona Lisa room with various color imaging of the famous painting was pretty cool. They also have an upstairs continuation of Da Vinci’s drawings of the human anatomy and various machines. The best part, was that the museum took a handful of his drawings and actually recreated them as real inventions (some for show, and some interactive). Overall, it’s a good time.
5. Albu-creepy Downtown Ghost Walk
This night-time tour was such a cool way to explore downtown Albuquerque after dark and hear about some of its not-so-great historical moments. The guide, Jordan, is a paranormal fanatic/expert as well as a magician! Our group got a pretty cool magic show before following his lantern into the dark streets of downtown. Jordan showed us the way to various locations and told us the stories behind paranormal sightings at each stop. At the old courthouse he even pulled out a speaker and some recordings that his team was able to get during a previous session in the basement. Be prepared for a lot of walking, and it is definitely not wheelchair accessible unfortunately (sorry).
6. Anderson Abruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum
I wasn’t really sure what I was getting into when I decided to head to a balloon museum, but I was very pleasantly surprised! The museum is absolutely filled with history, displays, and tons of memorabilia. They even have various models showing how early stages of balloon flight were achieved along with interactive exhibits on how weather and other variables effect the success of these balloons. My personal favorite exhibits include one about an arctic trip to the north pole, and another about how NASA started using balloons to research space!
7. BioPark Zoo
O.K. you’ve probably been to your local (or somewhat nearby) zoo, and this isn’t any different. But, the BioPark Zoo in Albuquerque has some great, well curated, seasonal exhibits. My little cousins absolutely love when we go there. Everything from bugs to tigers have a home here and are joined by botanical gardens right alongside. If you don’t have a lot of time to spare on your trip to Albuquerque and are unsure if you want to visit the zoo, I would suggest skipping it. It’s just not worth the stress, and you’ve probably seen at least 90% of what they have there if we’re being honest. So go explore something you haven’t experienced yet and come back here later!
8. Hike the Sandia Mountains
There are a TON of trails just outside of Albuquerque that range from extremely easy, to quite difficult. Personally, I use the app “AllTrails” to search for different trailheads. There are some really great trails along the Sandia Mountains. Nice views, nice weather, and a great way to get in some exercise during your visit.
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Wow, there are so many interesting things to do in Albuquerque as all are my favorites. I would love to take a Hot Air Balloon ride through World Balloons as it look very good choice to book for. Strolling around the old town also seems great as I would love to see local artists making jewelry, paintings and sculpture. Visit to International Balloon Museum is also great, especially with kids.
Oh yea, Albuquerque has a TON of great activities for parents and children! 🙂
Great list on fun things to do in Albuquerque! I agree the hot air balloon ride is a bit boring but it is highly preferable to watch the panoramic view of the city. I’m quite intrigued with the balloon miseum, sounds fun and insightful.
Oh the views were just incredible. The museum is really interesting too, so if you get the chance, you should check it out!
I’ve yet to visit New Mexico, truthfully, I don’t know a whole lot about it! But it’s on my bucket list to ride in a hot air balloon and Albuquerque isn’t terribly far from where I’m at in Texas so I may have to head that way sometime soon.
I absolutely LOVE Albuquerque! I definitely suggest you go to the hot air balloon festival in October there sometime. Hundreds of hot air balloons!
These are fun things to do in Albuquerque. The hot air balloon tour looks like fun. I’ve enjoyed ghost tours in other places too, so this must have been great. And while I’m sorry that the Mona Lisa and DaVinci exhibits were replicas, at least you got to see something fabulous. 🙂
It was pretty darn fun! Also makes me want to join ghost tours in other places.
My first choice for Albuquerque would be that Breaking Bad tour 😀 I really love that show.. And all these sound interesting as well (though I don’t do zoos). The old town especially looks wonderful and must be filled with so many quirky arts! I also love that balloon museum – those kind of small, unusual exhibits are so fun to visit. Great picks!
The only reason it’s not on here is I haven’t gone which is because I’ve never seen Breaking Bad (whoops). But Old Town is full of all sorts of quirky arts, you’d be surprised! So fun!
I’ve never visited Albuquerque and I probably wouldn’t even know it exists if it wasn’t for breaking bad! As a hiking lover, the Sandia Mountains look absolutely amazing! The Old Town looks absolutely charming as well. I also heard there’s a Breaking Bad Tour in Albuquerque,is that true?
There IS a Breaking Bad Tour in Albuquerque! Although, I have not been on it as I’ve never watched it to be honest. Another fun fact is that Better Call Saul was filmed down the street from my aunt and uncle in Albuquerque as well! Let me know how it is if you ever end up going, Daniel! 🙂
If I ever get visit, I now know what to do! Thank you for this post, it was interesting to learn about this place. I think I would have to overcome my nerves to experience the balloon ride as it must be amazing to see the sunrise from a hot air balloon! The Old Town also looks like a great place to explore.
Old Town Albuquerque is a really cool and relaxed place to walk around. Definitely get on a balloon ride at some point. You won’t regret it! Although, your first time is a little nerve wrecking, I won’t deny that.
I fell in love with New Mexico the first time we went there 4 years ago, and of course it’s included Albuquerque and Santa Fe. I like their outdoor best. We visited the Science Museum and always told people with children to stop there while in the city. I’m glad you visited the Balloon Museum and wrote about it. I think we will stop there next time we are in ABQ. I would like to stroll around old town ABQ, too. It looks interesting. And thanks for the link to hot air balloon.
It’s definitely one of my favorite places to visit. I like that the Science Museum is great for all ages, and the Balloon Museum is that way as well, so I hope you get to visit next time! I am in no way affiliated with World Balloon, but they were just so amazing. Highly suggest a trip with them. 🙂
This looks all so interesing, I would probably do them all. Flying in air baloon is my dream, therefore I will be really happy to do it. I also love hiking, the trail there seems like a great idea for an outdoor activity.
If you love hot air balloons, you absolutely HAVE to visit during October for the annual Balloon Fiesta!