Eating New Mexican Enchiladas: There are few things more New Mexican than the enchilada. You can order red or green chile, or "Christmas" -- half and half. Sauces are rich, seasoned with ajo (garlic) and oregano. New Mexican cuisine isn't smothered in cheese and sour cream, so the flavors of the chiles, corn, and meats can really be savored. Enchiladas are often served with frijoles (beans), posole (hominy), and sopaipillas (fried bread).
Taking the High Road to Taos: This spectacular 80-mile route into the mountains between Santa Fe and Taos takes you through red painted deserts, villages bordered by apple and peach orchards, and the foothills of 13,000-foot peaks. You can stop in Cordova, known for its woodcarvers, or Chimayo, known for its weavers. At the fabled Santuario de Chimayo, you can rub healing dust between your fingers.
Exploring Chaco Culture National Historical Park: A combination of a stunning setting and well-preserved ruins makes the long drive to Chaco Canyon an incredible adventure into ancestral Puebloan culture. Many good hikes and bike rides are in the area, and there's also a campground.
Seeing a performance by the Santa Fe Opera: One of the finest opera companies in the United States has called Santa Fe home for nearly 50 years. Performances are held during the summer months in a hilltop, open-air amphitheater. The big highlight for 2007 is a Santa Fe Opera-commissioned world premiere by Chinese-American composer Tan Dun -- who won an Oscar for scoring Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon -- titled Tea: A Mirror of Soul.
Witnessing the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta: The world's largest balloon rally assembles some 750 colorful balloons and includes races and contests. Highlights are the mass ascension at sunrise and the special shapes rodeo, in which balloons in all sorts of whimsical forms, from liquor bottles to cows, rise into the sky.
Exploring Taos Pueblo: Possibly the original home of pueblo-style architecture, this bold structure where 200 residents still live much as their ancestors did a thousand years ago is awe-inspiring. Rooms built of mud are poetically stacked to echo the shape of Taos Mountain behind them. As you explore the pueblo, you can visit the residents' studios, munch on bread baked in an horno (a beehive-shaped oven), and wander past the fascinating ruins of the old church and cemetery.
Trekking through a Cave: Truly one of the world's natural wonders, Carlsbad Caverns National Park swallows visitors into what feels like a journey to the center of the earth, where nocturnal creatures thrive and water drips onto your body. Stalactites and stalagmites create another universe of seemingly alien life forms. Kids won't like the fact that they can't go climbing on the formations, but they'll be too fascinated to complain much.
Watching a Flamenco Dance: Flamenco dancing originated in Spain, strongly influenced by the Moors; it is a cultural expression held sacred by Spanish gypsies. Intricate toe and heel clicking, sinuous arm and hand gestures, expressive guitar solos, and cante hondo, or "deep song," characterize the passionate dance. A native New Mexican, MarÃa Benitez was trained in Spain, to which she returns each year to find dancers and prepare her show. This world-class dancer and her troupe perform at the Lodge at Santa Fe from late June to early September.
Hiking the Rio Grande Gorge: A hike into this dramatic gorge is unforgettable. You'll first see it as you come over a rise heading toward Taos. It's a colossal slice in the earth, formed during the late Cretaceous period, 130 million years ago, and the early Tertiary period, about 70 million years ago. Drive about 35 miles north of Taos, near the village of Cerro, to the Wild Rivers Recreation Area. From the lip of the canyon, you descend through millions of years of geologic history and land inhabited by Native Americans since 16,000 B.C. If you're visiting during spring and early summer and enjoy an adrenaline rush, be sure to hook up with a professional guide and raft the Taos Box, a 17-mile stretch of class IV white water.
Exploring the Gila Cliff Dwellings: Perched in deep caves within a narrow canyon outside Silver City, these ruins tell the mysterious tale of the Mogollon people who lived in the area from the late 1200s through the early 1300s.
Wandering through Georgia O'Keeffe's Home: Hand-smoothed adobe walls, elk antlers, and a blue door -- you'll encounter these images and many more that inspired the famous artist's work. When you view the landscape surrounding her residence in Abiquiu, you'll understand why she was so inspired. Be sure to make a reservation months in advance.
Reliving New Mexico's History: Take a journey down into the caverns of New Mexico's past in the Albuquerque Museum of Art and History, which owns the largest U.S. collection of Spanish colonial artifacts. Displays include Don Quixote-style helmets, swords, and even horse armor. You can wander through an 18th-century house compound with adobe floors and walls, and see gear used by vaqueros, the original cowboys who came to the area in the 16th century.
