Awesome sunsets, giant cultural heritage, 300+ days of sunshine and miles of art earn Santa Fe a perennial spot on lists of Best Places to Live and Retire. In 2015, National Geographic gave us top props for having a Sense of Place. Then in 2016, Conde Nast Traveler knighted Santa Fe as one of the Ten Best Places in the World to Retire. (In the World, Readers.) This year, Liveability lauded Santa Fe as one of the 10 Best Places to Get a Fresh Start for 2019.
There’s lots to love about Santa Fe. Following are some ways to enjoy The City Different.
Where to play
If you’re a skier, note that PureWow included Santa Fe on its list of The 23 Best Ski Resorts in America for 2019 (Taos also made the list.) For those who prefer to live where its possible to enjoy both a clean-air mountain ride and an excellent baguette, check out Outside Magazine’s The 25 Best Towns of 2017. Santa Fe wins for the “Best Combination of Mountains and Margaritas.” This year Santa Fe earned a spot on Oyster.com’s list of Best Spring Break Destinations for families. The article describes a variety of family-friendly activities ranging from rock climbing to making chocolate bars to hanging with rescued animals at the Wildlife West Nature Park. Noting that “a hundred years ago, Georgia O’Keeffee was a Texan”, the Dallas News offered tips for Lone Star State visitors and transplants in its 2016 piece, Where Texpats Hang Out in Santa Fe.
Where to Wonder
Can an Art Collective Become the Disney of the Experience Economy? The New York Times explores the question in its May 1st profile of Meow Wolf. The piece cast a national spotlight on the homegrown arts collective. Local author Terran Lovewave showcases less-storied delights in his piece “Magical Places to Visit that Aren’t Meow Wolf. You gotta love the purity of a writer who lauds Batteries Plus as a local wonder (I agree). His other picks include Video Library, Keishi, which sells Zuni fetishes, and Harrell House Bug House and Museum. All the choices of a conosciento. The rolling art gallery that is Axle Contemporary also deserves a nod. Check out this profile Let it Roll in the NYT Travel Blog.
Where to Wander
Not only is Santa Fe a wonderful place to spend time, but it’s also a stellar base camp for day trips. Afar Magazine profiles eighteen such destinations in Great Day Trips from Santa Fe. The New York Times weighs in with Beyond Santa Fe, a Different World. Charlotte Jusinski of the Santa Fe Reporter offers a quirky but solid set of suggestions in Day Trips for Weirdo
* From The Ten Best Places to Retire, MoneyWatch, 2012
Leave a Reply