Exploring Desert Magic in Taos, New Mexico

Star gaze in the desert

With its high altitude and low light pollution, Taos is one of the best places in the country for star gazing. Heritage Inspirations offers guided gazing tours, but it’s perfectly magical to just drive out into the desert and park. The Milky Way and the annual Perseids meteor shower are most visible from mid-July to late August.

Heal yourself at the Ojo Caliente hot springs and spa

The Ojo Caliente mineral springs draw water from an ancient volcanic aquifer. These mineral-rich waters carry a variety of healing properties. About a 30-minute drive from Taos proper, Ojo Caliente offers massage and spa treatments, private soaking pools, and other amenities in a serene, natural setting.

Visit the Millicent Rogers and Harwood museums

Millicent Rogers was an oil heiress, socialite, fashion icon, and jewelry designer who fell in love with Taos after a breakup with Clark Gable. Rogers came to champion Native American culture and arts, and the Millicent Rogers Museum carries on that legacy. The museum ties the shifts in native jewelry design with the region’s history, right up to the present day. The Harwood Museum of Art provides a wider introduction to the world of Southwest art, a perfect museum pairing for a day of culture.

Experience the Rio Grande gorge

The Rio Grande Gorge Bridge is a must for taking in the Rio Grande Gorge with its plunging cliffs and rushing river. The bridge is accompanied by a nice rest area with picnic tables, restrooms, and a nature trail along the rim of the gorge.

Explore the Taos Pueblo

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Taos Pueblo stands as a living Native American community. The village is known for its traditional adobe architecture, and the Puebloan natives who live there have opened their communities to visitors in order to educate the world about their history and culture. Be sure to check their website before you go, as the Pueblo occasionally closes for meetings.

Earth Ships

A few miles outside of Taos lies another kind of unique community—the Earth Ships, a sustainable community of off-the-grid homes. Built largely with tires and bottles, these houses naturally heat and cool themselves, using solar, wind, and an innovative water recycling system to become almost completely self-sufficient. For a modest donation, visitors can tour an Earth Ship structure and learn about the community principles pioneered by architect Michael Reynolds.

Discover the Bandelier National Monument

Just over an hour from Taos, the Bandelier National Monument offers thousands of acres of canyon land for exploration. It’s a great mixture of history, scenery, and hiking, featuring cliff dwellings, petroglyphs, and other archaeology you can walk right up to. While there are plenty of trails for sturdier hikers, the Pueblo Loop Trail is easy enough for almost anyone and takes you by cliff dwellings and other ancestral sites.

Hot air balloon ride

For a one-of-a-kind view of the majestic landscape, book a hot air balloon ride that takes you over 6,000 feet above the gorge. This is an early-morning activity lasting about four hours total, but it’s well worth it. Expect unforgettable views and a traditional champagne toast with your balloon crew once you’re back on the ground.

Explore Taos

Taos is home to shops, restaurants, and galleries galore. The John Dunn shops feature local clothiers and artisans, the Op Cit bookstore (love!), and other shops that give you that local flavor.

• Michael’s Kitchen: A down-home spot in the heart of town, Michael's serves up huevos rancheros and other traditional hot breakfasts, along with cinnamon rolls and more incredible bakery treats.

• Manzanita Market: For breakfast and lunch, this little café features hearty biscuits, bowls, and plates sourced from local farms and ranchers. Plenty of options for the vegans, vegetarians, gluten-free, and carnivores, too.

• Love Apple: Manzanita’s sister restaurant, Love Apple brings the same farm-to-table element to an elegant yet rustic dinner setting. The menu is always changing, but always elevated.

• The Adobe Bar: Located in the Taos Inn, the Adobe Bar provides and authentic experience and a delectable southwest menu. The cozy adobe setting often features live music and a margarita claimed by many to be the best in town.

• Aceq: A short drive out of Taos, Aceq serves locally sourced comfort food in a chill, bar-style setting. It’s perfect for a happy hour cocktail. Expect bar food favorites like truffle fries and a great chicken sandwich, as well as main courses like beef bourguignon and chicken paprikash pasta.

• Juliette: This cozy spot in the stylish Hotel Willa offers more locally sourced cuisine. A great mixture of meat and veg, Southwest-style dishes, and otherwise, Juliette is great for a low-lit date night. The cocktails are divine!

• Tomorrow and Tomorrow: A low-key breakfast and coffee shop, this is the perfect place to get your day started with an espresso and a hearty-but-healthy breakfast.

• La Cueva: As local as it gets. This intimate restaurant serves traditional, down-home Mexican dishes like ceviche and mole. The staff is great and happy to make suggestions.