Hike/bike/ride/etc.
Santa Fe River Park
Runs along the so-called santa fe river it rarely has more than a trickle of water, with access convenient along the south side of the downtown area. you'll share the path with myriad walkers, bikers, and some boarders and horse riders.
Rail with Trail
The entire route of the Santa Fe Southern Railway see above under "See" can be hiked, biked, and ridden on horseback. It is a nationally designated Rail with Trail, and plans are underway to develop its trail facilities. There are trailheads on Rabbit Road continuation of Old Pecos Trail on the south side of I-25 and on County Road 660 "Nine Mile Road". Needless to say, keep an eye out for trains.
Genoveva Chavez Community Center
(http://www.chavezcenter.com/), 3221 rodeo road, 505-955-4000. contains three swimming pools, an ice rink, a gymnasium, and a fitness center.
As one might expect from its location between mountain and desert, Santa Fe is rich in outdoor activities, particularly hiking, cycling, and horse riding. Most are slightly outside town itself and are covered in the "Get out" section and pages cited there, but a few in-town possibilities:
Cross of the Martyrs
The Cross of the Martyrs is a good short walk, located on a hill just northeast of Downtown. From Paseo de Peralta, the paved walkway ascends to the top of the hill, where a cross honoring the Spanish martyrs of New Mexico has been placed. Unfortunately, getting to the entrance to the trail involves uncomfortably close proximity to car traffic, as one has to walk along a narrow but extraordinarily busy street on very narrow sidewalks, but the view of Santa Fe makes it all worth it. Old Fort Marcy Park and Prince Park Commemorative Walkway, at 300 Kearney Ave, is just around the corner a short walk from the cross, and is an in-town one really can't call it "urban" park suitable for a short hike to begin getting your cardiovascular system adjusted to the 7000-foot altitude.
St. John's College
The campus of St. John's College, 1160 Camino Cruz Blanca, is the starting point for several hikes of lengths ranging from 2 to 7 miles, the latter being the ascent of Atalaya Mountain, one of the foothills of the Sangre de Cristos that rises just east of town. Park at the visitors' parking lot and choose your hike.
Geocaching has become popular in Santa Fe, as might be expected from the general atmosphere of the city. The geocaching.com web site (http://www.geocaching.com) lists hundreds of caches in and near town, sufficient to keep even the most ardent cacher busy for a while. One caution: Santa Fe's reputation as a playground for the rich and famous has created a number of closed and gated neighborhoods, many of them quite intolerant of trespassers and aggressively patrolled. If your route to a cache leads you to a closed gate, take it seriously, and either look outside the perimeter for your quarry, or seek a different cache.
Horse riding
Is available at several stables on the west side of town, and at bishops' lodge. if you have your own horse, or contract with an outfitter, your choice of places to ride is enormous. popular trail systems in the santa fe area include the santa fe national forest, pecos wilderness, caja del rio, cerrillos hills historical park, and pueblos access requiring a permit. a little farther afield is los alamos, valles caldera national preserve, and the carson national forest.
if you're cycling, thorn-resistant tires and tubes are almost mandatory owing to the ubiquitous "goat's head," a weed whose seeds seem custom-made to puncture bike tires. A well-regarded bike shop is Rob and Charlie's, 1632 St. Michaels Drive, +1 505 471-9119. They have just about everything you'll need for riding in the area, including recommendations, but unfortunately, they don't have rental bikes. For rentals, try Mellow Velo formerly Sun Mountain Bicycles, 102 E. Water St., +1 505 982-8986, (http://www.sunmountainbik...); they also offer guided rides on some of the mountain-bike routes in the mountains. For hiking, trail running and climbing goods and services, check out Sangre de Cristo Mountain Works, 328 S. Guadalupe St., +1 505 984-8221, (http://www.sdcmountainwor...).
Hear
St. Francis Cathedral
In addition, many churches host concerts of various kinds, among them St. Francis Cathedral and the Santuario de Guadalupe downtown, and the remarkable Santa Maria de la Paz Catholic Community far out on the south side of town 11 College Avenue -- extraordinary acoustics at the latter.
Santa Fe Symphony and Chorus
(http://www.sf-symphony.org). classical and contemporary works performed september through may, including interpretive lectures and occasional youth concerts.
Greer Garson Theatre
1600 st. michael's drive, +1 505 473-6511. on the campus of the college of santa fe (http://www.csf.edu); visit the web site to see what's playing there. comfortable, with good acoustics.
Lensic Performing Arts Center
225 w. san francisco street, box-office phone +1 505 988-1234. a converted movie theater with a pleasant atmosphere. as with most downtown sites, parking can be a pain, but there is a parking garage a block west that's usually ok in the evening.
Paolo Soleri Theater
1501 cerrillos road, +1 505 989-6300. an outdoor amphitheater at the santa fe indian school, popular for events in spring, summer and fall.
St. Francis Auditorium
At the new mexico museum of art see above.
GiG
1808 second st., +1 505 989-8442, (http://www.gigsantafe.com/), a spinoff they describe themselves as a "stepchild" of the jazz festival; coffee-house environment with jazz, folk music, etc.
Aspen Santa Fe Ballet
(http://www.aspensantafeba...). a professional ballet company that splits its time between santa fe and aspen, colorado. three or four performances a year, usually at the lensic.
Armory for the Arts
1050 old pecos trail; mainly theater.
Moving People Dance
(http://http://movingpeopl...) a contemporary dance company that throws the annual santa fe dance festival (http://www.movingpeopleda...) each june.
Sangre de Cristo Chorale
(http://www.sdc-chorale.org). one of the best of the many "community-based" choral groups drawing on the enormous pool of skilled singers in northern new mexico. two repertoires per year usually christmas, with a well-regarded dinner concert, and spring, as well as special events throughout the year.
Santa Fe Desert Chorale
(http://www.desertchorale.org). fully professional choral music, with summer and winter programs, including works specifically commissioned for the ensemble.
Juan Siddi Flamenco Theatre Company
(http://www.juansiddiflame...). santa fe's premier flamenco troupe performing six nights a week june through september.
Some of the musical groups using these spaces are:
Musica Antigua de Albuquerque
(http://www.la.unm.edu/~da...). many groups based in albuquerque do performances in santa fe as well; this one specializes in music of the middle ages, renaissance and baroque, performed with period instruments as well as voices.
MusicOne: The Santa Fe Concert Association
(http://www.musicone.org). not a performing group but rather the body that brings in many visiting artists.
Santa Fe is an important center for music and musical groups, the most illustrious of which is the Santa Fe Opera (http://www.santafeopera.org/). The opera house is on US 285 on the north side of town and is partially "open air," so that opera goers get attractive views of the Jemez Mountains near Los Alamos as an additional backdrop to what's on stage. The Santa Fe Opera is known around the world for staging American and even world premieres of new works, the operas of Richard Strauss, and promising new artists on their way up and, to be fair, one or two aging superstars each season who are on their way down, not up. Opera season is the summer, with opening night tickets are almost impossible to get usually around July 1 and the last performances in mid-August. Bring a light jacket/wrap and an umbrella to the later performances; the open-air nature of the house can make August performances nippy and drippy, although seats are protected from the rain. Many performances sell out well in advance, so book early. KHFM radio, frequency 95.5 MHz, airs a "ticket exchange" that may be helpful in finding tickets to sold-out performances, if you find yourself in town on the spur of the moment during opera season; they currently stream their broadcast on-line at (http://www.classicalkhfm.com, so you can check the ticket exchange even before you arrive.) People-watching here can be as much fun as the opera itself; you'll see folks in the most expensive formal wear sitting next to others in jeans, which is typical of Santa Fe. Dressing up at least a little from jeans is a good idea, though. Pre-performance "tailgate dinners" in the parking lot, as though you were attending a football game or such, are part of the tradition and color; you can bring your own, or see under "Eat/Other/Splurge" below.
Other important musical/performing-arts venues in town are:
James A. Little Theater
1060 cerrillos road. on the campus of the new mexico school for the deaf, remarkably enough.
Santa Fe Pro Musica
(http://www.santafepromusi...). chamber orchestra, multiple performances from september through april.
Maria Benitez Teatro Flamenco/Institute for Spanish Arts
(http://www.mariabenitez.com). internationally renowned spanish/flamenco dance and music, they also offer classes +1 505 955-8562 for class information.
Santa Fe Women's Ensemble
(http://www.sfwe.org). a 12-voice choral group, performances christmas and spring.
Serenata of Santa Fe
Yet another choral group with a september-to-may schedule.
There are others; if you hear one you like, add it.
Festivals
Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival
(http://www.sfcmf.org) with a series of internationally known musicians, july and august
Rodeo de Santa Fe
Late june-early july
Santa Fe International Folk Art Market
(http://www.folkartmarket.org), early july, a huge gathering of folk artists from around the world showing their work on the milner plaza at museum hill
Santa Fe Indian Market
(http://www.swaia.org/mark...). this annual mid-august event is the most significant santa fe festival for tourists and collectors. the entire downtown area is filled with vendors of american indian arts and crafts, ranging from $10 tourist trinkets on up to breathtaking works of the highest quality. it advertises itself as the world's largest show for native american artisans, and the description is probably accurate; an artisan who wins one of the top prizes in the juried competitions here is "made" as a significant folk art figure. lodging is tight in town on indian market weekend, so if you're attending, make plans early -- indian market weekend in 2008 is august 23-24.
Santa Fe hosts a seemingly unending series of community fairs, festivals and celebrations, of which the most characteristic is the Fiesta de Santa Fe (http://www.santafefiesta.org/). This grand city-wide festival is held over the weekend after Labor Day in mid-September, after most of the summer tourists have left and has been described as Santa Fe throwing a party for itself to celebrate the tourists leaving!. The celebration commemorates the reconquest of Santa Fe in 1692 by the Spanish after the Pueblo Revolt of 1680. Fiesta opens with a procession bearing a statue of the Blessed Virgin known as La Conquistadora to the Cathedral of St. Francis. Revelry starts with the Thursday night burning of Zozobra, also known as "Old Man Gloom," a huge, animated figure whose demise at the hands of a torch-bearing dancer symbolizes the banishing of cares for the year. Prepare for BIG crowds - this event is not for the faint of heart and can be downright scary for small children! The crowning of a queen La Reina of the Fiesta and her consort, representing the Spanish nobleman, Don Diego de Vargas, who played a key role in the founding of the city, is a matter of great local import. Revelry continues through the weekend and features such events as the hilarious children's Pet Parade on Saturday morning and the Hysterical/Historical Parade on Sunday afternoon. A Fiesta Melodrama at the Community Playhouse effectively and pointedly pokes fun at city figures and events of the year past. The Fiesta closes with a solemn, candle-lit walk to the Cross of the Martyrs.
A few of the other festivities during the year, arranged in usual chronological order through the year, are:
Santa Fe Wine Festival
(http://www.golondrinas.org), usually first weekend in july, located at rancho de las golondrinas, taste and enjoy some of the finest wines in new mexico in the beautiful outdoor setting of a living history museum
Santa Fe Community Days
Mid-may
Summer Antiquities Show
July
Mountain Man Rendezvous
Mid-august, palace of the governors
Santa Fe Plaza Arts and Crafts Festivals
Mid-june and labor day weekend
Santa Fe Wine and Chile Fiesta
(http://www.santafewineand...) , in late september, pairs wines from vintners around the world with the spicy foods for which santa fe is known. winemakers' dinners, special tastings and the grand tasting on the santa fe opera grounds make for a vintage weekend! this event is a sell-out for santa fe, so lodging is at a premium - reserve early.
Santa Fe Film Festival
(http://www.santafefilmfes...), early december; the web site is usually updated in the fall to reflect the coming offerings
Las Posadas
A pre-christmas commemoration of mary's and joseph's search for lodging taking place outdoors on the plaza. this event takes place in mid december and is a truly unique experience. the audience "participates" in the play by holding candles and following mary and joseph in their search for lodging. el diablo the devil appears on rooftops throughout the plaza and hurls insults at the crowd, which responds in kind. this is a wonderful family event.
Farolito Walk
A christmas eve walk around the historic areas of downtown santa fe, throughout which have been set farolitos, small brown bags filled with sand and a votive candle, to light the way for the christ child
Winter Antiquities Show
Late december
In addition, many of the Native American pueblo communities nearby schedule dances and other ceremonies to celebrate specific feast days throughout the year that welcome tourists along with a few that are for tribe members only.
golf, etc.
Golf and other sports are less accessible in Santa Fe than in some other cities, as many of the golf courses are either private and reserved for residents of adjoining gated communities, or out of town at one of the nearby pueblos and in Los Alamos. Santa Fe Country Club, Country Club Road off Airport Road, +1 505 471-0601, (http://www.santafecountry...), is a "semi-private" course that welcomes the public and includes tennis courts; call for tee times. Marty Sanchez Links de Santa Fe, 205 Caja del Rio Road, +1 505 955-4400, (http://www.linksdesantafe...), is the "municipal" course in town -- well, almost in town, as it's off the Santa Fe Relief Route a good eight miles from the Plaza. Golf in Santa Fe is "challenging;" the altitude may tire you although the thin air may also help the ball fly farther and straighter, and weather can interfere, with strong winds in the spring and afternoon thunderstorms in the summer. Still, Santa Fe is a great place to get outside, and that includes golf and other sporting activities.