Enchanting New Mexico – Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta

Things to do in Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Around!

There is something romantic about visiting a distant land, a place that is somehow both easily accessible yet not frequently visited by the general people. And Bonus points, if this far away land of your dream has a beautiful, captivating landscape and vast openness that is almost meditative when you drive through it. The Cherry on top, a unique, whimsical festival that draws crowds of people into it. The place we are alluding to in this Intro is New Mexico and the very famous Albuquerque Balloon festival that happens every year during Fall and that transforms the city with tourists from across the world and US into a boiling pot for balloon enthusiasts.

Santa Fe and Albuquerque are both amazing cities in this state, both with a very rich history and charming towns and really cute town squares. For history buffs, both these cities offer you an opportunity to learn about Native American Culture and early Spanish settlers.

We have been thoroughly enchanted and fallen in love all over again with New Mexico and here is a quick glance of our trip, something you can use as an inspiration for yours. As always follow along and subscribe to this blog as we explore interesting places!

Best Time to Visit

New Mexico can get very hot during the summer and northern New Mexico especially can also get quite cold and snowy during winters, so we recommend Early Fall for the perfect weather in most parts of the state.

The Albuquerque Balloon Festival usually is held on the first full week of October, so that is the perfect time to visit New Mexico!

How to reach

Best way to get to New Mexico or Albuquerque is via a flight since its situated in the American South West. Another way to get to Albuquerque is to drive by road from Las Vegas or Denver.

Where to Stay

Both Albuquerque and Santa Fe offer multiple accommodation options and are deemed safer and easily accessible to all the important attractions and places to visit. From Airbnbs to hotel chains, you have a wide variety of choices based on your budget!

We chose to stay at Four Seasons Resort Rancho Encantado in Santa Fe and we absolutely loved every second of it. The resort is an amazing refuge in the mountains and the rooms are not just any rooms, they are individual casitas. The resort features amenities like swimming pool, fitness center and more importantly an Adventure Centre. Yes, this place has trails within the resort plus many more adventurous activities that you can reserve with the help of the concierge here. Be sure to check out some of their custom excursion tours that are well crafted tours with a guide! Click here to check out the property.

Things to do

1. Albuquerque Balloon Festival

Like we mentioned above, the Balloon festival is held in the first full week of October. The Festival happens in Northern Albuquerque in a dedicated grounds that is used for Balloon take-offs and landings.

Here are some tips to maximize your fun at the Balloon Festival:

1. The festival starts each day at daybreak around 7 am when light and wind conditions are favorable for Balloons to take off. The Balloon pilots start arriving 2 hours prior at around 5 am and begin setting up. Each day starts with a Ascension of balloons, and it is absolutely a breathtaking sight as the entire sky is filled with balloons of various shapes and sizes. The ascension is a sight that you must not miss and ideally try to catch it on multiple days. We recommend arriving to the Balloon Fiesta park at 6 AM to find a spot to view the Ascension.
2. It is quite cold in the morning here in Albuquerque in October, so be prepared with some warm clothes. Usually around 9 AM, when the sun comes up, temperatures become normal.
3. Bring Blankets and foldable chairs if you are arriving early. The balloons take off when the wind and light are both ideal, so best to bring re enforcements if you have to wait.
4. Tickets are easily available at the event. The recommended way is to purchase them in advance on their website, so you can avoid the morning rush. Tickets purchased are valid for the entire festival but can only be used once.
5. If you want to go on a ballon ride check out this link for some offerings during the ballon fiesta itself

For more information about the balloon festival please visit this link: https://balloonfiesta.com

2. White Sands National Park

Situated adjacent to the White Sands Missile Range Near the Mexican border, White Sands National Park is unlike any other national park and landscape. Dunes of White sand and Gypsum make this the largest such deposit in the whole world and a very tempting spot for photographs!

The park is about three and a half hours away from Albuquerque, so we recommend heading out early if you plan to stay the entire day at the park.

3. Albuquerque Old Town

This cute little part of Albuquerque city has so much to offer in terms of restaurants, cafes, shopping, culture and shopping! You will be immediately captivated by the Pueblo-Spanish style architecture and the contours of the adobo buildings that is so unique to the southwestern landscape.

4. Wine and Cultural Tour

We were so excited that we were able to book a half day excursion with Four Seasons Resort Rancho Encantado that included a cultural visit to Santuario de Chimayo, Santo Nino Church and a guided tour of the entire village. Our Guide helped us understand the history behind the church and the famous pilgrimage that devotees take every year to this holy site.

We later visited the El Alamo winery in nearby Espanola as part of the excursion. The owner of the winery was extremely courteous and took us on a tour of the property. We later joined him in tasting some of his really rare and popular vintages and had an absolute blast.

Four Seasons Resort Rancho Encantado offers customizable excursions that range from a few hours to half-day to full-day tours with a variety of options, be sure to check them out in the adventure center or at this link.

5. Santa Fe Old Town

And Finally, one of the most unmissable part of Santa Fe city is the old town that is equally famous and beautiful just like the Albuquerque old town. With a plaza, and shops with local and cultural handicrafts, numerous restaurants, the old town is a bustling place always filled with people. Be sure to stroll around the town and explore everything that it has to offer.

6. Bonus : Fall Colors in Aspen Vista Picnic Area

If you love admiring fall foliage around this time of the year, you should make it a point to head to the Aspen Vista picnic grounds, located a short 30 min picturesque drive from Santa Fe Downtown. The colors are simply to die for and you could easily spend a few hours here at the picnic grounds or do a quick trail around the natural beauty!

Food and Coffee

Here are some really good food options that we tried during our trip around Santa Fe and Albuquerque.

1. Sawmill Market
2. The Grove Cafe & Market
3. Paper Dosa
4. Sage Bakehouse
5. La Choza Restaurant
6. Terra at FS Santa Fe
7. Cafecito
8. Blackbird Coffee House
9. Flying Roadrunner Bakery
10. Bow & Arrow Brewing Co.