Things To Do
Meow Wolf Santa Fe
Meow Wolf in Santa Fe is about an hour north from Albuquerque, but definitely worth the trip! The original house of Eternal Return is a super cool interactive art exhibit/mystery experience. Book tickets in advance and budget around 2+ hours to take everything in.
Santa Fe Plaza
If you want to experience the oldest state capitol in the US, Santa Fe is a super cool place with a vibrant plaza, tons of outdoor vendors, chile ristras, and live performers! Enjoy a walk around the historic plaza, check out the cathedral, or stop by an art gallery. The Georgia O'Keefe gallery is a couple blocks off the plaza and is definitely worth a visit.
The Shed Restaurant
If you find yourself in Santa Fe, the Shed has great New Mexican food and incredible margaritas. You can't go wrong here.
Sawmill Market
Sawmill Market is an urban food hall with lots of local restaurants, bars, and art. This is a great place to grab dinner or drinks because there's something for everyone.
Sandia Peak Tramway
Sandia Peak Tram is the longest tramway in North America. Enjoy awesome views of Albuquerque as you ride to the top of Sandia mountain!
Old Town Albuquerque
The Old Town Albuquerque Plaza is another great historic place to check out while you're in town. Grab an ice cream, check out some shops, and enjoy the New Mexican pueblo style architecture.
Ex Novo Brewing Company
This is one of our favorite breweries in the ABQ area. Stop by and enjoy the quiet little town of Corrales with good beer. Other breweries we enjoy and recommend in the ABQ metro area: Marble (downtown), La Cumbre, Santa Fe Brewing (at Green Jeans or Tin Can Alley), Bosque Brewing, and Bow and Arrow.
Casa Rondeña Winery
If you're in the mood for good wine in a cool place, check out this sweet winery and tasting room in the heart of Los Ranchos.
Los Poblanos Historic Inn & Organic Farm
Check out this cute farm shop, take pictures, and enjoy a nice walk through the lavender fields.
Breaking Bad Tours
I don't have a particular company to recommend, but if you're into Breaking Bad and want to check out where different scenes were filmed, you can find self-guided maps of the city or tour buses to take you around.
Duran Central Pharmacy
This super cool independent pharmacy has an amazing restaurant inside. If you're not sure what to order, get their bowl of red chile and beans with a side of tortillas and butter. *chef's kiss*
Blake's Lotaburger
A New Mexican staple, you should try their breakfast burritos or green chile cheeseburgers while you're here! Some of our other favorite breakfast burrito spots are Golden Pride and Twisters.
Dog House Drive In
For any Breaking Bad fans, you've got to stop by the Dog House and get a chili cheese dog or chili cheese fries. Don't forget to bring cash - they don't accept cards!
El Pinto Restaurant
A cool place to eat with iconic New Mexican style and tasty margaritas.
Sky City Cultural Center & Haak'u Museum
Acoma Pueblo touts that they are the oldest continuously inhabited settlement in North America. The cultural center and tours of Sky City are really cool and only about a 20 minute drive from Cubero. Hopefully tours will be open again by the time May rolls around. If tickets are available, they can be purchased in advance. Budget around 2 hours to take everything in.
Coyote Del Malpais Golf Course
For our golf enthusiasts, the Coyote del Malpais golf course is a 20 minute drive from Cubero and has a great view of Mount Taylor.
Chaco Culture National Historical Park
If you'll be in New Mexico a little longer and are looking to see a super amazing World Heritage site, we recommend you check out Chaco Canyon. It's a long drive from both Cubero and Albuquerque (over 2 hours) so if you want to go you might want to make a whole day out of it. There's a great visitor center, museum, and lots of hiking trails around the ruins.
El Morro National Monument
A reliable waterhole hidden at the base of a sandstone bluff made El Morro (the headland) a popular campsite for hundreds of years. Here, Ancestral Puebloans, Spanish and American travelers carved over 2,000 signatures, dates, messages, and petroglyphs in the rock. This is a bit of a drive, but the hiking trails around the base are great and the visitor center is very cool!
El Malpais National Monument Visitor Center
One of the national parks that is closest to Cubero is El Malpais. El Malpais National Park has some cool hiking trails around old lava flows from Mount Taylor's last eruption. Don't forget to pack your water and sunscreen!
Ice Cave and Bandera Volcano
From their website: "Walk through the twisted old-growth Juniper, Fir, and Ponderosa Pine trees; over the ancient lava trails; down into the cave; and into a dormant volcano. Inside the cave, the natural layers of ice glisten blue-green in the reflected rays of sunlight illuminating natural arctic algae. Take a walk around the Bandera Volcano and view one of the best examples of volcanic eruption in the country."
El Cafecito
This was Julie's favorite post-soccer-game restaurant growing up. They are closed on Sunday, but if you're looking for some good New Mexican food around the Cubero/Grants area on Friday or Saturday, I recommend getting one of their stuffed sopapilla plates!