Things To Do
With a city this large and diverse, there’s always something interesting to do in Albuquerque! From major events like the annual Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta to quieter activities like hiking nature trails, Albuquerque has something for everyone. With sunshine more than 300 days a year, you’ll find plenty of things to do and enjoy in The Duke City.
Albuquerque offers a wide range of culinary cuisines to sample, as well as a thriving contemporary arts scene, public art program, historic and modern architecture, world-class and unique museums devoted to natural history and science, technology, and warfare, as well as museums devoted specifically to rattlesnakes, and even the history of turquoise!
Additionally, Albuquerque supports a thriving music scene. Unique club venues and city sponsored outdoor concerts showcase genres from Spanish-language and Native traditions to Rock, Country & Western, Reggae, Hip-Hop, Alternative, and Punk.
Technology enthusiasts can check out the prominent high-tech research facilities such as Sandia National Laboratories and the University of New Mexico, both of which call Albuquerque home. Also, Los Alamos National Laboratories is one of the gems of the nation’s science and defense research and production programs. It is only a couple hours drive to the northwest in the Jemez Mountains. If you haven’t yet received your security clearance, you can check out Bandelier National Monument, and Puye Cliffs, as well as fabulous rock climbing in nearby White Cliff, jutting high above the Rio Grande.
Albuquerque’s temperate climate makes it an excellent place to enjoy outdoor activities of all sorts, in its rivers and city parks, on its mesas and up the craggy peaks of the Sandias. Explore the gamut of recreational activities from boating on nearby 57 square mile Elephant Butte Reservoir or fishing the smaller Cochiti Lake to the north. Outdoor adventures abound, from skiing in the Sandias, hiking and rock climbing, to kayaking and paddleboarding along the cottonwood forests and wetlands of the Bosque. Here you may glimpse up to 500 different species of animals, including horned owls, Cooper’s hawks, deer and … porcupines. If you’re lucky!
Albuquerque is big on sports, with professional and amateur events galore, fitness gyms and yoga institutes. For a different type of athleticism, why not try rooftop cocktails or añejo tequila sampling? Albuquerque has given birth to several craft breweries as well as award-winning distilleries and wineries, with perhaps Gruet Winery the most nationally known.
Interestingly, Albuquerque also boasts a multitude of old-style and cutting-edge trendy barbershops and salons, as well as vintage shopping for clothes and antiques. Our visitors guide can show you where you might even find some amazing southwestern Burqueño style fashion, an irreplicable southwestern style of informal yet colorful dress and attitude unique to natives of Albuquerque – one dares to create this style auténtico anywhere else in the U.S.A.!
Come explore Albuquerque! We’ll show you much of what it has to offer. The rest is up to you!
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