We went to New Mexico to celebrate our anniversary and though it was NOT a photography vacation, we did make quite a few photos and have some recommendations when you are in these locations.
In Santa Fe, we stayed at the La Fonda hotel right near the Old Town Plaza. It’s a bit of a splurge, but you are walking distance from most of the interesting sites, and restaurants, and you are right next to the Cathedral. Most people don’t know that there is a second and third floor balcony at La Fonda overlooking the Cathedral that makes for a pretty photo and a good place for happy hour.
We were treated to a full moon rise behind the cathedral.
We really wanted to see the Georgia O’Keeffe museum in town, and it did not disappoint. One of the best collections of her work over time and locations.
Another museum not to miss in town is the Museum of International Folk Art. It was one of the most interesting collections we have ever seen.
Also in town is the Meow Wolf: House of Eternal Return. It was a hoot.
Before leaving town to Taos, go visit Ethyl the Whale, which is a life size sculpture made of re-used plastic.
Then it was off to Taos, via the High Road.
The first stop is the church at Nambe, which is modern, but also has great southwestern style.
Next along the way is the Santuario de Chimayo which is a very old and large church complex. Make sure you see the room with the sacred dirt.
The next interesting church is the Church of San Jose in Las Trampas.
After a few more miles, you climb along the Sangre de Cristo Mountains with views all around. When you finally get to Taos, be prepared to stop at the Church of Saint Francis Asis south of the main town. This is the one made famous by Ansel Adams. Unfortunately the back of the church is now the parking lot for a Mexican restaurant. I think it looks good in all kinds of light, but we were prepared to shoot in color or monochrome.
The best location in Taos is the Taos Pueblo, but we have failed to get in the last couple of years because of COVID or other restrictions. It happened again on this trip. We will have to go back again.
While in Taos, make sure to visit the Rio Grande Gorge bridge, just north of town. There is a large parking lot and you can walk across the bridge, as well as taking a well marked trail along the gorge. On this trip, I was able to use my drone to drop into the gorge and shoot the bridge.
Instead of driving home, we went on to the very small hamlet of Abiquiu. It is a 90 minute scenic drive. The only reason to go here is the Georgia O’Keeffe Home Museum. This is an 200 year old restored adobe home that she fixed and remodeled as her home and studio. This was her main residence for the next 35 years. She also had a smaller house a few miles away at the Ghost Ranch.
The only way to see the house is a guided tour, which was very well done and informative. The house is literally stuck in time with no changes from the day she left to go to Santa Fe where she died two years later at the age of 98. You see the house as she designed it along with her studio and her furniture and clothing. This is a must see if you are in northern New Mexico.
There is only one hotel in Abiquiu, the Abiquiu Inn. There a few a few restaurants and a small general store.
While in Abiquiu, there are three churches to see: Saint Thomas the Apostle, Santa Rosa de Lima, and the Penitente Morada. We only photographed two as the third one was having work done on it.
Finally, as you drive west and south (for us to go home), you will drive by the Ghost Ranch. It is a retreat, learning center, hiking area, and more. It was raining heavily when we drove by so we just stopped for a few photos and moved on.
If you really want to visit and photograph all of these locations, I would plan 3 days and 2 nights in Santa Fe, same for Taos, and 2 days and one night in Abiquiu. I think a full week definitely gives you time to explore.
Here is another blog post about Santa Fe and Taos that’s a bit different than this one.
https://pamphotography.blog/2022/08/13/a-photography-trip-to-santa-fe-and-taos/
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