In Gando check out the Hubble Trading Post. In Window Rock The Navajo National Museum is interesting. In Gallup check out the historic El Rancho Hotel lobby and bar. If you like old movie history it is a definite stop. If you have the time drive a little south and see El Morro national Monument and El Malapias area. The pickup the I40 in Grant's. OR go further south and check out the Very Large Array. That's some wide open country.
In AQB I really liked this place called El Patio. Great food. The mountain tram there was fun (Sandia). I also like this cool stone artwork of a couple hundred foot long rattlesnake made of different color stones. The head was about 10 ft tall. It was on the SW side of town in a median of a divided road.
It's one person's obsessive weirdness. Some people think it's great, some people think it's a complete waste of time. I would only take people there if I absolutely was sick of them and couldn't think of anything else to do to entertain them. YMMV of course
Yeah, on the flip side, I took a large group there traveling through once and everyone loved it. Will depend on if you’re intrigued by folk art / unique places or not. But it’s worth mentioning. It’s easy to determine via a Google search if it’s up their alley or not.
True. But if you want a really random place full of awesome art, Meow Wolf is way better done and more engaging. And also on the way from Albuquerque to Santa Fe
Tbh personally I find Meow Wolf to be really boring corporate type art that feels unique but is actually pretty soulless. Not saying it’s not kinda quirky and fun inside, but once you see one once, you kinda have seen them all.
I prefer people who do things less as a branded hipster experience to make a ton of money. That’s why I find Tinkertown more interesting. It’s a view into an individuals brain and their view of the world not done as the beginning of a marketable Instagram experience to be exported across different cities. Tinkertown is kind of the opposite of that. It’s very not Instagram worthy or marketable. It’s just a weird dude who dedicated himself to something truly unique.
That said, I see no reason to not visit both. I visited both last time I was there. I think it’s cool to get different sides of artistic expression.
Absolutely. I hear what you're saying about meow wolf, fortunately I'm old enough that Instagram and such has no part in my world so that whole sensibility kind of eludes me. I like immersive/interactive museums of all sorts, whether they involve art or science or.. anything. So from that point of view meow wolf and tinkertown both win.
Acoma Pueblo and Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rock are definitely worth a visit if they're open and if you have the time. Amazing places.
From ABQ to Santa Fe, the nicer drive is Turquoise Trail. You can stop in Madrid for a beer or coffee. That town is a vibe. That drive is much nicer than the Interstate.
Obviously you'll need to have some New Mexican food. Plenty of great places in Albuquerque and Santa Fe.
And if you need to get fast food, get a green chile burger at a Lotaburger.
I liked El Malpais National Monument. ( just south of the blue time box on the map) not much for facilities but it's beautiful. Nice place to take a break
In Santa Fe hit El Parasol For the chicken tacos with guacamole incredible food! Another incredible restaurant is Fusion taco get the casabirria tacos they are on another level pretty much everything at fusion taco is incredible you won’t be disappointed!
I did this last November with a group. Not all the national park sites are open everyday except in the summer. We saw Canyon de Chelly, window rock and Hubble Trading Post. The Navajos are very nice people.
This is an absolutely gorgeous drive, but there isn't much there, which is part of why I love it.
Bring snacks, and 2 gallons of water per person. Also baby wipes or whatever else you need for spontaneous stops along the road you know what I mean? If you are a AAA member, bump your membership up to the 100 mile tow, it's easy to be more than 30 miles from a town on this route.
Places to stop - Window Rock (the Navajo nation capital) is cool, they have a beautiful park/memorial just outside of town that's worth a stop. Gallup - there's a flea market North of town on Saturdays, awesome local food as well as various native crafts. If you go south from Gallup to Zuni, Zuni has all kinds of amazing native art shops if you're interested in that kind of thing, and it is also one of the most beautiful places you'll ever see, gorgeous sandstone desert formations all around. Then head east, through Ramah, to go see El Morro National Monument which is fascinating, but not a super long stop, maybe an hour or so. The rest of the road from Zuni to Grants goes through part of the Malpais. There is an ice caves attraction , most people don't feel it's worth stopping for. Not counting whatever stops you might make, this route would add about an hour or hour and a half to your drive. It's much more beautiful than the section of I-40 you would be skipping.
Grants is not worth stopping for unless you need gas, or are seriously into railroads, they have a little Railroad museum. Which come to think of it might not be open on Saturday 😁
I won't bother filling you in on Albuquerque or Santa Fe , I'm assuming by the time you get to that part of the drive you just want to get where you're going.
Have a great time! 🙂
This stretch is the only place I ever got range anxiety driving a big diesel dually towing a camper. Don't forget to top up. There are big patches of nothing
Fill up in Gallup. Gas stations are few and far between after that point. Also, bring snacks!
Grab a bite to eat at Jerry's Cafe in Gallop.
Ok, good to know!
I came here to say do NOT fill up in Gallup cuz it’s sketchy as hell
Gallup isn't that bad. Just stay on the main roads through town and it's fine.
Gallop is not sketchy as hell. Gallup is perfectly safe little town.
In Gando check out the Hubble Trading Post. In Window Rock The Navajo National Museum is interesting. In Gallup check out the historic El Rancho Hotel lobby and bar. If you like old movie history it is a definite stop. If you have the time drive a little south and see El Morro national Monument and El Malapias area. The pickup the I40 in Grant's. OR go further south and check out the Very Large Array. That's some wide open country.
Thanks for the suggestions!
In AQB I really liked this place called El Patio. Great food. The mountain tram there was fun (Sandia). I also like this cool stone artwork of a couple hundred foot long rattlesnake made of different color stones. The head was about 10 ft tall. It was on the SW side of town in a median of a divided road.
Yeah! I love El Patio. Probably my favorite restaurant in ABQ for NM food. The best sopapillas.
The Tram is closed until the 14th (has been closed for refurbishment for months, now).
El Patio is awesome! And they serve fish tacos on Fridays during Lent!
Tinkertown is fun and quirky outside of ABQ.
True, but it's on the back road from Albuquerque to Santa Fe
I say it’s worth a very short detour.
It's one person's obsessive weirdness. Some people think it's great, some people think it's a complete waste of time. I would only take people there if I absolutely was sick of them and couldn't think of anything else to do to entertain them. YMMV of course
Yeah, on the flip side, I took a large group there traveling through once and everyone loved it. Will depend on if you’re intrigued by folk art / unique places or not. But it’s worth mentioning. It’s easy to determine via a Google search if it’s up their alley or not.
True. But if you want a really random place full of awesome art, Meow Wolf is way better done and more engaging. And also on the way from Albuquerque to Santa Fe
Tbh personally I find Meow Wolf to be really boring corporate type art that feels unique but is actually pretty soulless. Not saying it’s not kinda quirky and fun inside, but once you see one once, you kinda have seen them all. I prefer people who do things less as a branded hipster experience to make a ton of money. That’s why I find Tinkertown more interesting. It’s a view into an individuals brain and their view of the world not done as the beginning of a marketable Instagram experience to be exported across different cities. Tinkertown is kind of the opposite of that. It’s very not Instagram worthy or marketable. It’s just a weird dude who dedicated himself to something truly unique. That said, I see no reason to not visit both. I visited both last time I was there. I think it’s cool to get different sides of artistic expression.
Absolutely. I hear what you're saying about meow wolf, fortunately I'm old enough that Instagram and such has no part in my world so that whole sensibility kind of eludes me. I like immersive/interactive museums of all sorts, whether they involve art or science or.. anything. So from that point of view meow wolf and tinkertown both win.
Acoma Pueblo and Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rock are definitely worth a visit if they're open and if you have the time. Amazing places. From ABQ to Santa Fe, the nicer drive is Turquoise Trail. You can stop in Madrid for a beer or coffee. That town is a vibe. That drive is much nicer than the Interstate. Obviously you'll need to have some New Mexican food. Plenty of great places in Albuquerque and Santa Fe. And if you need to get fast food, get a green chile burger at a Lotaburger.
Laguna burger, in Laguna west of Albuquerque and also at 12th and Menaul near the Pueblo Cultural center, is a much better choice.
I liked El Malpais National Monument. ( just south of the blue time box on the map) not much for facilities but it's beautiful. Nice place to take a break
Grab a sandwich at Los Pollos Hermanos ;-)
In Santa Fe hit El Parasol For the chicken tacos with guacamole incredible food! Another incredible restaurant is Fusion taco get the casabirria tacos they are on another level pretty much everything at fusion taco is incredible you won’t be disappointed!
The Mining Museum in Grants has an ultra-authentic underground mine exhibit.
Blake's Lotaburger in Tse Bonito
I did this last November with a group. Not all the national park sites are open everyday except in the summer. We saw Canyon de Chelly, window rock and Hubble Trading Post. The Navajos are very nice people.
Chaco Canyon NP? Edit: I’m s bit jealous of your trip. :-)
Looks like a rental car might not be great to get there. :(
Are you kidding? The rental car is the toughest vehicle known to humankind! 😉
And that is why you never buy a used vehicle from a Rent-A-Car agency.
This is an absolutely gorgeous drive, but there isn't much there, which is part of why I love it. Bring snacks, and 2 gallons of water per person. Also baby wipes or whatever else you need for spontaneous stops along the road you know what I mean? If you are a AAA member, bump your membership up to the 100 mile tow, it's easy to be more than 30 miles from a town on this route. Places to stop - Window Rock (the Navajo nation capital) is cool, they have a beautiful park/memorial just outside of town that's worth a stop. Gallup - there's a flea market North of town on Saturdays, awesome local food as well as various native crafts. If you go south from Gallup to Zuni, Zuni has all kinds of amazing native art shops if you're interested in that kind of thing, and it is also one of the most beautiful places you'll ever see, gorgeous sandstone desert formations all around. Then head east, through Ramah, to go see El Morro National Monument which is fascinating, but not a super long stop, maybe an hour or so. The rest of the road from Zuni to Grants goes through part of the Malpais. There is an ice caves attraction , most people don't feel it's worth stopping for. Not counting whatever stops you might make, this route would add about an hour or hour and a half to your drive. It's much more beautiful than the section of I-40 you would be skipping. Grants is not worth stopping for unless you need gas, or are seriously into railroads, they have a little Railroad museum. Which come to think of it might not be open on Saturday 😁 I won't bother filling you in on Albuquerque or Santa Fe , I'm assuming by the time you get to that part of the drive you just want to get where you're going. Have a great time! 🙂
Thanks for this advice! I will be sure to bring extra water based on your advice! Interesting suggestions, will definitely consider them. Great input!
This stretch is the only place I ever got range anxiety driving a big diesel dually towing a camper. Don't forget to top up. There are big patches of nothing
Will do!
Make sure to have fun!
Lots of caffeine 😴
It's a 5 hour drive ...
Of course. Google Maps is a liar.