Arriving at Santa Fe Regional Airport in Santa Fe means nearby cities such as Taos, Los Alamos, and Albuquerque are all an easy drive away. Santa Fe is the oldest state capital in the country, built of adobe at 7,000 feet, and it blends Native Pueblo, Spanish, and artistic traditions in a way no other American city does. Days are sunny and dry, evenings are cool, and the light draws painters and photographers year-round.

Standout experiences around Santa Fe: - Browse handmade jewelry sold by Native artists under the portal of the Palace of the Governors - Walk Canyon Road, a half mile of galleries, sculpture gardens, and adobe studios - Visit the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum and see the landscapes that shaped her work - Get lost inside Meow Wolf's House of Eternal Return, an immersive art maze - Catch a summer performance at the open-air Santa Fe Opera as the sun sets - Soak in the Japanese-style outdoor tubs at Ten Thousand Waves - Explore the Railyard district's farmers market, breweries, and contemporary art - Hike among cliff dwellings at Bandelier National Monument - Squeeze through the slot canyon at Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument - Ski or hike Ski Santa Fe, just 16 miles above town in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains

Santa Fe also anchors the High Road to Taos, which passes the pilgrimage church at Chimayó and the weaving villages before reaching Taos Pueblo about 90 minutes north. Albuquerque sits an hour south, and Los Alamos and its Manhattan Project history are 45 minutes west. When a server asks red or green, they mean chile, and the answer Christmas gets you both.