SIP NEW MEXICO HISTORY
In the country’s oldest wine-making region, history can be captured in a glass of La Viña Winery’s Obsequio, a fruity, semidry rosé. “Obsequio means ‘gift’ in Spanish,” says Luz Bustamante, business manager for the state’s oldest winery. “When the Spanish missionaries came to New Mexico and brought mission grapes in 1692, they left a gift for us.” Founded in 1977, La Viña grows 28 grape varieties and produces 30 wines just south of Las Cruces, where you can enjoy a glass in the Italian-villa-style tasting room or on the shaded patio. “Our New Mexico wines are rooted in history and tradition,” Bustamante says. BONUS: Taste wine from the barrels and discover more on a La Viña winery tour. “People learn how to make wine, how to taste wine, and also about the passion for New Mexico wines,” Bustamante says. —Lynn Cline
📍 4201 NM 28, Anthony; 575-882-7632, lavinawinery.com
EAT AT THE DURAN CENTRAL PHARMACY COUNTER
It isn’t just lunch—it’s a New Mexico rite of passage. Tucked inside a still-operating pharmacy on Central Avenue since 1975, Duran’s is one of the last true drugstore-diner hybrids in the country. “It’s like a speakeasy,” says second-generation owner and pharmacist Mona Ghattas. “You have to walk through the pharmacy and gift shop to reach the restaurant.” Locals have been pulling up stools—after school, after work, or just when the mood strikes—for decades. Watch tortillas puff on the griddle while you chat with regulars over coffee like it’s your own kitchen, because Duran’s isn’t just about food—it’s about feeling like you’ve always belonged. BONUS: Order enchiladas (smothered in chile, of course) with a blended-to-order milkshake and soak in the nostalgia. —Lanee Lee
📍 1815 Central Ave. NW, Albuquerque; 505-247-4141, duransrx.com
INDULGE YOUR WILD SIDE
A leisurely trek through the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens State Park in Carlsbad yields far more than hardy mesquite and darting lizards. Sure, you’ll see plenty of them during the 1.3-mile walking tour, but you’ll also wander amid brightly blooming ocotillo and prickly pear cactus as you glimpse deer, squirrels, and raptors. They are among the park’s hundreds of species of flora and more than 40 species of fauna native to the Chihuahuan Desert. The trail gradually descends 70 feet and then climbs back up on the return with benches, shady areas, restrooms, and drinking fountains along the way. The park, which perches atop an Ocotillo Hills ridge, also serves up wildly glorious views of the Pecos River and city of Carlsbad. —Debra Levy Martinelli
📍 1504 Skyline Dr., Carlsbad; 575-887-5516, nmmag.us/livingdesert
BITE INTO THE MAD CHILE BURGER
Call it creative license—exactly what you might expect in Madrid, the ghost town turned off-kilter art haven. Sure, the Mine Shaft Tavern’s Mad Chile Burger starts normally enough with a half-pound of Black Angus beef (or opt for New Mexico Wagyu or buffalo) topped with house-made chipotle Dijonnaise, aged cheddar, and chopped Hatch chile. But it’s the battered and deep-fried whole Hatch chile that puts it over the top. “That’s just a great mouthful of flavor,” says Lori Lindsey, owner of the Mine Shaft. BONUS: Settle in on the patio, where you’ll find live music every weekend, all summer. —Patrick Lee
📍 2846 NM 14, Madrid; 505-473-0743, themineshafttavern.com
GET SPOOKED IN MOGOLLON
The drive along NM 159 to Mogollon is scary enough, climbing nine winding miles at 6,800 feet. “Whoever’s driving doesn’t get to look at the scenery,” says Cresta Terrell, who owns the ghost town’s Old Kelly Store. When the Little Fannie mine boomed in the late 1800s through the early 1900s, 3,000 to 6,000 people worked to pull silver and gold from the surrounding hills. Now less than a dozen folks live here. “Mogollon hasn’t been fancied up for tourism,” Terrell says. “We have six businesses.” On weekends from mid-May through mid-October, visitors can get their fill of mining history at the Mogollon Museum, chow down at the Purple Onion café, watch Niels Mandoe craft wooden toys, shop the Old Kelly Store, and even stay overnight at the Silver Creek Inn. BONUS: Prowl the Catwalk National Recreation Area Trail. nmmag.us/kellystore—Jennifer C. Olson
MAKE A SPLASH AT ELEPHANT BUTTE LAKE
Nothing says summer fun like frolicking in a lake in the middle of the desert, complete with an elephant-shaped island at its core. With more than 200 miles of shoreline, Elephant Butte Lake State Park is the state’s largest man-made lake and a water lover’s paradise. “At 4,500 feet, it’s cooler in the summer than a lot of other places,” says Rick Redpath, general manager of Marina Del Sur, which boasts 130 slips and rents boats, kayaks, and paddleboards. So slather on your sunscreen and put on your favorite swimsuit, then show off your jet ski skills, steer your sloop, or simply savor a sangria at sunset. —DLM
📍101 NM 195, Elephant Butte; 575-744-5923, nmmag.us/elephantbutte
SHOP THE MARKETS
1. Travel the world without ever leaving the Santa Fe Railyard, July 10–13. The International Folk Art Market draws more than 100 artists from more than 50 countries selling items ranging from South American textiles to South African baskets.
2. It’s often what’s behind the art that matters at Traditional Spanish Market. Hispanic heritage, yes. But also traditional tools, methods, and imagery dating back centuries. See it all on the Santa Fe Plaza, July 26–27.
3. Santa Fe becomes the epicenter of the Indigenous art world during Santa Fe Indian Market, August 16–17. The largest Native market in the country attracts a thousand artists from more than 200 tribes to the Plaza. —Katy Kelleher
TAKE KIDS OF ALL AGES TO TINKERTOWN MUSEUM
Push open a creaky wooden door and it’s like falling into a magical rabbit hole, Alice style. Built over four decades by the late circus-sign-painter Ross Ward, this 22-room folk art wonderland in Sandia Park is constructed from more than 55,000 glass bottles and packed with intricate dioramas illustrating an Old West town so detailed you’ll swear the tiny people are breathing. “Where else can you see an animated miniature carving of Mabel Stark, the most famous tiger tamer in the circus, and imagine yourself sailing around the world in an antique wooden sailboat?” says Carla Ward, Ross’s widow. Tinkertown Museum is pure, joyful genius with a side of creative chaos. Or, as the museum’s greeter says, it’s “the work of an imagination that is utterly unimaginable.” —LL
📍 121 Sandia Crest Rd., Sandia Park; 505-281-5233, tinkertown.com
TRAVEL BACK IN TIME
Go ahead, get your hands (and feet) dirty at El Rancho de las Golondrinas. Located on 500 acres of ecologically diverse land and featuring 34 historic buildings, the living history museum specializes in immersive experiences. “We want people to feel like they’ve stepped back in time and engage all their senses connecting to the history and culture of New Mexico,” says museum director Dan Goodman. Watch demonstrations of horno baking, leather tanning, chile ristra stringing, and yucca pounding, all performed by museum staff and volunteers dressed in historically accurate garb. And you’re not just an onlooker—the fruits of these labors don’t go to waste. “The juice from the grape stomping actually does get made into wine,” Goodman says. “We partner with breweries to use our hops. It’s a way to take the fruits of the land and wind up in a product you can sample.” —KK
📍 334 Los Pinos Rd., Santa Fe; 505-471-2261, golondrinas.org
FEEL THE GROOVE
1. Bring the camp chairs—but you’ll definitely be on your feet dancing. The Santa Fe Summer Scene concerts bring regional and national acts to the Plaza and the Railyard for free. Catch Brooklyn-based Red Baraat on the eve of the International Folk Market on July 9.
2. End the week under the stars in Angel Fire at the free Cool Summer Nights concert series (but bring a sweatshirt) with two acts every Friday at the village’s new Liberty Square Park. The season’s biggest show takes place July 11 as the Silver Sky Blues Band and Chris Dracup kick off BluewsFest weekend.
3. Pack a picnic and let the kids run free at Los Alamos Summer Concert Series on Fridays at Ashley Pond Park. “You also get the scenic mountain view of Los Alamos,” says Katherine Hudspeth, Los Alamos County recreation superintendent. See Halfway There, a Bon Jovi tribute band, on June 6. —PL