A few weeks ago, we decided to take a family road trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico. I had never been there before and Jeff hadn’t been since he was a kid. We had heard great things about the city, so we planned a long weekend and took off.
I was nervous about the 6-hour drive because Everett has never been on a road trip that long, but he was an absolute champ! Based on many wonderful recommendations, I packed plenty of snacks, books, toys, music and blankets. (I will do a full post about what went in our road trip survival bag.) The only hiccup occurred about 20 minutes into our drive when we encountered a crazy storm with heavy lightning, thunder and hail. This was our view but imagine the sound 10x louder and echoier (is that a word? I don’t think so, but it seems accurate!).
We stayed at The Inn and Spa at Loretto, a beautiful property right in the heart of downtown. It was a great location for us to explore the city on foot and easily go back and forth for nap time. We have learned that piece is crucial when traveling with a kiddo in tow. Even though we want to make the most of our days on vacation, we still try to keep a similar schedule as much as possible.
Well-rested kiddo = happy kiddo = happy parents.
The math is easy.
On vacation, we like to keep our days pretty flexible and make plans as we go based on the weather, what we feel up to that day, etc., so we didn’t have any plans set in stone…which turned out to be a good thing because Everett ended up getting sick. We spent most of the weekend walking around downtown and eating, then headed home early. Even though the trip didn’t turn out the way we envisioned, there were a few highlights that I wanted to share!
- New Mexico State Capitol Building
- We went on a Friday and there was virtually no one there. We were able to walk all through the building and up to the Governor’s office. In addition to the history and civics lesson, there is beautiful artwork down every hallway and an exhibit in the lobby.
- Georgia O’Keeffe Museum
- I had been looking forward to this museum as the highlight of our weekend. I’ve loved Georgia O’Keeffe for many years, however it ended up a somewhat rushed experience. Apparently Everett was making too much noise for the security guard’s liking and we were asked to take him outside. Jeff went to the lobby with E while I stayed to enjoy the art a bit longer. Either way, if you are in Santa Fe, this is a must see.
- Breakfast at Tia Sophia’s
- This recommendation was mentioned by numerous people as a no-frills, authentic southwest breakfast joint. Be prepared for a wait, but it is worth it. It did not disappoint. Try the ham & cheese omelet with guacamole. Mmmmm.
- Dinner at Luminaria
- We initially picked the restaurant because it is in the hotel and we could just walk downstairs, but boy were we surprised. The food was amazing, the cocktails were delicious and the outside patio is the perfect summer ambiance. We would definitely go back!
- Art galleries galore
- We spent a lot of our weekend just roaming the streets and popping in + out of the many art galleries downtown.
One last quick note about getting around with kids in Santa Fe – there were a ton of people walking around downtown! Everywhere. I guess that’s what you get for peak season in the summer. We brought the travel stroller (Uppababy G-Luxe), which has a smaller footprint than the full-sized Vista. Very helpful for navigating narrow streets and art galleries!
Until next time, Santa Fe!
xo,
Rachael
