Activities Rio rancho new mexico

Experience the unique culture and history of New Mexico with local day trips including national parks, scenic byways, world-class museums, archeological ruins, rural landscapes and high-tech attractions. Every major attraction in the Land of Enchantment is accessible from Rio Rancho within a day's scenic drive, including Indian Pueblos, Santa Fe, Taos, and so much more. Rio Rancho's high-desert climate provides breathtaking vistas and plenty of room for high-altitude outdoor adventures year-round.

Even if you are just passing through, Rio Rancho offers a variety of affordable, modern and convenient lodging, dining and shopping opportunities.

Attractions

Bandelier National Monument - America's most popular national monument, Bandelier is about an hour and a half drive north of Rio Rancho on the Jemez Mountain Trail. Park offers 12th century Indian pueblos and spectacular scenery.

J&R Vintage Automobile Museum - This fine private museum contains exhibits of more than 60 restored vintage autos including Model T Fords, Packards and Mustangs!

Casa San Ysidro & San Ysidro Church - Casa San Ysidro is a beautifully restored Spanish Colonial rancho filled with rare Hispanic New Mexico artifacts. Across the street is the adobe San Ysidro Church, dating from the 1800's.

Outdoors

Ballooning - Each year, hundreds of hot air balloons launch from scenic Rio Rancho. Don't miss the world's largest balloon event - the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta - held the first two weeks in October.

Cycling - Paved hiking/cycling trails run for miles in and around Rio Rancho.

Golf - In Rio Rancho, golf the championship 27-hole Chamisa Hills Country Club course. Nearby Santa Ana Pueblo operates both Twin Warriors Golf Course and 27-hole Santa Ana Golf Course.

Hiking and Backpacking - The nearby Sandia Mountains offer dozens of trails suitable for casual hikers. For experienced hikers, the La Luz Trail offers breathtaking views along 9 miles up the face of Sandia Peak. For a different hiking experience, enjoy centuries-old cottonwood forests along the Rio Grande River.

Dining

Shopping

Rio Rancho is just minutes away from New Mexico's largest shopping center. Experience world-class shopping at Cottonwood Mall, where you'll find Dillard's, Foley's, Sears, JCPenney, Mervyn's, United Artists Theaters and more than 135 specialty stores including Abercrombie & Fitch, Aveda Environmental Lifestyle Store, Caché, The Disney Store, Old Navy, Ben Bridge, Thomas Kinkade and Williams-Sonoma.

Current Events

Independence Day Celebration & Parade (July) - The biggest and best 4th of July show in New Mexico starts with a parade at 10 a.m. The parade starts at Southern Blvd. and Country Club Dr. and proceeds to the Rio Rancho Public Library. The parade is followed by entertainment featuring local bands and national artists at the Rio Rancho Sports Complex on High Resort Blvd. The event features lots of food and drinks, a carnival, and culminates with New Mexico's largest fireworks extravaganza.

Gourmet Apple Festival (October) - An annual event sponsored by the Rio Rancho Garden Center features the opportunity to sample every food imaginable made with apples, an apple cooking contest, arts & crafts booths, and live entertainment.

Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta (October) - The world's largest fiesta; 1000 colorful balloons rise into a gorgeous blue sky, framed by the Sandia Mountains. Mass ascensions, balloon glows, special shapes, more.

Jinglefest Carnival & Luminaria Tour (December) - An annual extravaganza with more than 12,000 colored luminarias weaving a pathway into the big holiday tent at Haynes Park. Enjoy festive activities, carnival games, and refreshments. Kids can have their picture taken with Santa.

For more than 300 years, this neighborhood of narrow, winding streets and adobe homes has been our cultural heart. Old Town became Albuquerque' s first neighborhood in 1706, when a group of Spanish families settled here, not far from the Rio Grande . The settlers organized their new town in the traditional Spanish colonial way, with a central plaza anchored by a church. When the original adobe church collapsed after the long, rainy summer of 1792, they rebuilt, and in 1793 San Felipe de Neri church was completed. Today, this adobe church with walls five feet thick is the oldest in Albuquerque and its white towers mark Old Town from a distance. It remains a functioning Catholic church, and as you wander around the neighborhood you may see couples posing for wedding pictures in the Plaza's gazebo. More than 300 years after it was founded, Old Town remains a center for culture, architecture, shopping, art and cuisine. Although the church is the neighborhood's most elaborate structure, you'll notice that most of the architecture of Old Town is adobe, in the Pueblo-Spanish style. These traditional buildings have flat roofs, stuccoed walls with rounded edges and are supported with heavy wooden beams called vigas . The arrival of the railroad here in 1880 brought new architectural styles, and there are many Victorian buildings that house shops, offices and bed-and-breakfasts. Despite centuries of change, Old Town has retained its charming, walkable character.
To learn more about Albuquerque and this area, you can visit some of Old Town's 7 museums. Just off the Plaza, the newly-renovated Albuquerque Museum of Art & History showcases the cultural heritage of New Mexico through its vast collections and also houses traveling exhibitions. Across the street, the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science stands out with the prominent dome of its planetarium. This innovative and hands-on museum explores botany, geology, computer science and paleontology (dinosaurs!). The museum's Lodestar Astronomy Center includes a world-class planetarium theater with the biggest screen in New Mexico . The National Atomic Museum is America' s official museum of nuclear science and history and is affiliated with the Smithsonian Institution in Washington , D.C. At Explora, kids of all ages will be amazed by more than 250 interactive science, technology and art exhibits. Fans of Southwestern jewelry will enjoy the Turquoise Museum , where visitors experience the depths of a turquoise mine and view rare and spectacular turquoise specimens from all over the world. To test your bravery, visit the American International Rattlesnake Museum . This unique museum in the heart of Old Town offers the world's largest collection of live rattlesnakes!

Old Town is also a great place to explore nature. On a leisurely stroll through the Botanic Garden you'll discover unique local plants, visit the sharks in their 285,000-gallon tank at the Albuquerque Aquarium or go fishing at Tingley Beach . Don't miss a ride on the narrow gauge, 3/4 scale train that connects botanic garden, aquarium and Tingley Beach with the nearby Rio Grande Zoo. You can find details on the train as well as current events at the Visitor Information Center in Old Town .

Old Town is also a significant fine arts center where collectors will find an enviable selection of paintings, sculptures, photography, ceramics and crafts. There are over 100 boutiques and galleries and shops in the neighborhood, so whether you're looking for souvenirs, trendy clothing, authentic southwestern jewelry, or fine art, you are sure to find it here.

And when you get hungry, Old Town is the perfect place to try traditional New Mexican food. Just find a spot on one of the area's quiet patios and sit down to a big plate full of enchiladas layered with green chile sauce, shredded chicken and melted cheese. Or try a sopaipilla stuffed with ground beef and slathered with red chile sauce. And when you need a break from chiles, you can always get a burger at a retro diner or relax at one of Old Town' s chic contemporary restaurants. On a warm afternoon there's nothing better than a cold margarita sipped on a sunny patio in Old Town .

If you choose to stay at one of the full-service hotels or historic bed and breakfasts in the Old Town area, you'll be within walking distance of nearly all of the area's attractions. Old Town has recently made some great enhancements for visitors (look for shops open later in the evenings!) and there are cultural festivals and celebrations happening every Wednesday and Saturday evening.