The Best Things to See and Do in Taos

With almost 300 days of sunshine a year, Taos welcomes visitors with its high desert beauty, world-class skiing and snowboarding, historic landmarks, rafting, hiking and some of the finest shopping in the Southwest. From Santa Fe, take the 56-mile High Road to Taos, shown here, or drive just a portion for stunning views of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, pueblo villages, small farms, Carson National Forest, old adobe churches, galleries and more.

Buy a red chile ristra (a string of dried pods) from a local shop, sip an herbal "cuppa" at Tea-O-Graphy and look for art, clothing and collectibles in the historic district at Taos Plaza. Use our guide to find the best things to see and do in Taos.

Taos Inn, located just steps away from Taos Plaza, is known for its authentic, adobe-style architecture and charming guestrooms furnished with antique furniture and wood-burning fireplaces. While you're there, visit the hotel's Adobe Bar for its legendary Cowboy Buddha margarita, made with Herradura silver tequila, Cointreau and lime, or tame your appetite with a platter of tamales or the blue corn piñon-crusted trout with green chile goat cheese crema at Doc Martin's Restaurant.

For more than 1,000 years, the Red Willow People have lived in Taos Pueblo. Usually open to the public, it closes for some events and ceremonies and for about 10 weeks from late winter to early spring; check the website before you go. Approximately 150 people live full-time in this UNESCO World Heritage Site where electricity and running water are not allowed. Stop by the visitors center and browse the shops for mica-flaked pottery, silver jewelry, fine art and more made by local artisans.

Seven more pueblos lie north of Santa Fe. Look for the bison herd at Picuris Pueblo; visit the hotel, casino and resort at Ohkay Pueblo (formerly San Juan Pueblo); or the Puye Cliff Dwellings Vistors Center and Museum at Santa Clara Pueblo.

Explore more than 100 years of art in the Harwood Museum of Art. World-class works of art, videos, prints and photographs reflect the area's rich multicultural heritage, and its Agnes Martin Gallery attracts visitors from around the world to its collection of Abstract Expressionism paintings. The Mable Dodge Luhan House, once the home of an influential arts patron and now a historic inn, is nearby. Travel back to the 1850s at the oldest museum in Taos, the Kit Carson House & Museum. Once the home of frontiersman Kit Carson, it's now a National Historic Landmark.