Drive times are approximate from downtown Santa Fe. Hours change with the seasons, so check before you go.

Under an hour

• El Rancho de las Golondrinas (about 25 min south): a 500-acre living-history museum of Spanish colonial New Mexico, with restored buildings, mills and costumed interpreters. Open June to early November, Wednesday to Sunday, 9 am to 3 pm; adults $10. Weekend festivals (wine, harvest, Renaissance Faire) are worth planning around. Hours
• Pecos National Historical Park (about 35 min east): the ruins of a great pueblo and a Spanish mission church on an easy 1.25-mile trail, plus the Glorieta Pass Civil War battlefield. Free entry, trails open 8 am to 4:30 pm year-round. Hours
• Turquoise Trail to Madrid and Cerrillos (about 45 min south on NM 14): old mining towns turned artists' colonies. Wander Madrid's galleries and grab lunch, then loop up to Sandia Crest (10,678 ft) for views over Albuquerque, or stop at the quirky Tinkertown Museum. A full loop is about 150 miles. Route
• Los Alamos and White Rock (about 45 min northwest): the Bradbury Science Museum tells the Manhattan Project story, and the White Rock Overlook gives a big view down into the Rio Grande gorge. Pairs well with Bandelier.

Half day to full day

• Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs (about 1 hr north): historic hot springs with pools of different mineral waters, open daily 10 am to 10 pm. Day soaks are first come, first served, about $45 weekdays and $65 weekends. Ages 13 and up only. Rates
• Abiquiu and Ghost Ranch (about 1 hr north): O'Keeffe country. Book the O'Keeffe Home and Studio tour well ahead, and hike to Chimney Rock at Ghost Ranch.
• High Road to Taos (about 1.5 hrs each way): Chimayó, Truchas and Las Trampas, returning by the river road through Dixon (home of Vivác Winery, see section 4).
• Taos and Taos Pueblo (about 1.5 hrs north): Taos Pueblo has been lived in for over 1,000 years and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Generally open 9 am to 4 pm with guided tours; adults $25. It closes for about ten weeks from late winter into spring and sometimes without notice, so check the Pueblo's calendar first. Add the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge and lunch on the Taos Plaza.
• Jemez Mountain Trail and Valles Caldera (about 1.5 hrs west): a loop through Los Alamos to the 13-mile-wide Valles Caldera, where elk graze the Valle Grande, then down to Jemez Springs for a soak, the Soda Dam and the Jemez Historic Site. Route

South to Albuquerque

• Albuquerque and Los Poblanos (about 1 hr south): lunch or a lavender-field visit at Los Poblanos Historic Inn & Organic Farm. In October, the Balloon Fiesta.
• Rail Runner: the commuter train from the Railyard to Albuquerque, a relaxing car-free day out.