Things To Do in Albuquerque, New Mexico

Tripoto
Photo of Albuquerque, NM, United States by liferidingshotgun

Explora! Children's Museum

This is a great children's museum. It is so educational and organized very nicely. There is a water area that has several hands-on exhibits demonstrating how dams work, water currents, undercurrents, waterfalls, drainage systems, fountains, and how taking the air out of the water can make the flow crystal clear. There is a wind area where the kids can build windmills to see if they work, a vehicle with sails to race, and airplanes to test their design in a wind tunnel. A musical area allows sound waves to become visible, demonstrating how different pitches make different frequencies and waves. The outdoor area allows children to build forts out of life-size Lincoln logs and test a sound dome. Our favorite areas were the electrical area that allowed the children to learn about electrical connections and currents by hooking wires up to batteries, which would light a lightbulb when connected correctly, and a bicycle on a tightrope, which was balance by weight.

Photo of Explora, Bryn Mawr Drive Northeast, Albuquerque, NM, United States by liferidingshotgun
Photo of Explora, Bryn Mawr Drive Northeast, Albuquerque, NM, United States by liferidingshotgun
Photo of Explora, Bryn Mawr Drive Northeast, Albuquerque, NM, United States by liferidingshotgun
Photo of Explora, Bryn Mawr Drive Northeast, Albuquerque, NM, United States by liferidingshotgun
Photo of Explora, Bryn Mawr Drive Northeast, Albuquerque, NM, United States by liferidingshotgun
Photo of Explora, Bryn Mawr Drive Northeast, Albuquerque, NM, United States by liferidingshotgun
Photo of Explora, Bryn Mawr Drive Northeast, Albuquerque, NM, United States by liferidingshotgun
Photo of Explora, Bryn Mawr Drive Northeast, Albuquerque, NM, United States by liferidingshotgun
Photo of Explora, Bryn Mawr Drive Northeast, Albuquerque, NM, United States by liferidingshotgun

New Mexico Museum of Nature & Science

Right across the street from the children's museum is the Museum of Nature & Science. This was a spectacular museum because it was sectioned off into areas that defined New Mexico history. You could walk the journey through time. An evolater elevator gave you a thorough, interactive history of the state, then you could walk through the time of dinosaurs, the volcanoes, the caverns, gems and minerals, even New Mexico's rich history of nuclear science and computer development. Did you know that Microsoft was founded in Albuquerque! It's true.

Photo of Museum of Nature & Science, North Downtown Mall, Las Cruces, New Mexico, United States by liferidingshotgun
Photo of Things To Do in Albuquerque, New Mexico by liferidingshotgun
Photo of Things To Do in Albuquerque, New Mexico by liferidingshotgun
Photo of Things To Do in Albuquerque, New Mexico by liferidingshotgun
Photo of Things To Do in Albuquerque, New Mexico by liferidingshotgun
Photo of Things To Do in Albuquerque, New Mexico by liferidingshotgun

Petroglyph National Monument

Right on the outskirts of town to the west is Petroglyph National Monument. A couple of easy hiking trails among hills of huge black lava rocks will take you past thousands of ancient Native American carvings.

Photo of Petroglyph National Monument, Western Trail Northwest, Albuquerque, NM, United States by liferidingshotgun
Photo of Petroglyph National Monument, Western Trail Northwest, Albuquerque, NM, United States by liferidingshotgun
Photo of Petroglyph National Monument, Western Trail Northwest, Albuquerque, NM, United States by liferidingshotgun
Photo of Petroglyph National Monument, Western Trail Northwest, Albuquerque, NM, United States by liferidingshotgun

Hiking Volcanoes

Also part of Petroglyph National Monument, these once-active volcanoes are obviously the culprits of all the lava rocks in the vicinity and could be a monument all by themselves. There are five volcanoes in the immediate vicinity, but the hiking trail only encircles three of them. Although they can be seen for miles all over the city and look large, once upon them, they don't look so big. The tops do not have a defined caldera, it looks like they collapsed and have since grown over with vegetation. So, once on top, it basically looks like any other hill and is hard to imagine you're standing on a volcano. The best one is the largest and furthest away on the trail and has a lava cave-type entrapment at the top that the kids enjoyed playing in.

There are tons of collared lizards in the area and the kids enjoyed chasing them down and catching them.

Photo of Things To Do in Albuquerque, New Mexico by liferidingshotgun
Photo of Things To Do in Albuquerque, New Mexico by liferidingshotgun
Photo of Things To Do in Albuquerque, New Mexico by liferidingshotgun
Photo of Things To Do in Albuquerque, New Mexico by liferidingshotgun
Photo of Things To Do in Albuquerque, New Mexico by liferidingshotgun
Photo of Things To Do in Albuquerque, New Mexico by liferidingshotgun
Photo of Things To Do in Albuquerque, New Mexico by liferidingshotgun
Photo of Things To Do in Albuquerque, New Mexico by liferidingshotgun
Photo of Things To Do in Albuquerque, New Mexico by liferidingshotgun
Photo of Things To Do in Albuquerque, New Mexico by liferidingshotgun
Photo of Things To Do in Albuquerque, New Mexico by liferidingshotgun
Photo of Things To Do in Albuquerque, New Mexico by liferidingshotgun

Okay, this is just fun. We heard on a late night newscast that there was a musical highway nearby, one of only five in the world! Just 15 minutes east of Albuquerque, on Historic Route 66 near Tijeras, is a ¼-mile or so stretch of highway with rumble strips inside the white line. Blue signs notate that this is the musical highway. Drive over the rumble strips at around 45mph and roll your windows down. You'll be treated to the sound of vibrations that take to the tune of "America the Beautiful". It's just cool!

Old Town

Old Town is a very popular area, especially on weekends. It is a charming square that is full of Santa Fe-style architecture, Native American art, New Mexican restaurants, and gift shops.

Photo of Albuquerque Old Town, Romero Street Northwest, Albuquerque, NM, United States by liferidingshotgun
Photo of Albuquerque Old Town, Romero Street Northwest, Albuquerque, NM, United States by liferidingshotgun
Photo of Albuquerque Old Town, Romero Street Northwest, Albuquerque, NM, United States by liferidingshotgun
Photo of Albuquerque Old Town, Romero Street Northwest, Albuquerque, NM, United States by liferidingshotgun
Photo of Albuquerque Old Town, Romero Street Northwest, Albuquerque, NM, United States by liferidingshotgun
Photo of Albuquerque Old Town, Romero Street Northwest, Albuquerque, NM, United States by liferidingshotgun
Photo of Albuquerque Old Town, Romero Street Northwest, Albuquerque, NM, United States by liferidingshotgun
Photo of Albuquerque Old Town, Romero Street Northwest, Albuquerque, NM, United States by liferidingshotgun
Photo of Albuquerque Old Town, Romero Street Northwest, Albuquerque, NM, United States by liferidingshotgun
Photo of Albuquerque Old Town, Romero Street Northwest, Albuquerque, NM, United States by liferidingshotgun
Photo of Albuquerque Old Town, Romero Street Northwest, Albuquerque, NM, United States by liferidingshotgun
Photo of Albuquerque Old Town, Romero Street Northwest, Albuquerque, NM, United States by liferidingshotgun

Zoo

We were very impressed with the Albuquerque Zoo. It was laid out nicely and provided an easy walk that covered all the areas of interest. The animals seemed to have a decent amount of room, especially compared to some larger, more well-known zoos we've seen. There were lots of cute animal babies, which tells me that either the animals are happy or maybe just bored.

Photo of Albuquerque Zoo, 10th Street Southwest, Albuquerque, NM, United States by liferidingshotgun
Photo of Albuquerque Zoo, 10th Street Southwest, Albuquerque, NM, United States by liferidingshotgun
Photo of Albuquerque Zoo, 10th Street Southwest, Albuquerque, NM, United States by liferidingshotgun
Photo of Albuquerque Zoo, 10th Street Southwest, Albuquerque, NM, United States by liferidingshotgun
Photo of Albuquerque Zoo, 10th Street Southwest, Albuquerque, NM, United States by liferidingshotgun
Photo of Albuquerque Zoo, 10th Street Southwest, Albuquerque, NM, United States by liferidingshotgun
Photo of Albuquerque Zoo, 10th Street Southwest, Albuquerque, NM, United States by liferidingshotgun
Photo of Albuquerque Zoo, 10th Street Southwest, Albuquerque, NM, United States by liferidingshotgun
Photo of Albuquerque Zoo, 10th Street Southwest, Albuquerque, NM, United States by liferidingshotgun
Photo of Albuquerque Zoo, 10th Street Southwest, Albuquerque, NM, United States by liferidingshotgun
Photo of Albuquerque Zoo, 10th Street Southwest, Albuquerque, NM, United States by liferidingshotgun
Photo of Albuquerque Zoo, 10th Street Southwest, Albuquerque, NM, United States by liferidingshotgun
Photo of Albuquerque Zoo, 10th Street Southwest, Albuquerque, NM, United States by liferidingshotgun
Photo of Albuquerque Zoo, 10th Street Southwest, Albuquerque, NM, United States by liferidingshotgun