A week ago I returned from my first journey to New Mexico (as opposed to many journeys to Old Mexico) and spent the last few days of it in Albuquerque. This is another one of those mid-sized cities that’s a great value and it does a pretty good job of appealing to all age groups. Good bars because there’s a big university, lots of outdoor activities and bike paths, and plenty of attractions to keep a family occupied without breaking the bank. And if you like spicy food, you won’t have to try very hard to get your fill of semi-Mexican dishes slathered in red or green chili. (Order it “Christmas” to get both.)
You can fly there for pretty cheap usually because it’s a Southwest market. I went round-trip from Nashville (out on American, back on Southwest) for under $250. I could have shaved off more if my schedule had been more flexible. Check Booking Wiz to compare prices on a whole array of providers. I got a rental car for dirt cheap too. I clicked on a 50% off banner ad for Hertz and ended up getting a car from them at the airport for under $20 a day, including all the fees. They even gave me a Prius, which was awesome—it got 48.5 miles to the gallon.
If you’re thinking of heading to Albuquerque, they’ve got a great tourism website with a great name: itsatrip.org . They’re after my own heart with the Affordable Albuquerque section, where there are coupons and links to a whole slew of attractions that are $10 or less for admission. There are some great choices in there too, including the brand new expanded National Museum of Nuclear Science and History , a guided tour of Old Town, and the excellent Indian Pueblo Cultural Center , where admission includes a dance performance if you time it right.
Some things are only a few bucks, including the creepy Rattlesnake museum in Old Town and the parking fee at one of the Petroglyph sites. If you’ve got kids along, you can do it all here without killing your wallet too badly. Check this out: for $12 adults/$5 kids you can get a combo ticket at the Biological Park that covers the zoo, the aquarium, the botanical gardens, and a train ride! See this free Albuquerque page for attractions that won’t cost you anything.
It’s sunny almost every day in this region, so it’s a great area for hiking and biking . There’s a 15-mile bike path going right through the city and loads of road and mountain biking options outside of town. Pack plenty of layers though if you’re coming in the cooler months: the city is way down south but at a high elevation.
A breakfast burrito at Frontier is $4.59 (coffee included) and I lost count of all the Route 66 motels that had “$29 single, $39 double” as their posted rates. If you want to spring for a nicer place with a Native American theme, the locally owned Nativo Lodge goes for less than $100 a night double, even though it’s part of the Preferred hotel group. Free wi-fi there too.
Albuquerque is an easy city to get around and it never seems to get too bad in terms of traffic. Don’t everybody go moving there though: there’s barely enough water to go around as it is.
