By Lisa T. Bergren

We met my in-laws and spent the day at the Great Sand Dunes, Colorado (one hour north—fabulous—see our other Sand Dunes report) and en route to Taos, paused in San Luis to walk the Stations of the Cross, another great stop. Not only is San Luis spiritually and culturally meaningful, but it’s also the oldest city in Colorado, and from on top of the hill, you can enjoy a fabulous view of the valley in all directions.

TAOS

We arrived at dinnertime, and stopped at the wonderful Orlando’s (114 Don Juan Valdez Lane), 2 miles north of town. Excellent New Mexican food, outdoor tables under colorful umbrellas—a great place to take kids. (Even their burgers and fries were good—not very New Mexican, but kid-friendly).

We stayed at the only place in Taos that accepts dogs and was under $250—The Quality Inn, which was a steal at $90, including breakfast. Be forewarned, it’s a mediocre hotel—‘60s décor, in serious need of updates, inconsistent shower temperature, hateful wallpaper—but it  (1) had a pool; (2) included a hot breakfast for all 5 of us; (3) as I said, accepted dogs. So it was fine. If I was going without a pet, I’d stay at the Best Western. There’s also a new Comfort Suites and Hampton Inn on the south end of town, which may be good options.

The next day, we went to the center of town/Bent street area. There is free parking near Bent and Camino de la Placita. Shops don’t open until 11ish on Saturday, so don’t be in a rush! Some family friendly and cute shops are FX18, Twirl and Lollipops. We stopped at the Gov. Bent House and Museum, which is like a big gift shop with several rooms of curios in the back. My children will most remember the stuffed 8-legged lamb in a glass case. Skip touring it and just relate the history of the place to them from outside: This was the first territorial governor’s house, and he was murdered there by a mob who didn’t like the US assertion that this was going to be part of the United States.

Instead, go on to the Kit Carson Museum, on Bent Ave. and 9^th Street.  The docent does a nice job of relating the history, the building/courtyard are well maintained, and there’s a History Channel movie to watch on the mountain man’s life. Fascinating! It’s open 1-5:00.

For lunch, we went to Cyd’s organic grocery store on the main drag, north of town, and grabbed picnic supplies, then drove out to the rest stop that sits on the ledge of the Rio Grande gorge. Great picnic spot! After eating, we walked over the bridge and gazed down into the abyss, far below. Access is free.

After that, we drove over to the Taos Pueblo. It’s fascinating because it’s been inhabited for over 1000 years, but the only buildings you can enter are the little shops on the ground floor and the church. It’s expensive to get in, and they charge $5 for you to use your camera (!) but we were glad we had done it once. In Taos, you can also go hot air ballooning ($100 for children, $200 for adults), white water rafting, and hiking. Lovely mountains surround the town.

SANTA FE

We moved on to Santa Fe from there, about an hour’s drive south, and checked into the highly recommended Sage Inn, a screamin’ deal in the Santa Fe area, with a pool and a shuttle to downtown. We left the kids in the hotel to eat pizza, and we adults went to the excellent Tomasita’s, down by the rail yard. Tomasita’s was awarded one of the top 10 places by Bon Appetit in March 2009 for their green chili—don’t miss it! (The margaritas aren’t bad either!) It’d be fine for the kids too—we just were ready for a break, and they were ready for a movie.

The next morning we had breakfast at the hotel, then headed into Santa Fe. We parked near the cathedral, and walked into the center of town. They had just opened the amazing New Mexico History Museum (just off the plaza, behind the Palace of the Governors), and we toured that for the next two hours—wonderful for all three generations, ages 6-72. Afterward, we wandered out to the square and ate fabulous fajitas from a mobile cart. Then we walked over to the oldest church in the United States (b. 1610), Santa Maria, also worth a stop. You could spend another couple of days in this town, shopping, white water rafting, exploring, but we were on our way back to Colorado Springs—about a five hour drive, so it was hasta la vista, baby, for the Bergrens.

Have more time in Santa Fe with kids to kill? Just read this article, which gave me all kinds of ideas for a return trip!