Flagstaff
Housed in an attractive Craftsman-style stone building amid a pine grove, this small but excellent museum spotlights local American Indian archaeology,…
Must-see attractions in The Southwest
Southeastern New Mexico
Undulating through the Tularosa Basin like something out of a dream, these ethereal dunes are a highlight of any trip to New Mexico, and a must on every…
Las Vegas
The Bellagio experience transcends its decadent casino floor of high-limit gaming tables and in excess of 2300 slot machines; locals say odds here are…
Phoenix
From Uganda thumb pianos to Hawaiian ukuleles to Indonesian boat lutes, the ears have it at this lively museum that celebrates the world's musical…
Las Vegas
This nonprofit project is doing what almost no one else does: saving Las Vegas' history. Book ahead for a fascinating guided walking tour of the ‘Neon…
Santa Fe Region
Often called the Lourdes of America, the chapel was built in 1816, over a spot of earth said to have miraculous healing properties. The faithful come to…
Phoenix
Blue bells and Mexican gold poppies are just two of the colorful showstoppers blooming from March to May along the Desert Wildflower Loop Trail at this…
Albuquerque
Formerly known as the Albuquerque Museum of Art & History, this showpiece museum shouldn't be missed. With an engaging Albuquerque history gallery that's…
Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument
Arizona
Around AD 1064 a cinder cone erupted on this spot, spewing ash across 800 sq miles, spawning the Kana-A lava flow. Now the 8029ft Sunset Crater is quiet,…
Flagstaff
Astronomers, get ready to geek out! Sitting atop a hill just west of downtown, this national historic landmark – famous for the first sighting of Pluto in…
Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge
New Mexico
Renowned among wildlife photographers the world over, these fields and marshes, 18 miles south of Socorro, are the wintering ground for over 100,000…
Albuquerque
Collectively run by New Mexico's 19 Pueblos, this cultural center is an essential stop-off during even the shortest Albuquerque visit. Revamped in 2016,…
Palace of the Governors & New Mexico History Museum
Santa Fe
The oldest public building in the US, this low-slung adobe complex began as home to New Mexico’s first Spanish governor in 1610. It was occupied by Pueblo…
New Mexico
This prehistoric pueblo was built around AD 1100, and connected with the larger settlement at Chaco via a road that ran due south. Its central feature, a…
Southeastern New Mexico
Roswell's excellent museum deserves a visit. Twelve galleries showcase Southwestern artists including Georgia O'Keeffe, Peter Hurd and Henriette Wyeth,…
Southern Nevada
At the height of the Depression, thousands of men and their families migrated here and worked in excruciating conditions, dangling hundreds of feet above…
Museum of International Folk Art
Santa Fe
Santa Fe’s most unusual and exhilarating museum centers on the world's largest collection of folk art. Its huge main gallery displays whimsical and mind…
Santa Fe Region
Bandelier's 1.2-mile Main Loop Trail in Frijoles Canyon offers an excellent introduction to the main ruins and history of the park. The trail first passes…
Southern Arizona
Named for the Chiricahua Apaches whose land this is, this wild and evocative landscape is one of Arizona's most stunning. Improbably baroque 'sculptures'…
Las Vegas
A true high-roller's casino, this younger sibling and an extension of the Venetian to which it is linked doesn't rely on flashy attractions to get punters…
Santa Fe
For more than 400 years, the Plaza has stood at the heart of Santa Fe. Originally it marked the far northern end of the Camino Real from Mexico; later, it…
Southern Nevada
Goldfield became Nevada's biggest boomtown after gold was struck here in 1902. Much of the town was destroyed by a fire in 1923, but a few precious…
Western New Mexico University Museum
New Mexico
Fresh from a $3.2 million renovation, this excellent museum in the schools's former gymnasium boasts the world's largest collection of 1000-year-old…
Arizona Museum of Natural History
Greater Phoenix
Even if you're not staying in Mesa, this museum is worth a trip, especially if your kids are into dinosaurs (and aren't they all?). In addition to the…
Fort Bowie National Historic Site
Southern Arizona
Somewhere between the abandoned stagecoach stop and the sun-bleached cemetery, it hits you: this hike is a little spooky. Why? Because the 1.5-mile trail…
Taos
Rooted in the private collection of model and oil heiress Millicent Rogers, who moved to Taos in 1947, this superb museum, 4 miles northwest of the Plaza,…
New Mexico
Dating back 150 years and little changed since, Mesilla is a charming old adobe town. Despite the souvenir shops and tourist-oriented restaurants, its…
Salt Lake City
A family-friendly museum at Thanksgiving Point that houses one of the world's largest displays of mounted dinosaurs. The exhibits, many of which are hands…
Museum of Indian Arts & Culture
Santa Fe
This top-quality museum sets out to trace the origins and history of the various Native American peoples of the entire Southwest, and explain and…
Bellagio Conservatory & Botanical Gardens
Las Vegas
Changing with the seasons, Bellagio’s conservatory displays ostentatious floral arrangements, installed by crane through a soaring 50ft-high ceiling. The…
Nevada
Just 12 miles north of Carson City off Hwy I-580, almost halfway to Reno, you'll find this fabulous regional park with manicured gardens perfect for…
Las Vegas
Steve Wynn's signature casino hotel (literally – his name is emblazoned across the top) Wynn and younger sibling Encore are a pair of curvaceous, copper…
American International Rattlesnake Museum
Albuquerque
Anyone charmed by snakes and all things slithery will find this museum fascinating; for ophidiophobes, it’s a complete nightmare, filled with the world’s…
Southeastern Utah
Blanding's Dinosaur Museum is fascinating and highly ambitious; it's aim is to cover the complete history of the world’s dinosaurs. Mummified remains and…
Arizona
The eruption of Sunset Crater (AD 1040–1100) briefly enriched the surrounding soil, luring the ancestors of the Hopi, Zuni and others to the region. By AD…
Southern Arizona
This wonderland of spires, shields, pipes, columns, soda straws and other ethereal formations has been five million years in the making, but miraculously…
New Mexico
The 200ft sandstone outcropping at this monument, also known as Inscription Rock, has been a travelers' oasis for millennia. The only reliable water…
Arizona
Prescott's chief museum highlights the town's period as territorial capital (1863–67). The 1928 museum is named for its founder, pioneer Sharlot Hall …
Bosque Redondo Memorial at Fort Sumner
New Mexico
The convoluted name sums up the tragic history of this bleak, windswept spot, beside the Pecos River 6 miles southeast of town. Fort Sumner was built in…
Grand Canyon National Park
Enter the front door of the lodge and see...the Grand Canyon, somehow looking even larger framed by the massive windows of the sunroom. Built in 1937 out…
