Museum Hill has something for all ages. It’s a superb place to learn about the culture and history of the Southwest at four of Santa Fe’s best museums, from the giant kaleidoscopic room filled with miniature figures and folk art from around the world, to a relaxing botanical garden with more than 400 species of plants to wander around.
Museum of International Folk Art
Temporary installations of quirky art are housed in a building designed by iconic architect John Gaw Meem at the Museum of International Folk Art (internationalfolkart.org; adult/child $12/free). Its huge main gallery displays tiny doll scenes, masks and clothes from more than 100 different countries donated by collector Alexander Girard. Pick up a book at the door for more information as the displays aren't marked. Download the Multiple Visitons Gallery Guide on your phone (or pick up a hard copy at the gallery entrance) to identify what you are looking at in the vast room.
Museum of Indian Arts & Culture
Tracing the origins and history of the various Indigenous peoples of the Southwest, the permanent Here, Now and Always exhibition at the Museum of Indian Arts & Culture (indianartsandculture.org; adult/child $12/free) features video and audio interviews describing Indigenous artisan work, building techniques and language, plus a fashion section with designs across the ages. And there's usually a superb collection of pueblo ceramics, modern and ancient decorated with beautiful and intricate designs, plus blankets, tapestries, artworks and photography documenting communities in temporary exhibits, offering a rare peek into how people live. The Discovery Center hosts sessions for young people on weaving, pottery and storytelling.
Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian
Hosting temporary exhibits of Indigenous art from across North America, Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian (wheelwright.org; adult/child under 12 $10/free) also has a permanent exhibit tracing the history of Indigenous jewelry with over 800 pieces dating back centuries. The gift store is a former Navajo trading post and sells authentic indigenous crafts including items with local turquoise sourced from New Mexico. Look out for ad-hoc workshops, such as those which help you create a painted bullroarer, a musical instrument used to communicate over vast distances.
Museum of Spanish Colonial Art
The Nuevo Mexicano Heritage Arts Museum (nmheritagearts.org; free) celebrates the long history of Hispanic culture in New Mexico with religious and domestic art such as tin traded on the Santa Fe Trail, paintings of saints, embroidery and carved statues. It also doubles as a demonstration of John Gaw Meem's architecture and includes one of his blueprints.
Santa Fe Botanical Garden
Designed by notable landscapes architect W Gary Smith, the Botanical Garden (visitsfbg.org; adult/child $13/8) focuses on the crops that grow in New Mexico’s semi-arid landscape, with a pathway leading along an hour-long trail with 35 points of interest, including a rose and lavender walk, Geod Orchard Garden and Xeric Garden (with plants that need little water to survive). In winter, spot blue-green conifers and agaves. In spring, enjoy the apricot and crab-apple trees. In summer, spot hummingbirds from a shady bench and in fall, the garden harvests veggies from the terraces. Art is also dotted around the gardens.