Pack your bags for Santa Fe County, one of the world’s most dazzling destinations. Renowned for beauty and romance, Santa Fe County is also a celebrated spot for memorable weddings. Savor fantastic cuisine in renowned restaurants, soon to be featured in an acclaimed restaurant guide. Saddle up for a horseback tour of a legendary Hollywood Westerns movie set. Find time this season to make your way to the most unique destination on the planet.
Destination: Wondrous Weddings
Brilliant turquoise skies and sweeping mountain vistas make a perfect backdrop for any wedding. But add in captivating arts and culture, beguiling architecture and fabulous cuisine and you’ve got one of the world’s celebrated wedding destinations—Santa Fe County. Enchanting locales for saying “I do” include a historic ranch in the foothills of the Rockies, an intimate 19th-century chapel, or a themed adventure train ride through spectacular landscape. Choose a world-class resort that will cater to every need. As the winner of Travel + Leisure’s World’s Best Award in 2025, this is a magical place to make special moments to last a lifetime.
For inspiration in planning your dream wedding, don’t miss Tumbleroot -Alegria’s Second Annual Wedding Expo. Tumbleroot’s Wedding Expo brings guests together with Santa Fe’s wedding vendors.
Sunday, March 8, 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., located at 2791Agua Fria Street
https://santafenmtrue.com/events/second-annual-wedding-expo-at-tumbleroot
Eat: A New Guide for Gourmands
New Mexico’s reputation as a top culinary destination is about to expand even more, thanks to the upcoming publication of a MICHELIN guide devoted to the Southwest. The latest edition of the acclaimed restaurant guide will include restaurants in New Mexico. The guide dates to the turn of the 20th century in France, when the newly established Michelin tire company published a small guidebook for French motorists, to boost tire sales. Today, as Michelin’s anonymous inspectors seek out dazzling dining destinations for the guides, they apply the same criteria used by the very first inspectors, such as consistency, flavors, and cooking technique mastery. This is an exciting opportunity to showcase the chefs, restaurants, and culinary traditions that celebrate our state. The New Mexico restaurants that make the list for the MICHELIN Guide Southwest will be revealed later this year, at the 2026 MICHELIN Guide Southwest Ceremony.
To discover more about Santa Fe County’s world-class dining, visit santafenmtrue.com/food-spirits/dining and be sure to bring your appetite.
Arts
Get in the spirit of this year’s Route 66 centennial celebration with a stop at the Governor’s Gallery at the New Mexico State Capitol. Five brightly colored mural designs pay tribute to America’s iconic highway in the exhibit, Mother Road: The Spirit of Route 66 in New Mexico. The juried murals, selected from 192 artist submissions from across the country, were inspired by the history of Route 66 as well as its communities, landscapes and travelers who helped shape New Mexico’s identity.
On view through April 26, Monday-Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
The Governor’s Gallery at the New Mexico State Capitol, 490 Old Santa Fe Trail
santafenmtrue.com/events/mother-road-the-spirit-of-route-66-in-new-mexico
The Governor’s Gallery exhibition is presented jointly with Mother Road Coming into Color, a commissioned large-scale mural in the lobby of the New Mexico History Museum. Los Lunas-based artist Molly Mendenhall’s design, chosen from some 200 submissions, depicts Route 66 as a living narrative, starting with a monochromatic 1930s highway and shifting to a colorful contemporary Albuquerque scene. The mural —26 feet wide and 11 feet tall—invites viewers to take an immersive journey on the fabled highway, mixing past and present with history and creativity.
On view through 2027, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday
New Mexico History Museum, 113 Lincoln Ave.
To learn more about the fabled highway’s centennial, we invite you to cruise with us and celebrate Route 66 in Santa Fe County. santafenmtrue.com/arts-culture/route-66
Outdoors: A Horse Ride through Movie History
The history of Mortenson’s Eaves Movies Ranch is filled with film stars and iconic Western movie scenes. Ride a horse through the dusty streets of this historic western movie town and you’ll feel like you’re part of the action. It’s easy to imagine Kevin Costner as Wyatt Earp in the 1994 film of the same name, striding toward you. Or picture James Stewart riding his trusty equine, Pie, alongside Henry Fonda, in the 1970 Western comedy, The Cheyenne Social Club. The ranch, established in 1969, offers a one-hour guided trail ride past a saloon, a sheriff’s office, and a church. A two-hour guided trail ride leads through the movie town and out into a desert landscape of red rocks. If you’re horse shy, take a guided walking tour through the old movie town instead. The tours are offered by Four Sixes Santa Fe at Mortenson’s Eaves Movies Ranch, located 25 minutes from Santa Fe.
Stay and Play: Customize Your Stay
Whether you’re seeking an intimate adobe casita near historic downtown, an elegant villa with mountain views, or a hacienda that can accommodate the whole family, Two Casitas can match you with the perfect vacation rental property. Looking for a charming kiva fireplace to cozy up to? Check. How about authentic viga ceilings, and a private patio? All yours to reserve. With dozens of luxury getaways in a wide range of locations, Two Casitas’s exclusive vacation rentals not only offer the ultimate in amenities, they showcase the architecture, culture, natural beauty, and hospitality of Santa Fe County.
Here’s a look at some of the exciting upcoming events this spring:
Market Merriment
Shop for unique jewelry, pottery and other locally made treasures at the monthly Route 66 First Sunday Market, hosted by Tumbleroot Brewery & Distillery. Savor baked goods along with craft cocktails and live music from Joaquin Gallegos. The event is officially part of New Mexico’s Route 66 Centennial Celebration.
Please drink responsibly and always choose a designated driver.
Sunday, March 1, 12 p.m. to 4 p.m., located at 2791 Agua Fria Street
https://santafenmtrue.com/events/route-66-first-sunday-market-at-tumbleroot
Last Dance
More than 500 tribes from across America will take part in the Gathering of Nations Pow Wow, the largest Native American event in the country. The gathering features 3,000 dancers outfitted in colorful regalia, along with traditional singing and drumming. After 43 years, this marks the event’s final pow wow. Don’t miss the Indian Trader’s Market, filled with Native American art, jewelry, crafts, clothing and more, from tribal vendors across the Americas.
Friday, April 24 and Saturday, April 25, 2026
Expo New Mexico/Tingley Auditorium in Albuquerque
Literary Lions
From the Native storytelling traditions handed down from Ancestral Puebloans to the cuentos of the Hispano culture and the 20th-century Anglo writers who established colonies in northern New Mexico, the Santa Fe International Literary Festival carries forward the art and celebration of literature. The 2026 festival features more than 40 established and emerging authors from the region and around the world, including fiction writers Lauren Groff, Carl Hiaasen and Colm Tóibín; former U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón; and Dark Winds screenwriter and actor Dezbaa’
Friday, May 15 through Sunday, May 17, 2026
Santa Fe Community Convention Center
Bike On!
The Santa Fe Century Annual Ride just keeps on rolling and this year’s 40th edition will bring bicyclists of all levels and ages together for a weekend of gravel and road cycling fun. The scenic course starts and ends in Santa Fe, taking riders through the breathtaking beauty of the Ortiz Mountains and the Galisteo Basin. The ride options feature a range of distance and surface preferences on both Saturday and Sunday.
Saturday, May 16 through Sunday, May 17, 2026
For more information and to register, visit santafenmtrue.com/events/santa-fe-century-race
Find more Santa Fe County events on our website: santafenmtrue.com/events
Plan your getaway to Santa Fe County! We’re looking forward to seeing you. For more information, go to SantaFeNMTrue.com and be sure to follow us on social media.
Tag pics of your “Santa Fe County Getaway” and share the love! You’ll get a chance to be featured on our Instagram and Facebook pages, @santafecountynmtrue.