Sightseeing and Attractions in Santa Fe

Tourism is a major aspect of the Santa Fe economy, with visitors attracted year-round by the climate and related outdoor activities (such as skiing in years of adequate snowfall; hiking in other seasons) plus cultural activities of the city and the region. The city of Santa Fe provides information on tourism via SantaFe.org and Santa Fe Chamber of Commerce.

Most tourist activity takes place in the historic downtown, especially on and around the Plaza, a one-block square adjacent to the Palace of the Governors, the original seat of New Mexico's territorial government since the time of Spanish colonization. Other areas include ?Museum Hill?, the site of the major art museums of the city, and the Canyon Road arts area with its galleries.

Some visitors find Santa Fe particularly attractive around the second week of September when the aspens in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains turn yellow and the skies are clear and blue. This is also the time of the annual Fiestas de Santa Fe, celebrating the "reconquering" of Santa Fe by Don Diego de Vargas, a highlight of which is the burning Zozobra, a fifty-foot marionette also called "Old Man Gloom".

Within easy striking distance for day-trips is the town of Taos, about 70 miles (113 km) North and the historic Bandelier National Monument about 30 miles (48 km) away. Santa Fe's ski area, Ski Santa Fe, is about 16 miles (26 km) north of the city.

Smokers should be aware that the City Council passed a strict anti-smoking ordinance in the summer of 2006 that bans smoking in all businesses and public places in the city. Bars are no longer allowed to set aside a smoking area.