Spring is here but thanks to the unpredictable weather – wind, snow, hail, sun, repeat – it’s hard to get excited about doing anything outside. Given that Santa Fe’s last predicted frost date falls on May 20th, it could take a a month or more before the weather in Santa Fe feels fully springlike.
So what to do during this in-between time? When these un-Santa Fe-like days offer no sun and it’s too gray and miserable to venture anywhere except to your couch? When you step outside only to be greeted by the wind levitating your baseball cap? When even the family dog refuses to follow you out the door for a walk? Well, hang on to that hat, because we’ve got some great destinations that will make it worthwhile to not only leave your couch but your house as well. Read on to find out where you can bowl a strike, learn about Billy the Kid and the Lincoln County War, chat up a farmer and more. When you’re done, explore SantaFe.com to discover more great things to do in Santa Fe when bad weather’s got you stuck indoors.
Bowling in Santa Fe
Bowling is an all-American pastime and fun for the whole family. So why not load everyone into the car for a trip to Big Rock Bowling at Santa Claran Hotel and Casino in Española and get ready to roll in a 24-lane, 10-pin bowling center? When you need to fuel up, there’s a snack bar serving hot dogs, pizza, nachos and more. For far-out fun, go for the Cosmic Bowling on Fridays, starting at 10 pm, and on Saturdays at 6 pm. That’s when the regular lights turn off and the black lights and strobe lights turn on for some out-of-this-world recreation. If you find that bowling is your thing, you’ll be happy to learn that Big Rock has leagues you can join.
Santa Fe For Kids
Families with kids might not jump at the chance to spend a rainy day in a museum. If your destination is the Santa Fe Children’s Museum, however, expect a race to the car. This marvelous museum, founded in 1985, offers 
innovative learning experiences for children with an inventive array of exhibits and programming. Stargazer, for instance, is a portable planetarium that hosts bilingual shows such as star talks and culture talks. The Seeds and Sprouts program introduces kids to gardening based on the growing cycles of the seasons. Fine Art Fridays are devoted to explorations of changing themes such as Culinary Arts and Recycled Art, with hands-on activities and featured guests. The hands-on exhibits can keep kids engaged, learning in a meaninful way while they’re having fun. If you’re thinking of dropping your kids off so you can run errands, don’t. This museum is as much a place for grown-ups as it is for young’uns.
Farmer’s Market
The sensational Santa Fe Farmers’ Market will throw open its doors soon for the outdoor season. Until it does, however, you can shop the sprawling indoor Market Pavilion for all kinds of delicious treats guaranteed to give you a sunny disposition, no matter the weather. Every Saturday, in the snow or pouring rain, you’ll find dozens of New Mexico farmers inside the pavilion, in stalls set up beneath a soaring ceiling. Here, they cheerfully sell their fresh produce, eggs, New Mexico-raised beef and poultry, artisan cheese, spicy salsa, roasted chile, and so much more. If it’s cold outside, you can warm up with freshly made coffee and handmade breakfast burritos as well as home-baked streudel, donuts and other pastries. Don’t forget to browse the on-site Santa Fe Farmers’ Market Shops, including the Farmers’ Market Gift Shop, filled with local and international treasures, and Cafe Fresh, serving farm fresh foods and organic espresso.The year-round market is open Saturdays from 8 am to 1 pm until June, when the hours shift to 7 am to 1 pm; the Tuesday market begins; and the outdoor market opens up.
New Mexico’s Wild West History
Do you know when the Lincoln County War took place? How about what role Billy the Kid played in this Old West battle? You’ll discover the answers and learn practically everything else there is to know about our state’s rich and riveting past at the New Mexico History Museum. This state-of-the-art, interactive museum opened in 2009 with a collection that covers some five centuries of the making of the American West. You’ll travel a timeline from the days of the Ancestral Puebloan people to Spanish conquistadors and colonists to the pioneers on the Santa Fe Trail to the railroad era, on through the art colonies, the Manhattan Project, the hippie communes and more. Among the museum’s thousands of artifacts, maps, photographs, paintings and other items, you’ll see Pancho Villa’s revolver, a historic stagecoach, an exhibit devoted to the coming of the railroad, another to Fred Harvey and the Harvey Girls, a room devoted to the art and literary colonies of Santa Fe and Taos, and so much more. In addition, you can attend hands-on workshops, performances tied to the museum experience and revealing lectures. This 96,000 square-foot museum is the newest in the state’s museum system, and it’s part of a complex that includes New Mexico’s oldest museum, the Palace of the Governors. This 400-year-old.building is the oldest continuously occupied government building in the U.S. and a National Historic Landmark. It’s easy to forget what the weather is doing outside when you’re immersed in New Mexico’s fascinating history.
This article was posted by Cheryl Fallstead
