Albuquerque is easy, people. It’s a giant grid split into quarters by I-40 (east-west) and I-25 (north-south).
The Sandia Mountains are to the east. The airport, the air force base and Isleta Resort and Casino are to the south. The river and the extinct volcanoes (and that hulking Amazon distribution center) are to the west. North is where you’ll find Sandia Resort and Casino, the highway heading to Santa Fe and the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta.
Now you’re all caught up.
If you’re here from out-of-town looking for things to do outside of the Balloon Fiesta Grounds, we’ve got plenty.
Old Town, packed with galleries and gift shops, is generally the first stop for tourists. That’s also where we keep the Albuquerque Museum, Explora Science Center & Children’s Museum and the (newly remodeled) New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science. Nearby is the Sawmill Market, a large indoor-outdoor food court. (Tin Can Alley food court is near Balloon Fiesta, Green Jeans Food Hall is not far from the malls and 505 Central Food Hall is Downtown.) Outside of Old Town Desert Rose Trading has a large outlet store for Native jewelry.
Drive around town a bit and you can take in the National Hispanic Cultural Center (which is hosting the 2026 Albuquerque Folk Festival), the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History, The Rio Grande Nature Center and the Route 66 Visitor Center (it’s the 100th anniversary, don’t you know?). Wherever you are in the city, odds are there’s some great public art near you, which you can track down through the city’s Public Art Urban Enhancement Division. Near Downtown, FUSION art space offers a wealth of art, theater and music events (including the upcoming Rising High Arts Festival). The University of New Mexico’s Popejoy Hall is as close as our city gets to Broadway.
The Albuquerque BioPark (Zoo, Aquarium, Botanic Garden) is always worth a visit (although the zoo is under a lot of construction right now, so bear with us). The Nob Hill neighborhood is home to some hip bars, restaurants, coffee shops, a handful of bookstores (like Quirky Books) and the New Mexico United (our local soccer club) gift shop. Dig through The Paper.‘s Event Calendar and you’re sure to find some great stuff to do for the next couple weeks!