Hundreds of thousands of visitors pack Albuquerque every October for the Balloon Fiesta, but once the morning mass ascension wraps and traffic clogs the roads around the park, savvy travelers point their cars north. Rio Rancho and the rest of Sandoval County pick up where the launch field leaves off, trading crowds for mountain views, […]
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Lavender farms and Globitos make Los Ranchos a side trip worth taking
Los Ranchos de Albuquerque is a semi-rural village tucked between Old Town and Corrales. It’s one of the oldest settled areas in the Rio Grande valley, and back in the mid-1800s it served as the Bernalillo County seat. It was also the original path of Route 66, pre-1937. Nowadays, it’s a quiet neighborhood lined with […]
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Off-field adventures in Albuquerque during Balloon Fiesta
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. […]
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The most alien place you’ve ever been: Day trips to Roswell
The Southeast is calling. Roswell is a long day trip away, or you can hitch up your RV and make a few days of it at Wild Willy’s RV Park. After you had fun at the Balloon Fiesta, we invite you to come down to the southeast of New Mexico and explore the town where […]
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Get off the beaten path to find farm life, food and art in the Village of Corrales
We asked locals to share their favorite things to do in their neighborhood during Balloon Fiesta. Here’s Corrales Mayor Fred Hashimoto with his tips for planning your visit to the historic Village of Corrales. Welcome to the Village of Corrales, Balloon Fiesta visitors! Corrales is a rural community bordered on the east by the Rio […]
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Day trip along the Turquoise Trail, aka “The back way to Santa Fe”
Turquoise Trail: The very name conjures up images of Southwestern treasure waiting to be unearthed. New Mexico State Road 14 is a 54-mile stretch connecting the Albuquerque area to the Santa Fe area. Known to locals as “the back way” and to tourists worldwide as “The Turquoise Trail,” this picturesque path is a National Scenic […]
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The Santa Fe Reporter’s balloonists’ guide to one day in The City Different
Can you even believe it’s Balloon Fiesta time again? We swear it feels like it happensmore than once a year, but maybe that’s just because it covers two weekends and fillsthe sky with a month’s worth of color — and hot air. Thousands descend uponAlbuquerque for the event each year, but over the years Santa […]
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New Mexico Comic Expo returns to Albuquerque with a bang and a pow
By Sara Atencio-Gonzales, The Paper. – After a five-year break, the New Mexico Comic Expo is returning to Albuquerque with an emphasis on the people whose artwork, stories and merchandise help build comic book culture. The New Mexico Comic Expo will take place Sept. 26 and 27, bringing comic creators, local vendors and celebrity guests […]
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3 Questions: Leba Freed at the WHEELS Museum
By Sara Atencio-Gonzales, The Paper. – For more than three decades, Leba Freed has worked to preserve a piece of Albuquerque history that helped shape the city itself. As president of WHEELS Museum, Freed has helped transform a preservation effort at the Albuquerque Rail Yards into a museum dedicated to telling the story of transportation […]
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New Mexico wants FEMA to pay for years of wildfire recovery costs
By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — Years after the largest wildfire in New Mexico history, the National Guard is still helping northern New Mexico communities respond to flooding across the burn scar. Now, the state wants FEMA to pay millions for that work. The New Mexico Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management sued the […]