What's New in Northern New Mexico

Art on the Edge

These days you'll find a growing crop of galleries in the area specializing in abstract, contemporary, and often international works. One of the first major forces in the city's artistic evolution, the acclaimed SITE Santa Fe museum, opened in 1995 but underwent a dramatic redesign and expansion in fall 2017. The surrounding Railyard District has seen an emergence of provocative, modern galleries in recent years, as have Downtown and Canyon Road. But the biggest artistic development in Santa Fe has been the opening of a permanent multimillion-dollar art complex by Santa Fe's edgy Meow Wolf art collective.

Hotel Happenings

Several spa-oriented resorts in the region have recently upped their game, including the historic and tranquil Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs Resort & Spa, about an hour north of Santa Fe, which took over and completely redesigned the beautiful Sunrise Springs Spa Resort on Santa Fe's South Side. On the horizon, with an anticipated opening of summer 2018, the historic and storied Bishop's Lodge Resort has undergone an ambitious renovation and expansion following its acquisition by the posh Auberge Resorts group. Guests will be able to enjoy a new restaurant, lounge, and spa facilities while soaking up dazzling views of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. In 2017 in Albuquerque, the city's newest upscale accommodation, Hotel Chaco, opened in Old Town, and one of the state's most enchanting hideaways, Los Poblanos Inn, completed a $10-million expansion that added additional guest rooms, a new lobby, and a stunning farm-to-table restaurant, Campo.

Craft Beverages on Tap

Sure, craft breweries are popping up like daisies in every zip code in the nation. But the beer scenes in Santa Fe, Taos, and especially Albuquerque—which has more beer producers per capita than Portland, Oregon—are especially impressive and innovative. Among the up-and-coming standouts, consider Duel Brewing—which specializes in Belgian-style farmhouse ales—in Santa Fe, Taos Mesa Brewing in Taos, and La Cumbre, Bosque, Bow & Arrow, Drafty Kilt, and Tractor breweries in Albuquerque, all of which are earning raves, and awards, for their distinctive creations. New Mexico has a surprisingly robust wine-making culture, too. The most celebrated winery in the state, Gruet, opened a stylish tasting room in Santa Fe in 2017 just off the lobby of the historic St. Francis.