Although Santa Fe has been known as a great romantic destination for couples and single adults, the truth is that there is plenty for children to experience and enjoy.
We will start with the playgrounds around town you can get to with your children. They are rated by age category. Then we will explore some less known museums and monuments that are kid friendly, more commonly known places for kids and day trips for kids.
Playgrounds
Fort Marcy
- 490 Washington Ave.
- Toddler ages
This park is small but has a slide, and cubbyholes for hiding games. There are no swings and on picnic table, but there is a toddler swimming pool.
Atalaya
- 717 Camino Cabra
- Next to Atalaya elementary school
- All ages
This playground has a long metal slide, plenty of swings, and six picnic tables. For older kids there are tennis courts and basketball courts. The Atalaya Mountain is a beautiful scene for parents to enjoy while they are with their children.
Cerro Gordo Park
- 1404 Cerro Gordo Rd.
- Toddler thru elementary school ages
This playground is usually deserted but has swings, three slides and a fire pole.
It is a peaceful and meditative type area with a gorgeous view of the mountains for parents who want to relax while the kids play.
Salvador Perez Park
- 601 Alta Vista at St Francis
- (Also called the train park because of the old locomotive parked there)
- All ages
For older kids the park is a wide open space with tennis courts, and a public indoor swimming pool. For younger kids there is an enclosed area with a multi level play structure with slides, swings, ramps, fire poles and cubbyholes.
Candelero Park
- 2213 Brillante just off Zia
- Older kids
Here there is a basketball court for older kids. The playground for smaller kids is minimal though.
Ragle Park
- Zia and Yucca Rd intersection
- All ages
This is a small park with a recycled plastic play structure that has slides, a fire pole, and tunnels. It is surrounded by a fence to keep toddlers under watch. The ball fields next to this area are large and good for older kids for baseball, soccer or free play.
Franklin Miles Park
- 1027 Camino Carlos Rey at Siringo Rd.
- All ages
A family friendly park. There is play equipment for younger tikes, and a large field area for free play, Frisbee or ball games and an awesome skate park where older kids can be seen on skates, skateboards, and BMX bikes.
Villa Linda Park
- 4250 Cerrillos Rd
- (Near Toys R Us in the Villa Linda Mall)
- Toddlers thru elementary school age
There are swings and two jungle gyms here. This is a great place to allow the kids to let off steam before or after you shop.
Las Acequias Park
- Atajo off Rufina St.
- Tots thru elementary school age
Here you will find a low height basketball court, swings, covered picnic tables and a standard playground for tots.
Larragoite
- Agua Fria and Avenida Cristobal Colon
- All ages
Swings, plastic play structure, slides, tunnels, and basketball and tennis courts make up this playground.
Frenchy's Park
- Agua Fria and Osage St.
- Toddler to elementary school age
A well attended park by kids. Playground equipment is typical for the age group. Frenchy’s Barn is a one-room building that can be rented for parties there at the playground. Call Barbara Lopez at The Parks Division 955 2100.
Gregory Lopez Park
- 1230 San Felipe off Osage
- All ages
A smaller park with a slide and swings. No adult playing is allowed on field and posted as such so it is just for kids.
Alto Bicentennial Park
- 1043 Alto Street
- Ages 3 and under
This is a small park oriented towards the littler ones and very suited for those with disabilities. This park is well used and shows, but is peaceful and quiet. It is adjacent to Santa Fe’s only toddler pool which is open all summer.
If you are visiting the Santa Fe area, try out a few of these parks with the kids so they get their vacation time and shhhh maybe tire out for a nap so you can relax where you are staying.
Lesser known museums and monuments that are kid friendly
The Bataan Memorial Military Museum
- 9-4 Tue, wed, Fri. 9 – 1 sat.
- Admission is on a donation basis
- 474 1670
This museum shows the history of New Mexico’s military. It shows 400 years of conflict in the weapons and uniforms.
It is geared towards showing kids the heroes of this state. It also shows kids some of what their parents or grandparents may have experienced in wartime.
Museum of Spanish Colonial Art
- 750 Camino Lejo
- Tues. – Sun. 10 – 5
- Free for youth under 16
- $3 for Nm residents, $6 for non residents,
- 982 2226
This museum has the world’s largest collection of art from the colonial era of Spain.
Set in a historic adobe home along Museum Hill. Here they truly welcome families and children.
Special activities are offered to kids and families. The “Possible Bag’ contains coloring pages, a puzzle, and other activities tying in to the objects of art in the museum. Children s young as 4 can participate in a treasure hunt and win a prize.
The Youth Art and Activity Gallery is filled with young people art activities and children can try on reproductions of period clothing and check out themselves in a mirror.
Bandelier National Monument
- Open daily 8am – 6pm
- Admission is $10 per vehicle
- Approx 30 miles north of Santa Fe
- 672 0343
This outdoor park shows the life of the southwest’s earliest residents. The grounds are filled with cliff dwellings and Indian ruins.
The visitor center show displays of Indian artifacts and pottery.
Two other rooms show life in this area during prehistoric thru recent pueblo inhabitants.
There are two ranger programs for kids. The Junior Ranger program is for kindergartners thru eight graders, and the deputy ranger is for older kids and adults.
Both programs involve activity sheets and learning about the historical and natural qualities of the park. Certificates and embroidered patches are earned for this.
Pecos National Historic Park
- Open 8 to 6
- Admission is $3 for adults Kids 16 and under are free
- 10 miles out of Santa Fe
Here you will find a walking tour of Pueblo Ruins and a visitor center museum.
The mile and a quarter walking tour takes you to two kiva ceremonial caves that kids can climb into and ruins of a Spanish Mission church.
This are was once a trading center for the Plains Indian. The Santa Fe Trail also came thru this valley. A pivotal battle of the Civil War was also fought here.
Staff members lead a tour of the civil war battlefield and the ranch house that was once owned by Greer Garson. Transportation is provided for this tour.
If you thought Santa Fe wasn’t for kids or families, I hope this changes your mind and gives you a taste of what the whole gang can do together while visiting Santa Fe.
More commonly known places for kids
Santa Fe Southern Railway
- 410 S Guadalupe Street
- 888 989 8600
- Prices start at $30
Kids and their parents can ride this 120 year old railroad that goes from Santa Fe to Lamy and back.
There are a number of cars to ride in. Not always available, but the sky Car is a great car to ride in and see EVERYTHING. It has two floors and the kids love it because it is like a train car full of windows -even up on the top floor on the roof!
There is the open flat car where on the trip you can truly have the wind in your hair.
There are also numerous passenger cars. All of them are available to walk thru during the trip. Snacks and beverages are available on the trip.
Depending on the time of year, there are numerous theme train rides and in the summer a BBQ train ride with food and entertainment in Lamy.
Santa Fe Children's Museum
1050 Old Pecos Trail
- Admission is $4 for adults and $3 for children under 12
- www.santafechildren’s museum.org
- 505 989 8359T
- This museum is aimed at ages 2- 12.
This is one of the more well known of all kid’s activities in Santa Fe. It is a very well run and supported museum with all kinds of hands on activities in Science, Botany and History. This is truly a place for families to play together.
Genoveva Chavez Community Center
- 3221 Rodeo Rd.
- 505 955 4001
This community center tops most in the world. Santa Fe is very proud of this facility. It has a full sized ice skating rink with rentals, snack shop, indoor pools including laps pools and kiddie pools with slides, an indoor running track, a full size gymnasium for basketball, volleyball, racquet ball courts, and a workout facility with weights, cardio machines, two workout classrooms, lockers, showers, and restrooms.
This facility has excellent summer programs as well as year round classes.
I think this is another must for families to take a break from the sightseeing and allow the kids to go swim, or ice skate while the parents take a yoga class, or fit in a quick workout.
El Rancho de Las Golondrinas
- 334 Los Pinos Rd.
- www.golondrinas.org
- 471 2261
This ranch from the history pages of New Mexico is now a living museum. The date is the early 1700s. Hands on activities and scheduled events are scheduled throughout the year. Call for information.
Casa Grande Trading Post
- Turquoise Trail
- Great day trips for kids
This is along the historic Turquoise trail where a few mining towns are coming alive again.
Here you will find for the kids a Trading Post, Petting Zoo, and Mining Museum.
Great hands on activity for kids who have been in a car for a little while!
Wildlife West Nature Park
- Enhanced Zoo and Wildlife Refuge
- East of the Sandia Mtns. between Santa Fe and Albuquerque
- Summer Hours 10 – 6 or appointment
- Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for seniors and kids free
- www.wildwest.org/naturepark
Built by kids and staffed by volunteers this non profit organization has everything from a Wild Bird Nature Trail to 122 acres of native plants, and rescued not releasable elk, deer, bobcat, mountain lion, foxes, raccoons, turtle, ducks and raptors.
Kasha Katuwe Tent Rocks
- National Monument
- 40 Miles Southwest of Santa Fe
- Open 7 – 7 in the summer
- $5 per vehicle
This monument has great significance historically, geologically and culturally.
Here you will find cone shaped rocks up to 90 feet high. Part of the first Star Wars was filmed here. There are a number of great hiking trails from the easy 1.2 mile cave loop trail to the 1.5 canyon trail which has some steep climbs, but the views you get are tremendous.
Very Large Array - Astronomical Radio Observatory
- 50 miles south of Socorro
- Admission Free
- www.nrao.edu
27 radio antennas 82 feet in diameter in a Y configuration. This scene was in the film Contact. The Visitor Center offers a video presentation, exhibits, and a radio telescope to observe the area. Free guided tours are given by students in the summer.
Shidoni Bronze Foundry
- Tesuque
- 5 miles north of Santa Fe
- Admission Free
- M-F noon to 1pm - self guided tours, Saturday 9 - 5
- 505 988 8001
- www.shidoni.com
Kids would love to play in the bronze sculpture garden surrounded by cottonwoods and apple trees. Molten bronze can be watched as it is poured. The Shidoni arts gallery may be of interest to kids of older ages.
If you thought Santa Fe wasn't for kids or families, I hope this changes your mind and gives you a taste of what the whole gang can do together while visiting Santa Fe.
Thanks to the summer quarterly newspaper Tumbleweeds and the New Mexico Kids! May/June 2003 Magazine I was able to get some of this information.
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Eileen Richardson
