For years, all I knew of Taos, N.M., was the influence its mesas, mountains and canyons had on stunning Southwest art, inspiring artists including Ansel Adams and Georgia O’ Keeffe. But the region’s Native American history predates those artists, of course, and the intersection of Indigenous life and the people who settled in the area later makes for a fascinating destination today.
To help clients experience both historic and modern Taos, and to appreciate its geographical beauty, consider booking these four experiences.
Taos Pueblo resident Geronimo bakes bread with guests in a traditional horno oven.
Credit: 2024 Chelsee Lowe
Taos Pueblo Tour
Local operator Heritage Inspirations curates all kinds of excursions around New Mexico, including a half-day tour of Taos Pueblo, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. During my visit, I learned about the history of this incredible community, singular in that the Pueblo natives here were never displaced, and that the community continues to operate as it always has in many ways.
We baked bread with pueblo resident Geronimo, who generously shared family stories with us as we loaded loaves into the cedar-fired horno oven in his front yard. Once baked, we topped our steaming slices of bread with hefty dollops of butter and diced green hatch chilis. That warming snack was followed by a full lunch at Dawn Butterfly Cafe, where Native ingredients inspire dishes like mascarpone butternut squash soup and blue corn lemon cake.
Rio Grande Balloons regularly flies over the Rio Grande Gorge.
Credit: 2024 Rio Grande BalloonsHot Air Ballooning With Rio Grande Balloons
Sol Lothe, owner of Rio Grande Balloons, is exactly the person I needed during my first hot air balloon ride: supremely steady in the face of anxious riders like myself, plus wildly fun to watch as he expertly readies his balloon and basket with his crew. We rode into the air at sunrise and descended into the Rio Grande Gorge, looking for Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep and spying on hot spring bathers. It was indescribably peaceful, both in the gorge and above the mesa. A post-flight Champagne toast follows the balloon landing.
Artisan Walking Tour + Chocolate
The light in Taos casts a golden glow on the land some 300 days per year, and painters have long set up their easels here in hopes of capturing that magic. To gain a better understanding of the town’s art — Joseph H. Sharp sketched here in the 1880s, and was an inaugural member of the Taos Society of Artists, founded in 1915 — book Heritage Inspirations’ Artisan Walking Tour + Chocolate experience. Guests will step into contemporary galleries, but also historic spots, such as the Couse-Sharp Historic Site, where E. Irving Couse’s studio has been left largely untouched. After the stroll, the tour stops for treats at Chokola Bean to Bar.
Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs Resort and Spa
About 40 miles west of Taos, Ojo Caliente has been open since 1868 and is beloved for its public hot springs, some built right into the desert rocks. Temperatures hover around 100 degrees in the pools, and they’re full of restorative minerals such as iron, arsenic, lithia and soda. Clients can spend all day soaking, or break up their visit with a spa treatment. To linger longer, book an on-site suite.
Old Taos Guesthouse Inn offers charming rooms in a historic adobe complex.
Credit: 2024 Chelsee LoweWhere to Stay in Taos
After each full day exploring Taos, collapsing in my room at Old Taos Guesthouse Inn was a delight. Made up of a set of adobe structures, this bed-and-breakfast is great for travelers attuned to historic details like vigas ceilings (wooden beams) and kiva fireplaces. A full breakfast in the communal dining room is the cherry on top, made by owners Bob and Cady Aspinwall — the scent of fresh muffins, wafting to my room at 7:30 each morning, was the ideal wake-up call.
