STOP!  Before you decide that Albuquerque is just the place to fly into and out of for your New Mexico Vacation, continue reading “Six Days, Seven Nights at the Turtle” and visit our other web site pages, especially Attractions, Hot Air Ballooning, Golfing and Corrales.

You’ll see that the Albuquerque area is truly a vacation destination offering a variety of experiences that can keep you actively engaged for days, if not weeks.  And the Chocolate Turtle B&B is right in the middle of it all, serving as a home base that is conveniently located for all of your explorations and activities, yet is in the idyllic setting of the Village of Corrales.  Truly – So Near, Yet So Far. 

So where do you begin?   

To help plan your stay, we’ve prepared a sampling of favorite day trips that we and our guests enjoyed.  This is just the beginning, so after you review “Six Days, Seven Nights at The Turtle” check out the additional things to do and see under our Activities tab.  We would be delighted to assist in customizing your itinerary.

Day 1
Unwind and explore the Village of Corrales.  This quaint historic farming village, home of the Chocolate Turtle, is the perfect beginning point for your exploration of the region.  After breakfast take a leisurely stroll along one of the acequia walking trails or the Corrales Bosque Preserve (woodland along the Rio Grande River and stopover nesting habitat for 183 species of birds).

Explore Casa San Ysidro,a circa 1870 home with authentic reconstructions of New Mexican Spanish Colonial and Territorial rooms and farm buildings with a rare collection of Hispanic New Mexican artifacts.

After a delicious lunch at one of the unique restaurants in the Village, visit the galleries and charming shops along Corrales Road, or if wine is your thing do a little tasting at either Corrales Winery or Milagro Vineyards and Winery.  Relax with a massage or reiki before completing your day with dinner at one of the excellent Corrales restaurants.    

Day 2
Begin the day with a visit to the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque.  Owned and operated by the 19 Indian Pueblos of New Mexico, the Cultural Center Museum houses impressive exhibits highlighting the history, traditions, language, art and craftsmanship of the 19 Pueblos.  The gift shop offers authentic art, jewelry, pottery and paintings by local and regional Indian artisans. 

Enjoy lunch at the Pueblo Harvest Café at the Cultural Center offering Southwest Native American cuisine and then make your way to Old Town Albuquerque. Or if hunger has not set in, head to Old Town and grab a bite at one of the numerous restaurants that surround the Plaza in Old Town. 

Old Town is the birthplace of Albuquerque, founded in 1706.  You will truly feel like you’ve stepped back in time as you stroll around the plaza, narrow streets, and meandering courtyards with the collection of historic buildings that house shops, galleries and restaurants.  If you prefer museums to shopping, they abound around Old Town with the Museum of Art & History, the Museum of Natural History and Science, the National Atomic Museum, and Explora (a hands on science museum for all ages) to name a few close by.  Chose a restaurant in Old Town or try another one in Corrales for dinner.

Day 3
Become more immersed in the Native American culture and history of the region with a trip to the Acoma Pueblo “Sky City”.  Located an easy 1 hour drive west of Corrales, Sky City is the oldest continuously inhabited community in North America dating back to 1100 A.D. 

Situated on a sandstone mesa rising 370 feet above the valley floor, Sky City is a living monument to the Acoma people.  Tours of Sky City conducted by native Acoma guides provide a captivating insight into history and perseverance of these Pueblo People.  The Haaku Museum in the Sky City Cultural Center in the valley, offers an excellent display of the art, artifacts and history of Acoma.  Sky City is considered a “Must Do” by all of our guests who have visited there.

Return to Corrales to relax and then get a different perspective on the countryside by taking the Sandia Peak Tramway to the top of the Sandia Mountains rising over 10,000 feet above sea level.  The longest aerial tramway in the world, the Tram takes you above deep canyons and breathtaking terrain on the 2.7 mile trip to the top.  The views ARE spectacular!  Most of our guests like to make this trip later in the afternoon so they can enjoy the panorama and then watch the sunset from the peak.  The High Finance Restaurant at the top of the Tramway offers a unique dining experience 2 miles up, or come back “down to earth” and enjoy dinner in Corrales or Albuquerque. 

Day 4
Time to get some exercise and enjoy the landscape up close and personal.  Start the day with a trip to the Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument, less then an hour from the Chocolate Turtle.   Tent Rocks offers an outstanding view at how the forces and processes of nature shape our landscape.
 
The cone-shaped rock formations are the products of volcanic eruptions.  Over time, wind and water cut into these deposits, creating canyons and arroyos, contouring the rocks into tent like shapes. The Canyon Trail is a 1.5-mile, one-way trek into a narrow canyon.  Being in the canyon is like being inside of a giant conch shell.  You can climb to the mesa top for a panoramic view or walk as far into the canyon as you wish and return to the entrance.

If you’re looking for a little more light exercise to work off all that delicious food you’ve been eating, come back to the Sandia Mountain foothills and walk one of the many hiking trails that meander through the gently rolling terrain at the base of the Mountain.

An option for those who find Tent Rocks sufficient exercise is a visit to the Anderson-Abruzzo International Balloon Museum.  With Albuquerque being the Ballooning Capital of the World, the museum is dedicated to the history, science and art of ballooning.  Located at Fiesta Park, home of the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, the museum is close to the Chocolate Turtle.  

Day 5
Ready for one of the most delightful leisurely scenic drives around?  Plan a day on route 4 in the Jemez Mountains.  The route takes you through some of the most beautiful and diverse landscape you’ll ever see.  The trip starts with the typical rugged desert landscape that, as you drive through the Jemez River canyon, gives way to some of the most beautiful red rock formations this side of Sedona. 

 The drive takes you through the quaint villages of Jemez and Jemez Springs with its hot mineral springs, and you skirt the Pueblo of Jemez a stop at the Walatowa Visitor Center is definitely worthwhile).  As you climb in altitude you notice that the barren rock formations have begun to give way to pine and pinion trees, and before you know it you are surrounded by towering evergreens.  Stopping to at least view, if not visit, the Valles Caldera National Preserve is a must.  This 89,000 acre preserve offers a rare opportunity to see herds of elk, wild turkey, coyotes and on occasion a bear in their natural setting. 

Bandelier National Monument should be your next stop.  One of the ancestral homes of the Pueblo people, Bandelier has the ruins of several thousand pueblo buildings highlighted by the Alcove House Kiva, an accessible cave dwelling in the canyon wall.  There are several easily traversed walking trails of various length that take you to the various archeological sites.

There are two options for returning to the Turtle.  You can back track down route 4 for a different perspective, or as an alternative, drive down the other side of the mountain to Pojoaque (“Po-WAH-kee”), head east, connect with Interstate 25 just south of Santa Fe and head toward Albuquerque.                               

Day 6
Take a day trip to Santa Fe, which is an easy 1 hour drive north on Interstate 25 from the Chocolate Turtle Bed and Breakfast.  Stroll the Plaza and streets visiting the many shops and galleries.  The historic Palace of the Governors on the Plaza, now a Southwestern history museum, was constructed as a government building by the Spanish in 1610. It remains the nation's oldest public building still in continuous use. Native American artists sell their wares under its historic portal as part of the Native American Vendors Program.

The architecture of Santa Fe is one of its most charming traits.  A great way to see the buildings and adobe walls is by taking one of the narrated small van tours of the City.  They depart from the Plaza and reservations are not needed.  Art galleries and museums abound in Santa Fe.  While many of the notable ones are on Canyon Road, the Georgia O’Keeffe museum is just off the downtown Plaza.