Park Bench Chat

Cultural landscapes of New Mexico

Join The Trust for Public Land for a six-day journey to the distinctive cultures of New Mexico. We’ll begin with a private guided tour of Taos Pueblo, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and National Historic Landmark. At a dinner featuring authentic New Mexican cuisine, we’ll learn about The Trust for Public Land’s conservation partnership with Santa Clara Pueblo and tribal perspectives on conservation issues.

Following two nights at the elegant El Monte Sagrado Resort in Taos, we’ll relocate to The Inn of the Five Graces, a Relais & Chateaux luxury property in downtown Santa Fe. On our way, we’ll explore historic pueblo cliff dwellings at Bandelier National Monument and learn how The Trust for Public Land is helping preserve this irreplaceable heritage site. That evening, we will attend the Santa Fe Opera for a double bill by Mozart and Stravinsky. We will dine at the opera’s cantina, receive a private backstage tour and introduction to the performance, and enjoy the nearly 360° panorama from the striking open-air opera shed.

The next day we will visit the serene El Santuario de Chimayo, built in 1814 and sometimes known as the ”Lourdes of America.” The Trust for Public Land has helped to protect Chimayo’s rural setting and healing ambiance by conserving the rolling hills where Spanish settlers once pastured their livestock.

That evening, we will dine at The Shed, recipient of the James Beard Foundation Award for its Northern New Mexican dishes.

We will wind up our trip with a gourmet picnic lunch from the farmers’ market at the Santa Fe Railyard Park and Plaza—rated one of the nation’s top ten farmers’ markets by gourmet guru Alice Waters. Working with the community, The Trust for Public Land transformed a long-neglected 50-acre railyard into this vibrant park and plaza at the heart of a now bustling business and residential district.

CST #2086409-50