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New Mexico

Santa Fe Landscapes: Art, Culture and History

Program No. 11009RJ

Get an insider’s perspective on Santa Fe alongside local artists, exploring several world-class museums, enjoying traditional music and learning about Indigenous cultures.

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Itinerary

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Duration

7 days

6 nights

What's Included

14 meals ( 6B, 4L, 4D )

2 expert-led lectures

9 expert-led field trips

1 performance

An experienced Group Leader

6 nights of accommodations

Taxes and customary gratuity

Road Scholar Assurance Plan

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Day

Check-in, Program Registration, Orientation, Welcome Dinner

Location: Santa Fe, NM

Meals: D

Stay: Piñon Court By La Fonda

Activity Note

Hotel check-in from 4:00 p.m. Remember to bring your Road Scholar name tag (sent previously).

Afternoon:

Program Registration: 3:00-5:00 p.m. After you check in and have your room assignment, join us at the Road Scholar table to register with the program staff, get any updated information, and confirm the time and location of the Orientation session. If you arrive late, please locate your Group Leader and let them know you have arrived. Orientation: 5:00 p.m. The Group Leader will greet everyone and lead introductions. We will review the up-to-date program schedule, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer questions. We will learn from the Group Leader and a series of local experts who will give lectures and lead field trips. Transportation for program-related activities will be via motorcoach unless specified otherwise. Periods in the schedule designated as “Free time” and “At leisure” offer opportunities to do what you like and make your experience even more meaningful and memorable according to your personal preferences. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. Program activities, schedules, personnel, and indicated distances or times may change due to local circumstances/conditions. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding.

Dinner:

In our private hotel meeting room.

Evening:

At leisure. Continue getting to know your fellow Road Scholars, settle in, and get a good night's rest for the day ahead.

Day

History & Culture, Santa Fe Plaza, Music Performance

Location: Santa Fe, NM

Meals: B,L

Stay: Piñon Court By La Fonda

Activity Note

Walking up to 4 miles over paved and uneven terrain with inclines; standing for a few hours; elevations of 7,000–7,500 feet above sea level. Walking and other free time activities according to personal choice.

Breakfast:

At the hotel.

Morning:

Our Group Leader, who is also a local expert, will lead a discussion in the meeting room about the history of the area that is now New Mexico, from its earliest Ancestral Puebloan inhabitants to the Spanish and American soldiers and settlers who followed. We'll also hear about Santa Fe and why it's called “The City Different.” We'll then head out on foot with the Group Leader to explore Santa Fe's Plaza area, the historic heart of the city. We'll visit the impressive Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, the Palace of the Governors, the Loretto Chapel, and other sites as time permits.

Lunch:

At a local restaurant.

Afternoon:

Free time. This period of time has been set aside for your personal independent exploration to see and do what interests you most. Please refer to the list of Free Time Opportunities. There are a number of museums, colorful galleries, and shops within walking distance of the hotel. Museums include the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum (advanced reservations recommended), the New Mexico History Museum and the Museum of Contemporary Native Art. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. Please note that the period scheduled for free time is subject to change depending on local circumstances and opportunities for independent exploration

Dinner:

This meal has been excluded from the program cost and is on your own to have what you like. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. Not to be confused with "Tex-Mex," New Mexico's unique cuisine has been influenced by ingredients and techniques used in Native American and Spanish cooking. Santa Fe is known for the breadth and depth of its culinary offerings. There are a number of fine restaurants within walking distance of the hotel and the Santa Fe Plaza.

Evening:

In the meeting room at the hotel, we will enjoy a performance by a local musician that showcases the music of the Southwest.

Day

School for Advanced Research, Museum Hill, Red Mesa Cuisine

Location: Santa Fe, NM

Meals: B,L,D

Stay: Piñon Court By La Fonda

Activity Note

Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 45 miles, 1.5 hours total riding time. Walking up to 3 miles, standing up to 2 hours at a time; uneven brick sidewalks, unpaved dirt (mud if there is precipitation).

Breakfast:

At the hotel.

Morning:

This morning we'll board our coach and travel to the School for Advanced Research, where we'll be allowed into the vaults of the Indian Arts Research Center. We'll see wonderful collections of pottery, weaving, baskets, jewelry, paintings only seen by the public via special invitation. The School for Advanced Research provides a dynamic environment for the advanced study and communication of knowledge about human culture, evolution, history, and creative expression. SAR draws upon its century-deep roots in the American Southwest, anthropology, and indigenous arts to present programs, publications and initiatives that impart the learning of social scientists, humanists, and artists.

Lunch:

At a local restaurant

Afternoon:

Next, we’ll board the coach and ride to Museum Hill where we'll explore the Museum of Indian Arts & Culture and the Museum of International Folk Art. The Museum of Indian Arts and Culture features pottery, jewelry, sculpture, baskets, and other objects made by Native Americans from the earliest times to modern day, scrupulously documented and beautifully displayed. The Museum of International Folk Art focuses on indigenous populations from around the world through their art – ranging from ceremonial dress and masks to furniture. The museum hosts the largest collection of international folk art in the world, including wings featuring some of the 106,000 pieces donated by collectors Alexander and Susan Girard and Lloyd Cotsen's Neutrogena collection. We’ll return to the hotel for some time to freshen up before departing for dinner. Late afternoon, we’ll gather at the hotel, board our motorcoach and travel a few miles south of Santa Fe to Red Mesa Cuisine in Eldorado. Before dinner, we will hear from local chef Lois Ellen Frank, Ph.D., a Native American foods historian, culinary anthropologist, photographer, and James Beard Award-winning author.

Dinner:

At Red Mesa Cuisine, we'll enjoy a meal featuring regional cuisine prepared by Dr. Frank and Chef Walter Whitewater.

Evening:

Returning to the hotel, the remainder of the evening is at leisure.

Day

Georgia O'Keeffe, NM Museum of Art, Free time

Location: Santa Fe, NM

Meals: B,L

Stay: Piñon Court By La Fonda

Activity Note

Walking up to two miles and standing up to 2 hours during field trip. Extent and duration of walking and other activities during free time according to personal choice.

Breakfast:

At the hotel.

Morning:

We’ll start the morning in the meeting room with an expert-led presentation about the life and art of Georgia O’Keeffe. She was one of the most influential artists of the 20th century and a pioneer of American modernism. Although best known for the work she produced in New Mexico, O’Keeffe was a prolific artist with over 3,000 works over the course of her career and was the first female artist to have a museum dedicated solely to her work. After the lecture, we’ll walk four blocks to the New Mexico Museum of Art. Since its opening in 1917 the New Mexico Museum of art has been an iconic architectural landmark in downtown Santa Fe. It has demonstrated that the heart of a people is reflected in the art of place. The museum was launched with an open-door policy that invited New Mexico-based artists to exhibit their works. This progressive policy inspired a vibrant museum environment where the art of established and emerging artists shared space and conversation while engaging viewers in their distinctive cultural expressions. In showcasing a broad range of art and artists, from Native American to Hispanic to European, the museum made every piece and every person welcome.

Lunch:

At a local restaurant.

Afternoon:

Free time.

Dinner:

On your own to enjoy the cuisine of your choice.

Evening:

At leisure.

Day

Centinela Weavers, Taos Pueblo, Millicent Rogers Museum

Location: Santa Fe, NM

Meals: B,D

Stay: Piñon Court By La Fonda

Activity Note

Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 150 miles, approximately 3 hours total riding time. Walking up to 3 miles, standing up to 2 hours during field trips; varied terrain, uneven sidewalks and unpaved dirt (mud if there is precipitation).

Breakfast:

At the hotel.

Morning:

We’ll board the motorcoach and ride 30 miles north to the village of Chimayó where we will visit the Centinela Traditional Arts Weaving Gallery. Many local families have been carrying on the traditions of Hispanic-style weaving for generations. We’ll have an opportunity to see some beautiful pieces by an award-winning, seventh-generation weaver, whose work is on display in a number of museums, including the Smithsonian. Back on the motorcoach, we will ride to Taos Pueblo (if the Pueblo is open; it sometimes closes with little to no advance notice for private Pueblo events). This picturesque Pueblo at the base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains is one of the oldest continuously inhabited communities in North America. The multiple-storied adobe dwellings reflect an ancient culture. Approximately 100 Pueblo residents still live much as their ancestors did 1,000 years ago, without electricity or running water. Taos Pueblo is the only living Native American community designated both a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and a National Historic Landmark. At the Pueblo, we'll enjoy an expert-led walk through the community. We will board the motorcoach and ride to the Taos Plaza area for some time for independent explorations and lunch.

Lunch:

On your own.

Afternoon:

Before leaving Taos, we'll visit the Millicent Rogers Museum. Established in 1956, the museum's holdings include more than 7,000 objects documenting the arts and cultures of the Southwest, including the largest publicly held collection of Maria Martinez pottery in the world. Other significant collections on display include Hispanic Santos, Apache baskets, Southwest textiles including Northern Rio Grande Hispanic weavings, colcha embroideries, and Southwest jewelry. Departing for Santa Fe, we will stop briefly at San Francisco de Asís Mission Church en route (viewing the exterior only). Located in the historic district of Ranchos de Taos, this Spanish Colonial adobe building is one of the best-known and most photographed churches in New Mexico.

Dinner:

On our way back to Santa Fe, we will stop for dinner at a popular local restaurant.

Evening:

Returning to the hotel, the remainder of the evening is at leisure.

Day

Pecos National Historic Park

Location: Santa Fe, NM

Meals: B,L,D

Stay: Piñon Court By La Fonda

Activity Note

Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 80 miles, approximately 1.5 hours riding time. Walking up to 3 miles, standing up to 2 hours at a time during field trips; varied terrain with inclines, unpaved dirt. Walking and other free time activities according to personal choice.

Breakfast:

At the hotel.

Morning:

We’ll ride on the motorcoach to Pecos National Historical Park, to explore a Pueblo ancestral community and remains of a Spanish colonial church. Once called the Gateway to the Plains, this area served as a trading center and linked the ancestral Puebloans with the Plains tribes who came to trade. The site, once part of the Forked Lightning Ranch, was owned by the late Greer Garson and her husband, Buddy Fogelson. The land was donated with the hope that it would be preserved for future generations. A mile-long, paved hiking trail circles the site, which has remains of pueblo dwellings, kivas and a mission church, all located on remarkably beautiful land in the Pecos valley 35 miles northeast of Santa Fe. Boarding the coach, we will return to Santa Fe.

Lunch:

Lunch at a local restaurant.

Afternoon:

Enjoy some free time for independent explorations.

Dinner:

Dinner at the hotel. Share favorite experiences with new Road Scholar friends during our farewell dinner.

Evening:

Prepare for check-out and departure in the morning.

Day

Program Concludes

Location: Santa Fe, NM

Meals: B

Activity Note

Hotel check-out 11:00 a.m.

Breakfast:

At the hotel. This concludes our program.

Morning:

If you are returning home, safe travels. If you are staying on independently, have a wonderful time. If you are transferring to another Road Scholar program, detailed instructions are included in your Information Packet for that program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on rewarding programs in the future. Don’t forget to join our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram. Best wishes for all your journeys!

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Please Note: This program has itinerary variations on certain dates.

Nov 17 - Nov 23, 2025 Itinerary Differences: This date includes a day trip to Taos including the Taos Pueblo (if it is open to the public) and the Millicent Rogers Museum.

Santa Fe Landscapes: Art, Culture and History

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