Family vacations in New Mexico can be rewarding experiences or absolute disasters — it all depends on pre-trip homework. To make planning easier, we've done all the preparation. As part of a Huffington Post Travel series on traveling with children, here are answers to some frequently asked questions about New Mexico family vacations.
Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta
Address: 5000 Balloon Fiesta Parkway NE, Albuquerque, NM 87113
Phone: 800-733-9918
Hours: Runs for 9 days in October, usually during the first week of the month.
Price: Adults, $8; children ages 12 and under, free
The Georgia O'Keeffe Museum
Address: 217 Johnson Street, Santa Fe, NM 87501
Phone: 505-946-1000
Hours: June through October: Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Fridays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. November through May: closed Tuesdays.
Price: Adults, $8; students and children under 18 years old, free; Friday evenings from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., free for everyone
The Santa Fe Children's Museum
Address: 1050 Old Pecos Trail, Santa Fe, NM 87505-2688
Phone: 800-748-2142
Hours: Open Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.
Price: $8 for non-resident adults, $4 for residents, $4 for children
Taos Pueblo
Address: Veterans Highway, Taos Pueblo, Taos, NM 87571
Phone: 575-758-1028
Hours: This is a living community so hours can vary, but it is generally open daily from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. It is closed for more than a month during late winter.
Price: Adults, $10; students, $5; kids under 10 years old, free; camera fees, $6; fees for professional photographers and artists will vary.
The Rio Grande Zoo
Address: 903 10th St. SW, Albuquerque, NM 87102
Phone: 505-764-6200
Hours: Open 7 days, year-round, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. In the summer, open until 6 p.m., except for Wednesdays, open until 8 p.m.
Price: Zoo/Bio Park combo: Adult, $12, children 3 to 12 and seniors, $5. Free beach access.
Bien Mur Indian Market Center
Address: 100 Bien Mur Dr. NE, Albuquerque, NM
Phone: 800-365-5400
Hours: Monday though Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Price: Entry is free
White Sands National Monument
White Sands National Monument is 275 square miles of white gypsum sand dunes. The sand is as fine as powder and the entire environment is a sea of white. Kids often sled on it and even the plant life and creatures found in this desert landscape take on a bizarre light color. The gypsum dunes were formed by millions of years of the Sacramento and San Andres mountains' run-off, which included sandstone, limestone and gypsum.
Address: 19955 Highway 70, Alamogordo, NM 88310
Phone: 575-479-6124
Hours: Memorial Day to Labor Day: Dunes Drive is open 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. The rest of the year it is open 7 a.m. to sunset. Visitor center: 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily in the summer. The rest of the year: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Price: Adults, $3; children 15 and under, free
What is your family's favorite New Mexico destination?
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