Santa Fe

Founded by Spanish settlers as "The Royal Town of the Holy Faith of St. Francis of Assisi" in 1608 on the site of what had been the Pueblo Indian village of Ogapoge for perhaps 500 years, Santa Fe became part of the US territory of New Mexico in 1848. In 1912 the city became the capital of the 47th US state.

“The City Different” as it's been recently tagged, has by city ordinance been built for the past century in the Spanish Territorial or Pueblo adobe style of architecture. Arts and culture have been among several focus industries for the city for some time and Canyon Road, east of the Plaza, with the highest concentration of art galleries in the city is a major destination for international collectors and tourists - an American art center second only to New York City. Writers also came to live here, and music, opera and theater are well represented too. See some listings at our events/experiences page.

The arts have long been a draw for gay people and the city is New Mexico's most popular gay destination. The social scene here is more attuned to a couples-in-relationship older set rather than single young club-hoppers, and one of the most popular gay social spots is at the G/L retirement community. Other specifically-gay bars have come and gone, but many mainstream bars have gay followings and gay-owned clubs are as open to straight people as the general-public downtown clubs are to gay people.

Getting here, getting around

The Santa Fe Municipal Airport has connections to Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas, but many people fly into the Albuquerque International Sunport to get here, with it's dozen major scheduled airlines and far-reaching connections.

New Mexico Railrunner Express trains connect 14 stations between Santa Fe and Belen, including Albuquerque. There are airport shuttles connecting with Albuquerque Airport on weekdays. Purchase tickets online, or on-board from ticket agents. Santa Fe attractions such as museums, restaurants, galleries, shops, and the famous Santa Fe Plaza are within easy walking distance of the Santa Fe Railyard Station.

For city bus information, see the pages about public transportation on the official Santa Fe city website. Buses do not operate after 10pm weekends, Saturday nights after 8pm or anytime on Sundays, so a rental car or taxi is needed to get anywhere during most clubbing hours.

New Mexico Limos has daily limo service with uniformed chauffeur from Albuquerque Airport to Santa Fe and 27 other NM cities.

Media & resources

Santa Fe is the official travel site for the city, with accommodations, dining, shopping, attractions and events information from the Convention & Vistitors Bureau.

The Santa Fe Reporter is the weekly alternative print paper and online source for news, reviews, events and listings.

Santa Fe VIP is a blog/events calendar and online look around at businesses, restaurants, galleries and nightlife specials of the city.

For an overview of the local theater, opera, and symphony orchestra scene, see Santa Fe Theatre.

For some bars, restaurants and hotel listings see our maps & listings tab.