CHILDREN'S GUIDE TO SANTA FE
New Edition, Illustrated with photographs

INTRODUCTION FOR PARENTS AND OTHER GROWNUPS
           
            Santa Fe is a marvelous town, filled with historic attractions, a lively assortment of arts events, plenty of good restaurants, world-class museums and even a little night life. Despite its well deserved reputation as a cultural outpost and sophisticated small town, Santa Fe also is a good place for children. Whether you’re visiting for a few days or are lucky enough to live here, you'll find plenty of kid-friendly options. With 300 days of sunshine and only 14 inches of rain each year, Santa Fe’s outdoor attractions are compelling and accessible.
     
      Among the highlights:
     
            • The city has a museum designed and constructed just for kids, complete with a special child-size door.
            • Our indoor ice skating rank is open year-round and offers child-size skate rentals, lessons and more.
            • Your kids will find two skateboard parks, basketball and tennis courts, swimming pools and bike trails. Classes in martial arts are available in private studios and at public recreation centers.
            • The Museum of International Folk Art has an exhibit of dolls, toys and miniatures with special windows at a child's eye level. Afterwards, walk the labyrinth outside on adjoining Milner Plaza.
            • The mountains and foothills surrounding Santa Fe are rich with opportunities for family picnics, hiking, horseback riding and mountain biking. You don’t have to go far to take a river rafting trip, or find a spot to fish.
            • In the winter, you and your kids can have fun together at Ski Santa Fe or with cross-country skiing or snowshoeing on trails in the Santa Fe National Forest or the Valles Caldera in the Jemez mountains. You can go sledding or tubing in Hyde Park.
     
            Because Santa Fe boasts one of the country's most vibrant arts communities, our children benefit. Kids can study everything from painting and pottery to drama and dance in one-day programs offered through museums, by non-profit youth groups or commercial enterprises. Children can see professional theater, opera and music productions; some groups offer special concerts just for kids. The summer Spanish Market and Indian Markets, major arts and crafts shows, dedicate exhibition space to children who are also artists.
            Many Santa Fe events include children in wonderful ways. The Fiesta de Santa Fe, a community celebration each September, invites kids to walk in their own parade. The pancake breakfast on the Fourth of July includes entertainment geared for families. And if Santa Fe, nicknamed "The City Different," seems a little too different at times, please realize that our community has all the comfortable standbys--library story hours, a mall where teens hang with friends, franchised and independent video rental outlets, theaters with Coke and popcorn, video game arcades and places for banana splits and snow cones.
            The suggestions you'll find here are primarily intended for ages 5 to 12, although they often can be modified to suit younger or older children. We've included phone numbers (all area codes are 505) and websites for your convenience. If you have questions about hours or prices, please call ahead. Although we make every effort to keep Children's Guide to Santa Fe up to date, even we aren't perfect. Please let us know about your favorite Santa Fe sites by writing: Children's Guide to Santa Fe, Anne Hillerman c/o Sunstone Press, Box 2321, Santa Fe, N.M. 87504-2321.
     
            Enjoy your time in Santa Fe!
      --Anne Hillerman