Taos
Artists, writers, explorers of all types have all found this small town nestled at the foot to the Sangre De Cristo mountains to be a haven of inspiration and reconnection. Creative, soulful and filled with magic, Taos and its surrounding land has something for everyone.
Taos may have served as a muse for D.H. Lawrence, Aldous Huxley and Georgia O’Keefe, but you don't need to be an artist for Taos to cast a lingering spell.
The sunlight is intense regardless of the season and sweeps through Taos as it does San Cristobal, painting the Sangre de Cristos a flamboyant red. The horizon stretches almost to infinity only to be sliced by the dramatic vein of the Rio Grande Gorge or blocked by the sacred Taos mountain.
The story is that if one settles in Taos, one will either open a restaurant or art gallery. Both abound. Then there's music, theatre and countless workshops making the community a true cultural center for northern New Mexico.
Food
Taos is not lacking in upscale restaurants. For beginners, take a peek at our glossary of eating establishments that is found in each of our cabins. In addition to high end restaurants, Taos has an abundance of everyday eateries. Pick and choose, there is plenty for everyone and within easy reach. Eating range is traditional NM with delicious red/green chile to farm to table deliciousness. Indeed, Taos has its own fusion style. Japanese sushi with green chile is one such example. Here are some of our favorites:
https://www.lambertsoftaos.com
https://www.facebook.com/OrlandosNewMexicanCafe
http://www.taospizzaoutback.com
https://www.taosinn.com/doc-martins
https://guadalajaragrilltaos.com
https://www.aceqrestaurant.com
http://www.chokolabeantobar.com
Entertainment
Taos offers countless festivals held throughout the year, ranging from art walks, opera, movies and music in the Kit Carson park. There are workshops, legendary country western, bluegrass events and the seminal pow wow of Native American Nations on the vega facing Taos Mountain held just before the San Geronomo festival in the Taos Pueblo.
The TCA features classic and contemporary films, showcasing theater and music as well as art exposes. The Harwood Museum is also a mecca for such events and has an impressive collection of those already mentioned artists. The Fechin House showcases much of the master's art and designs, culminating in the very house he built for his family. Millicent Rogers is another venue anyone interested in Native American art should visit.
Of course there are the earth ships, the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge and some of the 1960’s communes worthy of visiting, if not for such, then to partake in some of their retreats, seminars, cultural events in themselves.
Shopping
Taos sports corporate America with Walmart, Albertson’s and Big Five, but far more interesting are the countless boutiques surrounding Taos plaza and the adjoining streets.
Consider sampling organically crafted bean-to-bar chocolate treats from Chokolá bean to bar just off of the plaza http://www.chokolabeantobar.com. This chocolate comes from the tropical areas of central and South America. From there all the way up here. You can speak Spanish with these artisans and come away with a prized taste and a gift or two for friends back home.
Silver work abounds about the plaza. Cheap or expensive, there's something for every pocketbook. Check out ornate designs and the wonderful hachita turquoise mounted onto this jewelry.
While Bent Street is famous for the scalping and assassination of the newly appointed governor Charles Bent in 1847, it's also known for the numerous boutiques lining the street and its alleyways.
Galleries line Bent Street and Kit Carson Road as well as the Taos Plaza. Contemporary artwork of all genre abound. Of course the initial inspiration dates back to the end of the 19th century when a handful of east coast artists literally found their way to Taos and stayed. Their legacy abounds in the museums and galleries spread about the center of town.
Exquisite furniture designs can be discovered by simply taking a stroll or keeping one’s eyes open while driving through town. Don't forget to take a look into the many antique stores that tend to feature collectibles of original New Mexican, if not Taos designs.
There's a plethora of outdoor market activity in and around Taos. Long famous for handicraft work, Taos also boasts of fine culinary items, all local as with chile, sauces, cheeses, breads, ristras, preserves, honey. Here you meet the local weaver, the beekeeper, the baker and candlestick maker.
You must take a gander at the Rio Grande gorge from the bridge’s very top. Wind blows through your hair as more than eight hundred feet directly below you can see the river that finally empties into the Gulf of Mexico. When you've exhausted these views you can go back to where you parked and kibbutz with souvenir sellers, again something for everyone's pocketbook.
For a more comprehensive summation of the detailed Taos you might consider simply going on line and key in taos.org
Outdoor adventures
The rugged terrain of northern New Mexico offers spectacular hiking and skiing. Our farm is centrally located between the renowned Taos Ski Valley (TSV) with exhilarating downhill skiing and snowboarding for the more experienced, and the Red River Ski area for the beginners.
Expansive areas and the gentle undulating slopes at the base of the Sangre de Cristos is also great for cross country skiing or snowshoeing. After a good snow one can easily tour the terrain in back of our farm.
The deep Rio Grande Gorge with cliffs that tower nine hundred feet above the river offer incredible rafting and fishing. As long as there's water in the Rio Grande, there'll be trips to take with experienced guides. Most include sack lunches and shuttle service.
Tiny creeks, several lakes and of course the Rio Grande offer cutthroat, rainbow, German brown and an occasional pike. Eagle Nest Lake sports salmon. The state Game and Fish offer limited licenses for the traveler. If you're into remote regions, try Valle Vidal and Cruces Basin for brookies. Catch and release is a local ethic. Just over the hill from Taos Goji Eco-Lodge is the Red River Trout Hatchery. Once there you can go down the slope and into the canyon to the Red River and fish along its banks to La Junta where the Red meets the Rio.
In the wild river area, a national preserve, there are a number of hiking trails that you could take into the deep gorge. Be prepared: be in shape, carry sunscreen, water and decent shoes.
During the summer, take the family down to the John Dunn Bridge for a dip. Here's a treat: walk upriver and then float down to where you left the car. Afterwards soak your bones in the natural Black Rock hot springs.
Culture
Taos history dates far back to pre-historic man, dwellers that lived about the San Luis Valley lake. That was during the time of mammoths whose trails can still be seen crossing through what was once the valley's swampland.
Sometime around the year 700 AD, Native American settlers came to populate the newly-established pueblo and has been home for the Tewa ever since.
In the 1500s Spaniards came north from Veracruz through Mexico's Central Valley, then trekking further north through settlements they founded.
There is the historic pueblo pyramided on top of foundations that in themselves still function as rooms, residences, warehouses--all made from adobe, a composite of mud and straw and formed into bricks.
Countless valleys radiate from the famed Sangre de Cristo mountain range, an offshoot of the Rockies, in which communities have been allowed to develop and flourish over hundreds of years, each with its unique disposition of churches, acequias, architecture, farms and traditions. These continue to flourish to this day.
There are the more contemporary introductions dating to the the turn of last century when artists noted the breathtaking colors and peoples worthy of painting. Notable literary influences stem from Aldous Huxley who lived and wrote in one of our cabins, D.H. Lawrence whose watercolors and letters to the publishers we found in the old trading post attic, Frank Waters, Henriqueta Vasquez and John Nichols are other notables.
In the middle 1960’s and continuing into the 1970’s the Taos area attracted many from the counterculture movement, settling in communes in an around Taos. Today the only remaining commune is that of Lama Foundation, located just to the north of San Cristobal.
It goes without saying that Taos offers a culturally rich panoply of lifestyles and history
https://taos.org
Taos Pueblo
Dress warmly and take part in the time-honored processions at Taos Pueblo on Christmas and New Years Eve. Over 1000 years old, this is one of the oldest continuously inhabited communities in the world. A National Historic Landmark , Taos Pueblo sits at the base of the Sangre de Cristo mountains and is open to visitors 10 months out of the year. https://taospueblo.com
