Albuquerque

Climbing from urban desert to alpine terrain in just 15min, the tram affords panoramic views of 11,000sq mi, across the entire Albuquerque area and other parts of northern New Mexico. — Michelin Guide

Take an interesting journey into New Mexico's present and past in this museum on the outskirts of Old Town. — Frommer's

This museum offers the next-best introduction to the nuclear age after the Bradbury Science Museum in Los Alamos. — Frommer's

Rising south of downtown like a miniature Mayan pyramid, this impressive complex combines a visual-arts museum with a library, genealogy center, restaurant, meeting areas and other facilities. — Michelin Guide

This zoo is home to more than 250 species and puts on a busy rota of events and activities. — Lonely Planet

The arts of New Mexico's 19 Pueblo communities are exhibited at this important nonprofit center a mile from Old Town. — Michelin Guide

More than 20,000 petroglyphs, scratched or chipped into basalt along a 17mi lava escarpment beneath five ancient volcanoes, chronicle the lives of countless Native American generations. — Michelin Guide

This popular museum showcases a permanent exhibit of all things dinosaurs including rare finds and Jurassic era life-size replicas. — Afar Magazine

Over 24,000 students attend the main campus of this state institution, 2mi east of Old Town. — Michelin Guide

The Duke City's best known event is the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. — Afar Magazine

This imaginatively executed science museum—its driving concept is "Ideas You Can Touch"—is right across from the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science. — Fodor's

This unique museum, just off Old Town Plaza, has living specimens of common, uncommon, and very rare rattlesnakes of North, Central, and South America in naturally landscaped habitats. — Frommer's

University Art Museum features magnificent 20th- and 21st-century prints, as well as photos and paintings that rival the finest collections throughout the Southwest. — Fodor's

Mediterranean and local plants share the space in this pleasantly cool 24-acre Japanese garden, where various festivals are held throughout the year, including concerts in summer. — Michelin Guide

Known for its reds, Casa Rondena is an award-winning winery and one of the oldest in New Mexico. — Travel + Leisure

Well over two centuries after it first welcomed worshippers, this structure, erected in 1793, is still active. — Fodor's

This opulent Pueblo Deco movie palace melds Art Deco and Native American motifs.  — Atlas Obscura

The Maxwell Museum of Anthropology will satisfy the cultural anthropologist in you, and holds the largest collection of Ancestral Puebloan artifacts in the world. — Lonely Planet

Drop by the visitor center for a map; then visit the three different ruin sites—Quarai, Abó, and Gran Quivira—that contain remains of 17th-century Spanish missions. — Travel + Leisure