A beloved team in the Duke City and beyond, the Albuquerque Isotopes is the AAA affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. In 2003, the minor-league team took the place of the Albuquerque Dukes—and you’ll still see fans wearing that team’s logo at the stadium. The intimate stadium is one of the nicest in minor-league baseball, with great restaurants, a specialty craft...

Casa de Benavidez fancies itself the inventor of the sopaipilla burger—a traditional green-chile cheeseburger with fried dough instead of a bun. Whether the family-owned restaurant did or not, it does serve one of the tastiest sopaipillas in the city. Indeed it’s whole menu of New Mexican classics is solid. Visit in good weather and ask for a spot on the...

Part of the City of Albuquerque Open Space System, this part covers 640 acres of high desert habitat with walking trails through chamisa, yucca, blue grama grass and Apache plume. The area includes seven covered picnic areas and two larger shelters with barbecue grills that can be reserved for large event groups, such as family reunions. A network of trails links...

Visitors take learning into their own hands at Explora—literally and figuratively. Science, technology, and art exhibits invite people to play and experiment to learn about light, air, water, music, and other subjects. Visitors of all ages—from toddlers, who have special hours of the day devoted to them, to adults, who have one night a month set aside for their explorations—will enjoy...

Owned by the 19 Pueblos of New Mexico, this cultural center is a perfect first stop on your journey to explore the varied cultures of native peoples in the state—and a place where the native peoples are the authors of their story. It is the only such place to be owned by a consortium of sovereign nations in the U.S. Founded...

This house earned fame as the home of Jesse Pinkman, Walter White’s partner in the Emmy-winning drama Breaking Bad. Take note: This is someone’s house! Be respectful when ogling and selfie taking.

The National Hispanic Cultural Center is the only destination in the U.S. devoted to the preservation and advancement of all Latin cultures. The expansive campus touts spaces for world-class visual and performing arts. Time your visit to coincide with visiting hours for Mundos de Mestizaje, the largest concave fresco in North America depicting 3,000 years of Hispanic heritage, or September’s...

This donut shop draws locals for its wonderfully unusual flavors—from maple bacon to Blue Sky, sprinkled with the same mock-meth rock candy used as a prop on Breaking Bad. If you have a sweet tooth, head here now.

The guides for this dynamic tour company offers such compelling info that locals ride as frequently as visitors. Perhaps its the themed tours—to breweries, wine tasting rooms, chile stops, and best-of-Burque locales, to name a few. One of its most popular tours—Biking Bad—pedals to top filming spots from Breaking Bad. Seasonal tours head to the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta and...

This family-owned restaurant has been dishing up some of the city’s favorite New Mexican food for more than 50 years. It’s a perennial winner in local alt-weekly reader polls for its spicy green and red chile and sizable portions. 

Fine dining downstairs, party upstairs. On the lower level of this Old Town restaurant, enjoy fine dining dishes. Upstairs, sip some of the best cocktails in the city with views of the Sandia Mountains and the city.

The Brew serves single-origin beans from the family-owned coffee hacienda in the green hills of Peindamo, Colombia. It’s signature is Cold Brew Nitro, a process of extraction in which the coffee is never heated. Rather, it’s steeped in cold water then infused with nitrogen to create a unique texture and taste. 

Twisters may have been the setting of Los Pollos Hermanos, a fictitious fried-chicken restaurant in TV show Breaking Bad, but it serves honestly breakfast burritos. It’s most famous for the Twister burrito—an over-the-top monstrosity of deliciousness with the meat (or beans) of your choice, potatoes, chile, and cheese.

Bike the vineyard trails and Route des Vins villages to really discover the sights, sounds, and smells of the Alsatian countryside. Rent a regular or motor-assist bike and get out into the hillside villages and vineyards. You can rent bikes in child-adult sizes by the hour, half day or full day, and the outfitter will plan a multi-day tour for...

The tourism office in Kaysersberg rents individual audio tours for self-guided walks through old town. Entertaining and informative, the audio includes music and commentary by talented actors. Among the two dozen entries, highlights include: Sainte Croix Church, with its beautiful works of art Town Hall, a Renaissance building with a lovely courtyard Fortified bridge built in 1514 A leisurely stroll...

The National Car Museum or Car City (Cité de l’Automobile) in Mulhouse features more than 500 vehicles, all in working order.  The cars are from a collection assembled by  Fritz Schlumpf, a Swiss industrialist who spent most of his life in Alsace. He devoted an extraordinary amount of money and energy collecting and repairing antique cars.  Some of the most...

This lovely Gothic church is worthy of a visit simply for its architecture and stained-glass windows, but the masterpiece inside is the real draw. German artist Martin Schongauer’s La Vierge au Buisson de Roses (Virgin in the Rose Bush) was painted in 1473 and shows the Madonna, wearing a red robe, holding her infant son in a cluster of colorful...

Christmas is a time for tradition and celebration in Alsace, especially in Colmar. Beginning at the end of November the Christmas Markets set up outside in four public squares and inside the Old Customs House (Koïfhus). The plazas each have a theme and wooden stalls are set up around historical buildings in  Place des Dominicains, Petite Venise, Place de l’Ancienne Douane,...

Professional guides from the Colmar Tourist Office conduct walking tours in several languages, including English, for groups and individuals. In addition to town walks, you can arrange a guided tour out to the nearby villages, vineyards, and mountains. Each local guide is trained in Alsatian art, history, architecture, and culture, so you’ll be getting the inside story as well as...

This is a two-in-one eatery, with a top-notch bakery on one side and an upscale restaurant on the other. As you would expect, the prices and service on the bakery side (la boulangerie) are lower, but the food still gets high praise. Offerings include lasagna, hamburgers, and Alsatian tarts. You also can order a glass of fine wine, gourmet coffee,...