Albuquerque is home to unique beauty and one-of-a-kind culture. Discover a local treasure for every letter of the alphabet. To see the complete list, order a copy of the 2025 Albuquerque Visitors Guide.
Adobe
While some cities gleam with metal skyscrapers, Albuquerque proudly shows off its low adobe buildings whose earth-colored hues contrast beautifully against our brilliant blue skies. In the Albuquerque area, some of the best examples of adobe architecture can be found in historic Old Town, where some buildings date to the 1700s and 1800s.
Bosque
Photo Credit: Kelly Ryan Naranja
Pronounced boh-skay, bosque is the Spanish word for forest. In Albuquerque, it refers to the shady canopy of cottonwood trees along the east and west banks of the Rio Grande. This ecological area, rich with native plants and wildlife, is a favorite outdoor recreation spot for residents and visitors alike.
Chile
The state vegetable of New Mexico, chile is integral to dishes ranging from carne adovada to breakfast burritos. Red and green chile peppers come from the same plant. The green variety is harvested earlier and roasted and peeled before being incorporated into dishes, while red chiles are typically dried and then ground into a powder used to make a smooth red chile sauce.
Dia de los Muertos
The “Day of the Dead,” or Dia de los Muertos, is a Mexican tradition that celebrates the lives of those who have passed on. In late October and early November, people build colorful altars called ofrendas to honor their deceased loved ones and decorate their homes with bright orange marigolds, which are thought to attract spirits. A number of Dia de los Muertos events occur in Albuquerque each fall, including celebrations in historic Old Town.
El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro
Established in 1598, the Royal Road of the Interior Land was a 1,500-mile trading route that linked Mexico City to Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo, just north of contemporary Española, New Mexico. In Albuquerque, it roughly followed the eastern edge of the Rio Grande floodplain and passed through Old Town Albuquerque. The route was designated a National Historic Trail in 2000.
Flamenco
Albuquerque is known as the Flamenco Capital of North America for good reason. The city is home to the National Institute of Flamenco (NIF), which hosts numerous events throughout the year, including the annual Festival Flamenco Alburquerque. In addition, classes are available at the NIF’s Conservatory of Flamenco Arts, Flamenco Works Inc. and Casa Flamenca, and performances are regularly scheduled at venues such as Tablao Flamenco and Casa Flamenca.
Galleries
Consistently ranked as a top arts destination, Albuquerque is home to galleries that celebrate every type of art, from traditional Native American pottery to contemporary watercolor paintings. You can visit many of them during Albuquerque ARTScrawl, a self-guided gallery tour that happens the first Friday of each month and is sponsored by the Albuquerque Art Business Association.
Hot air balloons
Balloons fill the city’s skies year-round, not just in October during the ExxonMobil Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta.® That’s because more than 300 hot air balloon pilots live here – more than in any other city in the United States – and about a dozen ballooning companies offer daily commercial passenger flights.
Isotopes
Photo Credit: Albuquerque Isotopes/XL Sports Photography
Why is Albuquerque’s minor league baseball team called the Isotopes? The name was inspired by a 2001 episode of “The Simpsons” in which Homer Simpson leads an effort to stop his home team, the Springfield Isotopes, from relocating to Albuquerque. The Albuquerque Isotopes have been a popular local favorite since the team’s inception in 2003.
Juniper
A small evergreen tree, juniperus monosperma is native to New Mexico, southern Colorado, and parts of Arizona and Texas. Preferring to grow in elevations ranging from 3,000 to 7,000 feet, juniper trees can be found naturally throughout the foothills of Albuquerque as well as in the landscapes of many homes.
KiMo
The KiMo Theatre on 5th Street and Central Avenue in downtown Albuquerque opened in September 1927. The theater incorporates classic Art Deco features with various Southwest Native American motifs, a style that came to be called “Pueblo Deco.” Originally a movie theater, the KiMo now hosts musical performances, lectures, plays and more on its stage.
Lowriders
The lowrider car is an expression of cultural pride and a drivable work of art. Owners show off their masterpieces at car shows throughout the year, around the plaza in Old Town on Fridays or cruising the streets of Downtown on Sunday evenings. Also look for the Albuquerque Lowrider Super Show each summer and the New Mexico Lowrider Fest each fall, both in downtown Albuquerque.
Murals
Nearly 200 murals can be found on walls and the sides of buildings in Albuquerque, concentrated in the Downtown, Nob Hill and University neighborhoods. Join a guided tour on foot (Artwalk Murals Tour, offered by Downtown ABQ MainStreet and Arts & Cultural District) or on bike (ABQ Urban Art Bike Tour, operated by Routes Bicycle Tours & Rentals), or plan your own self-guided tour at MurosABQ.com.
Nob Hill
One of Albuquerque’s first suburbs, Nob Hill is now an eclectic neighborhood full of energy and diversity. Route 66, known as Central Avenue as it crosses the city from east to west, is the center of Nob Hill. Here, you’ll find historic buildings that have been lovingly restored as restaurants, wineries, galleries or retail stores, many locally owned.
Old Town
Albuquerque’s history and heritage come alive in Old Town, the site of the city’s founding in 1706. Special events occur here year-round, ranging from summertime dance performances in the gazebo on the plaza to the annual lighting of luminarias on Christmas Eve. Shops, galleries and restaurants line every street and are also tucked into hidden patios.
Pueblos
Photo Credit: Mark Read Photography
Nineteen of the federally recognized Native American pueblos are in the state of New Mexico. Although many pueblos share traditions and cultural heritage, each has distinctive forms of art, dance and dress. Learn more at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque, which is devoted to preserving and sharing pueblo heritage through its museum and educational programs.
Quadrants
At about 188 square miles, Albuquerque is spread out but easy to get around. Here’s a navigational tip: The city is geographically divided into four unequal quadrants that are part of every street address. Central Avenue demarcates the north quadrant from the south, and the railroad tracks divide east from west.
Route 66
Popularized in songs, television shows and motion pictures, Route 66 has a storied history in America. The legendary “Mother Road,” which will celebrate its centennial in 2026, has always passed through Albuquerque. Today, it follows Central Avenue through the city, an 18-mile corridor that is the longest continuous urban stretch of Route 66 in the country.
Sandias
The Sandia Mountains are Albuquerque’s recreational playground, offering hiking, bouldering, mountain biking, picnicking, dispersed camping, skiing, snowboarding and more. The elevation at the crest is 10,679 feet above sea level, about 5,000 feet more than Albuquerque’s mile-high elevation. Sandia means watermelon in Spanish, a reference to the reddish glow that is cast on the mountains at sunset.
Turquoise
From our jewelry to our sunny skies to our license plates, the color turquoise is everywhere in Albuquerque. In many cultures around the world, both the gem and the color symbolize good fortune, which is why you often find gates, window frames and doors painted the color, especially on traditional adobe homes. Learn more about the mining of the gem and how it is crafted into jewelry at the Turquoise Museum.
Uptown
The dynamic and bustling Uptown neighborhood encompasses restaurants, hotels and three major shopping areas (Winrock Town Center, Coronado Center and ABQ Uptown). The Park at Winrock Town Center is a community gathering spot that hosts yoga classes, concerts, growers’ markets and more.
Volcanoes
Five extinct cinder cone volcanoes are clustered on Albuquerque’s west side. Lava fields from the extinct volcanoes cover about 23 square miles. More recent evidence of the human type was left by the Native Americans and Spaniards who traveled through the area hundreds of years ago and carved drawings and words into volcanic rocks, creating what is today one of the largest petroglyph sites in North America. Trails in Petroglyph National Monument allow visitors to see the carvings and the lava fields up close.
Weather
Although Albuquerque is famous for enjoying more than 300 days a year of sunshine, the city has a four-season climate with temperate springs, warm summers, crisp falls and mild winters occasionally marked by snow.
Xeriscape
To conserve water, many Albuquerque homes and businesses landscape their property with native trees and plants, ornamental rock and other decorative features. Pronounced “zeri-scape,” xeriscaping is the art of designing a garden so that it uses water wisely while remaining aesthetically pleasing through the use of shapes, colors and drought-tolerant plants.
Yucca
Native to the region and decorating yards and road medians throughout the city, the yucca plant is recognizable for a central base of long, pointy leaves from which a tall cluster of creamy white flowers shoots up to as high as 10 or 12 feet.
Zia
The red sun symbol on New Mexico’s state flag is called a Zia. The name comes from Zia Pueblo, just north of Albuquerque, where the design has spiritual significance. Four sets of rays, each with four lines, emanate from a circle at the center of the symbol. The center symbolizes the circle of life, and the rays represent the four seasons of the year, the four directions of the wind, the four times of day (sunrise, noon, evening and night), and the four stages of life (childhood, youth, adulthood and old age).
