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Kids Korner |
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Did You Know?
- You can’t really steer a hot air balloon. You have to go up or down to where the wind is blowing in the direction you want to go. Most balloons are about 80 feet tall and they need as much hot air to fly as would fill a tall building. The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta brings more than 700 balloons and 1,000 pilots to Albuquerque every year during the first week in October. Check out www.balloonfiesta.com. To learn more about balloons, visit the Anderson-Abruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum which is named for two of the pilots of the first manned balloon to cross the Atlantic Ocean (Visit www.balloonmuseum.com).
- There are hundreds of kinds of chiles grown in New Mexico. New Mexico grows more chili peppers than anywhere else in the country—more than 120,000 tons every year! New Mexicans put chiles on everything from scrambled eggs to chips, in sauces, and in stews. Ask people you meet which they like better—red or green. Green chiles are picked before they’re ripe and then roasted.
- Millions of years ago dinosaurs roamed the land that would become Albuquerque and Sandia Mountains was covered by water. Today you can take the tramway up to the summit—it’s the longest of its kind anywhere—and ski down. Five dormant volcanoes are on the outskirts of Albuquerque and ancient hunters camped here, etching thousands of pictures into the rocks. You can see them at Petroglyph National Monument and learn more about the volcanoes at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science (Visit www.museums.state.nm.us/nmmnh).
- Many Pueblo families have lived in the same place for hundreds of years. There are 19 Pueblos in New Mexico and they may look similar but they have different languages, traditions, and crafts. When you visit, you’re in someone’s neighborhood so be respectful. Don’t climb walls—they’re very old and can be easily damaged. Don’t take anything, not even a piece of broken pottery. Ask before you take pictures. Sometimes you must pay for the privilege. At a Pueblo dance, act as you would in church or synagogue. The Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque is a great place to learn more about Native culture (Visit www.indianpueblo.org).
- Some people believe that the tiny carved animals—they’re called fetishes—that you see everywhere on necklaces can help you accomplish whatever you need. For example, the horned toad will bring you good luck and the bear will keep you healthy!
- Every fall during Santa Fe’s big party, the Fiesta de Santa Fe, kids and their pets march in the Pet Parade. Some kids even dress up like animals. Check out www.santafe.org.
- At Christmas in New Mexico, you’ll see streets and roofs lined with luminarias, small paper sacks in which a lit candle is put in sand. The tradition started more than 300 years ago in the Spanish villages along the Rio Grande. You can make luminarias yourself; all you need is a brown paper bag, folded at the top and filled with a couple of cups of sand and a votive candle. It’s really pretty, especially in Santa Fe and Old Town Albuquerque!
- There are a lot of places to go skiing and snowboarding in New Mexico: Santa Fe, Angel Fire, and Taos, among them. But don’t go to Taos if you snowboard. Check out www.skinewmexico.com.
- There are fewer people in New Mexico than in some big cities—just under two million in the entire state. How many people live in your city? You can find out more about New Mexico at www.newmexico.org.
- Rattlesnakes are more scared of people than we are of them. They’ll do everything they can to avoid us. In fact, most bites occur when someone is trying to capture or handle a snake so keep your distance! The American International Rattlesnake Museum in Albuquerque is home to the biggest collection of live rattlesnakes in the world (Visit www.rattlesnakes.com).
What Other Kids Say You Should Do While In New Mexico . . .
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Kids, Tell Your Parents . . .
New Mexico is the kind of place where you can have several kinds of vacations rolled into one. You can learn about Native American and Hispanic culture, sample new kinds of food, head outdoors to hike or ski, or even meet artists. Albuquerque alone has more than 20 museums. For New Mexico information, visit www.newmexico.org; For Albuquerque, www.itsatrip.org; for Santa Fe, www.santafe.org; and for Taos, www.Taos.org. For souvenirs, visit Albuquerque’s Old Town.
Here are some more kid-friendly attractions:
- Head out on a GPS-enabled Mountain Scavenger Hunt or whitewater raft, take a cooking class, or learn to make pottery in Santa Fe with Santa Fe Mountain Adventures. Visit www.santafemountainadventures.com.
- Book all you need for a family trip to the New Mexico snow online at www.skinewmexico.com.
- See the Koalas and naked mole rats at the Rio Grande Zoo in Albuquerque (Visit www.cabq.gov/biopark/zoo). The kids also will love the sharks at the Albuquerque Aquarium (Visit www.cabq.gov/biopark/aquarium). Check out the Children’s Fantasy Garden at the Rio Grande Botanical Gardens (Visit www.cabq.gov/biopark/garden).
- Cliff’s Amusement Park is the only one in New Mexico and is open April-fall (Visit www.cliffs.net). Hinkle Family Fun Center, also in Albuquerque, is open all year with paintball, mini golf, and go-karts (Visit www.hinklefamilyfuncenter.com).
- The National Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque is the only national cultural institute dedicated to Hispanic Culture (Visit www.nhccnm.org)
- Tinkertown, about 20 minutes east of Albuquerque is a unique collection of hand-carved miniatures and old-fashioned toys (Visit www.tinkertown.com).
- Explora! Science Center and Children’s Museum (Visit www.explora.mus.nm.us).
- El Rancho de Las Golondrinas, a living history museum of Spanish Colonial life in Santa Fe (Visit www.golondrinas.org).
- Bandelier National Monument with ancient Anasazi cliff dwellings where you can wonder in and out of the carved out rooms and caves (Visit http://www.nps.gov/band/).
- Santa Fe Children’s Museum (Visit http://www.santafechildrensmuseum.org/).
- Fish, raft, or ski at Taos. While there, you can also visit famous Western explorer Kit Carson’s home, see the art work of Georgia O’Keefe who also lived here, and visit the ancient Taos Pueblo (Visit www.taoschamber.com).
See Past Editions of Kids Korner.
By: Eileen Ogintz, Author of Taking the Kids™
