el rancho de las golondrinas

Do you want to see how the farmers in 1800 made everything they needed to sustain their families? This authentic Ranch has a large number of volunteers who dress in home made clothing and give it the correct "time travel" feeling. From Spring planting to Fall harvest and indoor working; this shows everything including a working village blacksmith shop on certain days. Domestic farm animals are there, doing what they would have been doing. A tour goes frequently for those with handicaps; but it's a fantastic long walk to see life as it was then. Plan 2 - 3 hours to enjoy.

I was on a guided group tour of El Rancho de las Golondrinas and was fascinated by the long history of this working ranch. There is so much to see and learn about the history of the Santa Fe area and this place gives you a totally different view than the downtown arts and dining scene. We had a knowledgeable Docent who gave a very accessible tour with family related insights. We saw a weaver with her loom, a person embroidering the weavings and a lady carding the wool used in the weavings. Because we were on a limited time frame, we did not explore the vast grounds of the ranch but we learned so much about ranch life from the late 1600's through more modern times in the 1800's. They have a lovely gift shop where I purchased a weaving that had been done on the ranch using the wool from their sheep. It has a special place in my home. This is an amazing opportunity to see what life was like for early settlers in the Southwest.

For a slice of hands on working history, Golondrinas is a place to plan on spending a good part of the day. Be prepared to walk and you can explore the mill, General Store, the pond or the fields. There are lots of activities for kids that they won't find at Six-Flags or Disneyland. If you check the calender there are special events during the year for Harvest, Fiesta, Civil War reenactments, etc. that bring even more sights and sounds to enjoy. A beautiful setting, just south of Santa Fe.

We have been here for a few festivals, but it is also interesting to come and explore. Fascinating look at what life was like a long time ago in this part of the country. Well worth a visit or two.

This is like an outdoor Museum.. it has lots of different events all throughout the summer. It has a NM Wine weekend during the July 4th weekend, Lavendar Festival, Peruvian Horse Event, many events all the time..plus you can just go to visit the Museums and learn the history of the settlers.. very nice

A fantastic way to discover the 18th Century Spanish colonial ranch life. Guides are dressed in period clothing and demonstrate how people lived for example grinding their own flour, making their own tools, shoeing horses.

The Harvest Festival is a great time to visit this living history museum that illustrates Spanish colonial life in New Mexico. Demonstrations, exhibits, performances and discussions of Spanish culture offer vivid history lessons in this large rancho south of Santa Fe. Grain mills powered by a waterwheel or a burro, blacksmithing, grape pressing for wine, a chapel, traditional music and dances, bread baking, wagon rides, yarn dying and weaving and a procession to an outdoor Mass are some of the many attractions you will find. There are hands-on activities for children. Traditional arts and crafts are exhibited and sold. A modern kitchen prepares southwestern dishes that can be enjoyed at outdoor tables. Buildings and other points of interest are reached by walking unpaved pathways of the rancho. We enjoyed perfect weather during our rewarding visit to El Rancho de Las Golondrinas.

We stopped in there as we were heading to Santa Fe from Albuquerque. When we arrived we weren't sure it was even open since there were only 3 or 4 cars in a very large parking lot. Glad we did as at certain times of the year that lot can be full. With so few folks we had the luxury of time to really talk to the volunteers which was very educational. We walked the mile and a half trail through the 200 acres of land looking at the various structures. They also have a nice gift shop.

When we entered the gates, it felt like a different world. We got a little snippet of what life in New Mexico was like in the 18th and 19th century on the same homestead. Multiple hands on activities for kids and adults, authentically dressed and knowledgeable guides, and original furnishings provided a very real experience. We also enjoyed the well stocked gift shop and fresh produce available.

Traveling from Santa Fe to Albuquerque, I took my lead from trip advisor reviews and stopped at El Rancho for a few hours. What an amazing place. Although the day was warm, and because we where visiting on a weekday, things were rather quiet and we saw only a few people exploring the grounds so our experience was probably an unusual one. We managed to engage in wonderful conversations with docent volunteers and truly experienced through their interpretations what life was like in the early 1700's into the 18th & 19th centuries as well. One of the volunteers called this living museum an undiscovered gem - it is time that it was discovered. I highly recommend a visit here. Wear good shoes and bring a hat.

This living history museum just minutes out of Santa Fe is such a worthwhile visit. The knowledgable volunteers throughout the site share their insight and stories, demonstrating the way life was lived on this ranch in the 18th and 19th centuries. Truly a gem and a must see!

Seeing what it was like to have lived here a 100 years ago was a real eye opener. I don't think most people appreciate the technology advances that have occurred in just the last 50 years. This ranch really helps you understand what our ancestors had to endure.

The rancho is absolutely worth finding on a side road at La Cienega south of Santa Fe. The 200 plus acre grounds house a museum, shop, and many historical buildings dating from the early 1700s when the rancho was the first stop, a day's walk to-or-from Santa Fe on the Camino Real. Skilled volunteers are present to give guided tours as well as demonstrate pioneer skills such as baking bread in an horno, spinning and weaving, and blacksmithing. Great stop for both kids and adults. You could easily plan on spending most of a day here.

Highlight of our trip to Santa Fe. The historic buildings are very interesting and well preserved. The staff was well informed and very helpful when explaining the history of the ranch.

If you are visiting Santa Fe and find that you have about 4-5 hours during the day this is an ideal place to visit. It is about 20 min from downtown. It is a great way to experience how it was like to live in Santa Fe. It is very educational with some great views.