New Mexico

Ghost Ranch in Abiquiú, New Mexico has become synonymous with its most famous artist resident - Georgia O’Keeffe. Back in the 1800s, cattle rustlers - the Archeluta brothers settled on the land, and according to legend, the brothers spread rumors of evil spirits that plagued Box Canyon to deter any visitors and to conceal their crimes. This caused the ranch to be nicknamed "Ranch of the Witches", later to be called Ghost Ranch. The canyon may or may not have started out haunted - for "the Archeluta brothers were not content with just basic cattle rustling and when travelers passed through their land, they had a tendency to vanish..." In 1936, Arthur Pack a wealthy American naturalist who founded the American Nature Association purchased the ranch giving it raving reviews in Nature Magazine which enticed Georgia O’Keeffe's first visit. The artist soon fell in love with the ranch and began to divide her time between there and New York, eventually moving to the nearby village of Abiquiú. Today Ghost Ranch is a 21,000-acre education center and retreat - the towering red cliffs and its vivid colors still hold a hypnotic power and a feeling of stepping back in time. New Mexico is a mysterious place - perfect for Halloween travel.

 

SCENE & SEEN

​

THE GRAND HACIENDA 

Abiquiú Lake

A luxurious stay in The Land of Enchantment - a grand estate in a remote and quiet location of New Mexico. This adults-only experience combines modern luxury and sophisticated service in an eco-friendly inn, blended with authentic architecture and southwestern style. The Hacienda is a serene escape, nestled on a mesa top overlooking Abiquiú Lake, Ghost Ranch, the Red Cliffs, Pedernal, and the New Mexico plains of red, yellow, purple and green. In the middle of Georgia O'Keeffe country, you will feel as she did when saying, "It's something that's in the air – it's different. The sky is different, the wind is different." An extraordinary desert landscape rich of history, geology, and beauty.

​

VIVARON

Oldest Ghost Ever Recorded

Huerfano Mesa, Sacred Navajo Mountain

The ghost of a 30-foot-long rattlesnake-demon known as Vivaron was said to haunt the area around Huerfano Mesa, hiding in tunnels under the mountain during the day and emerging at sunset to commence its nightly hunt." In 2016, a new species of reptile was identified at Ghost Ranch. The reptile has been named Vivaron after the snake-demon and was identified as a new species of rauisuchid, a distant relative of the modern-day crocodile. Vivarons were between 12 to 18 feet long and lived in the area of Ghost Ranch around 212 million years ago. Rauisuchids were some of the largest and most dangerous carnivores in Pangea during the 16-million-year-long Triassic Period," according to Curious Archive. The Guinness Book of World Records awarded Vivaron the distinction of the ‘Oldest Ghost’ ever recorded.

​

SANTE FE

Santa Fe has over 250 galleries and the Museum of International Folk Art. Known as “the City Different” for its rich artistic heritage - it is a thriving melting pot of cultures, reflected in the mix of Indigenous and Spanish architecture. 

Rosewood Inn of the Anasazi 

Located in the heart of downtown Santa Fe, Rosewood Inn of the Anasazi celebrates the enduring creative spirit and traditions of the region, offering travelers an elegantly modern take on Pueblo life.

 

Día de los Muertos

Candlelight Parade

Saturday, October 28, 2023

The historic Santa Fe Plaza will receive an Aztec blessing before lighting up with Glow-in-the-Dark Candlelight Parade led by traditional mojigangas, 8-foot-tall Mexican puppets. Live global music will fill the Plaza to rejoice and dance with the memories of our loved ones in celebration of Día de los Muertos.

​

House of Eternal Return

The Cosmic Howl - MEOW WOLF

October 13 - 31st

Spooky season is taking over the original permanent Meow Wolf exhibition. House of Eternal Return is a mysterious tragedy of scientific experimentation and the spectacular dreamworlds that emerged in its wake.

​

Palace of the Governors

105 W Palace Ave, Santa Fe

The oldest continuously occupied public building in the United States has seen history of the southwest unlike any other place west of the Mississippi. For most of its 411-year history, the Palace of the Governors was tied to the history of the state of New Mexico, which once served as the seat of the Spanish government. The Palace outlasted the various power conflicts and changes to New Mexico’s governance. Today it is an official National Treasure National Historic Landmark and designated home for the Museum of New Mexico. Only 6% of the grounds that the museum occupies has been excavated and it's estimated that if it had been completely excavated, there would be 16 million artifacts to be found.

Burro Alley, Santa Fe
Burro Alley is one of Santa Fe's wild, wild west stories with all kinds of mayhem that happened on this street.  Pistoleros, thieves, venders, lynching, gunfights, you name it - it happened on this historic and haunted road where paranormal activity has also been witnessed.

Loretto Chapel

207 Old Santa Fe Trail
In 1873, the Sisters of Loretto began construction of the Chapel using the same French architect and builders as Saint Francis Cathedral Basilica, the Chapel of Our Lady of Light with its gothic-style architecture. Unfortunately, the architect died before access to the choir loft was built and given the height of the loft and the small size of the Chapel, a staircase would have taken up too much floor space... Legend states that seeking guidance, the Sisters of Loretto prayed a nine-day novena to St. Joseph - the Patron Saint of Carpenters. On the final day of the novena, a carpenter appeared with only a hammer and carpenter’s square and built what is now known as the Miraculous Staircase. When the Staircase was complete, the carpenter disappeared without receiving thanks or payment. The Sisters tried all local lumber stores but could not find accounts for the supplies and the wood used was not native to the American Southwest. 

​

TAOS

From Santa Fe to Taos is about a three-hour drive with a bohemian art scene that's as impressive as Santa Fe’s given its past as a 19th-century art colony. Nicknamed “Soul of the Southwest,” from wintertime slopes of Taos Ski Valley to ancient adobe Taos Pueblo, UNESCO-designated site as the oldest continuously inhabited city in the U.S. 

Adobe & Pines Inn

A historic 1830s adobe hacienda preserved with original architectural elements and transformed into one of the most charming and luxurious hide-aways in the Southwest. Stroll the acres of country gardens - orchards, vegetables and Zen Garden with a Labyrinth that's surrounded by native plants and is one of the longest in New Mexico. 

​

Taos Adventurer Scavenger Hunt

New in 2023 - a creative and immersive departure from traditional scavenger hunts. A unique adventure between, Tara (game designer and host), Taos itself with its history, colour and nature - and you, the scavenger hunters who bring an unexpected element to the creation process.