Things to Do in Anderson-Abruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum

Over 24,000 ancient petroglyphs cover volcanic rocks west of Albuquerque, where Ancestral Puebloan people carved messages that survive today in what locals call the high desert. The city sits where three cultures—Pueblo, Hispanic, and Anglo—created something distinctly New Mexican. You'll taste it in the green chile that goes on everything. The Anderson-Abruzzo Balloon Museum captures the city's biggest claim to fame: hundreds of hot air balloons that fill October skies during the International Balloon Fiesta. The museum covers ballooning from 18th-century France to modern technology. Views toward the Sandia Mountains are impressive.

Green chile appears on everything here. New Mexican cuisine differs from Mexican or Tex-Mex food, and you'll hear "red or green?" more than you expect. Try Sadie's for sopaipillas, El Modelo for Mexican food, and Frontier Restaurant near UNM for cinnamon rolls the size of dinner plates. Craft breweries are multiplying. Farm-to-table restaurants and food trucks reflect the city's growing variety.

October brings the Balloon Fiesta—and crowds and high prices. Spring (April-May) and fall (September-November) offer comfortable weather with warm days and cool nights. Summers get hot but low humidity makes them bearable, and afternoon thunderstorms create dramatic skies. Winter surprises visitors with sunny days in the 40s and 50s, though nights turn cold. For ballooning weather, calm morning conditions work best in fall and early winter.