Albuquerque Museum of Art and History
Take an interesting journey down into the caverns of New Mexico's past in this museum on the outskirts of Old Town. Drawing on the largest U.S. collection of Spanish colonial artifacts, displays here include Don Quixote-style helmets, swords, and horse armor. You can wander through an 18th-century house compound with adobe floor and walls, and see gear used by vaqueros, the original cowboys who came to the area in the 16th century. A weaving exhibition allows kids to try spinning wool, and a trapping section provides them with pelts to touch. In an old-style theater, two films on Albuquerque history are shown. In the History Hopscotch area, kids can explore an old trunk or play with antique blocks and other toys. An Old Town walking tour originates here at 11am Tuesday to Sunday during spring, summer, and fall. The upper floors house permanent art collections and, best of all, a huge exhibit space where you'll find some extraordinary shows. A gift shop sells books and jewelry and has a nice selection of Navajo dolls.

Albuquerque Biological Park: Aquarium and Botanic Garden
For those of us born and raised in the desert, this attraction quenches years of soul thirst. The self-guided aquarium tour begins with a beautifully produced 9-minute film that describes the course of the Rio Grande from its origin to the Gulf Coast. Then, you'll move on to the touch pool, where at certain times of day you can gently touch hermit crabs and starfish. You'll pass by a replica of a salt marsh, where a gentle tidal wave moves in and out, and you'll explore the eel tank, an arched aquarium you get to walk through. There's a colorful coral-reef exhibit, as well as the culminating show, in a 285,000-gallon shark tank, where many species of fish and 15 to 20 sand-tiger, brown, and nurse sharks swim around, looking ominous.Within a state-of-the-art 10,000-square-foot conservatory, you'll find the botanical garden, split into two sections. The smaller one houses the desert collection and features plants from the lower Chihuahuan and Sonoran deserts, including unique species from Baja, California. The larger pavilion exhibits the Mediterranean collection and includes many exotic species native to the Mediterranean climates of southern California, South Africa, Australia, and the Mediterranean Basin. Allow at least 2 hours to see both parks. There is a restaurant on the premises.In December, you can see the "River of Lights Holiday Light Display" Tuesday through Sunday; and June through August you can attend Thursday evening concerts.

New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science
A trip through this museum will take you through 12 billion years of natural history, from the formation of the universe to the present day. Begin by looking at a display of stones and gems, then stroll through the "Age of Giants" display, where you'll find dinosaur skeletons cast from the real bones. Moving along, you come into the Cretaceous Period and learn of the progression of flooding in the southwestern United States, beginning 100 million years ago and continuing until 66 million years ago, when New Mexico became dry. This exhibit takes you through a tropical oasis, with aquariums of alligator gars, fish that were here 100 million years ago and still exist today. Next, step into the Evolator (kids love this!), a simulated time-travel ride that moves and rumbles, taking you 1 1/4 miles (2km) up (or down) and through 38 million years of history. Then, you'll feel the air grow hot as you walk into a cave and see the inner workings of a volcano, including simulated magma flow. Soon, you'll find yourself in the age of the mammoths and moving through the ice age. Other stops along the way include the Naturalist Center, where kids can peek through microscopes and make their own bear or raccoon footprints in sand, and FossilWorks, where paleontologists work behind glass, excavating bones of a seismosaurus. Be sure to check out the newest addition to the museum, the LodeStar Astronomy Center, a sophisticated planetarium with the Virtual Voyages Simulation theater. Those exhibits, as well as the DynaTheater, which surrounds you with images and sound, cost an additional fee. A gift shop on the ground floor sells imaginative nature games and other curios. This museum has good access for people with disabilities, including scripts for people with impaired hearing and exhibit text written in Braille.

Silver Moon Lodge Old Town
Located in the heart of Downtown Albuquerque, the Silver Moon Lodge is a recreation of Route 66 finest overnight motels and Southwestern Hospitality with all the modern day amenities. The hotel has a fitness room, in-room coffee, dataports for dial-up Internet, wireless Internet access in most rooms, meeting space, a complimentary airport shuttle, free parking and small pets are welcome. Come relive the days of yesteryear in an environment uniquely Silver ...

Clubhouse Inn & Suites - Albuquerque
Centrally located just north of I-40 and west of I-25 in the heart of Albuquerque on Menaul Boulevard. Our central location is within minutes of downtown, the convention center, University of New Mexico, shopping and ...

Americas Best Value Inn
Property is in eastern Albuquerque just north off of Interstate 40 at Exit 166/Juan Tabo Blvd. at 601 Paisno Street ...