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.

Old Town
A maze of cobbled courtyard walkways leads to hidden patios and gardens, where many of Old Town's 150 galleries and shops are located. Adobe buildings, many refurbished in the pueblo revival style of the 1950s, are grouped around the tree-shaded plaza, created in 1780. Pueblo and Navajo artisans often display their pottery, blankets, and silver jewelry on the sidewalks lining the plaza.The buildings of Old Town once served as mercantile shops, grocery stores, and government offices, but the importance of Old Town as Albuquerque's commercial center declined after 1880, when the railroad came through 1 1/4 miles east of the plaza and businesses relocated to be closer to the trains. Old Town clung to its historical and sentimental roots, but the quarter fell into disrepair until the 1930s and 1940s, when artisans and other shop owners rediscovered it and the tourism industry burgeoned.When Albuquerque was established in 1706, the first building erected by the settlers was the Church of San Felipe de Neri, which faces the plaza on its north side. It's a cozy church with wonderful stained-glass windows and vivid retablos (religious paintings). This house of worship has been in almost continuous use for nearly 300 years.Though you'll wade through a few trinket and T-shirt shops on the plaza, don't be fooled: Old Town is an excellent place to shop. Look for good buys from the Native Americans selling jewelry on the plaza, especially silver bracelets and strung turquoise. If you want to take something fun home and spend very little, buy a dyed corn necklace. Your best bet when wandering around Old Town is to just peek into shops, but there are a few places you'll definitely want to spend time. An excellent Old Town historic walking tour originates at the Albuquerque Museum of Art and History at 11am Tuesday to Sunday during spring, summer, and fall. Plan to spend 2 to 3 hours strolling around.

National Atomic Museum
"I am become death, the shatterer of worlds." Shortly after the successful detonation of the first atomic bomb, Robert Oppenheimer, who headed the Manhattan Project, said this, quoting from ancient Hindu texts. This and other valuable information highlight the 51-minute film Ten Seconds That Shook the World, which is shown daily (throughout the day) at this museum, an experience worth fitting into a busy schedule. The museum itself offers the next-best introduction to the nuclear age after the Bradbury Science Museum in Los Alamos, making for an interesting 1- to 2-hour perusal. It traces the history of nuclear-weapons development, beginning with the top-secret Manhattan Project of the 1940s, including a copy of the letter Albert Einstein wrote to President Franklin D. Roosevelt suggesting the possible need to beat the Germans at creating an atomic bomb -- a letter that surprisingly went ignored for nearly 2 years. You'll find a permanent Marie Curie exhibit in the lobby and full-scale models of the "Fat Man" and "Little Boy" bombs, as well as displays and films on the peaceful application of nuclear technology -- including nuclear medicine -- and other alternative energy sources.

Motel 6 Albuquerque South - Airport
The Albuquerque South - Airport Motel 6 is conveniently located within minutes of the Albuquerque International Airport, downtown Albuquerque, historic Old Town and the Albuquerque Rio Grande Zoo. This location features an outdoor swimming pool, a guest laundry facility and semi-truck ...

Crossland ABQ-Northeast
Crossland Albuquerque-Northeast is designed specifically for people who need more than just a room while away from home. The oversized studio suites feature a kitchen that allows you to prepare meals at your convenience. As a guest of Crossland, you receive free local phone calls, voice-mail, and a phone with a computer dataport. Guests also have access to a 24-hour, coin-operated laundry facility. Weekly housekeeping ensures that you have fresh linens throughout your ...

ESA ABQ-Airport
Crossland Albuquerque-Airport is designed specifically for people who need more than just a room while away from home. The oversized studio suites feature a kitchen that allows you to prepare meals at your convenience. As a guest of Crossland, you receive free local phone calls, voice-mail, and a phone with a computer dataport. Guests also have access to a 24-hour, coin-operated laundry facility. Weekly housekeeping ensures that you have fresh linens throughout your ...