Santa Fe For Family Travel: Santa Fe offers the traveling family a different sort of vacation. Instead of walking the mall there are centuries old Anasazi villages to explore. Rather than a roller coaster there is mountain biking. In place of the world's biggest ball of twine there is the world's largest collection of folkart. Not to mention relics of the Old West, a close-up look at traditional and modern Native American life and sweeping landscapes dramatic enough to hold the attention of most any anxious teen. Here are some suggested Santa Fe attractions for families:

The Santa Fe Southern Railroad does 3 hour excursion trips with a stop in Lamy, NM the turn around point on period cars including a dome car and an outdoors flat car. There is very little in Lamy except a nice place to sit and have a picnic but the trip always is popular. 505-989-8600.

Museum of Indian Art and Culture has a Discovery Room for kids filled with hands on stuff like puzzles, a whole bunch of foam building rocks, etc. All of it has a Native American/Southwestern theme and is very popular. 505-476-1250.

The Randall Davey Audubon Center is located next to a wonderful old house on Upper Canyon Road. There are 100 acres of gentle hiking and interpretive trails through this preserved old property plus a longer spur for those who want something a little longer. The new Visitors Education Center just opened in the Spring of 2002. This is a great place to walk with younger kids who may not be up to a more difficult walk. 505-983-4609.

A more difficult walk is easily had in the Santa Fe National Forest. The boundary is just 7 miles from downtown and opens into over 300,000 acres of public land covered in trails.

El Rancho de Las Golondrinas is the perfect kids place - a living museum of Spanish Colonial life located on the old Camino Real. The museum is on 200 acres filled with 18th century buildings, a mill pond, plenty of animals and lots of hands on demonstrations like rope making, yarn spinning, etc. by folks dressed in period clothes. 505-471-2261.

Bandelier National Monument - Anasazi cliff dwellings with a 1 mile interpretive trail that wanders in and out of the carved out rooms, ceremonial caves and kivas. There is also a long trail system through this 32,000 acre archeological site. 505-672-3861.

The Santa Fe Children's Museum is open to everyone and is a very neat place that puts an emphasis on learning through doing. There are all kinds of different 'stations' plus a large, one acre, outdoors area with a performance area, greenhouse with animals, garden, water garden, etc. This is very well run and a wonderful spot that many visitors don't discover. 505-989-8359.