Thanks to Discover Ruidoso for sponsoring this post! Please know all opinions are my own and I only share with you what I truly believe in and love!
Living in Pheonix, Arizona we love to drive to places to escape the heat and the desert. We had the perfect opportunity to take a road trip to Ruidoso, NM a couple of weeks ago and let me tell you, IT’S GORGEOUS.
Not only did we love the endless forests once we got there, but we also enjoyed the cozy small-town feel filled with friendly people and good food!
As we drove up to our cabin at the adorable Story Book Cabins we were greeted by a family of deer! They were so peaceful to watch just strolling through the forest surrounding our cabin. The kids were in awe being so close to these adorable creatures! Our cabin was only located about 5 minutes from Ruidoso’s shopping and food, which was perfect for us.
Our first stop was to the local Christmas Jubilee. This event takes place every year in November and I loved interacting and shopping the local vendors and getting to try different foods! The kids got to meet Santa and create a Christmas fairy house craft, it was a great ending to our drive into town.
Gondola Ride
Our second day we headed up to Ski Apache for a morning gondola ride. This is about a 45-minute drive up the mountain, but the views on that drive are unbelievable.
I would totally recommend the drive up, The gondola ride was full of breathtaking views and so family-friendly. They made some snow there at Ski Apache which was so nice for the kids to play and enjoy, they really loved it!
These photos of our ride don’t do this place justice, it was so green and beautiful. Once we got closer to the top it started to snow! It was so amazing to see, I’ve also heard when the skies are clear enough you can experience even more incredible views if you get off at the top of the gondola ride.
Check out my Instagram “Ruidoso, NM” highlight for more videos of our ride and other adventures!
Fairy Tale Hike
Ruidoso is also known for its many hiking trails. We took the kids for a hike on Fairy tail trails. This hike was filled with a little adventure trying to find the fairies along the way as you hike. This trail is located near the center of town so it’s a nice activity to do after a meal or some shopping!
Good Food
We encountered some great food and people here in Ruidoso. I’d love to link where we ate and share some meal views from our stay!
Art Gallery Visit
What’s great about Ruidoso is all the rich western, and Native American history and character of the town. We had the pleasure of visiting The Hurd Gallery which is located just outside of town. This was by far the coolest art gallery/winery we have ever visited.
So full of history and beauty, the location speaks for itself. What’s super neat about this place is that they have surrounding properties that they rent out to guests! We had the pleasure of meeting Michael Hurd! The family artistic history runs deep and after being able to see all the pieces created by the Hurd legacy, Michael popped in to say as we sipped on hot apple cider.
Jude was amazed he met a famous artist in person. We got to look around the original house of Peter and Henriette, which still stands and is available for guests!
After a really hard week, losing my childhood dog, our road trip to New Mexico was exactly what we needed as a family. Ruidoso is a treasure, a secret beauty that we should all experience. I hope that if you take away anything from this post, it’s that sometimes great family experiences, mother nature’s beauty is just a road trip away!
