Tours of Old Town

Albuquerque Old Town showcases almost 300 years of New Mexican history. During a 75-minute guided historical walking tour, you can learn about the first settlers in 1621 and see the architectural developments between that time and today. You also will learn history, legends and lore surrounding the historic area.

Tours of Old Town offers a variety of tour options. The historical tour is offered Friday through Wednesday at 10 a.m., noon, 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. ($10 for general admission). Every night at 8, a 90-minute tour focuses on the ghost stories, history and paranormal investigations of the reportedly haunted locations of Old Town  ($20 for general admission). During the full moon and during weekends in October, an additional tour is given at 10 p.m. that includes information from the ghost tour and adds lessons on the superstitions surrounding the moon ($20 for general admission).

If you are feeling confident that you already know everything about Old Town, or if you prefer to explore on your own, you might enjoy participating in one of the occasional scavenger hunts hosted by Tours of Old Town (call for prices). Reservations are strongly recommended for some tours and required for others.

On the historical tour, you will see the original school house that still has the bell tower on top - yet never had a bell installed. The tour guide will explain how to tell the age of a building by the thickness of the walls and the style of adobe, or mud brick, that was used to build the home. The tour will wind past the first home to be built in New Mexico and through one of the four remaining placitas used as a defendable family home during the early years, when the king of Spain could not afford the army to protect the residents of Albuquerque. 

The placita is a network of apartments for family members built around a common patio with one main entrance and one smaller rear entrance. The entrances could easily be closed and the property defended. In the center of Old Town is the original plaza and replicas of the cannons used during the Civil War to protect Albuquerque. 

- by Julie Medina, Albuquerque Reporter for HelloMetro  (Click to leave a message)

Julie Medina

Julie Medina has experience as a reporter at the Albuquerque Journal and has written freelance articles for the Albuquerque Tribune, Albuquerque the Magazine, New Mexico Magazine and New Mexico Kids Magazine. She graduated Summa Cum Laude with a degree in print journalism from the University of New Mexico in 2008. She has lived in Albuquerque since 1984 and believes it is best to remember to play like a tourist in your own hometown so you don't forget the vast culture around you.