Since March 2020 when the coronavirus disease arrived in the U.S., our brokers have been turning out virtual open houses and virtual tours to support our buyers and sellers.
Our virtual open houses and virtual tours combine top-quality photography and video with the listing broker’s commentary and description of the property. It’s one of the many ways we’re serving our clients while following all public health protocols and best practices to fight the spread of COVID-19.
And our data on our recently sold homes proves it—buying and selling Santa Fe real estate is continuing at a healthy rate.
But how can buyers explore Santa Fe when travel isn’t advised or possible?
Here’s our answer: Crank up the AC, pour a cold drink, and take a virtual tour of some of Santa Fe’s best-loved destinations.
We combed the internet to look for virtual tours especially helpful for homebuyers. Santa Fe is treasured for its spectacular natural setting, so we’ll start there.
Santa Fe Google Treks
Tourism Santa Fe partnered with Google Trekker to create digital tours of some of our leading parks, trails, and historic sites. While a virtual tour of Dale Ball Trails is no substitute for experiencing it from the seat of a mountain bike, it does provide a great introduction for outdoor-oriented homebuyers. As of this writing, you can sample 30 outdoor destinations from the Acequia Trail to the Winsor Trail. The collection includes such standouts as Pecos National Park and the Santa Fe Botanical Garden.
Bandelier National Monument Virtual Tour
Most of Bandelier has reopened as of August 1, but anyone traveling from outside New Mexico must self-quarantine for 14 days. So for homebuyers outside of our state, a virtual tour may be a good alternative at this time.
You can explore this historic landmark with its ancestral pueblo homes courtesy of Google Arts and Culture. Bandelier is located about 50 minutes from Santa Fe.
O’Keeffe from Anywhere
Located just off the Plaza in downtown Santa Fe, the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum is currently closed but is scheduled to reopen to the public on September 25. Until then, you can explore the museum online or through Google Art and Culture’s Georgia O’Keeffe Museum tour.
Santa Fe Art and Culture Virtual Experiences
Courtesy of Tourism Santa Fe, here’s an enormous collection of virtual and live tours you can enjoy from the comfort of your current home. You’ll find an impressive array of art tours, studio talks, online dance classes, cultural tours, and online library programming.
Heritage Inspirations Virtual Tours
With a focus on Northern New Mexico, Heritage Inspirations is a travel company with a difference. Their guided tours are active, immersive, and diverse. Examples of Santa Fe guided tours include hiking in Bandelier, a day trip to Taos on the historic High Road, and a bike tour of the churches that shaped Santa Fe’s culture and history.
Heritage Inspirations is now offering virtual tours ideal for long-distance homebuyers looking to add to their knowledge base. These virtual offerings start at $45 per person and include both scheduled and on-demand webinars. Coming up this fall and winter are three virtual cooking events that invite you to “take a walk in our culinary shoes” to learn about New Mexican cuisine.
Santa Fe Museum Virtual Visits
The Museum of New Mexico Foundation created a portal where you can access online exhibits and videos for the four state museums in Santa Fe: the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture, the Museum of International Folk Art, the New Mexico History Museum, and the New Mexico Museum of Art. You can access podcasts and interactive exhibits, too.
Meow Wolf 360-Degree Tour
A description-defying immersive experience, Meow Wolf is closed until further notice. While an actual visit is the only true way to experience their House of Eternal Return, you can get an idea of this mind-blowing exhibit through a 360-degree tour.
Virtual Taos
In real life, Taos is located about an hour and a half from Santa Fe. But in the digital world, it’s as close as your laptop. Virtual Taos lets you explore shopping, restaurants, landmarks, streaming events, and more.
Prescott Gallery and Sculpture Garden Virtual Tour
This kid-friendly sculpture garden is populated by kinetic sculptures of birds and animals created by self-taught artist Fredrick Prescott. Colorful and monumental, these welded-steel artworks come to life with a touch of wind. The gallery is located off Agua Fria Street about 15 from the Plaza.
Santa Fe Opera 30-Second Virtual Tour
In just 30 seconds, this virtual tour of the Santa Fe Opera will give you goosebumps. A breathtakingly gorgeous outdoor setting elevates opera to a new level of splendor. While Santa Fe Opera was forced to cancel its 2020 season due to the coronavirus pandemic, plans are in progress for a 2021 season. As General Director Robert K. Meyer told patrons, “Brighter days will soon be on the horizon, and there is no greater view than from a seat at the Santa Fe Opera.”
