Be Enchanted and Hit the Road
Rio Rancho is central to all that is unique and special about New Mexico. With modern, affordable accommodations, customized itineraries and add-on attractions, your tour clients can experience a variety of enchantment in a single day.
Tours Take Flight with the Balloon Fiesta Motorcoach Hospitality Tent!
Albuquerque
International Balloon Fiesta
October 4-12, 2008
(North Central Albuquerque area)
Your clients will thrill at the sight of 700+ colorful hot-air balloons rising
into the New Mexico sky! Every October for nine days, (from the first weekend
through the second) Central New Mexico is awash in excitement and fun! Rio
Rancho's close proximity to the balloon fiesta field makes the City of Vision
a favorite with both tour operators and balloon pilots for hotel accommodations.
Take
Flight with a Balloon Fiesta Tour!
Click to Download Info
Rio Rancho is All About Hospitality at the Balloon Fiesta!
Click to Download More Info
Learn More About the Balloon Fiesta from the official web site
For tour information and packages to experience the 2008 Albuquerque International
Balloon Fiesta - October 4 - 12th, download
a flier or email
the Rio Rancho Convention & Visitors Bureau or call (888) 746-7262.
Or click here to
learn more about upcoming exciting Balloon Fiesta events.
Meet the future and explore the past in Rio Rancho. Spend the morning exploring prehistoric and current Native American and Hispanic villages. Explore a variety of museums and shop in the afternoon. Enjoy glorious sunsets from high atop Sandia Peak.
Nestled at 5,290 feet above sea level, Rio Rancho offers a mild, year-round, high desert climate perfect for scenic tours. Rio Rancho lies west of I-25 and north of I-40 in central New Mexico, directly adjacent to Albuquerque. High atop a mesa, the city offers stunning views of the Sandia Mountains and the tree-lined Rio Grande river valley.
Group Tour Services
The Rio Rancho Convention and Visitors Bureau offers group tour and motorcoach packages. We want to make your job easy—for personalized tour planning, custom itineraries, special events, add-on tour options, FAM tours, tour planner guide, digital photos and one-stop shopping, please contact the Rio Rancho Convention and Visitors Bureau (888-746-7262). We offer a variety of itineraries and tour packages:
Itineraries
Enchanting Destinations
A
Taste of New Mexico - Past & Present
Get Your Kicks on Route 66
Special Events & Add-On Attractions
Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta
Ed-Ventures
Best
View in Town
Birds and the Bees
Get
Cultured
The Technology Tour
Get Cultured
(All in Rio Rancho/Albuquerque metro area)
Indian Pueblo Cultural Center
This one-of-a-kind facility is owned and operated by the 19 Pueblo tribes of
New Mexico. The museum offers a view, from the Native perspective, of the
Indian culture of the Southwest. Restaurant with banquet facilities, gift
shops. Traditional Indian dances and crafts demonstrations every weekend.
Group rates. 2401 12th Street NW, one block north of I-40. Visit www.indianpueblo.org or call 1-800-766-4405. (Allow ½ hour for museum; more if attending
dances.)
National Hispanic Cultural Center
World-class permanent and temporary exhibits of Hispanic art and culture. Performing
arts, music, dance and film. Special events. Closed Mondays. 1701 4th Street
SW. Visit www.nhccnm.org or call (505) 246-2261. Group rates.
Albuquerque Museum of Art & History
Permanent displays showcase the city's history; traveling art exhibits from
all over the world stop here. 2000 Mountain Rd. NW. Closed Mondays. Visit
www.cabq.gov/museum/ or
call (505) 243-7255.
The Birds and the Bees
Rio Grande Zoological Park
See thousands of animals in their natural habitats, including an African safari,
Amazon rain forest, raptor aviary and polar bear pool. Special events; summer
outdoor concert series.
903 10th Street SW. Visit www.cabq.gov/biopark/zoo/ or
call (505) 764-6200. ($3-$7; Allow 2 hours to tour zoo. A pass is also available
that includes Zoo, Aquarium and Botanic Garden for $12.)
Albuquerque Aquarium and Rio Grande Botanic Garden
Press your nose against the glass and say hello to sharks, sea turtles and
every other sea critter you can imagine at the Aquarium. Walk through the
eel cave. Stroll through the adjacent Botanic Garden with its native and
exotic plants. Special events; summer outdoor concert series. 2601 Central
Ave. NW. Visit www.cabq.gov/biopark/ or
call (505) 764-6200. ($3-7; Allow 45 minutes for Aquarium; 1 hour for Botanic
Garden. A pass is also available that includes Zoo, Aquarium and Botanic
Garden for $12.)
Rio
Grande Nature Center State Park
Visitor Center and Interpretive Programs put clients up close to migratory
birds and other Rio Grande Valley flora and fauna. Gentle hiking trails wind
through the woods along the Rio Grande River. A naturalist is available for
interpretive walks and discussion.
Open daily, adults $1. 2901 Candelaria NW.
Visit www.emnrd.state.nm.us/emnrd/Parks/
or
call (505) 344-7240.
(Allow 30 minutes for Visitors Center; 1-1
½ hours total if including a short stroll along the path.)
Sweetwater Herb and Teaching Center
(located in Jemez Springs)
If your tour takes you to the Jemez Mountains, herbalist Wendy Crockett will
conduct a "Common Herb Use" or "Aromatherapy Introduction" workshop
at her center. (Her classes can also be held at other locations, including
in Rio Rancho.) These are hands-on classes, where your clients will learn about
the most commonly used essential oils and herbs, and how they work to calm,
refresh and heal. Participants will take samples of their "creations" with
them. (Call the Rio Rancho Convention & Visitors Bureau, 1-888-746-7262
to arrange. Rates vary; approximately $35/ person for 2-3 hour classes)
Cultural Ed-Ventures
Walatowa
(Jemez Pueblo) Ed-Ventures
If your tour includes the Jemez Mountain Scenic Byway, consider adding one
of these choices to your itinerary. Offered only to tour operators and group
leaders, a professional Native American guide will make your visit an educational
and fun cultural experience.
The "Cultural Ed-Venture" tour allows you to enjoy a Pueblo feast featuring traditional Jemez foods. A bread baking demonstration, artisan demonstration and traditional Indian dances are included.
"Artisan Studio Ed-Venture" tour: An afternoon spent with Jemez
artists who host your group and demonstrate certain processes of their artwork.
Different forms shown include scrifitto pottery techniques, storytellers, traditional
Jemez pottery and sculpture. The tour concludes with an artist-hosted luncheon.
(The Pueblo of Jemez is 1 hour from Rio Rancho. For more information on group
rates and reservations, please contact the Pueblo tourism department at (505)
834-7235.)
Visit www.jemezpueblo.org for more information.
Native Feast and Float
Los Rios River Runners takes your clients rafting along a beautifully wooded,
tranquil section of the Rio Grande River. Native American interpretive guides
on each raft share the lore of the river and local legends. At the end of
the trip, enjoy a delicious traditional feast prepared and served by Pueblo
Indian families. Indian dances, a pottery demonstration and fishing can also
be arranged. Contact Cisco at Los Rios River Runners at www.losriosriverrunners.com or,
1-800-544-1181, or (505) 776-8854. Trip is $78/person for 12 or more. (Los
Rios will meet your group at Coronado State Monument near Rio Rancho and
take them to the rafting put-in point 5-6 miles upstream. This is a gentle
section of the river--perfect for seniors! The birdwatching opportunities
on this trip are priceless.)
The Technology Tour
Visit the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science. Here, groups will ride the "evolator" back to the age of dinosaurs, stand inside a "live" volcano and explore an ice cave. World-class exhibits on zoology, geology and paleontology. Includes the LodeStar Astronomy Center, a planetarium with digital theater, motion simulator and gallery of exhibits; and an Extreme Screen Dynatheater featuring large-format films. 1801 Mountain Road NW, Admission. Visit http://164.64.119.7/nmmnh/index.html or call (505) 841-2892. (Tour time varies depending upon how many options chosen at the Museum. This is located in Albuquerque's Old Town, so clients can stroll the Old Town Plaza, shop and eat lunch before heading to the National Atomic Museum.)
Also located in Old Town, the National Atomic Museum chronicles New Mexico's role in the development (at Los Alamos, NM) and testing (at the Trinity Site, NM) of the always-controversial atomic bomb. Thought-provoking exhibits and interpretation. 1905 Mountain Road. Visit www.atomicmuseum.com or call (505) 284-3244 for group information.)
A great way to end this day would be a ride up the Sandia Peak Tramway, to the top of Sandia Mountain, passing four of the earth's 7 life zones along the way. Interpretive center on top, restaurant, easy hiking trails and views for miles. Arrive in time to watch the sunset and the city lights glittering below you all across the Rio Grande Valley before descending the tram, for dinner and your hotel in Rio Rancho.
Explora Science Center
Explora offers 50,000 square feet of ideas you can touch, where visitors are
encouraged to keep their hands ON the 250 exhibits throughout its facility.
Visitors discover a new way of looking at the performing arts in the Explora
Theater. The store at Explora provides a quality shopping experience with
educational books, hands-on science kits and challenging puzzles for all
ages. Our five classrooms host on-going educational programs, birthday parties
and seasonal camp classes, and there are numerous opportunities for community
rentals throughout the museum. There's something for everyone at Explora.
Whether you're 1 or 101, you'll find new and exciting exhibits and experiences.
More information can be found at http://www.explora.mus.nm.us or
by calling 505 - 224 - 8300.
The Best View in Town
(West Mesa/Rio Rancho area)
Balloon Rides: Nine companies with FAA certified pilots in Rio Rancho and Albuquerque
offer your clients a chance to soar over the city and Rio Grande River, with
spectacular views of the Sandias and other mountain ranges. Most offer
group rates, continental breakfast/champagne, hotel pickup. Balloon rides
normally take place at sunrise or near sunset, weather permitting. Allow
2-3 hours for the experience. Email
the Rio Rancho Convention & Visitors Bureau or call for details,
toll-free (888) 746-7262 or (505) 891-7258.
To download an Adobe Acrobat version about tours in Rio Rancho, click here.
