Taos Plaza Walking Tour

The major sights around Taos Plaza are listed in the order of a potential walking tour. Stroll quickly to get oriented, or take your time and visit the museums along the way. Either way, you’ll pass a few other historical spots as well.

Backtrack and enter Kit Carson Park to find the cemetery where many Taos notables are buried.Starting on Taos Plaza, walk out the southwest corner to Ledoux Street and the museums (such as the Harwood Museum of Art). Make a short jog left (southwest) down Lower Ranchitos Road to La Loma Plaza. Return to Ranchitos, and then turn left into Padre Martinez Lane, where the influential pastor lived until his death in 1867. At the end of the street, turn right and walk to Camino de la Placita, then turn left.

Now used as a conference center and B&B, arts patroness Mabel Dodge Luhan’s House is open to curious visitors as well as overnight guests. Photo © Artotem, licensed Creative Commons Attribution.

After a couple of blocks, turn right (east) on Bent Street, passing Governor Bent House and Museum, home of the first American governor, Charles Bent. At Paseo del Pueblo Norte, turn left and walk to Taos Art Museum at Fechin House, at least to admire the structure. Backtrack and enter Kit Carson Park to find the cemetery where many Taos notables are buried. Cut out the back of the park, past the baseball diamonds to Morada Lane—at the end is the Mabel Dodge Luhan House.

Take Morada Lane back to Kit Carson Road, passing the Couse-Sharp Historic Site and the Kit Carson Home. Turn right (west) to get back to Paseo del Pueblo, passing Carson’s home on the way. Another right turn gets you to a well-deserved drink at the Taos Inn.

Around Taos Plaza

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Excerpted from the Fourth Edition of Moon Santa Fe, Taos, & Albuquerque.