Top 20 Places to Take Kids in and around Albuquerque
2024: Best Places for Kids in the Albuquerque area!
The best places to take kids in and around Albuquerque, based on KidsOutAndAbout's annual reader survey. But there is LOTS more to do in Albuquerque! Get great ideas here at KidsOutAndAbout.com! What is listed below are just the starting point: Browse through our site and calendar to find lots more, and sign up for our fabulous weekly e-newsletter! And be sure not to miss our Everything Free page.
| 1. ABQ BioPark 2. The New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science 3. Cliff's Amusement Park 4. Wildlife West Nature Park 5. Explora 6. Hinkle Family Fun Center 7. Rio Grande Nature Center State Park 8. Sandia Peak Aerial Tramway 9. Albuquerque Isotopes Baseball 10. My Local Library 11. American Rattlesnake Museum 12. Anderson Abruzzo International Balloon Museum 13. Petroglyph National Monument 14. Albuquerque Old Town 15. Indian Pueblo Cultural Center 16. Elena Gallegos Open Space 17. Maxwell Museum of Anthropology 18. The National Museum of Nuclear Science & History 19. Albuquerque Tourism & Sightseeing Factory 20. Unser Racing Museum |
Favorite Arts Education: Coming in 2025 Favorite Sports/Physical Education: Coming in 2025 Favorite STEM Education: Coming in 2025 |
ABQ BioPark
Located along the Rio Grande River near downtown Albuquerque, the ABQ BioPark consists of: The ABQ BioPark Zoo, Botanic Garden, Aquarium and Tingley Beach. Welcoming more than 1.5 million visitors per year, we are the top tourist destination in the state of New Mexico.
The New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science
The New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science preserves and interprets the distinctive natural and scientific heritage of our state through extraordinary collections, research, exhibits and programs designed to ignite a passion for lifelong learning.
Cliff’s Amusement Park
50 Rides & Attractions! Thrill rides, family rides, Kiddyland and Watermania! – Cliff’s is the perfect place to bring the entire family for a day full of thrills, laughs, food, and fun.
Wildlife West Nature Park
Wildlife West Nature Park provides a very special look into the animals and plants that are part of the ecosystems of New Mexico and the Southwestern United States. All the birds and animals at Wildlife West Nature Park are nonreleasable, in keeping with our philosophy of bringing education to the public without harming ecological balances in other parts of the region. Our habitats are designed to provide the best possible combination of viewing opportunities and harmonious living for our residents, and our animal enrichment programs ensure that our animals are both physically and mentally healthy.
Explora
More than a science center or a kids museum, Exlpora offers visitors of all ages - including adults! - a place to enjoy lifelong learning through fun hands-on investigations with interesting materials. In addition to two floors of exhibits, Explora offers many programs to enrich your child's out-of-school time learning, through hands-on classes for children in preschool-8th grade, including Early Childhood Classes, Robotics After-School Club, Engineering & Physics Science Club, and Home School Exploration Series, winter, spring, and summer Camp, and Teen Cafes.
Hinkle Family Fun Center
Albuquerque’s Premier Family Entertainment Destination featuring two scenic 18 hole Miniature Golf Courses, 1/8 mile twisting Go Kart Track, Rock Climbing, 2 Game Rooms and Prize Centers, Bumper Boats, Lazer tag, Battletech, Immersive Virtual Reality, Bungee Jump Trampoline, Lazer Frenzy, Light Space, Bumper Cars, Birthday Parties, Group Events and Eats and Treats Too! Rain or Shine or Anytime!
Rio Grande Nature Center State Park
Located on the Rio Grande flyway, the park offers excellent birdwatching opportunities throughout the year. There are indoor and outdoor wildlife viewing areas overlooking ponds, a native plant garden, and a pollinator garden as well as access to the city-managed trails to the Rio Grande and Bosque. The Visitor Center offers informative displays and a unique Nature Shop. The park is day-use only, no camping. Leashed pets are allowed in the parking area and on the adjacent city trails only.
Sandia Peak Aerial Tramway
Rising from the hustle and bustle of Albuquerque, you ascend one of America’s most stunning urban peaks. Reaching the 10,378-foot crest of the Sandia Mountains, an 11,000 square mile panoramic view awaits you. It’s an elevation of the body, mind, and soul in a mere 15 minutes.
Albuquerque Isotopes Baseball
The Albuquerque Isotopes are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. They play home games at Rio Grande Credit Union Field at Isotopes Park in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at an elevation of 5,100 feet (1,555 m) above sea level.
My Local Library
Of course, the libraries in the Albuquerque area are not really ONE place, but MANY places... but it's important to emphasize how valuable libraries are for family learning and fun. The libraries in our area are wonderful about posting their events to the KidsOutAndAbout calendar so you always can get ideas for free things to do with your kids that celebrate education and imagination. KidsOutAndAbout.com takes this opportunity to salute the wonderful children's librarians who serve our community with such dedication. They're proud that locals voted them #10 in best places to take kids this year!
American Rattlesnake Museum
The Rattlesnake Museum is an exciting and educational experience for the entire family. This animal conservation museum reveals the hundreds of ways that rattlesnakes and other "less desirable" animals have influenced our lives. Examples are given through artifacts, memorabilia, and the largest collection of different species of live rattlesnakes in the world. In fact, the Rattlesnake Museum hosts more different species than the Bronx Zoo, the Philadelphia Zoo, the National Zoo, the Denver Zoo, the San Francisco Zoo, and the San Diego Zoo, all combined
Anderson Abruzzo International Balloon Museum
Named in honor of Albuquerque's pioneering aeronauts Maxie Anderson and Ben Abruzzo, the Balloon Museum opened in 2005, and has since welcomed over one million visitors from across New Mexico, the United States, and around the world.
Petroglyph National Monument
Petroglyph National Monument protects one of the largest petroglyph sites in North America, featuring designs and symbols carved onto volcanic rocks by Native Americans and Spanish settlers 400 to 700 years ago. These images are a valuable record of cultural expression and hold profound spiritual significance for contemporary Native Americans and for the descendants of the early Spanish settlers.
Albuquerque Old Town
Stroll the Plaza, dine at our many restaurants, stay in our Hotels and Bed & Breakfasts, visit our museums, take a guided tour or shop at over 150 stores and galleries for unique gifts from the Southwest and around the world. Quiet hidden patios, winding brick paths, gardens and balconies are waiting to be discovered!
Indian Pueblo Cultural Center
The Indian Pueblo Cultural Center is the only place in North America to host cultural Native American dances every weekend year-round, and also offers an exciting schedule of cultural and community activities, including rotating museum exhibits, events with Native American artists, hands-on children’s programs and art festivals. Visitors can also experience the award-winning Native Sourced, Pueblo Inspired cuisine of Pueblo Harvest, and shop at the Indian Pueblo Store, a trusted destination for authentic handcrafted Native American art. Today the IPCC leads the world in educating people about the legacy of resilience, accomplishments, and living history of Pueblo people and is a vibrant place for people of all cultures to share, learn, and discover.
Elena Gallegos Open Space
Visitors to Elena Gallegos Picnic Area and Albert G. Simms Park enjoy many activities below the backdrop of the Sandia Mountains, which were named for their pink colors at sunset - "Sandia" is Spanish for "watermelon." The 640-acre park is a gem in the Open Space system. At an elevation of about 6,500 feet, visitors can view Mt. Taylor to the west, the Jemez Mountains to the north and the vast Tijeras Arroyo to the south. The landscape supports a piñon-juniper habitat that includes chamisa, Apache plume, scrub oak, cane cholla cactus, blue grama grass, bear grass, and soapweed yucca. If visitors use their observation skills pack rat nests can be seen under juniper trees, coyote and bear scat can be identified along the trail, and the elusive cougar may be spotted traveling through a natural drainage.
Maxwell Museum of Anthropology
The Maxwell Museum was founded in 1932 as the Museum of Anthropology of the University of New Mexico, becoming the first public museum in Albuquerque.
The National Museum of Nuclear Science & History
The featured exhibits at the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History provide an objective, accessible window into the past, present, and future of nuclear science. They cover everything from the very origins of atomic theory, the complexity of the political scenarios contributing to World War II, the height of the Cold War, to modern-day advances in nuclear medicine – and even begin to speculate about the future of this fascinating and exciting field. The Museum gives its visitors a memorable and vivid understanding of nuclear science and history.
Albuquerque Tourism & Sightseeing Factory
The best first things to do in Albuquerque! Home to ABQ Trolley Co., Albucreepy Ghost Walk, Duke City Pedaler and ABQ in a Box.
Unser Racing Museum
The Unser Racing Museum is a multi-dimensional museum experience utilizing modern technologies to educate and immerse the visitor in the exciting world of racing. Take a guided tour and learn about the Unser family history, then explore on your own, seeing and interacting with racing history as it happened. The museum spans the early days of racing from Pikes Peak and Indianapolis to the latest technology, including a racing simulator that puts you in the driver’s seat, and interactive kiosks for young and old to learn more about racing in a fun, educational environment.
