Albuquerque, New Mexico
300 years of history and culture in the heart of the Southwest

Located in the beautiful Rio Grande valley and in the shadow of the massive Sandia Mountains, Albuquerque is the true heart of the Southwest, boasting 300 sunshine-filled days a year, world-renowned visual and performing arts, spectacular year-round events and activities in a one of the most culturally diverse cities in the country.

 Albuquerque may be most know as the home of the largest balloon festival of the United States, the International Balloon Fiesta®, held annually during the first two weeks of October.  The clear New Mexico skies and temperate fall weather makes Albuqueque an ideal place for this spectacular event that draws over 1,000 balloon pilots a year and hundreds of thousands of spectators.  But Albuquerque also features a spectrum of other attractions and events for the tourist.

Albuquerque has more than 16 different museums within its city limits with a range of subjects.  A brief list includes the Albuquerque Museum of Art & History, the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science and the National Atomic Museum. Other area attractions include the Sandia Peak Aerial Tramway, the world's longest single span aerial tram, the Albuquerque Biological Park and the Petroglyph National Monument.

The two major Interstates through New Mexico I-25 and I-40 intersect in Albuquerque.  The Albuquerque International Sunport offers direct and non-stop flights from most major US cities and many international metropolises, bringing more than 6 million people a year into the city.  If you are looking for slower, more scenic path, historic Route 66 runs directly through downtown Albuquerque as well.

New Mexico's largest university, the University of New Mexico, resides in downtown Albuquerque, along with a host of major organizations and corporations, including Kirkland Airforce Base, Sandia National Labs, Intel Corporation, and Eclipse Aviation.