overview

Companion Day Trips

The following three field trips are available to registered companions. To register for these trips, please complete the online registration form.

Santa Fe

Day trip on July 17th to Santa Fe, New Mexico –- the City Different –- to explore museums, historic buildings, galleries, shopping, and more.
8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. -- Price: $45

Indian Market in downtown Santa Fe (photo courtesy of the New Mexico Tourism Department. Photograph by Mark Nohl)

Trip details

We will leave Socorro at 8:30 a.m., arriving in Santa Fe approximately 10:30 a.m. After a short orientation at the Palace of the Governors, the oldest continuously occupied governmental building in the United States, the group will have the rest of the morning to explore the plaza area. Close by the plaza area is Canyon Road, famous for galleries displaying world-class southwestern and Native American artifacts and art. Lunch will be on your own. After lunch, we will then travel up to Museum Hill, home to museums specializing in Native American, Spanish Colonial, and international collections. If we’re lucky, there will be some Native American dance performances in the Museum plaza. We should return to Socorro by about 5 p.m.

What to wear and bring

Santa Fe is a mountain city, situated at 7,500 feet above sea level. The sunshine is very intense at this altitude, so a hat and sunscreen are a must. Late mornings in July can be very warm and sunny, but almost every afternoon brings a thunderstorm, which can reduce the temperature quickly by 20 to 30 degrees. Bring comfortable walking shoes, layers of clothing, water bottle, sun hat, and umbrella or light rain coat. English and Spanish is spoken.

For more information about Santa Fe, visit the State of New Mexico Visitors Bureau website.

Acoma Pueblo

Day trip on July 18th to Acoma, New Mexico -- a Native American pueblo.
8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. -- Price: $45

The plaza area on the mesa at Acoma Pueblo (photo courtesy www.skycity.com)

Trip details

Acoma Pueblo is commonly known as Sky City because it is perched atop a 357-foot-tall sandstone plateau. This small native village is the oldest continuously occupied town in North America. Most of the buildings are made of adobe, sun-dried mud brick. The largest structure in the village is the huge San Estevan del Rey Mission church (pictured at right--photo courtesy www.skycity.com), built under the supervision of Spanish priests in 1629. The entire pueblo (town) has been designated as a National Historic Landmark. The view from the 70-acre mesa top is stunning.

Because Sky City is still home to 50 Acoma tribal members, a guided tour is the only way visitors can view the village and the mission. The new Acoma Cultural Center at the base of the mesa houses a museum, café, and gift shop, where the distinctive white, orange, and black Acoma pottery is on sale.

We will leave Socorro at 8 a.m. and travel approximately 2 ½ hours north and west to reach Acoma Pueblo in the heart of Indian Country. Once at Acoma, a shuttle van will take us up to the village at the top of the mesa, where an Acoma tour guide will show us the village and the church. Expect to spend about an hour walking slowly on level ground during the tour. At the end of the tour, the shuttle will take us down to the Acoma Cultural Center, where lunch can be purchased at the café. Lunch prices vary from $6 to $10, and vegetarian meals are available. After lunch, there will be time to visit the museum and the gift shop before we leave for our return trip back to Socorro. Expect to be back in Socorro by about 5:30 p.m.

What to wear and bring

In July, the sun can be intense in the high desert Indian Country northwest of Socorro. The temperature may be about 90º F, although brief, intense summer thundershowers can cool things down quite a bit. Plan to wear loose-fitting cotton clothing, a sun hat, sunglasses, and walking shoes. Bring a water bottle for the one-hour walking tour of the village. If you bring a camera, you will be required to pay $10 for a camera permit (still cameras only) before you will be allowed to take pictures.

Very Large Array

Half-day trip on July 20th to the VLA -- a National Radio Astronomy Observatory aperture-synthesis telescope made up of 27 eighty-two-foot-diameter movable radio telescopes that form a Y with a diameter of 22 miles. 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. -- Price: $20

Image courtesy of NRAO/AUI and Photographer-Kelly Gatlin; Digital composite-Patricia Smiley

Trip details

We will leave Socorro at about 8:30 a.m. and travel west toward Magdalena and Datil. The VLA is 52 miles west of Socorro and is situated in the Plains of San Agustin, the remains of an ancient lake bed. On our tour we will explore the exhibits in the visitor center, walk to the base of one of the antennas, and pay a visit to the array operations center. Our tour guide will explain some of the intricacies of astronomy at radio wavelengths as well as some of the major contributions the VLA has made to our knowledge of the Universe. We should return about 1:00 p.m.

What to wear and bring

The VLA is at an elevation of 7,000 feet. Sunscreen, a hat and sunglasses are strongly recommended. Although mornings in July are generally sunny and hot, please be prepared for variable weather (dress in layers and bring a light raincoat or umbrella). Wear comfortable shoes and a sun hat. Please bring a water bottle. The VLA Visitor Center has restrooms, water fountains, and a soft-drink machine. The VLA Gift Shop is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m and stocks a variety of logo memorabilia as well as clothing, books, postcards, notecards, and sterling silver jewelry from the Alamo Navajo Reservation.

For more information about the Very Large Array, please visit their website.