Families looking for an active and affordable summer vacation will be interested in a stay in Farmington, New Mexico. Farmington, a high-value vacation hub for an adventure-seeking family, lies on a scenic route from Taos to the Grand Canyon.
Farmington is a busy retail center in the Four Corners offering: river rapids, rugged ATV trails, world-class fly fishing, an award-winning public golf course, and the choice of hiking along rivers, in high desert badlands or ancient Indian ruins. Visitors will find many quality hotels, casual hometown dining, outdoor theater, horse racing and the number one casino in the Four Corners.
Surrounded by cliffs and mesas, in view of the San Juan Mountains and the iconic Ship Rock, this area was once the home of the ancient Anasazi. Today Farmington is bordered by the Navajo, Ute, and Jicarilla Apache reservations, an excellent base to tour natural wonders such as Mesa Verde National Park, Chaco Culture National Historic Park and Canyon de Chelly National Monument.
Families with younger children will find numerous kid-friendly parks and two great museums. The E3Children’s Museum has hands-on fun for kids. There is an exciting Dinosaur to Drill Bits exhibit in the Farmington Museum with a bone-rattling simulated ride 1000 feet into the earth to look for oil.
Maps, brochures and visitor information are available in Farmington at the visitor center at 3041 East Main Street which also houses the Farmington Museum. The Convention and Visitors Bureau has an informative website at www.farmingtonnm.org as well as a Facebook fan page with constantly updated information. There is a toll free number, 800-448-1240, for questions about accommodations and things for outdoor lovers to see and do in the Four Corners.
