Discover Abiquiú Blog

American artist Georgia O’Keeffe was born on a dairy farm in Wisconsin, and lived in many different places before settling in New Mexico - Chicago, New York City, New York’s Lake George, Charlottesville, Virginia and Amarillo, TX. She first visited New Mexico in 1917, and from that time on she would declare that “I was always on my way back.” So many of us here in Abiquiu feel the same way. In 1929 and 1930, O’Keeffe spent her first two summers as a guest at Mabel Dodge Luhan

A foodie myself, one of the questions I get asked most often by guests is, “Where is your favorite place to eat?” Truthfully, it’s also one of the questions I ask most when I’m travelling and visiting a new city. So for those of you asking this question while visiting Abiquiu - this blog is for you! New Mexico is famous for its southwestern cuisine with influences from Native American, Spanish and Mexican cultures. While each group retains its basic identity today in New Me

Our Favorite Things to Discover In and Around Abiquiu, New Mexico Congratulations – if you are reading this you likely have added a stay in Abiquiu to your New Mexico vacation. We are biased, but we don’t believe any trip to New Mexico is complete without spending time in Abiquiu…and not just a day trip…you will need several days to really get to know the history and culture of the area. We are often asked about our “bucket list” list of things to see and do – so in this blog

There is so much to see and do in Abiquiú – don’t short yourself and schedule only a quick day trip. We recommend at least four days in Abiquiú to really experience the history, culture, geography and arts in the area...and many of our guests stay for a week or month. So many people flock to Abiquiú to visit Ghostranch and take the Georgia O’Keeffe Home and Studio Tour. We definitely recommend you do both. But, don’t miss the many other hidden treasures, including spectacular

With all New Mexico counties at a “turquoise” level – meaning COVID numbers have fallen and businesses can begin safely reopening – we are excited to welcome Summer 2021 – long, warm days with blue, blue skies that slowly turn into glowing sunsets. This summer season…after 2020, a year unlike any other…gives us reason to pause and appreciate the beauty of Abiquiu. Abiquiu is re-opening…and for those of you who have trips planned, or maybe are thinking of escaping this summer

Abiquiu, this little village in northern New Mexico, has become a tourist destination and bucket list item because of its history, the blending of cultures, and, of course, America’s most famous female artist, Georgia O’Keeffe. Touring Georgia's home and studio in the village is a popular attraction, as her property stands today just as it did when she lived there. Georgia was inspired by the land, the vistas, rock formations, the random bones she found, and the colors. The l

On the bank of the Rio Chama in Abiquiu, New Mexico, in the Chama Canyon wilderness, sits a beautiful Benedictine monastic community – The Monastery of Christ in the Desert. The monks in this community have the goal of living the contemplative life which St. Benedict, whose Rule is followed, envisioned as a life free from all attachments so that a relationship with God is the central, and even exclusive, relationship. The monastery is a rich part of Abiquiu’s fabric, and welc

Sitting outside on our lakeside portal, overlooking #Abiquiu Lake and the million-year-old red cliffs, it feels fitting that an owl silently flies by above me. No doubt, the owl was tracking prey, in search of food. Fitting, because if you didn’t know, Abiquiu (pronounced A-bhi-kyoo, as in A as in Apple, Bi and in Big, and Quiu pronounced like the letter Q) gets its name from the Tewa Puebloan words “pay sha boo-oo”, meaning "timber-end town”, and “abechin”, meaning “the hoot

Happy New Year! All of us at The Grand Hacienda B&B, The Casita del Lago and Abiquiu Lake Mesa Vacation Homes, and the Studios of Abiquiu Lake wish you a healthy, joyful, and travel-filled 2021! For the past 14 years, we have started each year with a letter of thanks to our “family of friends and guests”. We are so thankful for all of you who weathered 2020 with us. It has been a bumpy ride, for sure! When life gave us 2020, we adapted. We spent the year mastering soc

By Guest Blogger: Robert Dolci, President of the Northern Rio Grande Chapter of the New Mexico Vine and Wine Society I spent most of my adult life in California’s Silicon Valley, and what I know about wine came out of a bottle from either Napa Valley or Sonoma County. Just about the only wine I drank from my mid 20s until my mid 60s was wines from Northern California. Why not, it was really good stuff. In 2012, my wife Wendy and I moved to New Mexico. In 2013, we joined the V

They’re here…..but they are just passing through. The Rufous Hummingbirds have checked in at #TheGrandHacienda, #TheCasitaDelLago and #AbiquiuLakeMesa in large numbers! While we know them as the Rufous Hummingbird, their scientific name is the Selasphorus rufus, and they are members of the Trochilidae family. They will live between 3 to 5 years. The smallest hummingbird, their size is about 3.75 inches and they weigh only about 3 grams. At The Grand Hacienda B&B, we have five

By Guest Blogger, Bob Dolci.

Spring 2020 in Abiquiu, New Mexico.

The smudging ritual.

What's happening in and around Abiquiu, NM.

Abiquiu Lake Vacations wins AirBNB Superhost Award for seventh consecutive time.

Over the years, we’ve been privileged to earn many awards, recognitions and five-star reviews. Each and every one means a lot of us because we work really hard to provide awesome vacation rental experiences out here in Abiquiú. To us, the vacation rental journey isn’t just about providing high quality, well-furnished beautiful homes (although we do that, too) – it’s more about providing an authentic experience for guests who visit the area. We all know that not all vacatio

When you set out to #DiscoverAbiquiu, you most certainly will discover that you are in “O’Keeffe Territory”, and for good reason. Georgia O’Keeffe first visited Abiquiu in 1929, and eventually made it her permanent home in 1949. Her famous paintings depict her representation of everything “New Mexico,” including Abiquiu’s Cerro Pedernal, Plaza Blanca, Ghost Ranch and numerous landscapes and still life paintings. The natural world that surrounded her – the landscape, river, m

Is Abiquiú, New Mexico on your bucket list? If not, we think it should be. While Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Taos and Los Alamos attract over 6 million visitors each year, it is the village of Abiquiú that we believe is the hidden gem – and no visit to New Mexico is complete without spending time in Abiquiú: The Land of Enchantment, the Home of Georgia O’Keeffe. Dinosaurs, Native Americans, Spanish explorers, and castle wrestlers all called this land home.  The village of Abiqui

‘Tis the season of the chuparosa, or hummingbird. Our recent guests at The Casita del Lago (#TheCasitaDelLago), visiting all the way from Amsterdam, told us that they loved watching the hummingbirds outside. We were happy to explain that in New Mexico, we have 17 different species of hummingbirds, and you can see many of those species in the spring and fall as they migrate. We are blessed that they love to hang out outside our windows – creating a show better than TV. Hummi