Albuquerque, NM

I have never traveled to the Southwestern desert plains, however I have many friends who have traveled to the Albuquerque, NM area and they have told me some great stroies of the unique culture and topography there that is so different from anywhere else they had gone before. New Mexico is pretty much all desert and flat lands so the things they do have to offer there are much different than any ordinary city. I was able to look up some of these attractions they visited using the Happy Mappy service. One of the places my friends went to was The Internatioal Rattlesnake Museum which is currently the world's largest collection of captive-born rattlesnakes. Since it is an aminal conservation museum they teach you there how rattlesnakes have shaped the lives of those in thier surroundings. They also teach you how do avoid snake bites, what to do if you are bitten, and basically everything you could ever want to know about snakes. Since snakes are prevelant in the area it is important to be familiar with these skills. Not to scare you off, but there are some other interesting things to do in Albuquerque besides snake museums. There is the Museum of Turqoise which is probable every woman's favorite piece of jewerly. At the museum you get to walk into an actual turqoise mine and see the stones growing in the rocks, you get to see how they are cleaned up and polished, and learn a little history behind the myths about turqoise. Albuquerque Biological Park is an impressive collection of attractions such as the Albuquerque Aquarium, Rio Grande Botanical Gardens, Rio Grande Zoo, and Tingley Aquatic Park. There are plenty of critters, concerts, exhibits, and activities to fill a whole day or two! My friends also made a day trip to Anderson Valley Vinyards where they enjoyed wine and great views while tourning the winery. Albuquerque is also well known for their hotair balloon rides over the city which is definately something I would love to do. Besides all of these attractions, there are many many more fun things to do in Albuquerque on the Happy Mappy website that I must try out if I'm ever in the area.