Things to Do in Taos, United States: Walking Guide

Taos is a northern New Mexico town known for its artists, adobe architecture, historic buildings, and distinctive Southwestern character. The best things to do in Taos include exploring museums linked to the town’s creative legacy and discovering landmarks around its historic center. Neywo offers a free audio guide for Taos with four narrated places.

What to See in Taos

Taos Art Museum

The Taos Art Museum celebrates the artists who helped make the town famous. It is housed in the Nicolai Fechin House, the former home of Russian artist Nicolai Fechin, his wife Alexandra, and their daughter Eya.

The museum’s mission combines the presentation of Taos art with support for local artistic development. The house itself adds another dimension to the visit, connecting the museum’s collection with the life of one of the artists associated with Taos.

Harwood Museum of Art

The Harwood Museum of Art is one of Taos’s major cultural institutions. Founded in 1923 by the Harwood Foundation, it is the second-oldest art museum in New Mexico.

The building dates back to the 1860s and is listed on both the New Mexico State Register of Cultural Properties and the National Register of Historic Places. Its collections bring together Hispanic works, art by members of the Taos Society of Artists, works by the Taos Moderns, and contemporary art.

The University of New Mexico purchased the museum in 1935. Since then, it has expanded to include an auditorium, a library, and additional exhibition space. The result is a museum that presents Taos’s artistic history across several traditions and periods.

Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish

Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish stands beside Taos Plaza on Don Fernando Street in downtown Taos. The historic church is one of the notable landmarks around the town center and makes a natural stop while exploring the area on foot.

Its location next to the plaza places it close to other central sights, including the museums and historic buildings associated with Taos’s cultural heritage.

Kit Carson House

The Kit Carson House is a historic house museum in central Taos. Built in 1825, it was the home of frontiersman Kit Carson from 1843 until his death in 1868.

The building is a fine example of Spanish Colonial architecture, offering a sense of how homes in this part of New Mexico looked nearly two centuries ago. Today, the local Masonic fraternity owns the property and operates it as a museum dedicated to Carson’s life and legacy.

The house was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1963, recognizing its importance in American history.

A Taos Self-Guided Walking Tour

A walking route is a practical way to connect Taos’s art, history, and central landmarks. Neywo’s Painters and Frontiersmen: Taos on Foot covers 2.12 km in about 50 minutes and includes four narrated stops: Taos Art Museum, Harwood Museum of Art, Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, and Kit Carson House.

The route brings together the places that best express Taos’s character: the homes and collections connected with its artists, the Spanish Colonial architecture of its historic center, and the house museum devoted to one of the region’s best-known frontiersmen.

Taos is part of New Mexico, a state whose cities and landscapes offer varied ways to explore the American Southwest. For a broader itinerary, you can also connect the visit with Santa Fe, Las Vegas, New Mexico, or Albuquerque.

Explore Taos with Neywo

Download Neywo and explore Taos with one walking tour, covering 2.12 km in 50 minutes and featuring four narrated stops. The app tells the story of each place as you reach it, at your own pace, with no group and no schedule. Narration is available in 11 languages.

It is a simple way to follow a Taos audio guide while walking between the town’s museums, historic homes, and downtown landmarks.