2. Tours

Tours

COLLEGE TOUR OF CRLA CERTIFIED LEARNING ASSISTANCE CENTERS

  • Wednesday, October 24 - 8:00am–11:30am
  • Central New Mexico Community College and University of New Mexico
  • Cost= $30
  • Ticket required. Space is limited to 29 people. Sign up using the conference registration process.
Itinerary:
  • 8:15 am - Meet in the Hyatt Regency lobby
  • 8:30 am - Bus departs from Hyatt Regency to CNM
  • 8:50 am - Tour CNM
  • 9:30 am - Bus departs from CNM to UNM
  • 9:45 am - Tour UNM
  • 11:30 am - Bus returns to the Hyatt Regency

Tour CRLA-certified tutoring centers at two different higher education institutions: Central New Mexico Community College’s (CNM) Assistance Centers Education (ACE Tutoring) and University of New Mexico’s (UNM) Center for Academic Program Support (CAPS). Our first stop is CNM, the largest community college in the state of New Mexico, serving 30,000 students. We will visit CNM’s main campus ACE Tutoring center that offers students tutoring in a wide variety of subjects including accounting, biology, chemistry, culinary arts, English, ESL, GED, and math. CNM’s main campus serves 16,000 students and is situated near the historic crossroads of Broadway and Central Avenue, historic Route 66.

The second stop on this college tour will be University of New Mexico’s CRLA-certified learning assistance program called the Center for Academic Program Support (CAPS). Founded in 1889, UNM is New Mexico’s flagship institution, and its distinctive downtown Albuquerque campus that features Pueblo Revival architecture. CAPS is staffed by both undergraduate and graduate tutors and offers undergraduate student assistance in a variety of formats: supplemental instruction, online tutoring. drop-in tutoring, workshops, and language conversation groups.


TRIBAL COLLEGES and UNIVERSITIES PANEL AND TOUR

  • Wednesday, October 24 - 1:00pm–4:30pm
  • Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute (SIPI)
  • Cost= $30
  • Ticket required. Space is limited to 29 people. Sign up using the conference registration process.
Itinerary:
  • 12:45 pm - Meet in the Hyatt Regency lobby
  • 1:00 pm - Bus departs from the Hyatt Regency to SIPI
  • 1:30 pm - Arrive at SIPI and begin campus tour
  • 2:30-4 pm - Tribal Colleges Panel
  • 4:00 pm - Bus departs SIPI
  • 4:30 pm - Bus arrives at the Hyatt Regency

Albuquerque is home to Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute (SIPI), a National Indian Community College and Land Grant Institution that is one of the thirty-seven accredited Tribal Colleges and Universities in the United States. Enjoy a tour of SIPI, created by the All Indian Pueblo Council, that has been educating diverse students from the National Indian Community on its Albuquerque campus since 1971. Our tour will include SIPI’s state of the art Vision Care Technology Program and its Optical Laboratory within its Science and Technology Center. We will end the visit to SIPI with a panel of speakers comprised of faculty, staff, and students representing tribal colleges, who will have a discussion about the successes of and challenges facing tribal colleges, specifically, and higher education, generally.

BEST OF ALBUQUERQUE TROLLEY TOUR

  • Thursday, October 25 - 6:00pm–7:30pm
  • University of New Mexico, Albuquerque Castle, and Breaking Bad locations
  • Cost= $25
  • Ticket required. Space is limited to 31 people. Sign up using the conference registration process.
Itinerary:
  • 5:45 pm - Meet in the Hyatt Regency lobby
  • 6:00 pm - Tour begins
  • 7:30 pm - Tour ends at the Hyatt Regency

Join a unique tour of Albuquerque in an open-air trolley for a fully guided multimedia tour experience! Riders will explore the many palate-pleasing uses of red and green chile, practice the thundering call of the University of New Mexico Lobos, discover filming locations of major motion pictures and television (including Breaking Bad), and even visit a beach in the desert, Albuquerque’s castle, and more! This tour is from an open-air trolley. There are no windows, walls, or enclosures; only a roof shades guests from the warm New Mexico sunshine. There are drop-down rain curtains to shield guests from weather; however, a light jacket may be necessary in some months. Since part of this tour takes place after sundown, a light jacket is recommended.


ALBUCREEPY DOWNTOWN GHOST WALKING TOUR

  • Thursday, October 25 - 6:30pm–8:30pm
  • KiMO Theater, Bernalillo County Courthouse, Wool Warehouse, and Freed Building
  • Cost= $25
  • Ticket required. Space is limited to 21 people. Sign up using the conference registration process.
Itinerary:
  • 6:15 pm - Meet in the Hyatt Regency lobby
  • 6:30 pm - Tour begins
  • 8:30 pm - Tour ends at the Hyatt Regency

Beneath the towering office buildings and twinkling lights of modern, downtown Albuquerque lurk the memories of public hangings, duels, horrific murders, and locations haunted by those who have passed over to the other side. Tales of vengeful lovers, gang fights, and mysterious specters await around every turn. What better way to experience Albuquerque’s history than to possibly come face to face with a spirit from the past? The 100-minute Albucreepy Downtown Ghost Walk will guide past 1.3 miles of Albuquerque’s dark side, including historic (and reportedly haunted) sites such as the KiMo Theater, old Bernalillo County Courthouse, the Wool Warehouse, Freed Building and more. As you walk, your guide will reveal vivid accounts of Albuquerque’s most popular ghosts, explain methods used to detect paranormal activity, and discuss previous investigations at downtown locations. This is an interactive exploration of Albuquerque’s haunted past and not a theatrical performance. While many tour participants have experienced unusual activity, we can’t guarantee ghostly phenomena.

SANDIA PEAK TRAMWAY TOUR

  • Friday, October 26 - 5:15pm–8:45pm
  • Views of the Rio Grande Valley and Land of Enchantment
  • Cost= $50
  • Ticket required. Space is limited to 13 people. Sign up using the conference registration process.
Itinerary:
  • 5:00 pm - Meet in the Hyatt Regency lobby
  • 5:15 pm - Bus departs from the Hyatt Regency to Sandia Tramway
  • 8:45 pm - Bus returns to the Hyatt Regency

A trip on the Sandia Peak Aerial Tramway transports you above deep canyons and breathtaking terrain, a distance of 2.7 miles. See some of nature’s more dramatic beauty unfold before you. At sunset, the desert skies produce a spectacular array of color, and your vantage point from the observation deck atop 10,378 foot Sandia Peak in the Cibola National Forest affords an 11,000 square-mile panoramic view of the Rio Grande Valley and the Land of Enchantment. Located on the eastern edge of Albuquerque in the Sandia Foothills at the end of Tramway Road, the tram ride is fifteen minutes from dock to dock. You will have time to explore Sandia Peak. Temperatures from the base of the foothills to the top can vary as much as thirty degrees, so please bring a light jacket or sweater. Tramway is ADA compliant and wheelchair accessible.

BREAKING BAD RV TOUR

  • Friday, October 26 - 6:30pm–9:30pm
  • Cost= $60
  • Ticket required. Space is limited to 43 people. Sign up using the conference registration process.
Itinerary:
  • 6:15 pm - Meet in the Hyatt Regency lobby
  • 6:30 pm - Bus departs from the Hyatt Regency
  • 9:30 pm - Bus returns to the Hyatt Regency

Miss Breaking Bad? Love Better Call Saul? We will bring the show to life on our three hour film location tour. You get to ride in a Breaking Bad RV, just like the one on the show. Re-live the sights and sounds of Breaking Bad in our fully interactive, climate controlled studio film location. The Breaking Bad Tour includes your favorite locations plus a burrito and a drink.

ACOMA PUEBLO "SKY CITY"

  • Saturday, October 27 - 12:30pm–6:00pm
  • Acoma Pueblo and San Esteban del Rey Mission Church
  • Cost= $80
  • Ticket required. Space is limited to 34 people. Sign up using the conference registration process.
Itinerary:
  • 12:15 pm - Meet in the Hyatt Regency lobby
  • 12:30 pm - Bus departs from the Hyatt Regency to Acoma Pueblo
  • 8:30 pm - Bus returns to the Hyatt Regency

Located one hour west of Albuquerque, Acoma Indian Pueblo "Sky City," is built upon a 70-acre mesa almost 40 stories above the canyon floor. We'll follow an Acoma Indian guide through the earthen streets as we hear the Acoma Indians’ history and see why they maintain their ancestral home (occupied since the early 900's AD) without electricity or modern plumbing. There will be opportunities to purchase hand-crafted and home-baked items on the mesa top. At the visitor center, we'll enjoy the museum and gift shop. We'll travel a scenic section of historic Routes 66 on our way back to Albuquerque.

NOTES: This is an outdoor event: the main tour is a 1.5 hour guided walking tour, so please be prepared for hot and cool temperatures to occur within the same hour. Wear comfortable shoes, as the mesa top is uneven rock and sand.

VISITOR ETIQUETTE from www.acomaskycity.org
Pueblo of Acoma tours are privileges granted by the Acoma Tribal Council. Therefore, your cooperation is requested in adhering to all laws, rules and regulations of the Pueblo. Please stay with your tour guide at all times and do not wander off the designated tour route. No smoking allowed on tour. Always stay on the path when descending on foot from the mesa top.

Our tour will have a permit for photography taken by cameras. However, no photography is allowed inside the Church, within the cemetery courtyard, and during feast days. Permission must be obtained prior to photographing tribal members or their artwork. Use of tripods, go pros, video cameras, digital video cameras, binoculars and audio recording devices is prohibited. Commercial use of a photograph depicting Acoma imagery for personal gain (profit) is prohibited. Violators of these guidelines will have their film and/or camera confiscated.

Dress Code: We encourage you to dress comfortably; however, out of respect for our religious leaders who reside on the mesa year round, we ask that no revealing clothing be worn such as short shorts, short skirts, halter tops, tube tops, spaghetti strap tanks, and tank tops, etc.). The pueblo community has limited clothing pieces available that may be borrowed at the time of your visit. If we feel that your clothing is inappropriate, the pueblo will ask you to cover up. Thank you for your understanding and respect for the Acoma Pueblo and its citizens.

RAIL RUNNER TO SANTA FE ADVENTURE

  • Saturday, October 27 - 1:00pm–10:00pm
  • State Capital, Palace of the Governors, NM History Museum and Georgia O’Keeffe Museum
  • Cost= $20
  • Ticket required. Space is limited to 30 people. Sign up using the conference registration process.
Itinerary:
  • 12:45 pm - Meet in the Hyatt Regency lobby
  • 1:00 pm - Walk to the Rail Runner Express Station
  • 1:25 pm - Board Rail Runner Express #704
  • 3:00 pm - Arrive at Santa Fe Depot for free time
  • 8:00 pm - Meet back at Santa Fe Depot Rail Runner Station
  • 8:10 pm - Board Rail Runner Express #709
  • 9:41 pm - Arrive at the Downtown Albuquerque station
  • 10:00 pm - Tour ends at the Hyatt Regency

Spend the afternoon in one of the oldest cities (and the oldest state capital city) in the United States: Santa Fe, established by Spanish colonists in 1610 and nicknamed "The City Different." CRLA members will act as informal tour leaders, guiding us to Santa Fe, approximately 60 miles north of Albuquerque, via a public transportation system called the Rail Runner Express. Once you arrive at the Santa Fe Depot, spend the day enjoying all the historic city has to offer: world class museums, art galleries, restaurants, and shopping. You can walk and see the Santa Fe Plaza, the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Franci Assis (1869), Loretto Chapel (1873), and the Palace of the Governors (1609-10). Visit the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, Museum of Indian Arts and Culture, Museum of National Folk Art, Museum of Spanish Colonial Art, or take a Lyft or cab to the immersive experience of Meow Wolf.

Restaurants and eateries within walking distance of the plaza allow you to indulge in New Mexican (characterized by blue corn and red and green chili), Mexican, French, or Spanish cuisines, handmade chocolates and ice cream, and local beers and wines. Shopping in Santa Fe is its own adventure, with art, jewelry, pottery, and crafts made by nationally renowned and local crafts people available in shops, street stalls, and at the Santa Fe Indian Market. Your CRLA Tour Leaders will meet you at the end of your day to escort you back to the Rail Runner Express to make sure we all return to the Albuquerque Hyatt Regency after a special day in one of the most unique and beautiful cities in the U.S.