You already know your local public library can be a lifesaver during the summer. It offers activities, enrichment and programing for kids as well as a chance to escape from the scorching sun. And it’s all for free.

But Santa Fe-area libraries offer another freebie that’s perfect for the summer months: access to passes that get your family into a range of museums and cultural attractions in Santa Fe and across the state. 

With your library card, you can check out a New Mexico Family Pass or a Share the Experience Pass for up to two weeks. You simply present the pass at your destination along with a New Mexico ID, and up to six people receive free basic admission. 

The Share the Experience Pass, or STEP, available at all Santa Fe Public Library branches and Vista Grande Public Library in Eldorado, gets you into Santa Fe’s Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts, The Santa Fe Botanical Garden and the Santa Fe Children’s Museum. The Family Pass, available at libraries throughout New Mexico, covers admission to Santa Fe’s New Mexico Museum of Art, New Mexico History Museum, Museum of International Folk Art and Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, as well as several other statewide destinations: New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science and the National Hispanic Cultural Center, in Albuquerque; New Mexico Museum of Space History, in Alamogordo; New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum, in Las Cruces; Los Luceros Historic Site, in Alcalde; the Lincoln Historic Site, in Lincoln; the Jemez Historic Site, just north of Jemez Springs; the Fort Sumner Historic Site/Bosque Redondo Memorial, in Fort Sumner; Fort Stanton, in Capitan; Fort Selden, in Radium Springs; and the Coronado Historic Site, in Bernalillo.

The only hitch: The passes are available on a first-come, first-served basis, so you can’t guarantee you’ll be able to snag one for a planned vacation. Stop by or call any circulation desk and ask if there are any passes available, or search for them on your library’s website to check current availability. The Santa Fe Public Library’s branches have 16 Family Passes and 22 Share the Experience passes in all.

No luck? Remember many museums and attractions routinely offer free or discounted rates for children and seniors, and offer special days for free or reduced admission for New Mexico residents. 

Kristen Cox Roby is Tumbleweeds’ assistant editor.

Vámonos, a new walking program organized by the Santa Fe Conservation Trust (SFCT), launched this spring with a series of free, family-friendly walks in various locations all over the city. We hope to make our community aware of all the great places to walk, to improve health and to broaden their enjoyment of nature. 

With four walks on Americans with Disabilities Act trails and one hike on a dirt trail every month, each with different areas of focus, there is a walk suited for you and your family. Walks began in May and will take place through October. On the second Saturday of each month (except September, when it will be the 28th), we will hike on dirt trails, beginning at 10 a.m. for about an hour.

On July 13, the theme will be "Find Water!" Join us at the Cerro Gordo Trailhead, at the intersection of Upper Canyon and Cerro Gordo Roads, for an easy hike on a dirt trail.

The theme for the Aug. 10 walk is "Find Ancient Petroglyphs," a moderate hike on rough terrain around the La Cieneguilla Petroglyphs, starting at 662 Paseo Real. 

Sept. 28, join us for a Scavenger Hunt! Meet at Old Agua Fria Road East and scavenge through the Arroyo Hondo Open Space, an easy hike on a dirt trail.

We'll end the season on Oct. 12 with "Bird Watching with Audubon," meeting at Nun's Curve, one mile past Ten Thousand Waves on Hyde Park Road, for a walk and bird watch. 

There are many other walks to choose from, including wellness walks, bilingual south-side walks with community health workers and walks with notable locals. Walking is an activity that can be enjoyed with family and friends and offers significant health benefits. Additionally, we want to inspire the next generation of conservationists. Vámonos serves as a community conservation program, and represents the leading edge of community engagement among land trusts nationwide. SFCT joins with many other community organizations to bring you this walking program.

You and your kids are invited to join us on these community walks. Check out our website at sfct.org/vamonos, for a full schedule. If you would like to receive texts two days before each walk, text SFWALKS to 77948. See you on the trail!

–Dezbah Stumpf, Santa Fe Conservation Trust

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