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A trip to visit Santa Fe, New Mexico is always a treat. And we’ve treated ourselves many times, including for our honeymoon years ago. A great excuse to plan a trip to the southwest in the summer is the Santa Fe Opera. It’s a special experience that takes full advantage of the landscape, the mystique, and the appreciation of the arts in Santa Fe. We look ahead to the Santa Fe Opera 2020 season, with suggestions for where to stay, what to see, and what to eat when you’re there. 

The sweeping Santa Fe Opera House.

What makes the Santa Fe Opera so special?

Well, off the bat, the fact that the opera is Santa Fe, New Mexico, makes it special. The “City Different,” has long been an artists’ haven where they sought (and still seek) the magic that lies in the gently sloping terrain, ruddy earth, stubbly landscape, and squat, adobe dwellings. Going to New Mexico – Santa Fe, Taos, and Albuquerque in particular – is like going to another world and it sticks with you, even after you’ve left.

Imagine, then, the Santa Fe Opera house, up in the hills, with architecture that sweeps and slopes, and a stage that oftentimes turns the hues of the setting sun into an element of the set. And if those summer rains come, most of the audience is under shelter but the open walls allow gentle sprinkles for those lucky enough to be sitting on the sides. Okay, during a breezy, horizontal rain, it wouldn’t be such a treat!

Sets are creative, costumes lavish, and performances are spot-on. With warm, summer breezes meandering into the theater space, color-changing evening skies, and stars above, attendees ease into the evening and get lost in the story.

It’s also the fact that there are a lot of performances, including free concerts, that happen in conjunction with the opera season. Check the schedule on the website as the season draws near. There are also pre-opera dinners and Prelude Talks that are informal, free, 30-minute talks before most performances. Oh, and the tailgating! Santa Fe Opera attendees turn it into an art! Some are casual about it but we saw people with candelabras atop table-cloth-clad dining tables. It looked so fun. You can order tailgating meals in advance from the Opera House.

Beautiful views at the Santa Fe Opera.

Santa Fe Opera 2019 in review

La Boheme, a classic, about the trails and tragedies of an artist’s life in France, and a really bad cough, was the opera we saw. Clever sets and amazing voices made this classic feel brand new. The season also included The Pearl Fishers, Cosi Fan Tutte, Jenufa, and The Thirteenth Child a world premiere. The Opera always does something brand new, and edgy, along with classics, all in an effort to attract new audiences. It works – the crowd when we went was young, old, and everything in between, as well as ethnically diverse. The way the season performances are laid out with some overlap means you can see multiple operas over the course of even a brief stay.

Looking Forward to the Santa Fe Opera 2020 season

The Barber of Seville, music by Gioachino Rossini runs July 3, 8, 11, 17 and 24 and August 4, 10, 15, 21, 25 and 29. 
It is said that the man who wrote the story, Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais, used The Barber of Seville as his autobiography of sorts. He was quite the business man, inventive, and a pro at using his smarts, which he used as a clockmaker, inventor, publisher, activist, musician, spy, horticulturalist, and gun runner!

The Magic Flute, music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart runs July 4, 10, and 15 and August 3, 8, 13, 17, 22, and 28.
This was Mozart’s final stage work and it shows not only his expertise, but a wide range of musical stylings.

Tristin und Isolde with music by Richard Wagner runs July 18, 22, and 31 and August 6, 12, and 18.
It is described by director Zack Winokur as being a “…deeply real, profound meditation on love, sex, and death.”

Rusalka, music by Antonin Dvorak runs July 25 and 29 and August 7, 11, 20, and 27.
It’s a piece about the psychology of emerging, evolving, and growing as a person.

M. Butterfly, music by Huang Ruo and Libretto by David Henry Hwang runs Aug. 1, 5, 14, 19, and 26.
Love, passion, and gender fluidity are running themes through this unique take on a classic.

Where to stay in Santa Fe when you go

While there are numerous places to stay in and around Santa Fe of varying styles and price ranges, in 2019, we stayed at the Hilton Santa Fe Buffalo Thunder Resort. Its close proximity to the Santa Fe Opera made getting there and back easy! Staying there was a pleasure too, with a dramatic, sprawling, adobe building, a gorgeous pool, numerous restaurants with excellent food, and a dramatic lobby. There’s a casino downstairs that’s a manageable size. The cigarette smoke is off-putting if you’re a non-smoker, but that’s the situation in most, if not all, casinos. It doesn’t interfere with the rest of the resort’s atmosphere which is as good for families as it is for a romantic getaway. Note, there isn’t a shuttle between the resort and Santa Fe Opera House so either use a rental car or taxi or ride-share like Lyft. Book your stay with this link to Booking.com.

The Hilton Buffalo Thunder Resort is near by the Santa Fe Opera House.

Home away from home at Hilton Buffalo Thunder Resort.

Cactus-shaped cornbread is a nice, local touch at Red Sage restaurant at Hilton Buffalo Thunder Resort near the Santa Fe Opera.

Some unique things to do in Santa Fe

El Flamenco Santa Fe adds an exciting, passionate, awe-inspiring element to your time in Santa Fe. The tapas restaurant, right around the corner from the Georgia O’Keefe Museum, has delicious food including sangria, and performances that will blow your mind. The dancers and musicians appear to be lost in the artistry and emotion of what they are doing. Rhythmic, precise, and yet flowing, the audience is left to watch, enraptured, shaking our heads in amazement.

Hollyhocks a-bloom in front of stucco walls are part of the charm in Santa Fe.

Follow the Santa Fe Margarita Trail to enjoy a margarita with local flavor, enjoyed at numerous restaurants and bars. Purchase a pocket-size notebook or the app to follow around to different locations. Each bar or restaurant has created a special margarita that shows off their personality and expertise, so each is a fresh experience. There’s a limit to how many margaritas a person can partake of in a given day, wisely. But the passport doesn’t expire so you can return on subsequent visits to pick up where you left off! Listen to our podcast interview with the team from the Santa Fe Margarita Trail!

Restaurants in Santa Fe to experience

La Choza is one of the most traditional, home-style New Mexican restaurants in Santa Fe. They recently expanded their very popular restaurant. It’s a charming place and their food is delicious.

Enjoy authentically New Mexican dishes at La Choza such as tamales with Christmas Chile (red and green) with beans and posole.

Joseph’s of Santa Fe: Regional and international, contemporary and traditional cuisine. We go there every time we are in town.

Lamb stew at Joseph’s of Santa Fe.

For more about what to experience in Santa Fe, visit their website, and to learn more about things we’ve discovered on previous visits, check out our sister site, Inside Outside Travel. To learn more about the Santa Fe Opera and the 2020 season, visit their website. 

Hungry for more? Here’s where to go to experience a perfect foodie day in Santa Fe, from breakfast to dinner. Hear more about the Margarita Trail through our new podcast. Then, make plans to visit Santa Fe starting with this link on Booking.com, one of our affiliate partners.

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