• Watching Zozobra Burn (Santa Fe; tel. 505/988-7575): Part of Las Fiestas de Santa Fe held in early September, this ritual draws crowds to the core of the city to cheer as "Old Man Gloom," a giant marionette, moans and struggles as he burns. The Fiestas also include Masses, parades, dances, food, and arts.
  • Theater Grottesco (551 W. Cordova Rd. #8400, Santa Fe; tel. 505/474-8400; www.theatergrottesco.org): This theater troupe likes to shock, confuse, confound, and tickle its audience's funny bones. Their original works -- presented for about a month each spring or summer, and sometimes in the winter as well -- combine adept movement with sound, story, and, well . . . complete brilliance.
  • Black Hole (4015 Arkansas, Los Alamos; tel. 505/662-5053): Oddball history buffs will love wandering among this shrine to the nuclear age. Packed to the ceiling with the remains of the nuclear age, from Geiger counters to a giant Waring blender, it's peace activist Edward Grothus's statement about the proliferation of war and the materials that make it happen.
  • D.H. Lawrence Ranch (NM 522, San Cristobal; tel. 505/776-2245): North of Taos, this memorial offers a look into the oddly touching devotion for this controversial author, who lived and wrote in the area in the early 1920s. The guest book reveals a wellspring of stories of pilgrimages to the site.
  • American International Rattlesnake Museum (202 San Felipe St., NW; tel. 505/242-6569; www.rattlesnakes.com): This Albuquerque museum offers a glimpse of reptilian life. You'll see living specimens of common, uncommon, and very rare rattlesnakes of North, Central, and South America in naturally landscaped habitats. More than 30 species are included, along with oddities such as albino and patternless rattlesnakes.

    • Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.