City: Albuquerque, NM

Category: Parks & Recreation

Telephone: (505) 768-2000

Description: Albuquerque BioPark is an environmental park that includes the 36-acre Rio Grande Botanic Garden, the Albuquerque Aquarium, the Rio Grande Zoo, and Tingley Beach. The park areas stretch along the east side of the Rio Grande, and a narrow-gauge train runs a 1.5-mile journey to connect each facility. The Rio Grande Botanic Garden and Albuquerque Aquarium are on the same property (2601 Central Avenue NW). The botanic garden features a lake and lawns, a series of regionally themed gardens, a 10,000-square-foot conservatory, and a 10-acre Heritage Farm with vineyards and orchards. There is a children’s Fantasy Garden, a Japanese garden with koi pond, and in summer the PNM Butterfly Pavilion. The aquarium contains about 3,000 salt- and freshwater aquatic animals and provides up-close encounters with moray eels in the eel tunnel and sharks through a 38-foot-wide viewing window into the 285,000-gallon ocean tank. The 64-acre Rio Grande Zoo (903 Tenth Street SW) is home— in naturalistic habitats—to over 250 species of animals from New Mexico and around the world. Tingley Beach (1800 Tingley Drive SW) is a landscaped space to walk and feed the ducks or bring a picnic (no alcohol permitted). There are three fishing ponds, including a children’s pond for those 12 and under (you need a license to fish if 12 or over, and day licenses are available). Despite the name, no swimming or floating devices are allowed here, but you can rent a pedal boat in summer and also bicycles. Tingley Beach is free and open daily from sunrise to sunset. We’ve given detailed information on the Albuquerque Biological Park facilities in the Attractions chapter.