163175361The country’s oldest state capital – Santa Fe, New Mexico – boasts fiery chile, art galore and saturated adobe architecture set against a backdrop of mountains and deep blue skies. This weekend, let’s run off to Santa Fe, grab some authentic Mexican food, browse the myriad of different art venues, sway to bluesy tunes and taste the latest and greatest local brews at the Solar Beerfest.

Friday night take it easy at the New Mexico Jazz Festival, featuring the sounds of Terence Blanchard Quintet, one of the most prominent and bewitching contemporary jazz artists around today. Terence is a five-time Grammy winner renown for his expressive trumpet playing as well as adding African elements into his music. Allow the luxurious jazz sounds wrap you up as you nestle up in the Lensic Performing Arts Center. Tickets are $20-50 with students receiving a $5 discount.

Don’t let the temptation to sleep in muddle your Saturday morning plans. There is brunch be eaten and beers to be tasted. Roll out of bed head out to Tia Sophia’s and feast your taste buds on some killer Mexican breakfast. Celebrities and tourists alike flock to this nest to try out the famous Huevos Rancheros–Christmas style with both red and green chiles if you like a little kick. People also rave about the ever-dependable breakfast burrito and their homemade sopapillas are good enough to make your Mexican grandmother arm wrestle the chef for the recipe. Some claim it’s overrated while others insist the food has divine properties, so you be the judge.87792444

After filling your stomach to the brim with tasty goodness, head on over to the Solar Beer Fest. You can find local, regional and national brews for every taste being poured from 3-7 pm at the KTAOS Solar Center. Tickets are $20 ahead and $25 the day of the beerfest. And as if your night of live jazz wasn’t enough harmony for your weekend, Solar Beerfest features psychedelic blues-drive rockers–the Whales–and Gospel and funk infused country crooners, Shinyribs.

If you want a booze-free, music-free, spicy green chile-free end to your week, maybe the route to Santa Fe would better serve the fun-loving adventurers ready to blaze the trail to New Mexico in search of cold brews and cool tunes. Maybe you should plan a nice weekend gardening or painting your fingernails instead. You can veg around the house in your underwear or hop in your car and kick up some dust on your way to an awesome Santa Fe weekend. Throw your pals in the back and crank up some summer tunes, something with bass.