I love the landscape of America’s Southwest, and in all my years living on the West Coast I’ve still never been to New Mexico, so my plan is to embark on a roadtrip through Arizona and New Mexico before year’s end. I’ll probably fly into Phoenix and out of Albuquerque, and here’s where I want to stop and stay along the way:

Day 1 – Phoenix to Tuscon: In Tuscon I’d like to stay at the Hotel Congress, a downtown landmark that’s been around since 1919.

Day 2 – Tuscon to Bisbee: The Shady Dell in Bisbee is too unique to pass up–it’s a collection of nine vintage aluminum trailers, each done up with retro 1950s flair.

Day 3 – Bisbee to Gila: Right next door to the Gila National Forest are the Casitas de Gila, a cluster of five little adobe guesthouses. The stargazing here is supposedly awesome, and sightings of spotted bighorn sheep, javelina, deer, coyotes, foxes, roadrunners, quail and hummingbirds are common.

Day 4 – Gila to Truth or Consequences: The name alone makes the town of Truth or Consequences a must-see stop (it used to be called Hot Springs but was changed in 1950 as part of a contest run by the eponymous radio game show). I’ll probably crash at La Paloma Hot Springs, which isn’t fancy but should do the trick.

Day 5 – Truth or Consequences to Santa Fe: After checking out the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum and some pueblos, I’ll probably stay at Terrain Santa Fe.

Day 6 – Santa Fe to Albuquerque: On my last night, I’ll stay at the Los Poblanos historic inn and organic farm. The rooms have tasteful Southwest decor, and their multi-course farm feasts (using local organic ingredients) sound super delicious.

Chime in with a comment if you’ve got any tips on where to stop/what to eat along the way!

Photo via acgpsy.org.