The second-oldest art museum in New Mexico, founded in 1923. Works by Taos and Northern New Mexico artists from the early 20th century to the present. The Taos Society of Artists collection is well represented, alongside Taos Moderns and contemporary New Mexico artists. Strong permanent collection of traditional Hispanic santos, retablos, and devotional art. An Agnes Martin gallery holds seven large meditative paintings from the final decade of her life.

Administered by the University of New Mexico. On Ledoux Street, one block southwest of Taos Plaza.

One of the best small museums in the Southwest and genuinely underrated nationally. Seven thousand artifacts across 20 galleries covering Native American silver and turquoise jewelry, Navajo and Rio Grande weavings, Pueblo pottery, Hispanic textiles, Spanish Colonial religious art, and the personal collection of Millicent Rogers herself, the Standard Oil heiress who moved to Taos in 1947 and spent the final years of her life acquiring and wearing Southwestern jewelry.

The jewelry collection alone is worth the drive from anywhere in northern New Mexico. About 4 miles north of Taos Plaza in El Prado.

The former home and studio of Russian artist Nicolai Fechin, built between 1927 and 1933. Fechin carved essentially everything in the house by hand: doors, furniture, stair railings, window frames, and architectural details throughout. The building is the main attraction. The museum holds roughly 600 works from Taos Society of Artists members. Fechin's own paintings are spectacular and largely unknown outside the art world.

The preserved home of Ernest Blumenschein, one of the founders of the Taos Society of Artists. Portions of the building date to 1797. The Blumenschein family lived here for more than 40 years and the house is full of their paintings, furniture, and personal objects. National Historic Landmark. One of two Taos historic museums run by the Taos Historic Museums organization; the other is Hacienda de los Martinez.

A Spanish Colonial fortress-style hacienda built in 1804 by Severino Martinez, a prominent Taos merchant and political figure. One of the last remaining examples of a Great House of this type in New Mexico. It served as a trading center at the northernmost reach of the Spanish colonial frontier. On the National Register of Historic Places. The building gives a clear picture of frontier life in the early 19th century.

The home and studio complex of E.I. Couse and J.H. Sharp, two founding members of the Taos Society of Artists. A two-acre campus with an 1830s chapel, a 1930s machine shop and laboratory, gardens, and a research center. Guided tours available. Less visited than the other museums on this list and worth it specifically for visitors interested in the Taos Society and the art colony's early history.

If you only have time for one museum, choose between the Harwood and the Millicent Rogers. The Harwood covers the art colony story with depth and has the Agnes Martin gallery. The Millicent Rogers has the best Native and Hispanic material collection in Taos and is in El Prado, so you can combine it with a drive toward Taos Ski Valley.

The Blumenschein Home and Fechin House are both on or near Ledoux Street and can be visited back to back. The Harwood is also on Ledoux Street. All three in one afternoon is manageable if you are focused. Ledoux Street also has a concentration of serious galleries worth walking.

• Taos Culture Guide
• Art Galleries
• History of Taos
• Taos Pueblo Guide
• Things To Do