Life in Albuquerque

Arts and Learning
If you'd rather not spend your evenings and weekends glued to your television, Albuquerque offers a lot of alternatives. Theater productions are scheduled almost every night of the week. Popejoy Hall, Rodey Theater and the eXperimental Theater at the University of New Mexico offer everything from professional traveling productions to outstanding student performances. Or you can visit the Albuquerque Little Theater where Vivian Vance – Ethel of I Love Lucy – got her start, and the Highland Theater, the home of the Albuquerque Civic Light Opera. The newly restored historic KIMO Theater offers a full schedule of entertainment in one of the premier examples of Pueblo Deco architecture.

Popejoy Hall is the home of the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra, and the famous Santa Fe Opera is located one hour north on I-25. If you're looking for something a little more down to earth, check out the Outpost Performance Space or one of Albuquerque's many clubs with live music.

Film buffs will find a variety of first-run theaters as well as Underground Films and the Guild Theater, which specialize in foreign and independent films. To top it off, the Southwest Film Center schedules a mix of independent and repertory films.

If formal learning or informal classes is what you're after, the University of New Mexico's Continuing Education program offers professional development and computer classes to help you advance in your career, as well as a host of informal classes like cooking, kayaking and ceramics.

The Albuquerque Museum has an excellent History of Albuquerque Hall and itinerant art exhibits. The Natural History Museum and Planetarium sports a 60-foot-high Dynamax Theater. You may also enjoy spending time in the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center or the newly constructed Hispanic Cultural Center to learn more about New Mexico's rich cultural history.