Taos Artisan Walking Tour + Chocolate

Taos has held a place on the map as one of the Southwest's most storied art colonies since the late nineteenth century, drawing seekers, writers, and visionaries into the high desert. Travelers come for the ethereal light and the dramatic mountain landscape, but it is the enduring spirit of creativity that defines this town, and the best way to feel it is on foot, one doorway at a time.

The afternoon begins at Hotel Willa, named for the American writer Willa Cather, whose love of Northern New Mexico helped reveal this region to the wider world. From there you set out through the historic heart of Taos and its quiet surrounding neighborhoods, where every adobe wall and hidden corner carries a story. You will visit the Wurlitzer Foundation, a sanctuary that has quietly supported artists, musicians, and

writers for decades, and the Couse-Sharp Historic Site, where the studios of the early Taos Society of Artists still stand. At Tres Estrellas Gallery, owners Chris and Carla share the deep textile traditions of Northern New Mexico and Mexico, from the Rio Grande blankets to the churro sheep that made them possible, and Carla demonstrates the weaving itself, hand-dyed yarns and all.

The walk culminates in the historic Taos Plaza at Chokola Bean to Bar, where small batch, ethically sourced cacao is transformed into richly crafted confections. Over a signature chocolate elixir, you will learn the artistry behind the process, the same devotion you have been watching all afternoon, simply in another form. By the end, you will have spent a few hours inside the living creative landscape that makes Taos what it is.