In Albuquerque’s beautiful Botanic Garden you’ll find one of my favorite places in the city: the Fantasy Garden, with enormous sculptures to play on. Kids can climb on giant carrots, scramble up an enormous watering can and chase each other around a huge pumpkin. You’ll take a thousand pictures there, believe me. The Rio Grande Zoo has exotic animals like gorillas, hippos and camels, as well as species native to the Southwest, such as Mexican wolves and jaguars. At nearby Tingley Beach you can ride the paddle boats in the summer, do some fishing or rent bikes for an adventure along the Bosque Trail. And in the Aquarium kids can wander through the eel tunnel, see glowing jellyfish and watch four different kinds of sharks swim with sea turtles, rays and brightly colored fish. Be sure to have lunch at the Shark Reef Café, where you can sit next to the glass walls of the aquarium and watch sharks pass while you eat. Don’t forget to check out the 3/4-guage train for a fun ride between the various sections of the BioPark.