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Photo: Chris English, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
A tourist complex operated by the 19 Indian Pueblos of New Mexico. Though there is a museum about pueblo history and culture on-site, it's rather small and tucked away, with most of the complex given over to more lucrative ventures like an art gallery, a restaurant, and a large gift shop (a better museum experience can be found at the Museum of Indian Arts & Culture up in Santa Fe). Besides the gift shop, the best reason to visit this place is the regularly scheduled Indian dances which take place in the courtyard.
The Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, located in Albuquerque, is owned and operated by the 19 Indian Pueblos of New Mexico and dedicated to the preservation and perpetuation of Pueblo Indian culture, history, and art. The Indian Pueblo Cultural Center is a nonprofit organization that opened in August 1976. The IPCC includes a museum, cultural exhibitions, the Indian Pueblo Kitchen restaurant, a retail arts store and offers a wide range of educational and cultural events. It is part of a large business hub owned by the 19 Pueblos of New Mexico.
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This splendid museum has well-constructed geological and paleontological displays which illustrate a "journey through time", covering everything from the birth of the planet to the Ice Age. There's plenty of dinosaurs around, from the statues outside the main entrance, to a T. rex in the atrium, to one massive hall with several complete (and massive) dinosaur skeletons. Additionally, an entire wing of the museum is devoted to astronomical exhibits, and there's also an exhibit about the birth of the personal computer, which happened right here in Albuquerque. A planetarium and a large-screen theater are also in the building.
A truly splendid science and children's museum, this museum has lots of interactive exhibits teaching science, technology, and art. There are some fantastic exhibits here, like a laminar flow fountain with water jets you can turn on and off, an experiment bar, a high-wire bike, and a robotics lab.
Guided walking tours of Old Town start here. An excellent example of a city-specific museum, with a large permanent collection of Southwestern art, changing art exhibitions, artifacts from the history of colonial New Mexico and Albuquerque through the years (with some pretty neat items, like conquistador armor and antique cars), and an outdoor sculpture garden. The Albuquerque Museum also operates tours of the historic home of Casa San Ysidro in the nearby village of Corrales, which offers a glimpse into Spanish colonial life in the valley.
This great little museum's claim to fame is the largest collection of different species of live rattlesnakes in the world. There's lots of snakes (and various other reptiles) and snake-related memorabilia, such as artwork and films, and the gift shop is not to be missed.
While the location isn't ideal (in a strip mall near Old Town, rather than in the historic district), this small gift shop and museum has some interesting exhibits about turquoise and its manufacture, history, and mythology. Reservations required.
Hosting local performances throughout the year.