Gallup Cultural Center — Attraction in Gallup

Gallup Cultural Center Route 66 Gallup, New Mexico

Most of the time, when we visit Gallup, New Mexico, we only spend the night. Usually we arrive in Gallup in the evening. During our travels we visited several places, such as the Historic El Rancho Hotel, which we have had dinner several times. During our visits, there is one place that has always peeked our interest, The Gallup Cultural Center. This trip we decided to visit before leaving the town.

The Gallup Cultural Center is located in the Historic Santa Fe Depot, and the center was created in 1996 by the Southwest Indian Foundation. It was created to show the culture and history of Native American tribes near and in Gallup, New Mexico. The Cultural Center has a public square where people from the community, school children, and visitors can use it as a place for forums, lectures, and other different events.

The museum is located on the second floor of this historic building. The museum was quite impressive with many historical aspects and displays of the Native American culture from this area and neighboring areas. Looking through all the past and present photos, pottery, artwork, and sculptures was a great experience, and we both learned more about the culture and arts. There is also a small theater decorated with Route 66 motif. Here at the museum, you will also find exhibits on Gallup's Route 66 history. The museum itself is beautiful and easy to walk around to look at all the beautiful exhibits and artwork.

The Cultural Center also offers visitors a great place to dine, which is Angela's Cafe. Yes, the food was delicious and the service was fantastic. The center also offers a great bakery called The Juniper Bakery. The desserts were delicious, especially the Blue Corn Cookies and macaroons. We also met the owner, and she was great, and so were the other staff members. If you want a delicious lunch that is light, fresh, and flavorful, then I would definitely suggest Angela's Cafe. We had a fantastic experience at both the cafe and bakery.

Every staff member we met was all friendly and informative. This shows excellent guest service to their visitors.

This cultural center is a place where visitors to Gallup should visit. It's a beautiful place with a great museum, a fantastic cafe, and a wonderful bakery. We learned so much about the heritage, culture, and arts of Native Americans. I will admit we both have been fascinated by culture and history. We definitely will visit again when we are in...

My husband and I enjoyed our visit to this museum. There is no entry fee. The displays were well lit with detailed information posted about all of the items. The room for the Navajo Code Talkers was well done and informative. We were told by the employee at the reception desk that there was an hour long video about the Code Talkers which unfortunately we did not have time to stay to see. We saw no employees in the second floor museum to ask if the video was actually an hour long. The only improvement would be for the young woman at the reception desk to be able to answer questions or to get up from her desk to find someone who could answer questions. I had looked at the website prior to going and had seen a catalog featuring the work of local artists for sale. I had seen a couple pieces I was interested in and was under the impression that I could purchase items at the Cultural Center. When I asked her about this, she seemed clueless. She said something about renovations at the Cultural Center, things being packed up and suggested I go to the shop across the parking lot near the visitors center and to the visitors center to get my questions answered. We went to that shop and it did not appear to be selling items made by local Native Americans. I am not sure why the employee of the Cultural Center suggested I go there. I do recommend a visit to the Cultural Center to gain insight into the history of the Native American...

Small museum with some interesting pieces/displays (located upstairs). It is worth the visit. It only takes 20-30 minutes to walk through. Would recommend to anyone, especially if you're new to the area and have an interest in learning a little bit about the native cultures around here. There is no entry fee to visit, but there are donation boxes located throughout. They sometimes host art from local youth art...