casa grande trading post & petting zoo

On the Turquoise Trail, make the turnoff to Cerrillos. With its dirt roads, you'll be sure to be transported back in time. The Trading Post has a wonderful collection of raw turquoise from nearby mines as well as refined stones and fine jewelry along with lots of other things to hold your interest. Well worth visiting.

My wife and I were staying in Santa Fe for the week and were looking for places that weren't commercialized and flooded with tourists. The owner was very friendly and gave us as much time as we needed to look at everything. This is a place from the heart, by the heart. The entire 60+ room cottage was built by the owner over his lifetime. It gave me joy to visit with someone who is so happy with his work. Snooty, stuck up folk should stay away. This is a place of timeless treasures, not overpriced junk. The museum is in a league of its own. We will come back here next time we are in the area!

The little town of Cerrillos is *ALMOST* a ghost town, and it looks every bit the part. Located a half mile off the Turquoise Trail, this is not a place you will find just casually driving by. But it is well worth the detour. In many ways Cerrillos today is what Madrid was 30+ years ago before the tourists came. The trading post is free to explore (other than the cost of the jewelry or trinkets you will no doubt fall in love with)The museum is no frills, but admission only costs $2. Don't expect the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. This is an old fashioned roadside museum, a lifetime collection, with mostly handwritten display signs, and a generous layer of New Mexico dust. If you are interested in geology, or the history of New Mexico, mining in general or just like looking at old stuff this is the place to be. It's also probably the only place you will ever see a full size fireplace made entirely of Turquoise. My only regret was that we did not plan ahead and allot enough time for a mine tour. While you are there be sure to take a walk down past the petting zoo, look across the desert and just listen to the silence. There is a Zen like silence in the New Mexico desert that I've never found elsewhere. Important Tip: Bring Cash. The proprietors do not take credit cards.

Cerrilos, with its dust roads, setting for Young Guns, is like stepping back in time. This trading post is somewhere you could spend ages looking thru artifacts in the store and history in the museum. Nice to find that apart from we Scots, we bumped into French people there as well, so all nationalities can appreciate this place. It's best to read the board with the history of the town (near the railroad tracks) and then the items in this trading post will fit into the town's past.

We're glad you enjoyed the place, that is our goal.

Glad you enjoyed your visit. Hiking or riding in the State Park makes a great day trip plus you took time to discover the many layers of history in Cerrillos.

Many people come into the shop and museum and enjoy the place. It is the layout of our lives. We gather most of the rocks and bottles. The museum is what we find in the area to show others.

We have a large assortment of natural turquoise from our mining claims and we also sell magnesite which is labeled blue stone. Many people buy the magnesite because it is cheaper than the natural turquoise.

We mine our own turquoise from our mining claims north of Cerrillos and set it in sterling silver. It is all handmade & polished. The museum is a collection of artifacts of the area and include dioramas depicting different mining techniques.

Sorry you had to hear that, I am better than that. I was having a bad day!

Appreciate the comments. We keep a watchful eye on our animals but if they have turned over the water bowl, just alert me and I will fix it immediately.

We're glad you enjoyed coming to visit us. We hope you come again.

We're glad you enjoyed it and hope you come back soon.

Glad you enjoyed it. This is our mission in life.

Glad you enjoyed the petting zoo, shop and rock room. The animals come up the fence and is safer for the kids in the long run. With the price of hay & grain these days we only keep 4 mammals in the zoo, 3 goats, 1 llama, fancy chickens & pigeons.