What clients say about Casa Grande Trading Post in Los Cerrillos (NM)
Todd and Patricia are institutions in this town and the reason Cerrillos Hills State Park exists. Very knowledgeable about the history of the entire area.
I rarely leave a bad review because I prefer to tout good businesses over criticizing not so good ones. But...we paid $30 for an 'authentic cerrillos turquoise' charm/dog tag. The owner said it was from their local mine after we told him our intention for its use. Cut to 1 week later: the blue paint peeled off and the round charm broke in half to reveal...concrete? I'm not sure. Doesn't matter. Fake. It's now shards of ridiculousness. The two stars are for the cute petting zoo. Let's just hope the animals don't get treated like the tourists. Caveat emptor!
Wonderful place to visit and shop. The museum is very enticing. No overcharging for the items on sale. I wish everyone staying in the Santa Fe or Albuquerque area would go stop and visit here. It's worth the drive.
This fun and old-school shop is full of character — the kind of place that feels like stepping into a time capsule. It’s packed with a wide variety of vintage-style souvenirs, old knickknacks, and local curiosities. The small museum in the back adds a nostalgic touch, and the whole place has a quirky, almost roadside Americana vibe. A great little stop if you enjoy places with a lot of visual charm and a bit of history in every corner.
Amazing collection of very well priced gems and minerals! The museum was very interesting and well worth the small fee. I would have loved to give 4-5 stars, however, my only concern was the staff was not friendly. I came with my parents and daughter and it seemed like we were inconveniencing the owners/staff to pay for items or the museum. My intention is not to talk bad about the people running the place, I just don't understand why people who are traveling, and paying specifically to visit the shop aren't met with (at the very least) a fake smile or a welcome in?
What a gem! Truly one of a kind experience. I love what they have built here. The collections in the museum are amazing and beautiful. Souvenirs and jewelry are plentiful and great prices. Definitely a highlight for us!
My wife was upset I spent money here, she said Todd was the rudest person we have met in New Mexico. I think he was just having a bad day. Hope tomorrow is a better day for Todd.
Lots of rocks and crystals; however, the price appears a lot higher than other tourist places. We did have fun with the petting zoo. It costs $4 to buy food to feed animals.
We didn't go into the museum or petting zoo, though I saw both. It was a decent stop with LOTS of interesting rocks and jewelry pieces for sale. I only removed 1 star because the prices were definitely aimed at tourists - you can find the same types of things cheaper elsewhere. But it does make for a nice stop on the longer scenic route between Albuquerque and Santa Fe.
We had a great time here. Great selection of turquoise, great prices and interesting antiques. The llama, goats and chickens were friendly and adorable. The chickens were Polish Top Hats, beautiful and the eggs were for sale (we bought two dozen and they had great golden yolks!). Friendly folks and a great destination as a day trip from Santa Fe. You can feel the history in this place and in this town! I will be coming back!
Very cool shop with turquoise and lapis jewelry and stones for sale, as well as crystals and geodes, etc. Small petting area with goats, chickens and an alpaca. Most unbelievable collection of colored bottles you've ever seen. Friendly staff. Worth a visit.
Very organized place with lots to choose from. There is a $4.00 charge to go beyond, into the museum. We did not have time, but if you like old stuff, there's plenty. Don't let the neighborhood appearance cause you to count this out. It's a community under hard times with some rebuilding happening. The owners have unusual things for crafting. I found sliced antler pieces I'm going to use for jewelry.
She is pleasant. However her husband is extremely rude! He takes it to a new level! Worst service I've experienced in a LONG time! Expected me to do his inventory and pricing on rocks I was buying for grandkids. When I brought him the prices he was mad that I hadn't written down the names of the rocks. I had a huge order on the counter and his rudeness was so bad I walked out and left it all there. We have bought there twice before and now they've lost a customer forever. He was rude previously but enough is enough. Not worth the stop!
Great shop with locally mined turquoise in rough stone, polished cabachons, and beautiful finished jewelry. Turquoise from other locations and many other gemstones (labeled correctly), petrified wood, railroad spikes, glass insulators, and many other cool items. Reasonably priced. Friendly and knowledgeable proprietors. Plus a neat mining museum and a petting zoo for the kids. Great place to stop at along the Turquoise Trail.
Nice trading post, tourist souvenirs & unique turquoise museum. Lots of handmade, locally sourced turquoise from the local “little Blue Bell mine”. Located in the Cerillos Mining District, 25 miles south of Santa Fe, NM. Follow the signs in the small village once you turn off the main highway. Quirky & unique items with nicely made local turquoise jewelry.
I go to this Trading Post, often. It is very unique, has lots to choose from: unique and beautiful items, a large selection of rocks of all kinds, beautiful turquoise, fossils, fetshies, all kinds of items for creating works of art. Pat and her husband are really great folks, helpful and just very nice. I really like going there and recommend it to all.
There is a really great mining museum in the building that is worth visiting. The extensive collection of artifacts, tools is educational and interesting!
There is a small but nice Petting Zoo there, too.
Don't miss a great experience! Make it a MUST SEE PLACE TO VISIT!
Breathtaking experience!! This was so much fun there was truly so much to look at. Loved all of the animals, all very friendly and cute. Great customer service and so welcoming!! There was so much antiques and artifacts from NM’s home grown roots. The energy was unforgettable and already planning our next trip.
What a disappointment! Went there mostly to shop for glass bottles. They were super pricey and the really good ones were in the museum part (that you had to pay to go in) and not for sale! So many nice pictures online gave us the impression the store would be a lot bigger than it was AND all the good stuff was, again, in the museum and not for sale! When my husband was checking out, he started to ask questions about something and the clerk told him, "Let's just finish this transaction. I have something else I need to do." !!! It was only 2pm and as soon as we left, he jumped in his car and drove away, leaving a new customer hanging who was ready for the petting zoo. So rude, and so NOT worth the visit.
Owner was rude! Anything we asked to see or asked questions about he treated as a major imposition - a lot huffing and sighing at every request in addition to a just plain bad attitude.
My 5 year old daughter was out feeding the animals (with feed we purchased from the shop) while my husband and I shopped. She began having a coughing fit ( from the cold air and higher elevation, not that it matters why) and came to find us. As she came in the door the owner didn't even blink an eye and said "You need to get her out of here, I'm not going to have her in here coughing in my face", motioning to my 5 year old.
We were in the middle of paying for our over $150 in merchandise from his store (which does have an amazing selection of turquoise). I was so taken a back by his comments my husband and I just finished signing the receipt and left.
I was really sad about the experience because I had been really looking forward to visiting the shop, making a special trip just to go there. I really appreciated the curation of shop, the animals in the petting zoo and the ambiance - it baffles me why someone would go to so much trouble to create such a wonderful shop and then treat customers badly. Such a missed opportunity!!
If you have kids or just want to feel appreciated as a customer, I would think twice before you patronize his store.
This could have been a great place and experience. There are many rocks and antiques there. However as my calm teenagers walked quietly through the door, the owner stated rudely, "Kids don't touch unless you are buying". I followed shortly behind my children and was greeted with, "No pictures unless you buy something". We looked briefly as they watched my kids like a hawk, who did not touch anything. The only time we were treated civilly was when a person in our party mentioned purchasing something. With the way I was treated, I had no desire to buy anything from that place.
I very much enjoy my visits here; Coco and I have become friends, (he's a bit of a camera hog though♡). I also enjoy talking to the owners. Coco and I in August 2017 and again in March 2019. I found so many unique things there. There's also a peaceful view near the petting area. If you visit, get a bag of feed to share with Coco and his friends. I just returned from visiting Coco again so, added a new pic.
This place was amazing. Was only about 30 minutes away from our bed and breakfast in Santa Fe. We showed up late not knowing the hours but the owners were great and still very patient and willing to even let us do the museum walk through after hours. There is just so much here to see and do one trip could never do it justice. If you love rocks, turquoise, or really anything mining/railroad/old timely it's the place for you.
Fantastic selection of rocks and minerals, as well as old bottles and paraphernalia from the old mines. They also have a cute little petting zoo next door. I found a few of the specimens to be slightly pricey, but most had reasonable prices, and the owner was very friendly.
Very nice historical store with museum articles mixed with unusual tourist goodies. The owner was very nice and explained the exhibits in her tour of the shop. The items for sale were priced a bit higher than other shops I'd visited during my stay in New Mexico, though. Overall, it is worth the stop. We enjoyed our time in her store.
A great local shop with lots of charm. Especially fun if you are in to gem and mineral collecting, and the feeding station for the animals will keep your kids excited. No cost of entry (but you can buy food to feed the animals) and probably a good twenty minute stop if you're looking for a driving break and a place for the kids to run around (longer if you're in to rock collecting).
