The Long Way
Bernalillo County
A structure built with countless glass bottles embedded into walls.
Plate I. Glass bottle walls, Tinkertown Museum. From spacesarchives.org
A stone wall beneath a window features the words CASA DE AMOUR carved into the plaster.
Plate II. Wall inscription detail, Tinkertown Museum. From spacesarchives.org
A silhouette of a rearing horse against a cloudy sky.
Plate III. Horse silhouette, Tinkertown Museum. From spacesarchives.org
A metal sculpture made of wheels and figures of people and animals against a cloudy sky.
Plate IV. Scrap metal artwork, Tinkertown Museum. From spacesarchives.org
A detailed diorama features handmade figures and a covered wagon.
Plate V. Carved wooden figures exhibit, Tinkertown Museum. From tinkertownmuseum.org
An indoor display features a large miniature village diorama behind glass cabinets.
Plate VI. Miniature diorama display, Tinkertown Museum. From spacesarchives.org
A wooden automaton figure holding a guitar and smoking a pipe.
Plate VII. Carved wooden figure, Tinkertown Museum. From spacesarchives.org
A diorama depicting various figures in a landscape with a carriage, angels, and demons.
Plate VIII. Miniature diorama exhibit, Tinkertown Museum. From spacesarchives.org

Tinkertown Museum

Sandia Park, Bernalillo County, New Mexico. Artist-built environment; April 3 - October 31, 2026.

Details

Map. Sandia Park, Bernalillo County, New Mexico. Larger map
Where
121 Sandia Crest Road, Sandia Park, NM 87047. Directions
When
10am-4pm Friday, Saturday, Sunday & Monday including all holidays; last ticket sold for entry 3:30pm.
Getting there
Take exit 175 North off I-40, then Highway 14 six miles up the mountain through Cedar Crest, left on Highway 536, the road to Sandia Crest; Tinkertown is 1.5 miles on the left, 20 minutes from Albuquerque.
Fees
$7.00 adults; $3.00 kids 4-16; kids under 4 and visitors in wheelchairs free.
Access
OPEN and ACCESSIBLE - not affected by the Sandia Crest closure.
Walk-in or reserve
Tickets sold at the door, not online.
Phone
(505) 281-5233
Website
tinkertownmuseum.org
Managed by
Ward family; converted to a public non-profit in 2026.
Established
1983.
Coordinates
35.1691237, -106.3671434.

Ross Ward's miniature world, grown from a single building welcoming 943 visitors in 1983 into a world-renowned roadside attraction hosting some 25,000 visitors each season.

Notable Events

  1. 1962Ross Ward began carving the first figures for the turn-of-the-century general store. tinkertownmuseum.org
  2. 1967Ward, his wife Sandra and their son Jason and daughter Tanya moved to a five-room cabin on the road to the Sandia Crest. spacesarchives.org
  3. 1983Ward and his second wife Carla decided to open Tinkertown as an attraction behind the family home; the first year it welcomed 943 visitors. spacesarchives.org
  4. 1983Tinkertown was a single building that welcomed 943 visitors in 1983; it has grown to a roadside attraction hosting some 25,000 visitors each season. tinkertownmuseum.org
  5. 2002Diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease in February 1998 at age 57, Ross Ward died on November 13, 2002. tinkertownmuseum.org
  6. 2026The Ward Family decided to convert the museum into a public non-profit to ensure it will inspire and entertain people for years to come. tinkertownmuseum.org

People

  • Ross Ward, self-taught artist and carver who built Tinkertown; carnival show-painter for over 30 years (diagnosed with Alzheimer's in February 1998; died November 13, 2002).
  • Carla, Ross Ward's second wife, widow, partner and co-founder, who continues to open the museum each season (met and married Ross Ward in 1980).
  • Tanya, Ross Ward's daughter, the writer who later published the memoir Leaving Tinkertown (University of New Mexico Press, 2013).
  • Carla Ward, Ross Ward's wife, who has continued and expanded his legacy by maintaining and running Tinkertown in his memory.

Sources

  1. tinkertownmuseum.org/visit
  2. tinkertownmuseum.org/our-story
  3. facebook.com/Tinkertown
  4. tinkertownmuseum.org
  5. newmexicomagazine.org/blog/post/tinkertown-museum
  6. spacesarchives.org/explore/search-the-online-collection/ross-ward-tinkertown