During the months of November through March the museum is closed. It is open beginning June 1, Wednesday through Sunday, from 10 am to 4 pm for general admission. Guided tours available upon request, April  through October; reservations required.

El Rancho de las Golondrinas (The Ranch of the Swallows) a historic rancho and now a living history museum, was strategically located on the Camino Real, the Royal Road that extended from Mexico City to Santa Fe. The ranch provided goods for trade and was a place where the caravans that plied the road would stop on their journey coming from or going to Santa Fe. It was a paraje or an official rest stop for travelers on the Camino Real.

El Rancho de las Golondrinas, located on 200 acres in a rural farming valley just south of Santa Fe, New Mexico, strives to maintain examples of historic life-ways. The museum opened in 1972 and is dedicated to the history, heritage and culture of 18th and 19th century New Mexico. Original buildings on the site date from the early 1700s.