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Curious about Native American culture? There are free Nightly Summer Indian Dances at the courthouse square in Gallup all summer long. And the Gallup Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonial is held the first week in August, as it has been for nearly a century. There's a rodeo, ceremonial arts exhibits, night performances, a powwow with singing and dancing and including all ages.

Like street art? Local artists have created Gallup's story through a series of murals on downtown buildings.

Love old Hollywood westerns? You will want to stay at the 96-room El Rancho Hotel on Route 66 where rooms are named for the movie stars who stayed in them while filming nearby -- everyone from Ronald Reagan to Jack Benny and Humphrey Bogart. The hotel is about to undergo a big renovation but Treena Carney, the hotel's general manager, promises not only will the historic ambiance remain, but prices will stay $100, or less. The hotel is a good bet for dinner where dishes are named after long-gone movie stars, and there are plenty of Southwest favorites all dished up with either red or green chiles, called "Christmas style."

Do your homework before you come, suggests Perry Null, so you are familiar with the different styles of Navajo, Hopi and Zuni artists, among others. You might be able to take a deeper dive by visiting an artist at his or her home or studio. They love showing their art to kids.

Learn the difference between sterling silver and nickel silver with sterling plating (the heavier the piece, the more likely it is sterling), and ask if the turquoise is natural or treated. (Natural is the most coveted and expensive.)

For fun, check out the Gallup 9th Street Flea Market on Saturdays. It's one of the largest in the West and offers everything from freshly baked Navajo bread and freshly made tamales to antique jewelry tires and T-shirts.

Null had everything from earrings that were less than $10 to an 18K gold and turquoise bolo tie by artist Darryl Dean Begay, which cost more than $72,000. There are buffalo robes, deerskins, saddles and concho belts, which locals pay to have kept here for safekeeping. It's a little like a pawn shop, Gallup style.

Null looked around the huge room where saddles were stacked floor to ceiling to be retrieved by their owners for rodeos and other festivities. "We have to keep them safe," he said. "They are priceless to the owners."

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