A little off the beaten path is the Taos Drum Factory, was both a fun and interesting stop. After learning about the Taos Indians at the pueblo, we understood a little about the role the drum plays in their culture. At the factory we learned how the drums are made and saw a huge variety of them, some tiny and some massively huge all with interesting an unusual shapes. Walking into the warehouse we immediately smelled the chemicals they use to cure the hides that are then stretched over the drum base. It's pretty strong and the kids were all holding their noses as first. We were taken into the back to see all the different sizes and styles of drums and given some "drumsticks" that had padded ends and encouraged to hear the range of sounds by banging on them. The kids ran around and tried the different sizes and shapes listening how different the sounds were depending on the size. There was one absolutely enormous drum and the kids all gathered around and began beating on it, trying to beat together. It was great fun watching them work together as a team. Of course we could not leave without sending a drum home. Shari did the honors this time as her husband Shep is a musician and thought this would be a very special and unique souvenir.
