Starting around 5 p.m., the Adobe Bar (125 Paseo del Pueblo Norte, 575/758-2233, www.adobebar.com), in the lobby of the Taos Inn (look for the glowing thunderbird sign, the oldest neon in town), is where you’ll run into everyone you’ve seen through the course of the day, all sipping a Cowboy Buddha ($9.50) or some other specialty margarita—the best in town. Mellow jazz or acoustic guitar sets the mood every night starting around 7 p.m. To give the poor hotel residents a break, the bar closes at 10 p.m.

All the regulars then move on down the road to the next phase of the evening: the dance floor at the Sagebrush Inn (1508 Paseo del Pueblo Sur, 575/758-2254). It gets packed with cowboy-booted couples stepping lively to decent country cover bands whose members always seem to resemble Kenny Rogers. The scene encompasses all of Taos, from artists to pueblo residents to mountain men with grizzled beards. Booze is a bargain, and the fireplace is big.

After the band wraps up around midnight, the most dedicated move on to The Alley Cantina (121 Teresina La., 575/758-2121) for another hour or so. This warren of interconnected rooms (one of which claims to be the oldest in Taos…but don’t they all say that?) can be potentially baffling after a few drinks. There are shuffleboard and a pool table for entertainment if you’re not into the ensemble onstage—its name usually ends in “Blues Band”; a $3 or $4 cover applies on weekends. The kitchen is open until 11 p.m., and it’s not a bad place for a burger ($6.50) at lunch either.