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Nightlife & the Arts in Santa Fe

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Santa Fe Nightlife

Santa Fe ranks among America's most cultured small cities. Gallery openings, poetry readings, plays, and dance concerts take place year-round, not to mention the famed opera and chamber-music festivals. Check the arts and entertainment listings in Santa Fe's daily newspaper, the New Mexican (www.santafenewmexican.com), particularly on Friday, when the arts and entertainment section, "Pasatiempo," is included, or check the weekly Santa Fe Reporter (www.sfreporter.com) for shows and events. Activities peak in the summer.

Culturally endowed though it is, Santa Fe has a pretty mellow nightlife scene, its key strength being live music, which is presented at numerous bars, hotel lounges, and restaurants. Austin-based blues and country groups and other acts wander into town, and members of blockbuster bands have been known to perform unannounced at small clubs while vacationing in the area. But on most nights your best bet might be quiet cocktails beside the flickering embers of a piñon fire or under the stars out on the patio.

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