As gay and lesbian travel goes, New Mexico tends to be most popular among couples seeking romance, not singles on the make. Upscale, arty towns like Santa Fe and Taos have little in the way of gay nightlife, and even the largest city, Albuquerque has only a handful of gay bars and clubs, and a couple of longtime favorites have closed in recent years. Still if you are visiting, and you're looking for some lively places to dance, mingle, and cruise, you'll find several inviting hangouts in Albuquerque.

Here's a brief rundown on the bar and club scene in gay Albuquerque.

In Albuquerque, most of the gay bars are in the Nob Hill section of town, which is also home to several restaurants and coffeehouses with a gay following. However, there is one notable exception downtown, The District (115 4th St. NW, 505-243-0003), which opened in 2007 has become arguably the city's hottest gay clubbing destination. The popular nightclub has some of the best DJ action and a great sound system, and its convenience to downtown restaurants, hotels, and secure parking garages makes it a convenient clubbing option. District is pulling in a lot of the gay guys and lesbians who used to frequent Pulse (see below), although there's likely plenty of room in Albuquerque for both places to succeed.

Historic Nob Hill, which is bisected by historic Route 66, lies just east of the University of New Mexico and a couple of miles east of downtown. Until December 2007, this was the site of Albuquerque's most popular gay nightspot, the Pulse, but the club closed recently after losing much of its customer base to the District. Just a couple of doors down, the Martini Grille ( 4200 Central Ave. SE, 505-255-4111) remains a hip restaurant and lounge that has a substantially gay following. There's live music later in the evening, and the kitchen turns out decent - and rather creative - American chow.

Nearly across the street is a the Albuquerque Social Club (4021 Central Ave. NE, 505-255-0887), a private club for gay and lesbians. You must be a member to enter, but all are welcome (as long as they have a valid photo ID). The cost is $10 for an annual membership if you live in-state, and $5 if you live out of state. This is mostly a locals' hangout, however, and not especially popular with visitors.

Drive east along Central for a couple of miles and you'll reach one more gay nightspot, the friendly and eclectic Sidewinders (formerly known as The Ranch) ( 8900 Central Ave SE, 505-275-1616), a cousin of the popular Sidewinders in Cathedral City, California, near Palm Springs. This festive, down-home club has country-western music and dancing on weekend nights, a fun "beer blast" on Sunday afternoons, and karaoke on many weekedays. The crowd comes in all flavors - women and men, younger and older, bears and jocks, clean-cut and edgy. It's a nice option if you're heading out with a varied bunch of friends, and attitude is minimal here.

Albuquerque has the only lesbian bar between Dallas and Phoenix, and it's the one gay club in town that's not near Nob Hill or Central Avenue. Exhale ( 6132 4th St NW, 505-342-0049) is in the North Valley, a short drive north of downtown, and it's steadily become a fixture of gay Albuquerque nightlife. Although the crowd is primarily lesbian, plenty of gay guys come here, too, enjoying the good music and relaxed and friendly vibe. There's a spacious patio that's well-utilized in summer, an attractive cocktail lounge, a pulsing dance floor, and a chic upstairs lounge. It's truly one of the best lesbian bars in the country, and one of the nicest gay establishments in Albuquerque.

Albuquerque also has some less traditional gay nightlife options, including the highly inviting local coffeehouse-restaurant chain, Flying Star. These hip, smartly furnished hangouts are spacious and attractively decorated, several of them with fireplaces and most with large patios. There are six of them throughout Albuquerque. The one in Nob Hill along Central Avenue has the gayest crowd and is downright cruisy some evenings. The downtown and Corrales locations also draw plenty of "family", but you'll feel quite welcome at any of them (others are found in the North Valley, Uptown, Northeast Heights (which opened in fall 2007), off of Paseo del Norte. Another is slated to open in in Bernalillo in 2008, and further plans call for still another in Santa Fe, possibly late in 2008, on Cordova Road. Would that every city had a hangout as festive as this one. All of the Flying Stars serve three meals a day, a wide range of coffees, wine and beer, and fresh-baked goods, and they also have free Wi-Fi.

Courtesy of Andrew Collins, About.com