Truth or Consequences, NM

The town's long-running special-occasion steakhouse, open more than 40 years and known for hand-cut steaks, prime rib, and surf-and-turf in a dim, old-school dining room. It is the dress-up-a-little dinner option in a town of casual spots. Dinner only, and it draws a crowd.

A family-run New Mexican restaurant on South Broadway pouring out big plates of red and green chile, enchiladas, and chile rellenos at honest prices. The salsa and chile get singled out repeatedly by regulars. It is the local consensus pick for authentic New Mexican food in town.

A no-frills downtown Mexican-American kitchen on Broadway that has won repeat local best-of honors for its breakfast burritos and inexpensive plates. It is plain inside and the food is the draw, not the decor. A reliable, cheap morning or lunch stop in the hot springs district.

A family-owned, sports-themed diner on North Date Street serving Mexican-American comfort food from hearty breakfasts to green-chile Philly sandwiches. It is roomy, kid-friendly, and the kind of all-day spot families default to. Good when you want a big casual meal without fuss.

A tiny, colorful breakfast-and-lunch cafe on Main Street turning out quiches, crepes, pastries, and a daily-specials chalkboard, with coffee that gets called the best around. The chorizo and green-chile quiche and the muffins have a following. The room is small and the vibe is local.

A combined kitchen, bar, and bowling alley that doubles as a casual dinner-and-games hangout, with pizza, pub plates, and a local beer list. It is one of the few places in town to eat, drink, and do something after dark. Good for families early and a livelier bar crowd later.

A roughly three-mile loop stitching together downtown's hot-springs district, the riverbank, and the desert edge, anchored by Veterans Memorial Park on the west and Ralph Edwards Park on the east. It is flat, walkable, and the best way to orient yourself in town on foot. Part sidewalk, part desert path.

A wide gravel hiking-and-biking path running about a dozen miles along the west side of Elephant Butte reservoir, with multiple trailheads so you can do any length. It traces the desert shoreline with long lake and mountain views. The flexible distance makes it work for a short stroll or a long ride.

A short, mostly easy one-mile loop near the Elephant Butte campgrounds, half gravel and half paved, with interpretive signs and good views over the water. It has restrooms at the trailhead and suits families and a quick leg-stretch. The gentlest of the lake-area walks.

A 1.5-mile paved road closed to traffic at Elephant Butte, making a safe, flat out-and-back for walking, jogging, or biking with kids and dogs. It runs along the dam area with open water and desert views. The most stroller- and pet-friendly option at the lake.

The town's standout hot-springs spot, with a string of mineral pools terraced right on the bank of the Rio Grande looking across to Turtleback Mountain. Day soaks are sold by the session in shared or private pools, no lodging required. It is the postcard version of the experience that built this town.

A laid-back craft brewery and taproom on Broadway in the heart of the historic district, with ales and lagers made on site, a dog-friendly patio, and free live music most weekends. It has no kitchen, so people bring food in from nearby spots. The default downtown evening hangout.

New Mexico's largest reservoir just north of town, a desert-rimmed lake that is the regional hub for boating, fishing, paddling, and lakeside camping. Beaches and marinas line the shore, and the water is the summer draw for the whole area. The outdoor counterweight to the town's indoor soaks and galleries.

The home of the New Mexico Old Time Fiddlers Association, hosting a live old-time music dance on Saturday evenings in a plain community hall on Elm Street. It is unpolished, local, and the kind of small-town evening you do not find advertised. Bring a folding chair energy and a willingness to two-step.

A historic adobe lodge a few blocks off the river whose spa draws day visitors for mineral soaks in three indoor pools and one outdoor pool, plus massage and treatments. It has landed on National Geographic's hotel list and offers a calmer, more polished soak than the riverside spots. Walk-ins welcome, reservations smart.

Sierra County's oldest museum on Main Street, packed wall to wall with regional history from a major Mimbres and Tularosa pottery collection to an Apache exhibit and a room of game-show memorabilia from the town's renaming. It is dense, eclectic, and run by people who clearly love the place. The best single stop for understanding why the town is called Truth or Consequences.

A volunteer-built memorial park on the west end of downtown anchored by a half-scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall and a Walk of Education tracing US conflicts. There is a small museum building with donated artifacts. It marks one end of the Healing Waters Trail and is more affecting than its size suggests.

A large contemporary art gallery on Broadway spread over multiple floors, showing regional and national artists in a town that punches well above its weight for art. Founded in 2000, it changes exhibitions regularly and is the anchor of the downtown gallery scene. Worth a wander even if you are not buying.

The downtown adobe storefront on Foch Street that serves as the jumping-off point for the world's first purpose-built commercial spaceport out in the desert. It holds interactive space exhibits and is where the guided Experience tour departs by bus. The launch facility itself is well outside town and only reachable on the tour.