The Taos Inn

 
Home to The Adobe Bar and the famed Doc Martin’s Restaurant, The “Inn” as it is affectionately referred to by locals, is an historical landmark in Taos.

 

The hotel is actually made up of several adobe houses dating back to the 1800’s, which were built around a small plaza with a central well, now a fountain in the middle of  the hotel’s lobby.

 

Dr.Thomas Paul Martin came to Taos in the 1890’s as the county’s first (and only) physician. He bought the largest of the houses, now the restaurant. His wife Helen was the sister-in-law of Bert Phillips and it was in the Martin’s dining room that Phillips and Ernest Blumenschein founded the Taos Society of Artists

The Martins bought more of the houses over the years and rented them out to writers and artists. When the only hotel in Taos burned down the same year Martin died, Helen bought the last remaining house on the plaza and in 1936, The Hotel Martin opened. Later owners renamed it The Taos Inn and added the neon Thunderbird sign. In 1982 the Inn was placed on the National and State Registers of Historical Places.

History aside, The Inn remains Taos’ central gathering place and hosts live music throughout the year. In the summers the patio is packed day and night. In fact this is the spot for people watching year round.

The Taos Inn’s Adobe Bar serves the best margaritas in town and locals know the award-winning green chile stew is out of this world. Doc Martins is a must even if you don’t get a room at the Inn. If you want one, book well in advance. It’s not that much of a secret anymore.


Photographs property of The Taos Inn