trojanhorse,
Taos is about 2 1/2 hours north of Abq. It's a nice ride, and a great deal of the way is highway. The last 1/2 hour is in the canyon with green sage brush and some pink rock. Lovely.

The artsy fartsy stuff is there in Taos, but it's not really in your face. Taos is also the kind of place where you'll still see a cowboy riding down the side of the street downtown on his horse!

If it's only going to be a one-day trip, then don't try to go out to the ski mountain (it's about 3/4 hour outside of the town to the north).