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Nightlife Nightlife in Atlanta varies from intimate bars to live music venues and nightclubs. Dress up for intimate dinners, dress showily for the Buckhead scene and dress as way out as you dare for Little Five Points. Some bars stay open until 0400 but tend to close much earlier on Sundays. Although the legal drinking age is 21 years, many bars may admit those over 18 years’ old. Drink prices start from US$4 and vary enormously according to the establishment; draught beers are less expensive than bottled imports. Little Five Points (west of Georgia State University) is the Village of Atlanta. A small group of live music clubs and performance theatres hosts the city’s cutting-edge artists and the small plaza area is a hang-out for street performers and a younger crowd. There are a few festivals throughout the year, most notably the massive Halloween festival. Buckhead, where Peachtree and Roswell roads meet, is for the young, smart and unattached, who pack the bars, especially on Friday evenings. There are several dance clubs, a few live music venues, tons of bars and restaurants to suit every fancy. Midtown stretches from Downtown to Buckhead, and Piedmont Park hosts everything from the Gay Pride Festival to the Montreux-Atlanta International Music Festival and the Dogwood Festival. Make sure to spend an evening at The New American Shakespeare Tavern, 499 Peachtree Street NE (tel: (404) 874 5299), where for around US$20 you can see a full-length Shakespeare play in a setting not unlike the original Globe Theatre; a hearty pub dinner will set you back about US$10 and draught beers and wine are available. Seating is on a first come, first serve basis. Go early if you don’t want to watch from the rafters. There is a website with weekly listings on it (www.accessatlanta.com) and events information is also published weekly in Creative Loafing (Thursdays). Bars: For new visitors to Atlanta, Mumbo Jumbo, at 89 Park Place NE, is the hippest bar in Downtown Atlanta. The decor is wildly imaginative but intimate at the same time. If you’re missing home, however, sample John Harvard’s Brew House, a brewery outlet plus restaurant at 3041 Peachtree Street or the Prince of Wales Pub, 1144 Piedmont Avenue. Neighbor’s Pub, 752-C North Highland Avenue, is altogether a classy joint in the posh suburb of Virginia Highlands. Karma, 79-A Poplar Street, is where the beautiful people go in Downtown Atlanta. As you enter beneath the blood-red canopy, you will be reminded of 1001 Nights. Casinos: There are no licensed casinos in the state of Georgia. Comedy: Try Dad’s Garage Theatre Company, 280 Elizabeth Street NE (tel: (404) 523 4141), between Thursday to Saturday nights for comedy improvisation from the latest performers. Live music: Recommended in Buckhead are CJ’s Landing, 270 Buckhead Avenue, for reggae on a deck and Cafe 290, 290 Hildebrand Drive NE, for jazz. For blues, Fuzzy’s Place, 2015 North Druid Hills Road is a little venue with a reputation for producing the real thing. Churchill Grounds is a swank little club cuddled up next door to the Fox Theatre, which has become the place to hear traditional jazz from solid local ensembles. Major concerts are held at the Phipps Arena, 1 Phillips Drive (tel: (404) 878 3000; website: www.phillipsarena.com), or the Lakewood Arena, just out of town. Up-and-coming bands play at the Roxy in Buckhead, The Tabernacle and Rialto Downtown, and the Cotton Club and Earthlink Live in Midtown. |
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