5 Best Nightlife in Lake Tahoe, California

In a 19th-century redbrick building that's been everything from a hotel to a bank to a bus station, this bustling bar opened in the 1970s. These days, it serves craft beers and specialty cocktails you can pair with booze-friendly appetizers, pizzas, and comfort food (or have a big ole rib eye with Bulleit bourbon peppercorn sauce). Open later than most downtown bars, BofA presents live music one night a week or more year-round.

Perched above town on the site of North America's first chairlift, this local institution has a bar decked out with old wooden skis, sleds, skates, and photos of Truckee's early days. A superb spot to enjoy a local brew or craft cocktail and not bad at all should you stay for dinner, Cottonwood serves pasta dishes and grilled meats and fish.

At the high-ceilinged brewpub of Truckee's pioneering craft-beer producer, opened in 2007, the soothing gray tones plus a pint of the Donner Party porter or Eclipse barrel-aged imperial stout will take the edge off a cold day on the slopes. The food lineup includes salads, burgers, inventive pizzas, barbecued ribs, pan-seared salmon, and the house specialty: a pulled pork sandwich.

You can hear live bands—rock, jazz, blues, alternative—on most nights at McP's while you sample a few of the 40 beers on draft. Lunch and dinner (Irish and California cuisine) are served daily.

Crowd-pleasing magic shows (sometimes other entertainment) and a casual-industrial setting keep patrons happy at this Heavenly Village bar and lounge where kids are welcome. The mood is upbeat, the specialty cocktails are potent, and if you're in the mood for dinner, the kitchen turns out tapas and larger plates more tasty than one might expect at such a venue.