14 Best Nightlife in Central North Carolina, North Carolina

For a classy yet quirky evening out, try this wine bar--café. Outdoor patio seating (on the street and back patio), North Carolina wines, local brews, and frequent DJ dance parties make this a fun gathering place in the heart of the Arts District.

The Triangle’s premier live-music club since the late '70s, this legendary venue hosts local and regional bands as well as nationally known indie acts.

This club near the university combines dinner with a night of laughs. Past performers include Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Rock, and Ellen DeGeneres.

Located on lively South Elm Street, this tavern keeps a dozen beers on tap, including several that it brews in-house. The bar food here's done right, including the potato chips and a generous tuna steak. Upstairs is a sports bar with pool tables. In nice weather, you can sit on the patio along the main drag.

Faces of early-20th-century newsboys stare out from a 20-foot photo mural covering one wall at this 1906 newspaper office, artfully restored into a gastropub. The bar features a great selection of Belgian beers and thoughtful wine and cocktail lists.

Setting the standard for craft cocktail bars in North Carolina, the Crunkleton has a knowledgeable staff of mixologists ready to stir and shake drinks. You can also select from a pages-long whiskey list—it includes antique spirits that seem to taste even better in the dark, parlorlike surroundings, with elk and deer busts lording it over the room.