Nightlife

Once the sun sets, there’s no shortage of adventures: from live music to cocktails on rooftops, make sure your City With Soul plans include a night out.

Great Eats and Cool Beats

For a feast for the ears as well as the palate, start at Hal & Mal’s, a longtime Jackson staple for gumbo, live music and cold beer in the courtyard. On Monday nights, don't miss the Central Mississippi Blues Society's Blue Monday. Right across the street is Martin’s Downtown. Come in for a Blue Plate lunch special and come back for the full bar and great live music nearly every night of the month.

Names & Faces Lounge, also in the heart of downtown Jackson, serves up catfish, tacos, and hot music until 2 AM. Another downtown institution is The Iron Horse Grill, built in an old railroad depot – your destination for TexMex and live music. Be sure to check out the blues music museum on the second floor. At Highland Village, French-inspired La Cour Kitchen and Bar has a delicious menu - and regular live music at their piano bar (and in the courtyard).

If fine dining with a house DJ is more your style, TRIO Eatery is known for its extensive cocktail menu. Another great choice is ISH Grill & Lounge. An acronym for “Intimate Social Haven,” ISH offers an extensive cocktail menu, including several different kinds of fruity and refreshing martinis. Happy hour starts at 5 PM daily. And, on County Line Road, Social 21 Bistro is a haven for great food and great live entertainment.

Best for Brews

Longtime favorite The Bulldog has over 50 beers on tap and an old-style wood and brass interior perfect for sipping and socializing, plus plenty of TVs to catch the big game. Another great spot for after-dinner bar bites and beer is Fondren Public. Enjoy big screen TVs on the outdoor patio and the amazing selection of beer on tap. Even LD's Beer Run, a craft beer store and microbrewery, invites you to pull up a stool and partake from their drafts.

One of the newest additions to the Jackson craft beer scene is Fertile Ground Beer Co. With four “core” beers made in-house and seasonal, rotating selections, you’re sure to find something thirst-quenching to enjoy on the outdoor patio. Fertile Ground is part of the newly developed Belhaven Town Center complex.

Event Space & Rooftop Views

Once an old YMCA, The Old Capitol Inn Rooftop Bar crowns an award-winning restaurant and stunning boutique inn; no two rooms are alike, and each was custom decorated in a Mississippi theme. Jackson’s Duling Hall is an intimate event venue with full bar. Often filled with local and regional bands, it’s a great place to catch a concert. Designed for weddings, receptions, and other events, The Hideaway has a dance floor, performance stage, and top-notch lighting and sound.

Celebrating the Cocktail

Those connoisseurs of luxurious liquor concoctions will enjoy 4th Avenue, an upscale bar and lounge in downtown Jackson and Good Bar in Belhaven Town Center, a beautiful open air bar with cocktails, wine, and small plates. In Fondren, tucked away inside Brent’s Drugs, The Apothecary is a pre-Prohibition old-time bar with specialty drinks, small plates, and a relaxed vibe.

The delightfully intimate Library Lounge serves up literary-themed cocktails in the historic Fairview Inn in the Belhaven neighborhood.

Laid Back and Casual

For nighttime snacking in a relaxed atmosphere, CS’s (across the street from Millsaps College) offers burgers, beer and music in a college hangout atmosphere. Close to Belhaven University, Fenian’s Irish Pub, a little pub with the big rep, is your site for weekly live music, full bar, and a full range of Celtic food like Shepherd’s Pie, Scotch eggs, a Guinness burger, or a Mississippi Reuben. Close by, Urban Foxes is a pie and coffee shop by day, but at night, the quaint bungalow (and back yard) become a stage for singers, bands and other performers.

The Daiquiri Bar on Capitol Street offers daiquiris, hookah, food and cocktails while Downtown Daiquiri & Pizza serves a wide range of frozen daiquiris and hot pizza. The Pearl Tiki Bar brings a taste of Polynesia to Fondren from tiki classics to Pearl original drinks and Polynesian inspired small plates.

Sports Bars & Trivia

For the billiards, beer, and big TVs crowd, begin at Highball Lanes in Fondren with 10 bowling lanes, a high end restaurant and bar, and neighboring theatre and tiki bar.

At Capitol Bar & Grill, the theme is sports memorabilia and billiards, plus flat-screen TVs and a huge bar. A win/win/win! 4th and Goal Sports Café is your stop for beer, a full bar, and stone baked pizza, while Last Call Sports Grill offers NFL specials, Ladies Night each Wednesday, and hookah service on the patio.

Ole Tavern on George Street has shuffle board, bowling pins, corn hole & giant checkers, tunes in the courtyard, and new DJs featured each week, or try M-Bar Sports Grill. Play pool or get your karaoke on at Kemistry Sports Bar and Lounge. Sam’s Lounge is a true, old school “dive bar” with pool tables and beer. ‘Nuff said.

And if you're into trivia, there's no shortage of opportunities to play. Highball Lanes, Hal & Mal's, Fertile Ground Beer Co., Library Lounge, Shoe Bird Cafe and The Bean all show up in our list of regular events in Jackson.

PRIDE in Jackson

PRIDE is strong in the Capital City. For night life, visit Club Metro 2.0, Club City Lights, and SHADE. These other safe places, including cafés, restaurants, coffee shops and churches allow the LGBT+ community to be their most authentic selves, often hosting monthly trivia nights, drag shows and fundraisers.

The Late, Late Show

One Block East started in the wake of the St. Paddy’s Day parade. Now a dive bar in an industrial neighborhood of downtown. Live music, hot food, and cold beer until 2 AM. Nearby in the historic Farish Street District, F. Jones Corner is a late-night blues club serving up cold beer, cocktails and hot burgers. The best local and regional blues musicians take the stage every Friday and Saturday from midnight to 4 AM. Sophistication meets sexy in the Renaissance Room Ultra Lounge, located upstairs from Johnny T’s Bistro and Blues, also in the historic Farish Street district. Thrill-seekers will seamlessly transition from evening to the seductive hours of the morning. The lux venue features an elegant bar, performance stage, VIP seating, and a stunning hardwood dance floor.

End on a high note: Miketown Comedy Club is full of laughter and entertainment. Come out to hear Tiger Rogers play the sax on Wednesdays, Open Mic on Thursdays, and comedy shows Fridays and Saturdays.

WHERE TO ENJOY JXN NIGHTLIFE

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