Baltimore City Guide - Nightlife

Nightlife abounds at the Inner Harbor, Little Italy, Fells Point, Canton, Federal Hill and Mount Vernon. Baltimore is a lively town, with music from jazz to rock and reggae to classical, plus clubs that reflect sport and the gay scene. Restaurants run the gamut of cuisine, but specialities are seafood and crabs. For the English equivalent of real ale, there are specialist brewers or brewpubs with 'micro-brew' beers.

Dress code and admission are specific to the venue but a photo ID (identification) is necessary as minimum drinking age is 21 years. Most bars and nightclubs are open 1100-0200. Depending on the venue, the average price of a beer is between US$2.50 and US$4. A 10-20% tip is customary for wait staff and bartenders.

Publications providing nightlife listings and information include the daily newspaper The Baltimore Sun (website: www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment), the free Baltimore Alternative, serving the gay community, and the monthly guide distributed through hotels, Baltimore Ambassador.

Bars: Bars, such as Kooper's Tavern, 1702 Thames Street, are good places to eat and offer a casual atmosphere. Max's on Broadway, 737 South Broadway, the city's premier brew pub, boasts 92 rotating draught beers and 17 satellite receivers to view American sports. The Explorer's Lounge, Harbor Court Hotel, Inner Harbor, has an interesting décor (animal-print murals and furnishings) while the entertainment complex, Power Plant Live!, 4 Market Street, has a variety of bars. The upmarket Havana Club, on the top floor of Ruth's Chris Steak House, 600 Water Street, is the place for a stylish smoke. For micro-brews, try the Capitol City Brewing Company, 301 Light Street, Inner Harbor. 'Happy hour' times vary around the town and can be strung together to make a half-price evening. For a locally patronised crab house, try OBrycki's, 1727 East Pratt Street.

Clubs: From Latin American at the Latin Palace, 509 South Broadway, Fells Point (website: http://latinpalace.com), to the retro Have a Nice Day Café, 2 Market Place (website: www.haveanicedaybaltimore.com), where you can dance on a lighted floor to 1970s-1990s tunes, Baltimore has toe-tapping variety. Sky Lounge/Tango Tapas, 1041 Marshall Street in Federal Hill is the place where 20-somethings groove to ambient, acid jazz and trip-hop beats. Dine and dance the tango at Gardel's Supper Club, 29 South Front Street (website: www.gardels.com) or savour Asian tapas, sip exotic cocktails and dance at Red Maple, 930 North Charles Street in the Mt Vernon neighbourhood (website: www.930redmaple.com). One, 300 East Saratoga Street (website: www.onebaltimore.com), features hip-hop, electronica and reggae on four different floors called Earth, Water, Fire and Air.

Live Music: Away from the Inner Harbor area, Buddies Pub and Jazz Club, 313 North Charles Street, offers a local pub atmosphere with 'Live Straight-Ahead Jazz' at the weekends. The Harbor Cruises company, docked near Harborplace, Inner Harbor, offers the chance to dine and dance on water, while viewing the impressive, illuminated Baltimore skyline as you twirl. Many of the bars have different nights and styles of live music too, such as the Full Moon Saloon, 1710 Aliceanna Street (website: www.fullmoon-saloon.com), which features seven nights a week of blues music. The blues, with occasional alternative rock, makes the joint jump at Funk Box, 8-10 East Cross.