New Smyrna Beach is a seaside paradise which offers charming historic streets, miles of gorgeous, sundrenched beaches, loads of beachside shopping and meticulously landscaped golf courses, but what do you do when the sun sets in vibrant orange and pink along the majestic sea and day turns into night? Plenty!
There is a veritable bevy of outstanding venue choices for nighttime entertainment in New Smyrna Beach, ranging from balmy beachside to electric hot spots. So put on your party pants (or your board shorts) and get ready for some fun after dark…
If you don’t know it already, Flagler Avenue offers up an upbeat beachy vibe and, at night, its bars and after dark entertainment follow suit. Take Traders, for example. Much more than a sports bar, Traders is an indoor/outdoor venue with live music, a dance floor and delicious daily drink specials.
Or maybe you’d prefer the luck of the Irish on your side when you head out for the night. In that case, you may want to visit Tayton O’Brien’s Irish Pub, where the drinks and camaraderie flow like Niagara. This old-style pub provides a large selection of beer and spirits, weekly entertainment including a DJ on Saturday nights and karaoke Wednesday and Friday nights, as well as an authentic Irish menu with homemade fare. Their seven hour happy hour, starting at noon, isn’t bad either!
Then you have Peanuts, a Flagler Avenue bar which is popular with locals and visitors alike. Peanuts is a lively bar with pool tables, drink promos and live music every weekend. Peanuts patrons will find rousing poker matches on Mondays, Tuesday comedy, auctions and bingo, Wednesday karaoke, Thursday live bands beginning at 8 p.m. kicking the entire weekend in ger and Sunday is lots of fun with what they call a “Nuthouse Jam,” with local musicians and free pool.
Flagler Tavern, this writer’s personal favorite, is a large venue with a great vibe. Downstairs offers a large bar, full menu (with some very tasty options), live music on the weekends, a dance floor and outside seating on an expansive porch, which happens to double as a great place to people watch. Upstairs is a hidden gem called “The Bounty.” A hat tip to its rich history, The Bounty is Flagler Tavern’s speakeasy with red velvet décor and smooth whisky. So pull up a chair and sip a smoky old fashioned or watch the bartenders put on a show, pouring high quality liquors over handmade ice spheres or infusing liquor with Jack Daniels wood chips smoke through a decanter. Or order a martini or glass of wine and enjoy the view of Flagler Avenue from its open air balcony.
Still on Beachside, but shifting from Flagler to the North Causeway, you can enjoy an evening filled with comedy at Madcaps Comedy Club with entertaining shows for everyone – from clean to adult humor, mentalists, magicians and lots of crowd interaction. Madcaps is family-owned by homegrown Floridians and offers shows Thursday through Saturday nights from 7:30-9:30.
You’ll discover Merk’s Bar & Grill, a favorite local hangout and good time, right down the road. Merks offers an extensive craft and import beer selection and is famous for its “Frankenstein wings.” Happy hour is from 11-7p, but Merks is open until 2 a.m., so you can enjoy its indoor/outdoor seating, 24 hi-def TVs with all your favorite sports packages from NASCAR to NFL, pool tables, darts, video games and more well into the night!
Whatever you do, don’t forget a stop at Beachside Tavern, a welcoming neighborhood open air bar on 3rd Avenue in New Smyrna Beach. Beachside Tavern is a fun local gathering spot with live music on weekend nights, flame tables, pool tables, games and a chill vibe.
Sea Vista Tiki Bar, which can be found on S. Atlantic in New Smyrna Beach, is also a fun oceanfront spot to grab a cocktail. Plus there’s Casey’s, a lively after hours venue loved by locals with music and pool, which is on South Atlantic Avenue in New Smyrna Beach too; and the Surf Lounge Sports Bar with pool tables on the North Causeway…and quite a few more!
Of course, nearby Daytona Beach offers an excellent selection of after dark venues, including dance clubs like 509 Lounge. Popular with the spring breakers, 509 Lounge is the perfect blend of tropical nightlife with a premier bar and lounge, plus dancing upstairs. It is a great place to order up some VIP bottle treatment, a cocktail at the outdoor patio bar or cut loose with your best dance moves. You decide!
Also popular with spring breakers, Razzle’s Nightclub, where you feel and hear the music with immersive lighting and pulse pumping sound, is located in the heart of the action.
If you want to try something different, The Bank & Blues Club is an authentic historic bank which was converted into a rocking live music venue and it is right on Main Street in Daytona. Other fun Main Street bars in Daytona include the legendary Boot Hill Saloon, Main Street Station, Froggy’s, Dirty Harry’s and Full Moon Saloon.
There are also bars all along the beach in Daytona Beach, offering full menus and live entertainment with a beachside view, such as Ocean Deck, Landshark Bar & Grill, H20 and Mai Tai. Cheers!
