City: Louisville, KY

Category: Nightlife

Telephone: (502) 589-4957

Address: 644 Baxter Ave.

Description: Louisville is known for its music scene, and the Phoenix Hill Tavern showcases many of the country’s best up-and-coming acts before they hit the big time. Around since 1976, the Phoenix Hill Tavern is a Louisville institution that has won 18 “Best of Louisville” Awards from Louisville Magazine. Locally owned and operated, it has also earned a reputation for staying on the cutting edge and keeping live music alive in the Derby City. Housed in a two-story building at the corner of Broadway and Baxter in the Highlands, this nightclub—reportedly the oldest in town—offers a variety of entertainment choices. There are five different bars, each offering a different type of music or entertainment, and Americana and memorabilia from the club’s decades-long run cover the walls on the inside. Three of the stages have live music on weekends, and in addition to karaoke in the all-new “living room,” there’s an outdoor dance party on their rooftop deck bar. The crowd tends to be a diverse mix, but one thing they all have in common is their desire to have a good time and friendliness. Needless to say, this is a good place to meet the natives.