Nightlife in Antelope

With past performers such as Jerry Seinfeld, Dennis Miller, and Dana Carvey, Laughs Unlimited has accumulated a formidable collection of laughs in its 27-year history. Owner and booker Steve Grove keeps the comedy lineup fresh with imported mountain air and a steady rotation of established and up-and-coming comedians. Warm brick walls and exposed-beam ceilings line the recently renovated club. Laughs Unlimited’s full menu furnishes empty bellies with Mexican-inspired tacos, burritos, and snacks, which go down smooth with several Californian wines and an arsenal of signature cocktails.

ComedySportz, voted Best Comedy Club by KCRA’s A-List in 2009 and 2010, turns out quick-witted performers from classes helmed by experienced improvisers. Designed for students of any experience level, classes help people overcome social shyness and stress. Beginners get a feel for improv basics through games and exercises, learning the bones of scene structure and character development while exploring creativity and facing fears of speaking in front of audiences that are not stuffed animals. During the Intermediate 2A class, students with previous experience tackle the long-form style of improv juggernauts such as Second City and iO, and Intermediate 2B students revel in performance games common during ComedySportz and Whose Line Is It Anyway?. Each class aims to get students ready to create scenes, work with partners, and get out of tickets by saying, "OK, now I'm the police officer."

Experienced comedians on Comedy Off Broadway Oakland’s black-swathed stage extract laughs with jokes honed during appearances on HBO, BET and Comedy Central. Veteran yucksters Joe Gleckler and Samson Koletkar host 90-minute shows three nights a week and recruit all-female and all-Southern lineups for Thursday theme shows. Chortling viewers can dig into plates of Cajun and Southern fare from the kitchen of Miss Pearl’s Jam House, which hosts the proceedings in a private dining area, or covertly film spit takes with wine and beer from a full bar.

The bull dances in the dimly lit bar, desperately bucking and trying to rid itself of its wildly grinning rider. Guests surround the mechanical beast to holler and cheer on the intrepid rough rider, who is quickly thrown onto the padding below or simply rides the bull for seven hours until it gets tired and goes into sleep mode. But Southern-inspired bar food and plentiful draft beers swiftly soften the blow of being bucked off the bull. The menu features burgers adorned with onion rings and apple-wood smoked bacon as well as buttermilk-fried chicken wings, and a beer-pong table allows guests to compete at the bar without accidentally getting cast for City Slickers III. Sacramento Bulls Restaurant & Bar also plays host to a variety of events, including bikini bull-riding contests, wet T-shirt contests, and weekly country-music nights.

The White Horse Bar has entertained San Francisco's GLBT community with happy hours, college nights, and live music for more than 75 years, making it one of the oldest gay bars in the country. After serving as a central hub during the community's tumultuous 20th century, the bar now opens its glistening dance floor every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday for relentless displays of rhythm fueled by beers, martinis, and well drinks. The White Horse Bar also energizes crowds with a smorgasbord of events including trivia contests, drag shows, karaoke, and '80s nights, where guests are encouraged to quietly yearn for portable replacements for their landline telephones.

Mermaids and mermen are a surprisingly common sight at Dive Bar. Fin-clad entertainers spend their evenings elegantly swimming through the 7,500-gallon aquarium that hangs over the bar’s stone countertops, charming guests as the bartenders mix an array of classic and contemporary cocktails. Exposed brickwork, black-leather armchairs, and a dangling chandelier don’t necessarily continue the nautical theme, but they do contribute to the overwhelmingly luxuriant ambiance.

Live musicians grace the bar’s stage on Wednesdays, whereas Thursdays feature a dueling-piano show that brings to mind Billy Joel and Elton John’s legendary joust to the death. In addition to hosting DJ performances, the lounge pumps out dance-worthy tunes until as late as 2 a.m., even allowing customers to connect their iPods to the sound system and either play their favorite song or the shortest chapter from their favorite audiobook.