Nightlife in Danville

West End Station’s long list of menu items complements classic pub appetizers with quesadillas, melts, handtossed specialty pizzas, and chicken wraps. Diners can spice up traditional wings ($5.50 for eight) with one of nine sauce varieties, including Baltimore harbor, sweet honey mustard, garlic, and hot Jamaican jerk. Fingers that are usually relegated to handling steering wheels, stamp adhesive, and ice-cold forks can delight in diving for hot jalapeño poppers ($3.75) or a tray of tater tots ($2.50).

Dick & Jane's Tapas and Martini Bar?s entire menu is designed to be sipped, savored, and shared among friends over conversation. Classic tapas include housemade white cheddar pimento cheese, baked brie drizzled with caramel, and shrimp saut?ed with chilies, and an equal portion of the menu is devoted to unfussy, bite-sized takes on American comfort favorites?roast beef and brie stuff mini croissants, pulled pork fills a sourdough panini, and smoked salmon or medium-rare filet mignon lie atop tartines. At the bar, beer and wine join 30 martinis that range from a classic dry martini with pimento-stuffed olives to the sneaky Bruce Willis, which looks like a traditional martini but sneaks orange liqueur and white cranberry juice in through the glass?s ductwork.

Beyond the red walls and checkerboard floors of the dining room, bright umbrellas alight on the patio, where little windows in the wooden fence peek out on flower boxes. On the brick wall just above, a recently refurbished antique mural shows a fresh-faced woman cheerily obeying the instruction to Drink Coca-Cola, adding a splash of vintage character to back up the historical downtown Mebane locale. Some nights find Dick & Jane?s serenading their quaint neighborhood with the sounds of live musicians.

Flat-screen televisions hang high above each lane at Z-Bowl, displaying a medley of scoring charts and high-definition sports broadcasts for bowlers to enjoy between frames. The alley keeps the visual banquet brimming in a sports bar with large-projection sets and an arcade containing more than 60 arcade consoles, including both classic and modern models such as skee-ball and Dance Dance Revolution. The 18-lane facility also offers billiards, shuffleboard, and darts to keep levels of healthy competition high and offer lower-impact entertainment for those with injuries such as bowler’s ear. Z-Bowl also hosts six private lanes designed to host upscale parties and corporate meetings, as well as a full kitchen that serves brick-oven pizza and certified Angus beef burgers.

Palace Pointe is the definition of a one-stop entertainment complex. A typical visit might include a matinee showing of a first-run movie at one of the center's eight theaters followed by a round of bowling on one of 20 lanes. After that, visitors can head to the roller-skating rink or the arcade, where they can try their hand at more than 80 video and redemption games. Seven billiards tables round out the gaming options, and an onsite diner and bar fuel competitions with pizzas, sandwiches, and classic finger foods.