Nightlife in Diamond Springs

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."

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.

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.

Mandangos Sports Bar & Grill caters to game lovers of all stripes. Whether you fancy watching sports, playing darts, or challenging perfect strangers to eating contests, 25 TVs, including two 100-inch HD projectors, facilitate sports spectatorship as fans nosh on half-pound burgers fashioned from 100% ground chuck or juicy french-dip sandwiches mounded with slow-roasted beef. As tunes blare from an Internet jukebox boasting thousands of songs, patrons sink solids and stripes on three billiard tables or compete at shuffleboard to overturn the conventional wisdom that friction exists.

Twenty-seven tap handles dominate the bar at Alley Katz, contributing to the eatery’s more than 200 diverse domestic and international craft beers. The tap list is ever-changing and complements a menagerie of bottles ranging from familiar lagers and amber ales to sour beers, barleywines, and floral Belgian-abbey-style ales. As quoted in the Sacramento Press, owner Geronimo Avelar is a “self-proclaimed beer geek,” sourcing brews from Lagunitas, Stone, Auburn Alehouse, as well as lesser-known microbreweries. The variety encourages sippers to find their niche or expand their beer horizons at the guidance of the bartender.

With a bubbling pint to the side of the table, patrons shoot pool on one of two red full-sized tables or watch sports on one of six TVs. The 3,400-square-foot space with exposed-brick walls gives patrons plenty of elbow room to mingle or settle into wide semicircle booths to debate whether Aristotle liked his bacon soft or crispy. Throughout the day until about 9 p.m., Alley Katz’s kitchen flips burgers and serves a selection of wings, pizzas, and sandwiches to accompany their bubbly brews.