Nightlife in Gloucester City

Playgrounds and swings aren’t the only things that can swing. Today’s deal reveals the secret lives of soccer moms with $10 tickets to Billy Aronson’s hilarious new comedy, The First Day of School, a $20 value. Be the first to get in on the laughs—your Groupon is good for the 8 p.m. preview show on Thursday, October 1, 8 p.m., at 1812 Productions.

Escort your appetite into Mad River's cheerful, casual confines and sample some hugely portioned eats off of the enticing board of fare. Tasty meal preludes include Angus beef sliders ($8), flash-fried calamari ($7), and barbecue-chicken quesadillas ($7). Full plates can come topped with an assortment of crisp salads, sandwiches, burgers, and pasta nests, all of which pair impeccably with views of flat-screen TVs and competitive chewing. If your appetite tends more toward the alcoholic, set your tongue goggles loose on Mad River's bounty of brews on tap and encased in handy glass cylinders. Trivia takes place on Tuesday nights and tests the limits of amateur quiz masters and time-traveling Renaissance scholars alike.

Bernie's Bar and Grill answers the greatest question in life—"What's for dinner?"—with a truckload of pub food. Its kitchen cooks up something for everyone—barbecue burgers, Reubens, chicken burritos, falafel, torpedo shrimp, pizza, and steak. Though beer is in great supply here, Bernie's is equal parts family restaurant and sports pub. At each location, the cozy booths and tables where parents and kids share potato skins and sundaes are joined by a wood bar, where TVs broadcast sports, athletic jerseys huddle in corners, and pennants hang overhead.