Clubs in Park Ridge

Lively jazz tunes bounce off the brick walls, exposed rafters, and blue-tinged décor of Close Up 2 Jazz's South Loop location. Bartenders shake cocktail mixers in syncopation with smooth jazz that flows from a floor-level stage. Up-and-coming artists mix R & B and classical jazz in the loft-style lounge, whose music and ambiance have attracted numerous mentions in the press. Just steps from the LaSalle/Van Buren Brown Line stop, the chic club leaves its doors open from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. on weekdays and 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. on Saturdays to catch the postwork crowd and recently retired "L" train cars.

Funny-bone pummelers on The Comedy Bar's aluminum-accented stage weave witticism in front of cabaret-style seating that keeps guests close enough to reach out and touch jokes. Cool suds fuel revelry, and ice clinks against glass as bartenders concoct a variety of cocktails or work to separate feuding arctic explorers. From the curved, burnt-umber walls, dim sconces help create an environment that lures belly laughs from their natural habitat, and the Ontario Street location facilitates after-show festivities with its proximity to restaurants, bars, and public transit.

For more than 20 years, comedians of all levels of notoriety have peddled their laugh-inducing verbal wares on Riddles Comedy Clubs’ stages. An airbrushed city skyline sits behind the corner stage at the original Alsip location, where such comedians as Jeff Dunham, Louie Anderson, and Drew Carey slung jokes to side-split audiences. A full bar with overhanging LCD TVs dispenses alcoholic and nonalcoholic whistle-wetters in between sets at both the Alsip location and the new Berwyn spot. Additionally, Riddles' lots house free parking for those driving from far-off locales or patrons who can't find a limo service that takes knock-knock jokes as payment.

Chicago Limo Net ushers its office-, nightlife-, and airport-bound clientele about the Chicago area in a fleet of luxurious, custom buses and limousines. Twenty-four-passenger party buses bedecked in low-level lighting, leather couches, dancing poles, and mirror-laden roofs bestow a nightclub-like feel minus the acute stares of gargantuan doormen. Smaller 6- and 10-passenger limousines present many of the same creature comforts in a more aerodynamic package for airport or around-town trips. Each party conveyance is piloted by a professional chauffeur with extensive knowledge of downtown Chicago, who will gladly take the fastest or most scenic route and can offer unique insights into the city, such as how to differentiate between the Willis Tower and the pier's ferris wheel.

Coconuts Comedy Club, located in Jack’s Joint since 1998, has been luring in chuckle-seekers for more than two decades with a glittering stage filled with nationally touring comedians. To keep growling stomachs from heckling comedians out of frustration, visitors can mute tummy rumbles with a full menu bursting at the seams with saucy wings, 14-inch hand-tossed pizzas, and brawny steaks.

At ComedySportz, the spontaneity of improv humor marries the competitiveness of athletics in three weekly shows that churn out laughs for roughly 100 minutes each. During a match, two opposing teams of comics square off as a referee presides. The teams launch into sketches and routines fueled by audience suggestions, much like on the TV shows Whose Line Is It Anyway? and World News with Diane Sawyer. Since random, casual outbursts are so integral to the show, no two performances are the same, and many fans check the lineup to see when their favorite funnypeople take the stage next.