Nightlife in Saginaw

The self-proclaimed home of the $1 draft, Dooleys Tavern keeps 20 beers cascading from their taps. Those suds complement the chefs' pub food, which includes American tavern classics such as half-pound burgers and up to 50 chicken wings doused in a choice of four sauces. The draft beer house also concocts American dishes with an Irish twist such as corned-beef sliders and a pizza filled with mashed potatoes and topped with bacon and red onions.

Seven nights a week, Dooleys’ three locations keep guests entertained until 2 a.m. on an outdoor patio, in a room full of classic bar games, and with plenty of HDTVs showing the game. The trio of taverns also accommodates up to 100 guests for private parties. Additionally, the Mount Clemens location pairs feasts with sidesplitting routines from standup comics in Carmen's Showroom.

Landmarks of standup for decades, Connxtions Comedy Clubs remain mainstays for up-and-coming comics and national stars, with a roster of past performers that includes Sinbad, Drew Carey, Tim Allen, D. L. Hughley, and Rob Schneider. Headlining comedians, many seen on national television, keep the venues teetering Thursday–Saturday nights, whereas Wednesday nights host improv spectacles and open mics where rookies can begin their ascent into stardom or descent into miming. While refueling chuckle tanks, duos and groups can split a savory appetizer, such as fried pickle spears or buffalo popcorn shrimp, or enjoy a potent cocktail at the bar.

A group of ESPN analysts looking for a bite to eat before taping their shouting match would do well to wander through Tripper's. Upon entering, they could brush up on fodder for their next debate by watching the eatery's 50 televisions flicker with heart-pumping sporting events from across the globe, from college football and Australian rugby to playoff baseball and amateur yak tickling.

Though they might posit a PTI-worthy opinion or two of their own, the sports fans who flock to Tripper's share two universal traits: a love of Michigan sports teams and a craving for classic pub eats. They keep their morale and energy high by devouring custom pizzas, Angus burgers, and homemade, seasoned potato chips in between whistles. Glasses of craft beer from Arcadia and Bells rise and clink amidst a wall of roaring cheers, celebrating touchdowns, game-winning goals, and home runs that make the ball shriek like Roger Daltrey. For those unsatisfied with letting others doing their competing for them, Tripper's has a collection of pool and foosball tables and arcade games. Tripper's chefs also sate classic American cravings at on-location parties with their catering and menu-planning services.

Stay & Play Social Club reunites adults with their younger selves with recreational sports leagues offered year-round. Players leave the daily grind behind at Stay & Play's summer events, which include volleyball, flag-football, and kickball leagues. Come winter, competitors wander indoors for bowling, euchre, and dodgeball. After each match or game, participants are welcome to migrate to a local pub for drink and pub-fare specials provided by the social club or to train for the future of extreme dodgeball using full pint glasses. Stay & Play's funseekers also foster a healthy community, sponsoring local charities and participating in cancer-awareness races.

Named for 2009 World Series of Poker champion Joe Cada, Cada's Poker & Sports Grill fuels patrons with classic pub fare as they face-off in Texas hold'em and Omaha poker tournaments. Servers ferry trays of half-pound burgers and piping-hot pizzas to diners watching pay-per-view UFC fights on more than two dozen high-definition TVs. Six blackjack tables host amiable requests of "hit me," and 10 poker tables facilitate $4,500-pot, no-limit hold'em tournaments on the first Saturday of each month. Joe Cada occasionally stops in to play tournaments, giving poker-playing patrons the chance to put their hands to the test or challenge his geometry skills at the bar's free pool tables.

A hearty appetite is encouraged at Clancy’s Irish Pub, where a champion burger challenge bates mouths to down a 5-pound behemoth burger and a full pound of fries in less than 45 minutes. Only three customers have ever succeeded, and their pictures reside on Clancy’s wall of fame as a testament to their steely reserve and superhuman jaw strength. In addition to holding photos of these championship mugs, Clancy’s butter-hued walls come stippled with golden brown, as if prophesying the deep-fried goodliness of the menu’s jalapeño poppers and cheesy mozzarella sticks. Amid the glow of neon beer signs and flat-screen TVs, tables load up with pints from the bar’s selection of more than 50 brews, as well as pub classics such as fish and chips, shepherd's pie, and the cheese-and- bacon-slathered chicken Dubliner. After two-handing a signature Jack Daniels chicken sandwich, guests can partake of weekly events such as beer-pong competitions, trivia, and DJ dance nights.