Nightlife in Winchester

In 1783, Captain John Holder established Holder's Tavern along the region's main thoroughfare: the Kentucky River. Now part of Hall's on the River, the site persists some 200-plus years later as a place to gather around food and drinks. Today, visitors dig into classic Southern dishes, ranging from steaks and smoked pork chops to frog legs and a seafood platter stacked with shrimp, oysters, scallops, clams, and fried ocean catfish.

The brick walls of Woody's Sports Bar and Grill showcase large, wall-mounted flat-screen TVs to broadcast multiple sporting events while sheltering burger-bearing wait staff who serve patrons steaming entrees and frosty beverages from the menu. Crackers, crispy celery, and crunchy carrots lounge around a dish of signature beer cheese dip ($3.99) to gossip about the potato skins' designer sour cream purse ($6.75). With the 8-ounce prime rib dinner, choose a cut of tender prime rib and two sides such as a fresh salad or golden fries ($13.95). Slices of roasted turkey, bacon, juicy ham, and tomato cozy up under a rich cream sauce and melted cheese blanket in Woody's hot brown platter ($10.45). The kitchen team exercises one of its most useful assets—patience—to slow cook the pork that bathes in Herschel Walker's #34 barbecue sauce in the pulled-pork barbecue sandwich ($6.25). Meander out to the patio during a pick and jam night, where talented locals tickle eardrums with singing, guitar strumming, and ear-shaped feathers.

Movie Tavern transfixes one's taste buds and imagination by blending all-digital cinema with premium seating and sit-down dining. Moviegoers are encouraged to arrive 45 minutes prior to showtime, so that they can leisurely peruse an extensive menu of chef-inspired American cuisine, from kobe beef sliders to pizza and sandwiches. Nimble and unobtrusive servers slip in during the show to deliver orders, and can be called on for more drinks or dessert with the push of a button. At select locations, guests can opt to sip margaritas or signature cocktails at the bar before heading in to see a show. Audiences get to enjoy first-run films every week, retro cinema every Wednesday morning as well as Tuesday and Thursday evenings, and breakfast food paired with early morning movies on Saturdays and Sundays. The family-friendly establishment also serves finger food for kiddies along with film-inspired dishes. Guests can head to the bar or straight to the movie without ordering food, giving them some latitude in shaping their night out.

Additionally, Movie Tavern treats audiences to myriad benefits with their membership program. Anyone can sign up for free online to receive one free bag of popcorn on the spot and one free ticket every year on their birthday, as well as invites to screenings and other special events.

Groupon is a combination of the words group and coupon. Each day, we offer an unbeatable deal on the best of Lexington: restaurants, spas, sporting events, theater, and more. By promising businesses a minimum number of customers, we get discounts you won't find anywhere else. We call it "collective buying power."

The cuisine experts at Lynagh's Irish Pub heel click their way through pub fare and a pub’s share of more than 100 domestic and imported beers. Avoid straining a tongue by warming up with a beer cheese platter appetizer ($5.75) or o'nacho dip and chips ($5.25). Then buckle down for a main plate such as the barbecue-slathered round-up o'round, accoutered with bacon, sautéed onions, and cheddar cheese ($7.50). The seasoned honey-mustard chicken sandwich vivifies dull gullets ($7.25), while the vegwich satiates the buds of both vegetarians and people who like edible stacks ($6.95).

The draft beer table taps at O'Neill's Irish Pub empower imbibing imbibers to pour their own pint of sudsy suds as the menu of Irish and American classics inspires them to eat. Warm up stomachs with a plate o' beer cheese saturated with Guinness stout and served with carrots, celery, and crackers ($5.50) or gnaw on a sixer of barbecue wings ($7). Dive into a basket of fish and chips with beer-battered cod and golden fries ($8.95) or try O'Neill's Reuben, with thick-cut rye bread supporting layers of corned beef, melted swiss cheese, and sauerkraut, which comes nestled next to a pile of salty chips ($7.25).