Nightlife in Bedford

A spacious and casual gathering spot, Big Shots Sports Café is where visitors can stretch out, watch the game, and have a burger and beer. The staff will also agree that it’s the kind of place supposed founder Millard P. Foonswaggle would have enjoyed, kicking back after wrestling pythons and generally living on the edge. Inside, patrons sidle up to the bar for a frozen margarita or relax in a booth with an appetizer platter piled with onion strings, buffalo wings, mozzarella sticks, pickle chips, fries, and fried jalapeños. Stop in on Wednesday, Saturday, or Sunday nights for games of Texas hold’em or Friday evenings for live music.

At BoomerJack's Grill & Bar, diners feast on spicy and savory dishes, complemented by refreshing drinks and the frequent shouts of cheering sports fans. Appetizers include hand-battered and fried mushrooms, pickles, and the restaurant’s eponymous Boomer chips, freshly sliced jalapeños served with a homemade sauce. Chefs also sculpt a half pound of ground beef into a behemoth of a burger, adorned with aged cheddar or blue cheese crumbles. Lemon pepper or Cajun seasoning spices up a fillet of farm-raised catfish, while grilled peppers and onions top Ray’s sizzling sausage sandwich made from ground filet mignon and pork.

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 Tuesday and Thursday evening, and breakfast food paired with early morning movies on Saturday and Sunday. While geared toward adults, 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 movie ticket on the spot and one free ticket every year on their birthday, as well as invites to screenings and other special events.

For 27 years, Doubletake Dance Studio has been teaching dance and helping students build confidence. Moving across the suspended floors constructed to prevent and reduce injuries, dancers of all ages refine their techniques under the guidance of experienced instructors. The teachers lead students starting at the age of 2 through ballet, tap, hip hop, and jazz, and as students get older, they focus in on skills, learning leaps, turns, and pointe.

The staccato snap of ricocheting billiard balls rises up through a warm chorus of cheering fans, who come together beneath signed jerseys from Josh Hamilton, Terry Bradshaw, and Emmitt Smith and 22 flat-screen televisions. Volcano's all-female staff works to make first-time guests feel like regulars without having to remember the jukebox's birthday, all the while delivering platters laden with half-pound Black Angus burgers crowned in chipotle spread. As darts flick through the air, sauce-covered hot wings fuel investigation into honey-hued cascades of brews and shakers chattering on cool loads of cocktails behind the bar.

New sets of friends formed by the mythological fates who determine shuffleboard teams sip libations while planning strategy. Golden Tee, a virtual golf game that draws a cult following, lets patrons compete against players sprinkled across the country or work on swings without the distraction of clouds shaped like a favorite paramecium. The bright jukebox sings a haunting siren melody to itchy index fingers, and the ambient satellite radio station plays hits from the top of the charts between selections.

Artie's Playhouse at Artisan Center Theater executes a packed season of shows conjured by a company of child actors, directors, designers, and technicians. The 2012 season commences with Rumple-Steal-Skin, in which the miller's daughter guesses the goblin's name by gradually reading through the playbill before treating audiences to Academy Award–winning tunes in Disney's Aladdin Jr.. Theatergoers accompany Dora the Explorer on a seafaring voyage in Dora the Explorer, Live! Dora's Pirate Adventure, experience the bond of friendship between pig and spider in Charlotte's Web, or watch true love transcend appearance in Disney's Beauty and the Beast, Jr.. Other shows include Rapunzel, Disney's Winnie the Pooh Kids, The Big Bad Musical, A Snow White Christmas. Artie's Playhouse weaves its spells from the center of an intimate 150-seat theater-in-the-round.