If you’re new to little Rhody, you’ll find there’s an abundance of local nightlife – but around here, it’s sometimes hard to figure out where to find it. Google maps can tell you the nearest bar – here’s a list of places that might be worth going a little further for. We tried to curate for places that are likely to have live music. No place does that every night, but some more than others.
Did we miss your favorite? Let us know at admin@motifri.com
- &GAY = GAY BARS
- &EIGHTEEN = EIGHTEEN PLUS
- &SHOWS = ONLY OPEN WHEN THEY HAVE A SHOW, SO CHECK ONLINE FIRST
- &DJ = MOSTLY DJs
Aidan’s Pub: 5 John St, Bristol. aidanspub.com
Alchemy: Especially popular with the more hardcore audiences. 171 Chestnut St, PVD. Fri – Sat, 9pm – 2am on days when there are shows alchemyri.com
&GAY &DJ The Alley Cat: Sharing a backdoor entrance with the Dark Lady. 17 Snow St, PVD. @thealleycatpvd
&EIGHTEEN AS220: Locally famous unjuried art organization with a standing bar and regular shows of all types. 115 Empire St, PVD. as220.org
Askew: Possibly the most diverse assortment of activities in a single club, from poetry readings and art opening to headbangers and metal to live folk music to … you get the idea. 150 Chestnut St, PVD. askewprov.com
&DJ Aqua Providence: Mostly a summer thing, but one of the best places to have an EDM party in a pool. 1 Orms St, PVD. marriott.com/en-us/hotels/pvdri-providence-marriott-downtown/dining/
Black Sheep: 397 Westminster St, PVD. blacksheepri.com
The Boombox: We guess it’s live music — karaoke every day, all the time. 122 Fountain St, PVD. singboombox.com
Cady’s Tavern: Great place to visit by motorcycle. 2168 Putnam Pike, Chepachet. cadystavern.com
Charlestown Rathskeller: 498A Old Coach Rd, Charlestown. thecharlestownrathskeller.com
Chelos Waterfront: Summer only for music. 1 Masthead Dr, Warwick. cheloswaterfrontri.com
&DJ &EIGHTEEN Colosseum: 180 Pine St, PVD. colosseumpvd.com
&SHOWThe Columbus Theatre: 270 Broadway, PVD. columbustheatre.com
&SHOWCourthouse Center for the Arts: 3481 Kingstown Rd, West Kingstown. courthousearts.com
The Cove: 392 Davol St, Fall River, Mass. cove392.com
Dockside: Summer only for music. 24 Waites Wharf, Newport. waiteswharf.com
Dusk: 301 Harris Ave, PVD. duskprovidence.com
&GAY &EIGHTEEN &DJ Ego: 73 Richmond St, PVD. egopvd.com
&SHOW&EIGHTEEN FMH (Fete Music Hall): 103 Dike St, PVD. fetemusic.com
The Fifth Element: 111 Broadway, Newport. thefifthri.com
Finn’s Harborside: 38 Water St, East Greenwich. finnsharborside.com
Fish Co: 15 S Bridge St, PVD. thewhiskeyrepublic.com
GCB: (Graduate Student Bar at Brown) Note, this is a membership location – either sign up as one, or show up with one. 42 Charlesfield St, PVD gcbpvd.org/
The George: 121 Washington St, PVD thegeorgerestaurantri.com/
The Guild: Three locations, (location 1) 461 Main St, Pawtucket (location 2) 99 Water St Suite 2, Warren (location 3) Beer Garden Dyer St, off the pedestrian bridge theguildri.com/
Hot Club: 25 Bridge St, PVD. hotclubprov.com
ISCO: 1 Sims Ave #103, PVD iscospirits.com
Java Madness: Coffee and frequent acoustic artists (so, not exactly a club, but…). 134 Salt Pond Rd, Wakefield. javamadness.com
Judge Roy Bean Saloon: 1 State St, Bristol. judgeroybeansaloon.com
Knickerbocker Cafe: You can call it “the Knick.” Locals do. 35 Railroad Ave, Westerly. knickmusic.com
Kulture: 71 Richmond St, PVD linktr.ee/kulturepvd
Ladder 133: 133 Douglas Ave, PVD. ladder133.com
The Landing: 30 Bowens Wharf, Newport. thelandingrestaurantnewport.com
Lang’s Bowlarama: Live music in their Nelson Center on occasion. Bowling all the time. 225 Niantic Ave, Cranston. langsbowlarama.com
The Last Resort: Also with a pool in summer. 325 Farnum Pike, Smithfield. thelastresortri.com
Lost Valley Pizza: Inside Revival Brewery. 50 Sims Ave, PVD lostvalleypizza.com
The Malted Barley: 42 High St, Westerly. themaltedbarleyri.net
&SHOW&EIGHTEEN The Met: 1005 Main St, Pawtucket. themetri.com
&GAY Mirabar: 15 Elbow St, PVD. mirabar.com
Mishnock Barn: 200 Mishnock Rd, West Greenwich. mishnockbarn.com
Muldowneys: 121 Empire St, PVD muldowneyspub.com
&SHOW Music Mansion: 88 Meeting St, PVD musicmansion.org
Narragansett Brewery: 271 Tockwotton St, PVD narragansettbeer.com
Narragansett Cafe: 25 Narragansett Ave, Jamestown. Narragansettcafe.com
&SHOW Narrows Center for the Arts: 16 Anawan St, Fall River, MA narrowscenter.org
Newport Blues Cafe: 286 Thames St, Newport. newportblues.com
Nick-A-Nees: 75 South St, PVD bluegrassthroedown.com/nick-a-nees
News Cafe: 43 Broad St, Pawtucket. RI newscaferhodeisland.wordpress.com
Newport Vineyards: 909 E Main rd, Middletown. RI newportvineyards.com
Ocean Mist Beach Bar: 895 Matunuck Beach Rd, Wakefield. oceanmist.net
&SHOWThe Odeum: 59 Main St, East Greenwich, RI greenwichodeum.com/
One Pelham East: 270 Thames St, Newport thepelham.com
The Parlour: 1119 North Main St, PVD. theparlourri.com
Perks & Corks: 62 High St, Westerly. perksandcorks.com
Platforms Dance Club: 165 Poe St, PVD. fb.com/platforms
&GAY Providence Eagle: 124 Snow St, PVD. providenceeagle.com
Pub on Park: 655 Park Ave, Cranston. pubonparkri.com
&SHOW Pumphouse: 1464 Kingstown Rd, South Kingstown pumphousemusicworks.com
Rooftop at the Providence G: 100 Dorrance St, PVD rooftopattheg.com
&DJ The Salon: 57 Eddy St, PVD. thesalonpvd.com
&SHOW The Strand: 79 Washington St, PVD. thestrandri.com
&GAY The Stable: 125 Washington St, PVD. stablepvd.com
&DJ T & T’s 133 Club Inc: 29 Warren Ave, East Providence. 133club.net
Trinity Beer Garden: 2 Kennedy Plaza, PVD trinitybrewhouse.com/beer-garden
&LADIES &DJ Tantric Night Club: 1070 North Main St, PVD. tantricnightclub.com
Touch Lounge: 961 Dyer Ave, Cranston, RI fb.com/touchloungeCranston
Troop: 60 Valley St, PVD trooppvd.com
Twin River Casino: 100 Twin River Rd, Lincoln. twinriver.com
Union Station: 36 Exchange Terrace, PVD unionstationpvd.com
&SHOW Zeiterion: 684 Purchase St, New Bedford, MA zeiterion.org