The Club & Music Scene

The Boston-area club scene is multifaceted and constantly changing. As a rule, live music is more compelling than the dance-club scene by several orders of magnitude, but somewhere out there is a good time for anyone, regardless of age, musical taste, or budget. Check the "Sidekick" section of the daily Globe, the "Edge" section of Friday's Herald, the Phoenix, Stuff@Night, or the Improper Bostonian while you're making plans.

Many clubs are along Lansdowne Street, near Boston's Kenmore Square, and on Boylston Place, off Boylston Street near Boston Common. The center of the local live-music universe is Central Square in Cambridge. Rowdy college bars and clubs abound near the intersection of Harvard and Brighton avenues in Allston (T: Green Line B to Harvard Ave.). That makes club-hopping easy, but it also means that students run wild on weekends. If you don't feel like dealing with swarms of teenagers, students, and recent college grads, stick to slightly more upscale and less centrally located nightspots. If you do like teenagers (or you are one), seek out a place where admission is 18- or 19-plus. Policies change regularly, sometimes from night to night, so call ahead.

A night on the town in Boston and Cambridge is relatively brief: Most bars close by 1am, clubs close at 2am, and the T shuts down between 12:30 and 1am. The drinking age is 21; a valid driver's license or passport is required as proof of age, and the law is strictly enforced, especially near college campuses.

Rock of Ages -- Bring your driver's license or passport when you go club-hopping, no matter how old you think you look -- you must be 21 to drink alcohol, and the law is strictly enforced. Most bouncers won't risk a fine or license suspension, especially at 18-plus shows.

Comedy Clubs

The annual Boston International Comedy & Movie Festival (tel. 617/782-8100; www.bostoncomedyfestival.com) attracts big-name national performers, local up-and-comers, and films. The increasingly popular weeklong event takes place all over town in early to mid-October; check ahead for schedules and venues.

Dance Clubs

Most clubs enforce a dress code that forbids athletic wear (including game jerseys), sneakers, jeans, Timberland boots, and ball caps -- or some combination thereof -- on everyone, as well as tank tops on men. Some places require that men wear a shirt with a collar, and a few require a jacket. Check ahead. Tip: While you're visiting websites, note that some clubs will let you put your name on the VIP list online. Can't hurt, might help.

Folk

Boston is one of the only cities where folk musicians consistently sell out large venues that usually book rock and pop performers. If an artist you want to see is touring, check ahead for Boston-area dates. The annual Boston Folk Festival (tel. 617/287-6911; www.bostonfolkfestival.org) is a 2-day event in mid-September on the UMass-Boston campus in Dorchester.

The music listings in the "Sidekick" section of Thursday's Globe include information about coffeehouses, the area's main outlets for folk. Probably the best known of these, the four-decade-old Nameless Coffeehouse (tel. 617/864-1630; www.namelesscoffeehouse.org), puts on one show a month in the First Parish Church, 3 Church St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. The streets around Harvard Square are another promising venue -- Tracy Chapman is just one famous graduate of the scene.

Also see the Lizard Lounge.

Jazz & Blues

The Beantown Jazz Festival (tel. 617/267-2244; www.beantownjazzfestival.com), in late September, draws tens of thousands of aficionados to Columbus Avenue in the South End for a full afternoon of free music. Check the website for details.

Three restaurants that offer jazz along with excellent food are Bob's Southern Bistro, Icarus (Fri only), and Les Zygomates.

On summer Thursdays at 6pm, the Boston Harbor Hotel (tel. 617/491-2100; www.bhh.com) sponsors free performances on the "Blues Barge," which floats behind the hotel.

Theme a Little Theme

The Hard Rock Cafe, 24 Clinton St. (tel. 617/424-ROCK; www.hardrock.com), is a fun link in the fun chain -- just ask the other tourists in line with you. The memorabilia all over the place celebrates rock musicians, and the kid-friendly menu features salads, burgers, and sandwiches, including the legendary "pig sandwich." The Hard Rock moved from the Back Bay to this cavernous space across the street from Faneuil Hall Marketplace in 2007.