The free weekly Hartford Advocate (www.hartfordadvocate.com) provides useful information on cultural, sports, and musical events.
The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts, 166 Capitol Ave. (tel. 860/987-5900; www.bushnell.org), hosts 350 events a year, including Broadway tours, the Hartford Symphony, children's theater, and comedy shows. The 907-seat Maxwell and Ruth Belding Theater opened in 2001, joining the main hall. The Hartford Stage, 50 Church St. (tel. 860/527-5151; www.hartfordstage.org), mounts a variety of mainstream plays.
The Arch Street Tavern, 85 Arch St. (tel. 860/246-7610; www.archstreettavern.com), is a pub/restaurant with sports on big screens and occasional live music. Black-Eyed Sally's, 350 Asylum St. (tel. 860/278-7427; www.blackeyedsallys.com), known for its ribs and other Southern-style gustatorial treats, presents live blues bands 4 or 5 nights a week.
City Steam Brewery, 942 Main St. (tel. 860/525-1600; www.citysteambrewerycafe.com), brews about 10 of its own beers, from dark ales to hard ciders, and hosts the Brew HA HA Comedy Club on Thursday through Saturday nights. For beer by the pitcher, along with Monday Night Football or the Final Four, Coach's 06, 187 Allyn St. (tel. 860/524-8888; www.coachs06.com), boasts 24 flatscreen TVs, bar snacks, and video games.
