Nightlife

For a small town in conservative, nondrinking Utah, this is a pretty wild place. After a day on the river or in the back of a jeep, don't be surprised to see your outfitter letting his or her hair down at Eddie McStiff's, a microbrewery that's part family restaurant and part busy tavern, with several TVs and a game room with pool tables, foosball, shuffleboard, and, if you must, Wi-Fi. Another good option for beer lovers is the Moab Brewery. The Rio Sports Bar & Grill, 2 S. 100 West, a block west of Main St. on Center St. (tel. 435/259-6666), is a longtime locals' favorite watering hole known for its large selection of alcoholic beverages. There's music most summer weekends and a menu of steak, sandwiches, and Mexican food.

Those looking for a foot-stompin' good time and a Western-style dinner will want to make their way to the Bar-M Chuckwagon Live Western Show and Cowboy Supper, 7 miles north of Moab on U.S. 191 (tel. 800/214-2085 or 435/259-2276; www.barmchuckwagon.com). Diners go through a supper line to pick up sliced roast beef or barbecued chicken, baked potatoes, baked pinto beans, cinnamon applesauce, buttermilk biscuits, spice cake, and nonalcoholic beverages. Vegetarian meals can be prepared with advance notice, and beer and wine coolers are available. After dinner, a stage show entertains with Western-style music, jokes, and down-home silliness from the Bar-M Wranglers. The grounds, which include a small Western village and gift shop, open at 6:30pm, with gunfights starting at 7pm, dinner at 7:30pm, and the show following supper. The Bar-M is usually open from April through mid-October, but is closed several evenings each week; call for the current schedule. Supper and show cost $27 for adults, $13 for children 4 to 12, and free for kids 3 and younger. Reservations are strongly recommended.

Canyonlands by Night & Day (tel. 800/394-9978 or 435/259-2628; www.canyonlandsbynight.com) offers a variety of excursions in the area, including an evening river trip, operating spring through fall, that combines a sunset jet-boat ride with a Dutch-oven dinner. The office and dock are just north of Moab at the Colorado River Bridge. Cost for the boat trip and dinner is $65 for adults and $55 for children 4 to 12 (minimum age 4), with a family rate of $199 for two adults and two children. Reservations are recommended.