Vail's greatest concentration of late-night haunts can be found in a 1 1/2-block stretch of Bridge Street from Hanson Ranch Road north to the covered bridge over Gore Creek. From mountainside to creek, they include The Club (tel. 970/479-0556), the Red Lion (tel. 970/476-7676), and Vendetta's (tel. 970/476-5070), reportedly the hangout for Vail's ski patrollers. The Tap Room, 333 Bridge St. (tel. 970/479-0500), not surprisingly, has an extensive selection of beers on tap, plus good pub grub and martinis. Samana Lounge, 228 Bridge St. (tel. 970/479-0500), is a small, sophisticated dance club with a candlelit ambience and world-class DJs.
Another popular hangout is 8,150, 143 E. Meadow Dr. (tel. 970/479-0607), so named for Vail's elevation, offering some of Vail's best live music. Garfinkel's, 536 E. Lionshead Circle (tel. 970/476-3789), keeps sports fans busy with tons of TVs and everybody else happy with a great deck at the foot of the Eagle Bahn gondola. In nearby Minturn, the happy hour at the historic Minturn Saloon, 146 N. Main St. (tel. 970/827-5954) attracts a party-hearty horde for Vail Valley's best margaritas. In summer, the place to be Friday night is the Wolcott Yacht Club, 15 miles west of Vail at 27190 U.S. 6, Wolcott (tel. 970/926-3444), and its unbeatable back patio, complete with band shell and live band.
