Despite the generally conservative atmosphere of Salt Lake City, there are plenty of night spots for music and entertainment, from country and western line dancing to jazz, blues and rock 'n' roll. These are not focused on any particular district and are generally spread throughout the city. Utah does have unique liquor laws, however, but these have been relaxed somewhat - and the process of getting into a private club has been simplified.

Taverns and lounges only sell beer. Mixed drinks are sold at private clubs (the equivalent of bars) throughout the day. Alcohol may be ordered with a meal in most restaurants after midday, although customers have to ask for a liquor menu. The minimum drinking age is 21 years.

CitySearch Utah (website: www.utah.citysearch.com) provides an online guide to events, while City Weekly (website: www.slweekly.com) and The Event are free weekly papers with extensive reviews and listings.

Bars: Sports bars are popular in Salt Lake City. Some popular venues for watching a big match on a big screen are the Port O'Call, 78 West 400 South, and SkyBox Sports Grille & Arena, The Gateway, 4 South Rio Grande Street. Many bars now feature micro-brewed beers. These include the Red Rock Brewing Company, South 200 West Street, and Lazy Moon Pub, 32 Exchange Place. Another great place for beer aficionados is The Bayou, 645 South State Street, which has more than 150 varieties of the golden nectar (see Restaurants). The Red Door, 57 West 200 South, serves designer martinis in a cosmopolitan setting, while The Wine Bar at Baci, 140 West Pierpont Avenue, is arguably the best wine bar in town.

Clubs: Club Axis, 108 South 500 West, has two dancefloors and features a technobeam light show. Zipperz, 155 West 200 South, has four levels with top DJs, sound and lighting. Club Sound, 579 West 200 South, is a private club that showcases the best in both local and national talent, while Club Vortex, 404 South West Temple, is the best dance club in town.

Live Music: The Dead Goat Saloon, 119 South West Temple (website: www.deadgoat.com), is a perennial favourite with live music most nights. The Green Street Social Club, Trolley Square, has food, live entertainment and dancing. Port O'Call has live bands (website: www.portocall.com), as does The Bayou (see Bars for both), which has jazz music on most nights.