14 Best Nightlife in The Panhandle, Florida

Folks come by boat and car to this supercasual bar and restaurant overlooking the marina for beer and oysters. Thanks to nightly live music, young, energetic crowds pack the dance floor.

Housed in the historic Walker Library building, Bar 1903 has a Library of Cocktails that spans 160 years of mixology tradition. Small plates, sandwiches, and sweets—often made with ingredients sourced from the urban farm that the bar shares with its sister dining establishments—are on offer in a warm, cozy atmosphere, where service is attentive, but unobtrusive. With a seating capacity of only 36, this is an ideal place for a quiet chat.

This rooftop lounge has a sleek, chic sophistication that matches the boutique hotel in which it's set. Enjoy panoramic views of the capital city while you sip a drink from the custom drink menu or nibble on small bites from the bar menu.

Is it a drive-thru liquor store? A bar? Ms. Newby's is the best of both. With live entertainment, DJs, karaoke nights, darts, and pool, there's always entertainment to go along with your libation of choice. Might they suggest you try a Hunch Punch? It's world famous—says so right on the front window. This bar and its satellite in town are designated gathering spots for bikers during Panama City's spring and fall bike weeks.

The total beach-bar experience, this eatery and bar is geared to families and tourists—as well as sports fans—and is a hot spot for live music. The signature rum drink, the Pineapple Willy, was the inspiration for its full slate of tropical and frozen drinks and the hangout's tiki attitude. It closes in winter.

In many ways, the Baytowne Wharf—with its restaurants, nightspots, and jam-packed schedule of festivals and other events—is the beating heart of the Sandestin Resort. When the sun goes down, though, the fun here really revs up. Live-music venues include John Wehner's Village Door Nightclub and Rum Runners, home of the "World Famous" dueling pianos. Fat Tuesday Daiquiri Bar adds to a "spirited" evening, and Hammerhead's Bar & Grille promises to stay open "until the fun stops."

In the heart of the Historic District is Pensacola's equivalent of New Orleans's French Quarter. In fact, you may think you've traveled to Louisiana when you enter any of its seven bars and two courtyards offering an eclectic mix of live music. College students pack the place on Thursday, tourists come on the weekend, and military personnel from six nearby bases are stationed here nearly all the time. This is a classic Pensacola landmark, and on most nights there's a small cover after 8 pm.

This massive complex that serves as the gateway to the Okaloosa Island Pier houses several restaurants including Rockin Tacos, The Crab Trap, Floyd's Shrimp House, Al's Beach Club and Burger Bar, and Pino Gelato as well as live entertainment and shops.

Since 1985, The Moon has been one of the capital city's most active nightclubs, with live bands and DJs offering music for all tastes—rap, R&B, country, rock, and reggae, to name a few.

Locals mourned when the original location burned down in 2019, but the owners have done a good job recreating the funky, kitschy aesthetic at this new incarnation. With live music or a DJ nightly, the place really hops after dark. Although bartenders are particularly proud of their mimosas and Bloody Marys, the motto here is, "Whatever your fancy we’ll make it, or make it up." If you get hungry, you can order from a short menu featuring such Northwest Florida standards as crab cakes, shrimp, and crawfish. Note, too, that there's no on-site parking; rather, you park at a nearby city lot and take a free shuttle.

Music now fills the space of this 112-year-old former Masonic lodge. An impressive variety of bands and acts have floated through the 850-person venue, which offers mostly standing room. The box office is open weekdays between noon and 5 pm, as well as before all events (one hour before start time).

With its retro-chic tiki-bar fittings and waterfall windows, this place is quirky and fun. It's also a Tallahassee institution: the funky bar has been in Midtown since before there was a Midtown. During the day, Waterworks offers a menu of sandwiches, salads, apps, and small plates for lunch and dinner, and evolves into a hip lounge at night.