When night falls in St. Paul, Minnesota, things do slow down, but they certainly do not stop altogether.  If you know where to look, viable nightlife can be had.  Grand Avenue and Downtown are the two hottest places to go if you are into the bar scene.  A word of warning on the bar scene: the bar crowd tends to skew young and St. Paul bars close at one in the morning.

The music scene, especially the Jazz music scene, is reputedly the best in the Midwest.  The Twin Cities Hot Summer Jazz Festival occurs in mid-June every year and features free outdoor concerts in Mears Park in Downtown St. Paul.  To get your year-round Jazz fix, go to the Dakota Bar and Grill or the Artist’s Quarter.

For theater, check out the Penumbra Theater Company, Minnesota’s only African-American professional theater company.  For Opera and Chamber Orchestra, go to the Ordway Music Theater.  For comedy, try out the Brave New Workshop in neighboring Minneapolis.

To help you in your nightlife search, check out the "About Town" section of the monthly Minneapolis St. Paul magazine, as it has extensive event listings. Other newspapers that list events include the St. Paul Pioneer Press and the Minneapolis-based Star Tribune.