Guide to Louisville, KY Night Life: Phoenix Hill Tavern

Phoenix Hill Tavern is one of Louisville's oldest traditions when it comes to Louisville night life. Well known for showcasing Louisville's best bands, Phoenix Hill is on Baxter Avenue near the corner of Broadway.

Phoenix Hill Tavern is two floors and five areas of fun. The five bars are located in the different areas. On the first floor, there is a saloon looking area with a stage and extremely long bar. There are usually DJ's spinning dance tunes or bands performing on Wednesdays and weekends. In addition to the 93.1 Fox Rocks showcase, Wednesdays are also 75 cent beer night and their busiest night during the week.

If karaoke is how you enjoy Louisville night life, there is a busy karaoke room on the first floor. Books are scattered on the tables to allow patrons to choose their songs before taking the small stage. Phoenix Hill Tavern does have one of the larger karaoke song collections in Louisville. There is also an array of hats, feather boas and other props to the left of the stage to aid in karaoke shenanigans.

The second floor houses the smaller bar area known as the tap room with a darker and more intimate setting. Bands are sometimes set up in the front of this room to allow people to enjoy them up close and personal.

The notorious and beautiful roof garden is also on the second floor and it contains the largest stage. The stage is raised almost five feet from the ground and is well lit with professional lighting. Many concerts are enjoyed in the roof garden including shows by Eddie Metal and Bizkit Promotions. The roof garden's décor is lush with greenery and includes a beautiful chandelier and a lit fountain in the middle of the room.

The deck is accessible from the first or second floor and contains a sand area to dance in and a small dance floor. Aside from the beach/tropical setting, there is a stripper pole behind a net for anyone who gets the urge to dance on it. The outside deck usually has dance or hip hop played by a DJ to encourage dancing. The benefit of the outside deck is also that it gives smokers somewhere to go since the smoking ban passed on July 2^nd, 2007, which many were afraid would stunt Louisville night life.

Phoenix Hill usually has a cover charge ranging from $1 during some weeknights to $10 during special weekend events. One might want to call ahead to verify what the cover charge is on a given night. One thing is for sure. If you're out enjoying the Louisville night life, Phoenix Hill offers an array of things to see and do. On the weekends, it's not uncommon to have three bands playing at once in different areas. If you're in the mood for something different, all you have to do is walk into another room.