The Boston-area club scene is multifaceted and constantly changing, and somewhere out there is a good time for everyone, regardless of age, musical taste, or budget. Check the "Calendar" section of Thursday's Globe, the "Scene" section of Friday's Herald, the Phoenix, Stuff@Night, or the Improper Bostonian while you're making plans.
Many nightclubs are along Lansdowne Street, near Boston's Kenmore Square, and Boylston Place, off Boylston Street near Boston Common. The center of the local live-music universe is Central Square in Cambridge. That makes club-hopping easy, but it also means that students run wild on weekends. If you don't feel like dealing with swarms of teenagers and recent college grads, stick to slightly more upscale and isolated nightspots. If you do like teenagers, seek out a place where admission is 18- or 19-plus. Policies change regularly, sometimes from night to night, so call ahead. One component of the supercharged pool hall Jillian's Boston is Atlas Dance, 145 Ipswich St. (tel. 617/437-0300), a college-student magnet.
A night on the town in Boston and Cambridge is relatively brief: Most bars close by 1am, clubs close at 2am, and the T shuts down around 12:30am (except for Night Owl bus service till 2:30am on Fri and Sat nights - see below). The drinking age is 21; a valid driver's license or passport is required as proof of age, and the law is strictly enforced, especially near college campuses.
The MBTA operates Night Owl bus service on Friday and Saturday nights until 2:30am. It runs on popular bus routes and on supplemental routes that parallel the subway lines. The fare is $1 in coins or a token. Municipal budget cutters regularly (but so far unsuccessfully) target the service, so check ahead before leaving the hotel without cab fare. For info and schedules, contact the MBTA (tel. 800/392-6100 outside Mass. or 617/222-3200; www.mbta.com).
Folk -- Boston is one of the only cities where folk musicians consistently sell out larger venues that usually book rock and pop performers. If an artist you want to see is touring, check ahead for Boston-area dates. The annual Boston Folk Festival (tel. 617/287-6911; www.wumb.org/folkfest) is a 2-day event in mid-September on the UMass-Boston campus in Dorchester.
The music listings in the "Calendar" section of Thursday's Globe include information about coffeehouses, the main area outlets for folk. The streets around Harvard Square are another promising venue -- Tracy Chapman is just one famous graduate of the scene.
Jazz & Blues -- If you're partial to these genres, consider timing your visit to coincide with the Boston Globe Jazz & Blues Festival (tel. 617/267-4301; www.boston.com/jazzfestival), usually scheduled for the third week of June. Constellations of jazz and blues stars (large and small) appear at events, some of them free, many of them outdoors. The festival wraps up with a free Sunday-afternoon program at the Hatch Shell.
Two restaurants that offer jazz along with excellent food are Bob the Chef's Jazz Café and Les Zygomates.
On summer Fridays at 7pm, the free Waterfront Jazz Series (tel. 617/635-3911) brings amateurs and professionals to Christopher Columbus Park on the waterfront for a refreshing interlude of music and cool breezes. On summer Thursdays at 6pm, the Boston Harbor Hotel (tel. 617/491-2100; www.bhh.com) and the House of Blues sponsor free performances on the "Blues Barge," which floats in the water behind the hotel.
