Dead Crow Comedy Room, located in the heart of Wilmington’s historic downtown, has hosted local and national comedians from Trevor Noah to “Two Dollar Tuesday” comedy bingo. Show tickets include a drink, and the menu includes an impressive number of vegan options.

Pool tables, skee-ball, and jukebox tunes make Blue Post Billiards the perfect hideaway after a sunny day at the beach. Drinks range from cocktails to classic drafts. A lantern-strung indoor alley lead from the no-frills bar to a game room full of air hockey, darts, arcade games, and more.

Don’t leave Fido! Goat and Compass English Pub is a small, pet-friendly place to kick back, relax, and listen to live local music after a day at the beach. The pub is one of several music venues for ALT-zalea, a quirky hyper-local spin-off of Wilmington’s long-running April Azalea Festival.

The dog-friendly next-door neighbor of Benny’s Big Time, Satellite is a colorful indoor/outdoor bar housed in a restored 1940s grocery. Eclectic chairs and mid-century sofas spill out of raised garage doors to corn hole games, fire pits, and casual outdoor seating. It’s the place to be for live music, summer movie nights, street tacos, funky beer, Sunday bluegrass jams, and retro dance parties.