Nightlife has always been a part of Atlanta. The first tavern, after all, opened 10 years before the first church. And Moses Formwalt, a tinsmith and still-maker backed by the Free and Rowdy Party, defeated the Morals Party's temperance candidate in the first mayoral election in 1848. In the late 1960s and '70s, Atlanta's nightlife exploded. Locals and tourists alike flocked to the original Underground Atlanta, a shadowy, boozy adult playground that was quite different from the present-day shopping and entertainment complex.
Today there's still something for everyone in Atlanta's nightlife lineup.
The ever-changing nature of life in Atlanta is nowhere more evident than in the city's nightlife. Clubs, bars, and coffeehouses open, close, remodel, and disappear with amazing speed. Theme nights are a continuing trend in Atlanta nightspots. A club may have live rock bands one night, a gay dance party the next, and attract a largely African-American singles crowd yet another evening. Even though a club's name remains the same, its nightly ambiance, music, and entertainment may change with the wind.