Marley's (on the strip, near Noah's Ark ) continues to be THE place to be at night for the 20 something crowd. There's Jamaican-American food served all day, then at night a wide array of entertainment. The list from past summers includes live bands from a number of musical styles, DJ's, Karaoke, the Hawaiian Tropic Tan / Bikini contest and Texas Hold 'Em. The drawback for Marley's is that it's not walking distance from the Dells major hotels, and cab service is the Dells is limited to say the least. This is the hopping 20 something night spot. There aren’t many places to sit down and the music booms thru your body. Unfortunately with that goes all the 20 something problems. It is the pick up joint in the Dells. But if that's what your looking for with the sounds of today's music then it's a must be place. It really doesn't get going until 11:30 - Midnight. Dancing doesn't get started until after the dinner tables have been removed. Don't plan on arriving before 11 pm otherwise you may be waiting for the later dinner patrons to finish their meal.
Downtown Dells has a number of well-known bars. Nig's (Have a Swing with Nig), the Showboat and Monk's (great bar food) are the big names. The Showboat has live entertainment most often. There are a number of other bars as well, some with occasional entertainment. Nig’s has become a favorite drinking place in town. It doesn't matter if you’re dressed up or just in jeans and a t-shirt it's a place that you feel welcome each time you walk into. Monk's has great Bar Burgers so if your looking for that greasy bar burger that is the best then turn to Monk's and the prices are alot cheaper then going to a regular burger joint in town. Plus, the kids are welcome in the bar during the lunch and dinner times, which makes it nice for a large portion meal at a fair price.
Kahunaville has been running for over two years now in the Kalahari complex. It's a restaurant with interactive wait staff that make your dinning experience one of a kind with dancing, hula-hoop contest and coloring contest they also have a bar crew during the day and a night club after 10 p.m. Flair bartenders, etc. DJ only, once in awhile you can find live music. Open to the public, not just hotel guests. Great nightly drink specials. A great place to have a party. Kahunaville is one of the hottest night clubs in the area. Bartender show performed nightly at 8:15pm and 10:30pm. Kalahari also has shuttle service till bar time.
Dells Comedy Club has two shows a Family Show and an Adult Show. The family show is great family entertainment and best of all the kids that are 12 and under are Free to the Show which makes the Dells a bareable place for family entertainment. The adult show tarts off with a Great comic from the Bob & Tom show which Dells Comedy Club boasts that 95% of all of their comics are from the show then Rich & Elizabeth Wylde and their Wild 4 Hypnosis Comedy Show do some amazing things with Comedy Hypnosis. The Adult Show is really for adults or older teens and has an adult theme to it. It is crazy to see everything they do with the audience in the adult show. After the show the comedy club turns into Retro's Dance Club with 70's and 80's music . If you remember those tunes from the Disco era then this is the place to be. Drink prices cut in half at the time of Retro's which makes the night one of the best bargains in town. The door price is $20.00 but if you look in the guide book you can save another $5.00 off the show. So the whole night is $15 bucks with the Comedy, then Hypnosis show and then the Dance Club. It's the Dells Best Bargain for a full night of Entertainment.
Rick Wilcox Magic Theater is a terrific show. If you have the time this is another must see in the dells. The tickets are very pricey and there isn't a break for kids but it's a wonderful show full of amazing magic tricks. There is some audience participation and even the small slight of the hand portion of the show was great. They have a video screen to see the best parts of the show. Rick and Susan Wilcox put on a full show with alot of unbelieveable props. One tip don't pay for the large price seats. The theater is small and there isn't a bad seat in the house. So to get your best value pay for the cheaper priced tickets.
There's a new "Chicago Style" Cabaret downtown, the show is good, the food is good the seating is terrible. Hopefully you have extra cushion on your butt if you don't pay for the better seats. Beware of the "bench" although everything else about the show was very nice the bench had a nail sticking out of the seat that can destroy your pants, there is no padding on the seats, so if your unable to sit comfortably for the 2 hour dinner show then bring a pillow with you.
The Broadway Dinner Theater opened in Mid-July has been getting positive response. Broadway offers several shows through out the year. It's a place where Grandma would be happy to attend and see the entertainment. They boast they are a Branson Style Show. So pack up grandma and grandpa and see the Broadway dinner theater Shows. It's a bit pricey for the kids and they may complain at the meal choices. So best best is to pay to just see the show and skip the dinner portion.
