Akron

Akron's reputation as the "Rubber Capital of the World" shaped its nightlife for decades - Howard Street was once a national jazz destination where Dizzy Gillespie and Count Basie played the Silver Leaf and Rhythm Bar, and in the 1970s a cluster of local bands built the raw, DIY "Akron Sound" out of old rubber-workers' hangouts downtown. BarFinder lists 242 venues across the city today, led by sports bars and classic bars with a strong pub and brewery scene behind them. That history is still visible in Akron's Historic Arts District, where bars, an indie movie theater, and jazz clubs like Pegasus Lounge and BLU Jazz+ keep downtown busy after dark.