Whether your interests lie in shopping or exploring the great outdoors, it’s a known fact that Woodland Hills offers activities and attractions that can provide a fun, entertaining experience. On Ventura Boulevard alone, there are lively bars and gastropubs serving delicious food, incredible cocktails, and live music, making our neighborhood a unique, vibrant destination in the Valley.

Below are our top picks for the best bars that also serve up some fun activities, so you can plan your entire evening around one hopping spot. 

8one8 Brewing, located at 8953 De Soto Avenue in Canoga Park, is at the top of our list for a good reason, notably because the business offers an experience that brings together people of different nationalities, age groups, religious beliefs, income levels, political views and more to create a moment of common ground…something very much needed in today’s hyper-opinionated social climate. Beyond these eccentricities, 8one8 has become one of the Valley’s most popular spots for the bevy of fun activities it offers, whether it’s Monday Trivia at The Valleys Brewery, Tuesday Brewery Bike Ride, Wednesday Brewery Bingo, Five After Five Thursdays or Live at Eight Saturdays. Open Monday through Wednesday from 5 pm to 11 pm, Thursday from 5 pm to 12 am, Friday/Saturday from 1 pm to 1 am and Sunday from 1 pm to 11 pm.

Lumber Jack’s Axe Throwing, located at 18425-A Nordhoff Street in Northridge, has become known for being the most highly recommended and top axe throwing facility in Los Angeles, bringing together friendly “axe-perts,” 21 high-end WATL-certified lanes, and delicious snacks and drinks to enjoy while you’re throwing. From birthday parties and corporate events to family get-togethers, bachelor/bachelorette parties, and romantic dates, nothing’s off limits at Lumber Jack’s when it comes to having a great time outside the boundaries. Open Wednesday through Thursday from 2 pm to 10 pm, Friday from 2 pm to 11 pm, Saturday from 12 pm to 11 pm and Sunday from 12 pm to 10 pm. Closed Monday and Tuesday.

Player One Arcade Bar, located at 5126 Lankershim Boulevard in North Hollywood at the heart of the NoHo Arts District, represents the premiere arcade bar in the Valley, bringing the finest 80s-themed full liquor cocktails, beer, hard seltzers and the most beloved arcade games of the 80s and 90s to friends and neighbors in Woodland Hills who are over 21. Boasting 5400 square feet of space, Player One allows the community to game, drink, and chill out to the beats of the 80s and 90s while indulging in Dance Dance Revolution, Mario Kart, and four-player Pac-Man Battle Royale with a projector screen. Open Monday through Thursday from 6 pm to 1:30 am, Friday from 6 pm to 2 am, Saturday from 5 pm to 2 am and Sunday from 5 pm to 1:30 am. 

The Oaks, located at 13625 Moorpark Street in Sherman Oaks, is a neighborhood bar offering an eye-opening selection of craft beer including 16 rotating taps and over 20 bottles. Mix it up with an extensive collection of spirits, and you’ve got all the reasons you need to have fun with your besties. Indeed, “Boss Lady” Camila has run The Oaks since 2009, modeling it after some of her favorite neighborhood bars she loved as a 20-something, so fun is definitely on the agenda. Enjoy karaoke every night and Happy Hour every day until 7 pm, along with a late night Happy Hour Sunday through Thursday from 10:30 to 11:30 pm. A schedule of additional entertainment can be found on the bar’s website. Open Monday through Thursday from 6 pm to 2 am and Friday through Sunday from 4 pm to 2 am. 

Maui Sugar Mill Saloon, located at 18389 Ventura Boulevard in Tarzana, fuses a neighborhood bar with live music, culminating in a friendly, cozy, and most welcoming vibe, with Monday nights featuring the best live blues performances in Los Angeles followed by an open pro jam. Originally conceived as a watering hole for locals, Maui Sugar Mill Saloon has been a neighborhood institution since 1976, eventually evolving into a live music venue at which every band clamors to play – bands that don’t traditionally venture off L.A.’s Sunset Strip love the venue’s intimacy, acoustics, and old-school feel. You can regularly catch great bands on weekends with no cover charge, and if music isn’t your thing, the bar should still be on your mid-week pub crawl “must-visit” list. Open Monday through Friday from 11 am to 2 am and Saturday/Sunday from 10 am to 2 am.

On Tilt Pinball, with two locations at 6705 Fallbrook Avenue in West Hills and 7128 Van Nuys Boulevard in Van Nuys, offers a rotating collection of premium pinball machines for you to enjoy, with a fully-stocked bar area that features a great selection of craft beers along with one of the best lineups of pints in all of SoCal. Many machines are modern “LX” editions with pop culture themes, including Batman, The Munsters, and Godzilla, while a few older machines from the 60s and 70s will have you awash in nostalgia. Open Monday through Thursday from 5 pm to 11 pm and Friday/Saturday from 2 pm to 12 am (the next day). Open 24 hours on Sunday.

Give humans some alcohol and a decent place to drink it, and we tend to have a good time. Throw in some fun activities like karaoke or even pinball, and that good time gets escalated quickly. Whether it’s the aforementioned indulgences such as singing in front of a crowd of strangers or hitting a small silver ball into some electric bumpers, Woodland Hills bars have no problem providing some added stimulation when the same old watering hole becomes tiresome.