If you're a night owl, there are plenty of late-night haunts dotting north metro. Some are well-known. Others are well-hidden, but creatures of the night who want to mingle and boogie know where they are. We found them, too. Here's what we uncovered, for your Halloween revelry and beyond.

Alison Church/Special (ENLARGE)

Guitarist Bill McClain and lead singer Christie Bates of Smooth Lime Groove entertain the crowd with one of their blues tunes at Crystal's On the Square in Marietta on Friday night.

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CRYSTAL'S ON THE SQUARE

Crystal's on the Square, a dark and smoky bar on Marietta Square, is etched in the heart of its regular patrons.

The tiny pub on Roswell Street has fewer than 15 seats. And there's no kitchen. But longtime patrons keep coming back for the camaraderie and live music. Most have a story of how they stumbled upon the late-night bar in the mid-1990s.

Back then its home was inside the Whistle Stop Cafe, across the square. And Crystal McCauley, the original owner, was still alive.

Pam Walters, 45, from Kennesaw, has memories of how she and her girlfriends nearly danced a hole into the dance floor.

Steve Jordet, 46, from Acworth, recalls when he and friends stopped in after a concert. The late owner gave them bar T-shirts, he said.

"We took a picture," Jordet said. "I came across it the other day. It's neat because she was sitting in the center of us all."

McCauley moved to the current spot in 1998. To her, when a bartender and patron came together, they were instant friends. That welcoming vibe has remained alive, said her husband and the current owner, Keith Merjanian.

He took over the pub when McCauley died in 2000 of complicatons from pneumonia.

Newcomers get an instant sense of McCauley's spirit when they arrive. A photograph of her coolly smoking a cigar is posted beside the bar. And artifacts and sketches of Native Americans pepper the room. McCauley was part Cherokee Indian.

"What I love about this place is that even though I don't come by often, when I come I feel like I never left," said Beth Allen, 47, of Dawsonville.

Crystal's features blues and jazz music Wednesday through Saturday nights. A live recording of percussionist Sal Padillo's band takes place during tonight's show. Padillo has played with blues vocalist Francine Reed.

CRYSTAL'S ON THE SQUARE

• What: Late night bar and live music joint

• When: 3 p.m. to 2 a.m. Mondays-Thursdays; 3 p.m.-3 a.m. Fridays-Saturdays

• Music: Sal and His Soulful Sinners,

9:30 tonight and 10 p.m. Saturday; The Larry Griffith Band, 9 p.m. Wednesdays.

• Where: 150 Roswell St., Marietta

• Info: 770-792-8840, www.crystalsonthesquare.com

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MORE SPOTS FOR CREATURES OF THE LATE-NIGHT

ROSWELL

• YellowFin Blue Room (martini lounge), 1170 Canton St., 5 p.m.-midnight Sundays, Tuesdays-Thursdays; 5 p.m.-2 a.m. Fridays-Saturdays. 678-277-9551, www.yellowfinblueroom.

BUFORD

• 37 Main (eclectic and funky), 37 E. Main St., 5-11 p.m. Tuesdays-Thursdays; 5-12:30 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays. 770-614-7197, www.37main.com.

MARIETTA

• Three Bears Cafe. (a back room sits behind the tiny cafe), 105 North Park Square. Opens 7 a.m. Mondays-Fridays; 8 a.m. Saturdays-Sundays. Closes midnight to 2 a.m. 678-290-0017, www.threebearscafe.com.

• Darwin's. (blues and jazz cafe), 1598 Roswell Road. 6 p.m.-3 a.m. Call ahead, days of operation vary. 770-578-7872, www.darwinsblues.com.

• Cowboys Atlanta. (country music concert and dance club), 1750 North Roberts Road. Halloween party 7 p.m.-2 a.m. Oct. 31. Free until 10 p.m., then $7 cover. Normal hours are 7 p.m.-2 a.m. Thursdays-Fridays. 7 a.m.-3 a.m. Saturdays. Teen nights held on Sundays.

SANDY SPRINGS

• Five Seasons Brewing. (not just good beer, wine and cocktails too), 5600 Roswell Road. Opens 11 a.m. Mondays-Saturdays; noon Sundays. Bar closes at midnight Sundays and Mondays; 1-2 a.m.Tuesdays-Thursdays; 2 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays. 404-255-5911, www.5seasonsbrewing.com.

ALPHARETTA

• Sage Woodfire Tavern. (mix and mingle social scene), 11405 Haynes Bridge Road. Opens 11 a.m. Mondays-Fridays; 5 p.m Saturdays. Bar closes at 2 a.m. Mondays-Saturdays; midnight Sundays. 770-569-9199, www.sagewoodfiretavern.com.

VININGS

• Vinings Inn. (nice hideaway), 3011 Paces Mill Road, 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays; 5:30-10 p.m. Mondays; 5:30-2 a.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays. 770-438-2282, www.viningsinn.com.

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ENCORE

It's perhaps been the best-kept secret in Duluth. The lavish 8,400-foot-nightclub opened last summer featuring a West Coast look with a sense of spaciousness and intimacy at the same time.

• Cozy upstairs patio is decorated with couches and fireplaces.

• Tasty free supper buffet is served 5-7 p.m. Wednesdays-Fridays. When we visited, the buffet offered more than we could eat with salmon, fried rice, fresh cheeses, pastas, breads and more.

• Free salsa lessons are held 8-9 p.m. Thursdays.

• Hours: 5 p.m-2:30 a.m. Wednesdays-Fridays; 8 p.m.-2:30 a.m. Saturdays.

• How much: $10 admission Fridays and Saturdays.

• Music: Top 40, Latin, hip-hop and techno.

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PASTIS RESTAURANT AND BAR

After 10 on Saturday nights, the intimate provencal-style French restaurant in Roswell turns into a crowded dance hall (dinner is still served upstairs).

Live music changes from jazz to pop as folks, pressed against the bar and each other, groove.

"I think that's part of the allure. People like the closeness. They can get to know each other," said Carla Dent, the manager. The restaurant features live music Wednesdays-Saturdays.

• What's happening: Pastis is throwing a Halloween party 7-11 p.m. Oct. 31. Gift certificates will be awarded for the best costume. Dinner will be served from 5:30-

9:30 p.m.

• Where: 936 Canton St., Roswell.

• Hours: Lunch 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. daily; dinner

5:30-9:30 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays; 5:30-10:30 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays; 5:30 p.m.-9 p.m. Sundays; bar and dance floor open until 1 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

• Info: 770-640-3870, www.roswellpastis.com.