What are some alternatives to bars that stay open late for folks that don't drink alcohol?

Find yourself a hackerspace. They're collective-toolsheds of people around your community who find joy in making things, learning skills, and generally interested in helping teach others the skills that they know.

My local hackerspace, for example - has a 4 axis HAAS CNC, multiple metal lathes, TIG, MIG, Stick welders, leatherworking supplies, access to 3D printers, laser cutters, and lots of woodworking tools. We also had basically every console in existence and others bring in their game libraries for everyone to play.

They are also generally filled with college students that are burning the midnight oil quite regularly but may otherwise be somewhat solitary in their activities.

These places also will kind of locally crowd-fund new machines for people to use. They can vary wildly from space-to-space, some places being filled with old guys who are mostly into woodworking, or filled with young web-devs with no interest in welding, etc. If you are lucky enough to have multiple around your area, visit them all to see which one fits you best.

Also, membership usually includes 24/7 access to the space via controlled entry (membership keys, etc)

Dance clubs, comedy shows, open mic, tabletop gaming clubs.

LAN parties (showing my age).

It depends where you live, but my go-to was 24 hr cafes and other food places, but there are also other activities like late night fishing, long drives (or rides), night photography, etc

There isn’t much drinking at swingers clubs. At least not in the public areas.

Crack houses are usually open 24/7 and while you can drink alcohol there, you're not expected to do so

24-hour coffee shops

24-hour diners, though they can get a little interesting at night. Do not underestimate a waffle House at 3:00 in the morning

24-hour libraries: these are rare

24-hour restaurants like burrito places.

Really depends what you want to do, do you want to just chill, or do you want to hang out with friends, or do you want to eat, there's a lot of options.

Whataburger, Winco Foods, insomnia cookies, Denny's, and other diners come to mind. Since covid, hardly anything is open late anymore.

You might be able to find some other places local to you that we won't know aboht, if you satay up late and use the "open now" option on Google maps.

Book clubs. When I was driving a night taxi, the latest customers on workdays were book club people.

Music clubs too possibly, especially jazz.

Have you considered going to a bar and drinking whatever you want?

We have a sandwich shop that runs 24 hrs from Tuesday morning until Saturday night. I've picked up late night supper there and seen people playing cards, etc and just generally hanging out for long stretches.

When I was younger my buddies and I went to a 24 hr diner and played magic into the wee hrs, occasionally leaving only when the earliest breakfast crowd started to roll in.

Bowling Alleys (some), late night museum tours, late night roller skating.

They all have exposure to alcohol still. But can be enjoyed sober.

It really depends where you are - some places have a lively late night culture, others not so much.

All night diners, 24 hour fast food places are really the only alternatives here (though you could count movie theatres with late showings, I guess).

But (unless you have personal reasons for not being around alcohol and drinkers), you can totally go to a bar with a vibe you like and just hang out drinking soda. Bonus points if that bar has something cool available aside from just booze (barcades, live music venues, etc.).

If you're not looking to specifically be around people, you could also just check out some green space outdoors, but keep your wits about you and use your judgement - some places are lovely to chill at 3:00 am, some would be if it wasn't for the sketchy folks shooting up.

Hanging out at your friend's place with some board-games or movies. (cheaper too!)

Diners, if in the US is waffle house still a thing..?

Pool halls. I think some bowling venues. Less common, we have a cafe full of hundreds (maybe thousands) of board and card games. They’re only open until 11pm, but that’s still a place to socialize and meet up with people at night.

Several of my friends in my mid 20s didn't drink, so we usually would hang out at hookah bars. They are great, especially if they are allowed to serve food where you live. Most at least serve tea and other non-alcoholic beverages. I can give you a few pointers for first-timers if you are interested.

I used to belong to D&D groups that were open at a local comic store till like 4am.

We'd rent the space from the store at a good price, have pre-made characters for those that wanted to jump in.

If you don't have something like that local, I can imagine it wouldn't be too hard to start

I live in an area with a lot of muslim people, as they don't drink they often go to Shisha bars or Dessert bars. There's also a few tea house type places, fancy dark late night places that do posh teas.

Denny's.

You can check out https://soberbarsnearme.com

In Canada we call that Tim Hortons

If it's to hang out with friends then those private karaoke rooms are a lot of fun

Probably coffee shops

When I was an 18 year old high schooler, we would go to our towns bowling alley that did last call for a game at midnight. We would also go to a hookah lounge, which was open until 2am. YMMV with these, but they worked for me about 6 or 7 years ago.

Diners.

Dessert places. Ice cream, waffles, all that kind of thing. There are a few around here that are always busy 10-12pm.

Casinos

You might be able to find a gym that stays open late.

There used to be this all night donut shop in Austin. Might still be, but I moved out like a decade ago.

Bars are loud.

I like coffee shops that stay open until 11 or 12 during the week. They typically close at 2 or so on the weekend.

Clubs. Activites. Local Theater. Rehearsals go to something like 10 pm quite often. They are social, fun, and you have a common goal. Drinking is not allowed.

Restaurants are also open quite late, but a dinner is more expensive, and they often turn to bars. That said there is a huge variety in bar, not all are either the start the party here before clubs open or drink all night to forget and tons are family friendly places where you can, also get a soft drink and enjoy their terrasse/garden

If you're looking for late-night alternatives to bars and don't drink alcohol, consider visiting a C2 hookah lounge. These spots provide a relaxing and social atmosphere without the need for alcohol. You can enjoy a variety of hookah flavors, engage in great conversations, and unwind in a laid-back environment. Many C2 hookah lounges stay open late, offering a perfect place to chill after hours. It’s a great way to enjoy the evening with friends or even meet new people who share the same interests. So, next time you're out late and want something different, give a C2 hookah lounge a try!

Denny's

...strip bar? 😁

Dance clubs. Most have alcohol available but it isn’t a required part of the experience. The people I know who go out dancing the most don’t drink.

But it depends what you’re looking for. If being near alcohol in any way would be a problem, that changes things.

So order something else. You don’t need a separate place.

daycare /s

Just... don't go to a bar and consume the bar stuff elsewhere.

There. I just provided the single worst solution to this problem. The "downvote" button is waiting to be mashed.