Welcome - Savannah Night Life
The cool thing about Savannah's Historic District is that everything is pretty much within walking distance, or a short ride; and there are lots of fun modes of transportation too. There are rentals for bikes and scooters, and there are carriage rides of every size and shape. There are also several types of public buses, mini-buses, and lots of tour buses that teach you about the city as you sit back and enjoy.
In Taverns Measureless To Man
Jane Martin
I told myself I wouldn't start this nightlife assignment with any references to the past or to "kickin' it old school." But that's just not possible. In Savannah, back in the late eighties, a totally awesome night meant piling into my red VW Beetle after work and puttering down to Jim Collins' Bar on State Street for 75 cent pool games, good conversation and 2 dollar cans of Foster's beer (It goes down and it stays down).
Plastic checker-board table cloths draped two or three wobbly tables, and a 2-foot Christmas tree blinked year round. In the front corner, a jukebox played vinyl 45's. Jim, the owner & bartender, sometimes informed folks to "take it out of here" if they used profanity or danced too provocatively (to the scratchy sound of The Kingston Trio?). But the focal point at Jim’s bar was the pool table-- a less than professionally-sized stretch of faded green, somehow harnessed to fit into an even smaller gaming area. Bent pool sticks were generally the norm, and the "short stick" understandably became the most popular.
My father referred to the bar as a "dive." I guess that's an objective assessment, even though it comes from a man who never left the Southside unless he needed the services of a Federal building. Why go out for drinks if you own a five speed blender? Those carefree nights at Jim Collins' formed a lifelong appreciation for small, "underground" social spots, the likes of which I may no longer gain true access.
Nearly twenty years later, I find myself downtown again, looking to replace the now closed social spot of yesteryear. Our group is older (as are our knees and livers), so I suppose it makes sense that our first epiphany clarified that we should not drink at every Savannah pub in one night's search. That said, we parked the Quest for the night and hailed a bicycle cab from
Savannah Pedicab (912-232-7900). These open-air taxis are a very charming and easy-going alternative to crawling. Kudos to the young woman driver for her fun spirit and strong legs!
While there are dozens of taverns and clubs to choose from downtown, we were in search of a "dive," a smallish gathering place with beer, music, characters, and pool. This is what we found:
McDonough’s Restaurant & Lounge on the corner of McDonough and Drayton Street, has a comfortable freindly bar/lounge and also a Karaoke room for socializing with music and games. While not exactly a dive, the lounge does provide a great mix of locals, students, and professionals.
B & B Billiards, located at 411 W. Congress St., is also well known for its good pool tables. Alternative music and high energy shows attract people here as well. On Friday, November 2nd, you might check out Hell On Earth Halloween. All out sexy/scary costume contests, DJ fun and wickedness abound. Clearly, this is too cool to be a dive.
(912-233-7116)
Chuck's, at 305 W. River Street, is probably the closest we came to finding a "true" dive. This is a fabulous escape from the tourist scene on River Street. Dark, quiet, and friendly, Chuck's reminds me of pleasantly surreal dreams I've had after taking Nyquil. There is a pool table and an eclectic mix of people enjoying themselves. (921-232-1005)
Wg's Tavern, at 17 Lincoln St, resides a little off the tourist path, which made it a great place to end our abbreviated "dive crawl." A cozy, familiar atmosphere predominates. Although the bar has an additional room with a pool table and juke box, the main room is large enough for a long bar and a couple of pub tables. The bartender was new, and we found that rather charming. Over the course of the evening, we met a variety of nice folks, including a woman renowned for appearing on stage with Prince (the artist formerly known as?). The juke box kept the Prince songs coming, and we all decided this was the best place ever. I imagine this feeling is behind the real spirit of the dive. (912-925-5111)
