For those who are rapidly turning 21 (or are anxiously awaiting the joyous holiday), the world of downtown Clemson is definitely an exciting adventure. People that don’t go to Clemson and have never been DT might laugh at it, often calling it small, boring, and even lame. However, after the first night exploring the College Ave. cluster, you’ll quickly see how wrong those accusations really are. Here’s a brief rundown on what you should expect, using various fast-food restaurants as a comparison:
TD’s Food and Drink:
TD’s is the Chic-Fil-A of the bar scene; everyone generally enjoys it, it has reasonable priced drinks, and it’s a guaranteed good standby to pop in at least once a week. Like Chic-Fil-A, it’s nothing fancy, but the gummy bear shots are comparable to Polynesian sauce in that they are both DANK. Here, you will find a variety of folk, from fraternity men to older locals. It’s your typical college town bar for sure…two levels, large center bar, booths with graffiti, and a convenient location right across the street from campus. Make sure you hit up TD’s on Tuesdays for Karaoke—it’s a super fun night. Photo Source
Wingin’ It:
Wingin’ It is definitely the Sonic of the bars; you can park and stay for a while, enjoying both good food and drinks. They have great happy hours and a pretty friendly staff. Here, you will find the younger crowd, who are amazed that they actually got into a bar, and a lot of people watching sports events due to the big TV screens. Wingin’ It is a good place to just chill and drink, but at the same time it can get pretty wild because there is enough space to dance to a DJ.
Overtime:
Overtime is similar to Moe’s because they are both extremely popular on one specific day of the week. Like Moe’s, where you can barely get into the door on Monday, Saturday is poppin’ at Overtime because it stays open after 12. When all of the other bars (besides Crocs) close their doors for the night, people stampede like elephants to wait in line outside of Overtime. Overtime has some awesome drinks just like Moe’s has some tasty burrito’s, but it can get a little pricey.
Croc’s:
Croc’s is comparable to White Castle in that they could easily make a movie entitled “Harold and Kumar Go to Croc’s of Clemson.” Its also similar to Wendy’s because it is open late. A lot of people head that way at midnight on Saturdays to drop it low on the dance floor. It is relatively sketchy, but if you are prepared to take it on, it can be an adventure. Croc’s is 18 to get in and 21 to drink, so there are definitely a variety of people there. Photo Source
Loose Change:
The Panera of the bunch, Loose Change is a popular establishment where it seems like everyone is a little bit more dressed up than everywhere else. Just like Panera, Loose is pretty overpriced, but is extremely popular, especially with Greeks. It is definitely a fun place to go, though it gets very crowded and hard to walk around. Thursdays and Fridays are the most popular nights, and they usually book some pretty good live bands.
356:
356 is similar to Starbucks—they are both pretty clean, pretty pricey, and try extremely hard to be trendy. 356 is a great place to just “get drinks” with the girls, though it doesn’t draw that big of a crowd after hours. They have great sushi and good deals throughout the week. Thursday is wine tasting and $3.56 sushi, and Monday is all you can eat sushi. Photo Source
Sloan Street Tap Room:
This is the Long John Silvers of the bar scene. It is not very popular and many people don’t even know where it is. It attracts a lot of older people like professors and locals, and never draws too big of a crowd. It is definitely an acquired taste for most.
Backstreets:
Connected to Overtime is Backstreets, which is famous for their “Yuengs and Wings” special on Wednesday and various other specials throughout the week. They have more of a local crowd, but a lot of guys dig the food and beer. Therefore, Backstreets is like the Zaxby’s of fast food restaurants, with a menu full of fried foods that men love.
Tiger Town Tavern:
More commonly known as Triple T’s, Tiger Town Tavern has been a part of downtown Clemson basically forever. It is comparable to Pot Belly Deli in the sense that it gathers Clemson’s history and incorporates it in its decoration and menu selection. TTT’s is incredibly strict with ID’s, so you normally get a senior/graduate student selection, as well as adults. It’s pretty dark inside, but the outdoor patio is prime for day drinking/people watching, and the darkness isn’t too bad at night. Photo Source
Check out this list of DT Clemson’s weekly specials!