I wasn't sure how to put this post together...so I'm going with a sixteen day, five city bar crawl. Charleston, SC; Savannah, GA; Marietta, GA; Durham, NC; Baltimore, MD.
Allright everyone, hop aboard the beer train!
4 July @ 5:35pm—Charleston, SC: Tommy Condon's. I've just parked the car, I'm sweaty, so a few chilly Magners sounds like a good idea! Smoopy is at the hotel, and doesn't know I'm doing this. I will text her.
4 July @ 6:50pm—Mac's Place. If you're a Cubs fan, or a fan of any Chicago team for that matter, this is the place to go! Big sports bar with lots of TV's and a good beer selection. A solid place to hit for sure.
4 July @ 8:28pm—Blind Tiger Pub. One of the better bars you'll ever find. The inside is nice, but the big outside area, with lots of brick, is quite possibly the coolest spot to have a $3 Newcastle bottle! They also have this ring game outside that keeps certain people entertained for hours.
4 July @ 8:33pm—Outside shot at the Blind Tiger, followed by...
4 July @ 8:37pm—Yet another outside shot of the Blind Tiger.
4 July @ 8:55pm—Inside shot at Blind Tiger. We need to head out and score a spot for the fireworks, so it’s off we go!
4 July @ 9:03pm—The Griffon. Another really cool bar—it also has money plastered all over the walls everywhere!
4 July @ 10:12pm—Molly Darcy's. Cornhole! We're done with the fireworks and we get here to cool off, get some wings and have a few drinks. This place has the AC cranked—so I'm going back inside to chill out.
4 July @ 11:33pm—Wet Willie's. They have beer here, but everyone comes for their frozen drinks—they are good, but potent. Have one and then leave! As their website says: *190° proof Grain Alcohol may be substituted with 153° proof Grain Alcohol as required by certain state laws. In this case the drinks are fortified to maintain final product consistency from state to state.
5 July @ 2:32pm—Charleston Crab House. This was a wonderful stop. Had a delicious Shrimp and Grits lunch, topped off with a Dark & Stormy drink. If we weren't leaving town tomorrow, I'd come here again. Our bartender is from Australia and he was a gracious and chatty host.
5 July @ 4:00pm—Big John's Tavern. Solid place to have a few drinks, and wait out a thunderstorm like we did.
5 July @ 5:27pm—Smoopy feeding a horse—I was hoping he'd bite her—but that didn't happen.
5 July @ 6:24pm—Burns Alley. This can be a difficult place to find, but it is worth it. Best bartenders in the city, and a cool place to hangout. While on this visit, Smoopy discovered Firefly Apple Moonshine and fell in love with it! I even brought two jugs of it home with me.
5 July @ 6:36pm—Inside shot of Burns Alley.
5 July @ 8:22pm—Jim 'N Nick's Bar-B-Q. Awesome BBQ and cheese biscuits. Nice big place that smells great, and makes your mouth water as soon as you walk in!
5 July @ 9:11pm—Bye bye JIm's 'N Nick's—we'll be back!
5 July @ 9:32pm—Henry's House. This place is a little fancy, but I like coming here. There’s four different levels, two of them are outside—it's a must on a pub crawl here.
5 July @ 11:45pm—First Shot Lounge. This bar was at our hotel, The Mills House. It was a good spot for a nitecap. Nice bar, and a nice courtyard outisde to sit in.
6 July @ 5:01pm—Savannah, GA: Abe's on Lincoln. We have arrived in Savannah, checked in, and now I'm thirsty. Abe's was across the street from our hotel, and this was a good "dive" bar place to visit. It's not big, but I recommend it.
6 July @ 5:34pm—The Olde Pink House. There is supposed to be a bar in here somewhere. We tried going through the front, but were told...
6 July @ 5:35pm—That the bar is off to the side, and down these stairs!
6 July @ 5:49pm—Holy Shitballs! It's dark in here! After my retinas adjusted, I was able to take this lightened up picture. We chatted with some nice people, had our drinks, then left. I couldn't handle the darkness, and no TV's. I know Marty and Al would love this place though. I'd go back, but I want to get down by the river now.
6 July @ 6:10pm—Cotton Exchange. Nothing exciting here, blah.
6 July @ 7:15pm—Boar's Head. Nothing exciting here either, blah, part two!
6 July @ 9:38pm—Kevin Barrys Pub. Finally, a place with some sort of character! It’s probably the best bar in town. In retrospect, we should have just stayed here and called it a night. Hindsight is always 20/20!
10 July @ 9:14pm—Smyrna, GA: J's Lounge. This place was okay. Nobody was here—just me, a Ukranian blonde bartender, and some Romanian dude who was eating. They were pleasant, and I had my two beers, then it was time to go. I'm in Marietta, GA for my 2 week military trip, learning to drive one of these things: A 60K Tunner.
12 July @ 4:59pm—Marietta, GA: Murph's Lounge. I can only think of one bar I've been to that is more of a mess than this place. That being said, I loved my time here! Good people!
12 July @ 10:49pm—Johnnie Maccracken's. I like this historical marker! I had a good time here on this Friday night, but we'll be back tomorrow for some more beers and pictures.
13 July @ 12:56am—Dixie Tavern. This is a good place to go. Outdoor area, bands, pool tables, good food and decent beer.
13 July @ 7:55pm—Johnnie MacCracken's. This might be the best bar anywhere. There is not a lot happening in Marietta, but this place has everything, and there are 5 different areas to it. Top notch food and the beer selection is incredible.
13 July @ 7:56pm—Here we go!
13 July @ 10:16pm—Front bar area at Johnnie's...
13 July @ 10:56pm—Outside area behind Johnnie's...
13 July @ 11:03pm—Yet another shot of the outside.
19 July @ 10:37pm—Durham, NC: Bull McCabe's. I'm done with my trip in Marietta, and I'm driving 693 miles north to get back home. I don't feel like doing all of that in one day, so I stopped in Durham, NC for the night. Of course I should go out and have a few beers now. This was my first stop. The bar is okay, but I couldn't get past the fact that it was hot and muggy and this place wasn't running the air conditioning. I went to 4 places and they were all the same. Ugh!
19 July @ 10:39pm—Inside shot of Bull McCabe's.
20 July @ 10:25am—It's Saturday morning now. I'm a big Duke basketball fan, and since I was nearby, I decided to take a drive around Duke University, and accidentally found the mecca of basketball—Cameron Indoor Stadium. I'm in awe right now!
20 July @ 10:49am—Krzyzewskiville!
20 July @ 8:45pm—Baltimore, MD: Dirty Oars Tavern. I'm home! Thank God!
One thing I learned on this trip: Charleston, SC is a much better place than Savannah, GA. They are only 90 miles apart—they are both old, historic cities—but Charleston is the king !
Good day everyone!
Further Reading: A Half A Dozen Bars, A Dozen Bars and 23 Bars.
