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Best Nightlife in the Carolinas

krazeeboi

By krazeeboi
in USA South

Which city in the Carolinas has the best nightlife?  

182 members have voted

  1. 1. Which city in the Carolinas has the best nightlife?

    • Asheville
      6
    • Chapel Hill
      13
    • Charleston
      21
    • Charlotte
      63
    • Columbia
      20
    • Durham
      1
    • Greensboro
      3
    • Greenville NC
      1
    • Greenville SC
      12
    • Myrtle Beach
      14
    • Raleigh
      21
    • Spartanburg
      0
    • Wilmington
      2
    • Winston-Salem
      5

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The_sandlapper Burg

The_sandlapper

Posted
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So who will it be? If I missed any cities that truly deserved to be listed, let me know!

I really hope this doesn't come down to Carolinians simply voting for the city in which they reside... :rolleyes:

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Oh, but you know it will ;)

Anyway of the places I've been to to hang out I'd say Myrtle Beach, Columbia, then Greenville, I haven't really experienced nightlife in any other Carolina cities.

Myrtle Beach:

pretty much all of MB proper has something to do.

Columbia:

Vista, Five Points, and parts of Main St.

Greenville:

Main St.

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appatone Hamlet

appatone

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I voted for Charlotte but did put some consideration behind it. I thought about voting for Asheville based on factors such as a stronger indie rock base. I also know Chapel Hill has a big scene there with the school. The reason I voted for Charlotte is primarily the reason I didn't vote for other places, that reason is that in going to bars or clubs in other cities many of them seem a little too "home made". I'm all for locally owned establishments but being in a larger city allows local owners the revenue to hire qualified interior designers, architects, and craftsmen. For me the visual environment of the place is important.

Myrtle Beach places certainly have the revenue but it seems the owners prefer to have that revenue in their pockets. When I think of MB nightlife I think of hot pink, poorly kept, styro-stucco, auto-dependant clubs. MB has a few characterful establishments but not enough to warrant a win against Charlotte, the Triangle, or Charleston IMO. MB owners probably don't keep up the bars because they don't have to worry about attracting repeat clientele. They probably rely on rural visitors choosing their establishment because it's geographically convenient to the hotel. Since most visitors to MB are most likely rural their aesthetic expectations are probably lower as well because they have less to compare it too. So I didn't vote for MB.

I didn't vote for Charleston because although the city does have tremendous character and the nightlife options are generally of a higher quality level the city lacks a large number of establishments. I think this is due to the high real estate prices. Downtown doesn't have a strong full time resident base to support a lot of establishments through the off seasons and the residential base in Charleston seems to be a little older than the main night life age demographic (once again this probably has to do with the high costs of real estate). Charleston's peninsula has its sleepy times.

Finally, the Triangle, combined it could probably give Charlotte a good run for its money. However when the towns are separated I don't think they can compete with Charlotte's multiple districts and Uptown. Combine the Triangle and then we can really duke it out.

For my personal taste nightlife HAS to be in an urban walkable environment. For some reason I just can't feel comfortable partying in a strip mall.

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waccamatt Town

waccamatt

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I voted for Columbia because no other city in the Carolina's has a large university in the heart of downtown like Columbia does. Other cities have areas like 5 Points OR the Vista, but I don't think any have 2 that can both compare with these 2 urban villages. Throw in the fact that the Colonial Center, the Koger Center, the Coliseum and several live theaters are in the heart of downtown, I don't think Columbia can be beat.

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rockhilljames Burg

rockhilljames

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Columbia.

Being a graduate of USC, I can say with experience that the Vista and 5 Points offer more than any other city in the Carolinas. Live music all week, a variety of bars, and places to eat at 3am.

Now, Charleston, Charlotte, and Raleigh do pretty well too. Raleigh does even better if you factor in Durham and Chapel Hill. Between them there's a pretty good mixture of bars and good live music.

Myrtle Beach's nightlife is really good, but it's all tourist, so it's hard for me compare it. House of Blues is a good place to see some great shows though....

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monsoon Gigalopolis

monsoon

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I voted for Columbia because no other city in the Carolina's has a large university in the heart of downtown like Columbia does. Other cities have areas like 5 Points OR the Vista, but I don't think any have 2 that can both compare with these 2 urban villages. Throw in the fact that the Colonial Center, the Koger Center, the Coliseum and several live theaters are in the heart of downtown, I don't think Columbia can be beat.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Maybe you forgot about NC State in Raleigh and Duke in Durham.

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Spartan Gigalopolis

Spartan

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I voted for Columbia. To me, it has the most variety of everything.

Charlotte has a suprisingly active nightlife. I was suprised at the level of activity at midnight there.

Greenville's Main St is fantastic, but it is one area compared to Columbia's two.

I'm sure both Raleigh and Durham have entertainment areas, but you don't hear about them too much. I would be interested to know about some of their areas.

Spartanburg's downtown area is only now beginning to see any significant life. It will still be 5-10 years before it will be comparable to these other areas.

I agree that MB is moustly tourist activity, and its comparison is difficult. It does have a major "nightlife" but its an artificial one.

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Justin6882 Hamlet

Justin6882

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^ Raleigh's nightlife downtown has grown tremendously the last 4-5 years. There are 4 or 5 clusters of nightlife in the downtown area.

1. Glenwood South/Powerhouse District - this area has seen the most growth. Here you find clubs, restaurants, shopping, bars...pretty much everything. Very lively well into the morning hours.

2. Warehouse District - This area is also growing, but not quite as fast as GloSo. There are good clubs and nice restaurants in this area too.

3. City Market/Moore Square - Here you find more a more laid back scene. There are a few bars, a piano bar, some irish pubs, and a cool indie rock venue.

4. Hillsborough Street - This area has been neglected since GloSo and others have gotten more attention recently. It's NC State's main drag, it has restaurants, bars, but it doesn't stay up as late as the others.

5. Five Points - There are some cool little bars and nice restaurants and shops in this area. Again, it doesn't stay up as late.

Overall, the Raleigh nightlife is pretty good. There are a good mix of places to go late night, and my friends and I never get bored with the selection. The one thing downtown Raleigh lacks, however, is a spine to connect all these areas together. The city recently broke ground on reopening our pedestrian mall to traffic, and they just broke ground on a $200 mil convention center and Marriott hotel. Hopefully that will provide the connection...along with some more Trolleys downtown at night.

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Mobuchu Burg

Mobuchu

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I've been to Raleigh, Myrtle Beach and Columbia. None of them have the concentration of bars and clubs that uptown Charlotte has. There are at least 25 or more bars/clubs all within walking distance of each other in uptown, most people dont even realize it. Everytime I open a Creative Loafing I see an ad for a bar I never knew was there.

On top of that there are all the little clusters outside center city. Places like Montford Dr. near Park and Woodlawn has about 6 or 7 bars. Most dont know about them either. University, although i've never actually been to them, has quite a few bars.

And LOL, you really cant beat Coyote Joes 1-2-3 night every fri or sat night. Im a yankee and in no way do I enjoy country music, but 123 nights are a blast, you should check it out if you ever get the chance.

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Spartan Gigalopolis

Spartan

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I've been to Raleigh, Myrtle Beach and Columbia.  None of them have the concentration of bars and clubs that uptown Charlotte has.  There are at least 25 or more bars/clubs all within walking distance of each other in uptown, most people dont even realize it.  Everytime I open a Creative Loafing I see an ad for a bar I never knew was there.

On top of that there are all the little clusters outside center city.  Places like Montford Dr. near Park and Woodlawn has about 6 or 7 bars.  Most dont know about them either.  University, although i've never actually been to them, has quite a few bars.

And LOL, you really cant beat Coyote Joes 1-2-3 night every fri or sat night.  Im a yankee and in no way do I enjoy country music, but 123 nights are a blast, you should check it out if you ever get the chance.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Columbia has at least that many if not much more in the Vista. All are in walking distance of eachother.

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rockhilljames Burg

rockhilljames

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I've been to Raleigh, Myrtle Beach and Columbia.  None of them have the concentration of bars and clubs that uptown Charlotte has.  There are at least 25 or more bars/clubs all within walking distance of each other in uptown, most people dont even realize it.  Everytime I open a Creative Loafing I see an ad for a bar I never knew was there.

Interesting. I know for a fact that when I was a college student there were over 50 bars and restaurant/bars in 5 Points alone. I'm sure there is more now, and the Vista has really taken off, I have no idea how many the Vista has now.

Both the Vista and 5 Points are very walkable districts, giving Columbia two distinct nightlife districts. Charlotte's downtown has a great nightlife area, especially around N. Tryon, but it's the only distinct district I can think of. SouthEnd and NoDa are getting there, but they are both a few places shy of having critical mass.

I do enjoy the fact that I can go eat Sushi at Nikko's, play some pool at Jillian's, have a beer at Tyber Creek and Tavern on the Tracks and catch a show at Amos' before I go home....

...wait a minute. SouthEnd rocks!!!

Seriously though, 5 Points is the shizznit.

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krazeeboi Gigalopolis

krazeeboi

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Charlotte has some cool spots spread out in the uptown area, but no centralized entertainment districts per se (that I know of anyway). But it's still cool though. Rolled through uptown tonight around 10 pm, and there was pretty good activity going on. Didn't really know it was like that on a Thursday night around that time.

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MikesLogic Whistle-Stop

MikesLogic

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Ditto for Five Points. I can't even name all of the bars and restaurants in Five Points.

Vista Pics

Five Points Pics

Maybe I'll take some bar pics this weekend.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

While attending USC Law my brother lived in an apartment near where that first picture of 5 points was taken. Those areas have some very happening nightlives I must agree.

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HOTSPOTTNY Unincorporated Area

HOTSPOTTNY

Posted
Posted

This answer is ver easy...Charlotte of course..it has alot of nightlife whether you admit it or not it's just spreaded it all over the city and their downtown at night takes the cake easily over any other city.....People come from Columbia,Raleigh,Asheville and WS AND ETC... to go out in Charlotte..its hardly vice-versa from my experience and i'm from NY and love Charlotte...I've been to all of the other cities listed and the only one that comes close is Myrtle Beach or Columbia

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Charleston native Burg

Charleston native

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College of Charleston was voted as one of the best party schools in the USA. I forget what magazine rated it, but because of C of C and the Citadel, there are plenty of young people around.

You have Party at the Point (Patriot's Point) which is a big Friday night event from April to October with a live band and plenty to drink.

The notion that Charleston is full of older people, while sometimes true, is also misleading. Charleston was rated as one of the best places for singles in SC because of its nightlife. Many places are DT such as Bull and Finch, Cumberlands, and other bars and clubs on the Market, King Street, and East Bay Street. Many great places are also in Mt. Pleasant, the North area, and West Ashley. Saying that Charleston is sleepy because not many people live DT is highly in error...many people drive around the city for their place to hangout.

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