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Charlotte Nightlife


Mobuchu

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When I go to ATL it's like a big party. The same can be said for DC,Philly, and NYC. I don't have to google my way through town.

I find this to be an absurd comment. I lived in NYC and it's not like a party all the freaking time, man! I think you may watch too much TV. Try going out on Sunday or even Monday night there, it's pretty dead. And pretty much every weekend night between memorial day and labor day. Everyone's at their beach houses.

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I was in Charlotte for "three" days! I also never said it didn't have any nightlife, it's just not what it's hyped up to be, that's all. I rode around two nights looking and my wife and I, just decided to go to restaurants. When I go to ATL it's like a big party. The same can be said for DC,Philly, and NYC. I don't have to google my way through town. If I don't find your city appealing for a large variety of nightlife tough luck. I'm just sick of all the snide comments and immature behavior. It's like a luxury car, no matter how appealing, it's not going to be everyone's cup of tea. Man. If you want to recommend some "real" nice spots please do, if not, stay off my case!

Charlotte is not the center of the universe. Some posters were actually saying that this city has more growth potential in the next couple decades than anywhere else in the south. That's biased and unfounded. One guy even went as far as saying the city will grow by 300,000 in 4 years. lol Some people take the city pride a little too far. What are we gang members claiming turf? Relax.

First of all, Charlotte is a FAR smaller city than Atlanta, Philadelphia, Washington or New York. What'd you expect? I'd be hard pressed to say anyone on this forum would ever compare themselves to any of those cities. I will say that while we don't have a great live music scene here, there is tons to do. It all depends what you're looking for (which, by the way, you never did say).

I was uptown Friday night and the place was packed. A hockey game at the arena, play at Spirit Square, Gay Bingo at the First Ward Center, live music at the Blumenthal, and not a parking space to be had. I'm not hyping anything, just telling it like it is.

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I've never had to find stuff to do, or research when it came to NYC, or any other, real big city. What i'm saying is, why does it have to be a school research project to find some fun? All I have to do in little old Raleigh is park and go for it. I understand Charlotte not having the best nightlife, but IMO it certainly does not live up to hype for a city it's size.

People have posted many pictures from various cities in the Carolinas, and even the smaller ones like Columbia, Ashville, and Myrtle beach seem to have more going on IMO, than Charlotte. Which to me seems kinda sad, but I know Queen City will get the point eventually. Nobody in the three states of NC,SC, and VA can touch the skyline in Charlotte though. It's extremely impressive. I hope they change their elitist thinking DT though.

Columbia has a better nightlife than Charlotte????? :rofl::blink: Im from Columbia and I went to school in Charlotte......I HIGHLY HIGHLY disagree with you. Banana Joe's turned into a Country Western Saloon, goes to show you what ends up being popular in columbia. Where can you find clubs in Columbia that play house/techno music other than the gay clubs? NOWHERE! Are there Hookah lounges in Columbia? Nope! Charlotte has Sky.....Are there clubs in Columbia that draw DJ Tiesto, Paul Oakenfold, Darude, Tony Moran, or any of these other worldwide DJ's? NO! What kind of nightlife are you looking for? Please let me know

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I also don't think you can really compare a city that is college oriented as Columbia or Raleigh is with a city that isn't. Charlotte's nightlife is not college oriented, meaning that it is more mature & sophisticated than what you would experience in a college town. Additionally, that may mean more variety, I'm not sure if that is the case with Charlotte - but at least Uptown is geared more towards professionals rather than students.

I don't mean to say that a college town or a city that is oriented towards colleges can't or doesn't have some level of 'sophistication', however that is determined. But it does mean any city with a large college population ratio HAS to have some entertainment areas that are geared toward college students. Columbia does have a happening entertainment area in Five Points (I never hanged out in the other areas mentioned), but the energy has more to do with the college population than the city itself.

Consider Atlanta's various entertainment areas - they are all very different & not easily comparable. Buckhead in the 90's could have easily been confused as a college town. Virginia Highlands in the 90's was very much an entertainment district geared towards 30 somethings. It's not the same now, with Buckhead transitioning away from what it was. But it does indicate the differences, which is the difference between a Charlotte with Dilworth & Uptown and a Raleigh or Columbia.

Ok, I might not have stuck to a consistant thought - but my point is Charlotte's core audience is professionals / adults rather than college students. Any city with a major college (UNCC is not comparable to a NC State or nearby Duke & UNC) is bound to have a larger entertainment presence.

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The recent addition to this thread cracks me up! I recently had the exact opposite experience, all due to 5 minutes of preparation.

Several of my friends came to town this past week and I actually used info from the early part of this thread to take them out in uptown. Seeing as I'm not out to pick up girls or dance, I don't do clubs or super packed bars. I tend to stick to venues that allow me to chill out, drink, shoot the sh*t, and usually stay in my neighborhood of NoDa or Plaza Midwood. Unfortunately, that's not what some of my friends are into.

We started at RiRas and then started our march down 5th street. We just walked around and as soon as we left one bar, we would get sucked into another. Fast forward to 4am walking back to hotel. Very good night. Yes, the majority of the bars felt young corporate-ish and were filled with recently graduated fratties and sorostitutes, but who else frequents meat markets?

Decided to stick to my hood the next evening and had a blast closing down Thomas Street Tavern. We ate, drank, and entertained ourselves quite easily. Even my club going friends we're content with foosball, pool, golden tee, and scheming on hipster-ettes.

While dropping off everyone at the airport, they called Charlotte as the place to meet again. They mentioned the number of bars walking distance from their hotel, how nice it is not to see fights starting at every bar, having polite servers or bartenders, the variety of nightlife (although they did complain that you had to get a taxi to really see it), and people's general willingness to party.

Please note that my friends were from: Chicago (not chicagoland), Cincinnati, Nashville, San Diego, and Memphis.

:whistling:

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Hi all. I've been lurking for awhile. My business partner and I have been thinking about opening up a bar in the Southend. We are from California (LA to be exact) and haven't been able to find the "vibe" we're looking for in any place here. I would like your opinion if this might fly: a true "lounge" that is very dark, with comfy seating, GOOD drinks, and good music (a DJ that will come on around 11:30 til 2); NO SMOKING, NO TVs, no silly dress code, no memberships. If any of you have ever been to LA, I'm thinking of a vibe like The Room in Santa Monica: pretty much just laid back and unpretentious. I know *I* would go to a place like this if one existed here...but would you? And if one already exists, please enlighten me. The closest I have found is Tutto Mundo, but the music is a bit too techno and the ambiance could use some work. There is also Loft 1523 which opened not too long ago, but it seems like it's trying too hard to be hip and the drinks are not good. I paid $10 for a yukky martini.

ps. We are going after the 28-45 crowd -- slightly older than the college kids. People looking for a place to chill...

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I like the idea of more loungue type places in CLT. I wish there was something like Loft 1523 or Tutto Mundo in Uptown so I could walk to it, or more importantly, stumble home from it. I think Therapy is pretty good, serves good drinks, but is small and does not have a loungey enough feel.

There is no doubt that this is a niche that is underserved here.

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Sir Edmund Halley's is close to what you are describing and it very packed.....though they have no real music to speak of.

There are lots of places that can be what you are describing on certain nights, but unfortunately, most try to change themes throughout the week which prohibits them from attracting regulars. The Corner Pub in uptown is ok, but it is a bit too spartan.

The problem is, most places like what you are describing need a large "local" crowd, and Charlotte doesn't have many dense enough neighborhoods to support this.....therefore, most try to be something large and gimmicky to attract people from all over town.

Southend had a place called Mully's that I think was what you are describing. It lasted about 1 month because there just isn't enough population density. This will hopefully be changing in the next 2-3 years, but if you make a go of it now, you probably need to be willing to burn through some cash....the flip side is that you will be in at the ground floor, so there is more upside for you in the long run.

EDIT....Also, check out the basement level of Fox and Hound.....I think it is pretty similar to what you have in mind.

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Hi all. I've been lurking for awhile. My business partner and I have been thinking about opening up a bar in the Southend. We are from California (LA to be exact) and haven't been able to find the "vibe" we're looking for in any place here. I would like your opinion if this might fly: a true "lounge" that is very dark, with comfy seating, GOOD drinks, and good music (a DJ that will come on around 11:30 til 2); NO SMOKING, NO TVs, no silly dress code, no memberships. If any of you have ever been to LA, I'm thinking of a vibe like The Room in Santa Monica: pretty much just laid back and unpretentious. I know *I* would go to a place like this if one existed here...but would you? And if one already exists, please enlighten me. The closest I have found is Tutto Mundo, but the music is a bit too techno and the ambiance could use some work. There is also Loft 1523 which opened not too long ago, but it seems like it's trying too hard to be hip and the drinks are not good. I paid $10 for a yukky martini.

ps. We are going after the 28-45 crowd -- slightly older than the college kids. People looking for a place to chill...

i think you could make it work, although the southend wouldn't be my first pick. a few years back there was a place almost identical to what your describing called TONIC. it was successful, i think it closed due to club owner and landlord problems. anyways, i worked there for a minute and i often heard people from ny or la, say it reminded them of clubs back home.

btw, i wish you luck on the no-smoking thing. TONIC had that policy in the beginning but had allow it later b/c of business. as a patron of dimly lit watering holes, i would love nothing more than this city to ban smoking in bars and restuarants.

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Yeah....I thought of TONIC too, but kmsairam said Tutto Mondo played too much techno, so that made me scratch TONIC from the list as well.

Tutto Mondo's also "sometimes" has a dress code depending on what time you are getting there. Been turned away there for not having the proper dress code around 11-12 (can't remember what I was wearing but thinking shorts/polo in summer). Been there other times around 9-10 and not dressed up at all (shorts/polo) and have no trouble getting in.

Based on the normal crowds at Tutto's, there are certainly doing something right.

I like kmsairam's idea though. That market is underserved (can't think of any really). As a 30 yr old married guys with most friends all in the same situation...Yes, I can say that is probably a place that would stand a good chance of making a run at it.

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Yeah....I thought of TONIC too, but kmsairam said Tutto Mondo played too much techno, so that made me scratch TONIC from the list as well.

I also agree that Southend would probably not be the best place.

I, too, thought of TONIC. Actually, TONIC did play soulful House music also. They had many U.S. and international DJ's play there on regular basis. Their outdoor Asian fire pits were a big hit in all seasons.

Anything similar to TONIC would be great!

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I have yet to venture over to Gilda in NODA but it sounds like it could be in the same vein as well. There was a video interview with the club's owner on the Observer website.

For what it's worth, I like the sound of your concept kmsairam. My thoughts on the different hoods are...

I like SouthEnd area, it's is a good mixed bag of different places IMO. It would be great though to put it somewhere directly on a street like Camden in a pedestrian area instead of in something like where Tutto is. With the retail on Camden it is developing a younger feel than what you

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A good place for a bar like that would be on North Davidson between Craighead and Sugar Creek. The other places that have been mentioned in this thread are too uptight these days for the kind of environment described. There were a couple of bars like this in Noda for a long time (no dancing however), but land speculation has driven them away.

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Between Craighead and Sugar Creek is just industrial space. There are no sidewalks, and most of the buildings are not really oriented to be a business open to the public. Although if part of the ambiance is getting the customers to manufacture some widgets while they're there, then that might be a good location. :)

I'd probably suggest going to near the other retail businesses if you go to NoDa, closer to the 36th Street intersection.

In the city in general, I kind of think Liz Ave is growing as a nightlife location, so you could be part of its resurgence. You could kind of compete/build critical mass with Loft 1523 and NoFo nearby. Then it also has the 'cool factor' from Visulite and Sky/Eden nearby. And if you try for it, you could have a killer skyline view.

The area also will be gaining momentum as a result of the streetscape project and the Whole Foods, both of which should start this year. I also have a feeling the rent would be much lower on Liz Ave.

For whatever reason, I just don't think of going to SouthEnd for nightlife/bar stuff. Granted, there is Tyber Creek and a bunch of restaurants, but there just isn't a district to go to like in Plaza-Midwood, Elizabeth, or First Ward.

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Without knowing more specifics its hard to say where to put a place such as that described. However I don't think sidewalks or the lack of them really matter that much in terms of a dance club as most people are going to drive to them, especially if they are leaving the place at 1-2 in the morning. However the Craighead/Sugarcreek area of Davidson will be within walking distance of one of the transit stations of the NE LRT. Somebody doesn't think it will be industrial forever.

If I were investing in a club these days, I would stay out of the tendy neighborhoods. They are too expensive, the density really isn't high enough to get much foot traffic, and there is already a lot of competition.

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That's true, I think the Craighead to Sugar Creek section of North Davidson has a lot of similarities with the area west of New Bern Station south of Remount. It is a similar era set of brick industrial buildings from the 40s - 60s that would be great for turning into clubs and lofts and other things. A lot of potential for revitalization as transit comes online in the area, existing trendy neighborhoods start to spill their borders, and as the existing industry starts to relocation or die off.

However, even light rail is a decade away for that area, and most of the buildings there are still in business for their industrial use (which I think is great, as it keeps light-industry in town).

My opinion, kmsairam, would be if you're looking to maximize success in starting a club or bar, to locate in an existing hotspot of nightlife activity, or tag along on a nascent hotspot. I'd say people drive to an area and then walk around among a set of bars. I think critical mass is important. Although it is true that sometimes places are nice enough as a destination, but as a small business it is definitely less risky to locate near other locations to grab a share of an existing market, or help build critical mass.

Liz Ave is definitely nascent, but momentum is squarely in its favor, and it has some destination places already in Visualite and a few others. That way the new business can tap into some of that and help the area grow.

Central/Thomas Ave seems to be an established hotspot for nightlife, as is North College Street uptown. NoDa seems to be less of a destination, but growing, with Neighborhood Theatre, and all the spots nearby 36th/N Davidson Street.

It might be cool to pioneer a new spot, but my advice would be to help grow an existing or growing hotspot.

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I went to a pretty hip place. Uh, maybe 7th street just down from Memorial Stadium? Anyway it is called Eden and was just opened from remodeling (and name change). Usually I tend to go to places that are more like pubs/sports bars but I could really dig this place. I'm not real big into the nightlife scene in Charlotte but when I move closer after graduation I'd like to be. Ok Charlotte people help me out. I'd like to find some places kinda like Eden; stylish and a bit upscale but laid back. Places with GOOD mixed drinks not Redbull & crap. Places with a nice dress code for people who have advanced beyond the college teenybop stage and have put away the glowsticks. Eden had some cool bands; One Big Love (Gorillaz mixed with Kanye West and Sean Paul) and some cool band with a great bass player and a chick rapping. Anyway, what places are like that? Anybody else been to Eden yet?

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We went to a homegrown event in the lobby of Theatre Charlotte Saturday night with about 20 other people. A friend of ours worked with her arts friends to produce a show featuring skits, poetry readings and storytelling. They charged $5 per person and parking was free. They even had a snack bar. It was cool.

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We went to a homegrown event in the lobby of Theatre Charlotte Saturday night with about 20 other people. A friend of ours worked with her arts friends to produce a show featuring skits, poetry readings and storytelling. They charged $5 per person and parking was free. They even had a snack bar. It was cool.

Cool, sounds fun.

I would recommend Shear Madness, playing at the Booth Playhouse. We went to one of the preview shows and it was a lot of fun. It's a silly murder-mystery and they've worked in Charlotte references and jokes throughout. The theatre has added cafe tables and bar seat for this show and you can have food and drinks served if you sit in those seats.

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