Was Creekside the 'old' Millview East that caved in when heavy rains hit it back in the 70's? 25 cent schnapps and all you can drink on Thursday I seem to recall.

Thanks to everyone for participating in the creation of a CURRENT AND/OR DEFUNCT bar listing for the "TOAB" which stands for "TOUR OF ATHENS BARS" . This adventurous drinking endeavor (initially attempted by Dave Morehead, BBA 75, Jeff West, BBA 75, Tim Nye, BBA 75 & Mark "Puffy" Hartman, BBA 78) challenged participants to visit every bar in Athens within 24 hours and drink at least one beer or alcoholic beverage in order to complete the "TOAB". Years later, the TOAB was replaced by "The Court Street Shuffle or Court Street Crawl". 

This bar listing also includes restaurants that have a bar or cocktail lounge. To honor our military veterans, including active, retired and deceased veterans, we have also included appropriate veteran service organizations. Below is the final alphabetical listing of Athens bars (these bars include the current name, former name, street address, if known at the time the business was in operation):

1. Abrio's Brick Oven - 859 E. State St.
2. Altiers - N/A
3. American Legion - 520 W. Union St.
4. AmVets - 20 Campbell St.
5. Another Food Cafe or Another Fool's Cafe - 202 W. Washington St.
6. Applebee's - 547 E. State St.
7. Ardos - N/A
8. Atheneon - starring Sammy Kaye and his Ohioans who were always swinging & swaying - 74 N. Court St.
9. Back Door - N/A
10. Beach Club - N/A
11. Beards - N/A
12. Big Elm - N/A
13. Blue Gator, formerly The Greenery, then The Tavern - N/A
14. Broneys Alumni Grille - 7 W. Carpenter St.
15. Buffalo Wings & Rings - 21 W. Union St.
16. Bunch of Grapes Tavern - 331 Richland Ave
17. Casa Nueva - 6 W. State St.
18. Casa Que Pasa - 4 W. State St.
19. Cats Den - 14 N. Court St.
20. Cats Eye - 14 N. Court St.
21. Century House - N/A
22. Charlie Coles - N/A
23. Chicillinis - N/A
24. China Fortune - 20 W. Stimson Ave
25. C.I. - 32. N. Court St. 
26. C.J.'s now The Pub - 39 N. Court St.
27. Club 33 - N/A
28. College Inn (Steve's) - 35 S. Congress St.
29. Colorado Mining - N/A
30. Contes Inferno, Dantes Inferno or Gee Willikers - N/A
31. Courtside - 85 N. Court St.
32. Cozy Corner - N/A
32. Cranky Joes BBQ - N/A
33. Creekside - 1938 US Rt. 322
34. Cripple Creek, Tonys Tavern or Mary Johnson's - 7 W. State St.  
35. Crystal Casino - 34 N. Court St.
36. Dantes Inferno, Contes Inferno or Gee Willikers - N/A
37. Dean's Midway - N/A
38. Deck, formerly The Nickelodean - 41 N. Court St.
39. Draught House - N/A
40. Dug Out, then McSweeneys - N/A
41. Elbow Room - N/A
42. Elks - 600 W. Union St. 
43. Events, next Skippers, then Jackie O's - N/A
44. Evolution, formerly Night Court - 19 S. Court St.
45. Fanny's Cocktail Lounge - N/A
46. Frontier Room - 347 Baker University Center
47. Gee Willikers, Dantes Inferno or Contes Inferno - N/A
48. Graduate - N/A
49. Gran Ranchero - 979 E. State St.
50. Greenery, formerly the Tavern, then the Blue Gator - N/A
51. Grotto - N/A
52. Hangar 5, formerly the Tool Tavern - N/A
53. Harpos - N/A
54. Hobbitt House - N/A
55. Igor's - N/A
56. Inferno - N/A
57. J Bar - 41 N. Court St.
58. Jackie O's Pub, formerly The Skippers - 24 W. Union St.
59. Jimanott's or Jiminott's - N/A
60. Junction or The Shop - 41 N. Court St.
61. Lakeview - 3718 Enlow Rd., Albany, Oh
62. Lam's Garden - 934 E. State St.
63. Lantern - N/A
64. Little Ritz (Ernies) - N/A
65. Long Branch Saloon (home of Boss Groover, then the Mug & Margarita) - N/A
66. Lucky's - 11 N. Court St.
67. Lui Lui - 8 Station St.
68. Mama Einsteins - N/A
69. Maplewood - 26 Woodward Ave
70. Mary Johnson's, Cripple Creek or Tony's Tavern - N/A
71. McSweeneys, or Dugout - N/A
72. Millview Inn - N/A
73. Mr. Bojangles - N/A
74. Mr. Magoo's, formerly Studio 38, then the Pigskin - 38 N. Court St.
75. Mug & Margarita (formerly the Long Branch Saloon and home of Boss Groover) - N/A
76. Nickelodean - formerly The Deck - 41 N. Court St.
77. Night Court , then The Evolution - N/A
78. 19 South, now Cranky Joe's BBQ - 19 S. Court St.
79. Oak Room - 14 Station St.
80. Ohio University Inn - 331 Richland Ave
81. O'Hooleys Irish Pub - N/A
82. Paw Purr's - 37 N. Court St.
83. Peanut Bar - N/A
84. Phase or Phase One - N/A
85. Pigskin, formerly Mr. Magoos, Studio 38 and Uptown/Sitdown - 38 N. Court St.
86. Pub, formerly C.J.'s - 39 N. Court St.
87. Rainbow Inn - N/A
88. Red Brick - 14 N. Court St.
89. Red Ram - N/A
90. Red Room - N/A
91. Rio Grande - 122 W. Union St.
92. Roaring Twenties - N/A
93. Roundabout - Richland Ave & Rt. 682 intersection 
94. Ruby Tuesdays - 951 E. State St.
95. Salaam - 21 W. Washington St.
96. Shade Winery - 401 Gilkey Ridge Rd., Shade, Oh 
97. Shop or The Junction - 41 N. Court St.
98. Skippers, formerly Events, now Jackie O's - 24 W. Union St.
99. Smiling Skull Saloon - 108 W. Union St.
100. Sportsman Bar  - N/A
101. Star Bar - N/A
102. Stephens on Court - 66 N. Court St.
103. Stud Duck - N/A
104. Studio 38, formerly Mr. Magoos, now the Pigskin - 38 N. Court St.
105. Suds n Duds - 15 W. Stimson Ave
106. Swanky's - 32 S. Court St.
107. Swordfish/Swindlefish - N/A
108. Tavern, next Greenery, then Blue Gator - N/A
109. Tony's Tavern, Cripple Creek or Mary Johnson's - 7 W. State St.
110. Tool Tavern now the Hangar 5 - N/A
111. Town & Country Tavern - N/A
112. 12 East or West Side Tavern or West End Tavern - 12 E. Carpenter St.
113. Union - 18 W. Union St.
114. Uptown Sitdown, then Doctor Pizza, now the Pigskin - N/A
115. VFW - 355 E. State St.
116. Walt's Place - 12976 St. Rt. 682
117. West End Tavern or West Side Tavern or 12 East - 12 E. Carpenter St.
118. Wooden Nickel - N/A
119. Zachary's - 30 N. Court St.
120. Zoe - 24 & 1/2 E. State St.

Please Note: If someone knows any additional bars, restaurants, or organizations not listed, please let me know. Hopefully this exercise is complete and provided everyone with fond memories of their favorite watering hole in good ole Athens, home of Ohio University, ranked among one of the top party schools in the USA.  Thanks again to everyone who helped in remembering their favorite bar during their academic life at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. Go Bobcats!!!!!!!

I heard at one time there was something like 40 bars operating in Athens and now there isn't even half that many. Some great names too for establishments and not just sports bar caliber titles. The must of constricted the number of liquor licences in Athens County at some point in time. Where were all these bars listed located? I know Swanky's was in the building with Burger King. What about the office block north of the BP station? Not much has changed in regards to bar locations the past 15 years except for BW3's on Union and Skippers/Nick out, Broney's in and Blue Gator out. 

I don't remember the bar where Sammy Kaye got his start, but I did see him and his orchestra in Athens once when he came back for Homecoming in the mid 1980s, and did a nice performance in the Baker Center Ballroom. 

The bars on that other list that bring back memories for me are:

The Tavern -- "Meet you at the Tavern for a Michelob -- after the game"
The West Side Tavern
Oak Room (in its original location)
The Miillview (when there was actually a mill to view)
Conte's Inferno
Jiminnots (sp?)

I'm wondering . . .


. . .what is The My Ding a Ling Performer going to do when this thread comes to an end?

Buy a bar and change the name, of course.  My suggestion:  Swanky's. 
Immediate hard-core alumni response guaranteed.  Maybe Bruce will even show up

this thread really illustrates how time marches on. I never thought to consider how frequent bars open/close/change names, I always just assumed that they were always there and always would be, kind of like the pyramids or stonehenge. I used to feel a little sad when I'd hear about a bar from my days close or change names, now I realize its quite common!

well done.

Well, that'll kill this thread.

In the early '70's what was eventually the Blue Gator was a large, low key bar in which I attended my first and only rush party (for the free beer).  I thought I'd recognize the name on the ever growing list but nothing rings a bell. Does anyone else know the place I'm thinking of?

Also the Cat's Den was first on North Court (not Union) next to the laundromat and carryout in between the dept store (Belk's?) and the Athens Hotel.  This I know to be true because the back door practically opened into my apartment there and we had a constant stream of visitors looking to crash when the Den closed; that is if we weren't in the Den.

OK, since no one else has mentioned it, I'll mention one other bar that was called by my teenage friends when I was in high school the "Slippery Tit."  I have no idea what the real name of the bar was.  It was located on old U.S. 33 just over the hill on the right as you went southeast out of Athens -- about halfway down the back side of Morrison and Brown Hill.  I think the bar was just out of the city limits, which I believe was at the top of the hill.  So the bar might not have technically been in Athens, but it was probably close enough to be included in this list.  This bar was in a small white clapboard building and probably had a maximum occupancy of 25 including the bartender and any other workers.  Anyone know the actual name of this bar?  Sorry for the colorful language, but that's all I can remember, and you know how teenage boys can be. 

Can you tell me the real name of "Slipperies"? ;-)

That does sound very familiar. I think you've nailed it. Thanks.