This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at FSU chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.<\/p>\n
For my last article ever to be written for Her Campus at FSU, it\u2019s only fitting that I write about FSU. More specifically, one of FSU\u2019s major and definitive qualities: partying.<\/p>\n
Before moving to Tallahassee, I had preconceived notions about what FSU parties were like. These misconceptions manifested as deep-rooted fears, as they were largely based on horror stories. This prevented me from engaging in social gatherings at FSU, so I somewhat avoided them. I rarely attended fraternity functions and avoided house parties at all costs, although I did try the nightlife a couple of times. Even when I did \u201cparty,\u201d I never truly liked it until I turned 21.<\/p>\n
While FSU is known for its good times, I always associated the school and area with the previous parties mentioned. I never associated it with the idea of College Town because, for a long time, I was too young to get in anywhere, as all the bars are age-restricted to 21+.<\/p>\n
I always said clubs were different than bars, and when I became of age, I realized how much I enjoyed going out. The bars in College Town<\/a> are more casual and feel less like a hookup scene. I\u2019ve done my fair share of time at each bar on Madison St., so why not give the people a ranking of College Town bars?<\/p>\n However, before sharing my top five, I wanted to give some honorable mentions:<\/p>\n Honorable Mentions: Palace and Recess<\/p>\n All roads inevitably lead to Palace Saloon. Though it\u2019s not on West Madison St. alongside the other bars on this list, with Palace\u2019s pool tables, arcade games, and the infamous pitchers, it\u2019s hard to hate this bar. Why not shout it out? Though be warned, many people smoke inside, so maybe avoid this one if you have asthma\u2026<\/p>\n I\u2019m sorry to say this, but yes, Recess isn\u2019t on my top five list, even though it arguably should be. I agree with what you\u2019re probably thinking. However, anyone over 18 years old can get into the bar, so it\u2019s more of a \u201cclub,\u201d which takes away some of its novelty and appeal. If it were more categorized as a bar, it would definitely be in the top three because of the rum buckets, \u201ccess\u201d pool, and great music.<\/p>\n Bowden\u2019s<\/p>\n Ranking Bowden\u2019s fifth might surprise some of my fellow College Town enjoyers, but it\u2019s at the bottom of my list. While it scores points for happy-hour deals, live music, and great aesthetics, I just don\u2019t find myself there often.<\/p>\n I wanted to love Bowden\u2019s as much as I love Bobby Bowden<\/a>. The concept is fantastic, but the execution falls a little flat for me. I\u2019ve experienced inconsistent service and a few too many food issues. The bar itself is beautiful, with a vast garden and warm lighting, but the food and drinks have been mediocre.<\/p>\n They\u2019ve recently started offering more deals, which helps, but for the longest time, paying a cover to get in felt pointless. I think Bowden\u2019s will only improve as it grows, but for now, it stays at number five because there are bars that offer more in College Town.<\/p>\n Coosh\u2019s<\/p>\n I know the vibes at Coosh\u2019s probably aren\u2019t as good as Bowden\u2019s, but what puts Coosh\u2019s ahead<\/a> is the food. I dream about the Buffalo Chicken Sliders and Gator Tail Bites from Coosh\u2019s; honestly, without them, I don\u2019t think I\u2019d look twice at the bar.<\/p>\n The Louisiana-style bar and restaurant has excellent food, daily drink specials and events, on-tap daiquiris, and karaoke every week. Though there\u2019s nothing special about the drinks beyond the draft slushies, running daily happy hours makes the bar that much more appealing. Subjectively, this bar is better than Bowden\u2019s because there\u2019s always something special happening. Did I mention how good the food is?<\/p>\n Madison Social<\/p>\n I love Madison Social<\/a>, or Madso as many fondly call it, so badly. It\u2019s a classic; one of the first bars to open on Madison St. The drinks are great, I love doing the monthly challenges to get a free-themed shirt, and there\u2019s always something going on.<\/p>\n The reason this bar isn\u2019t higher is that it honestly doesn\u2019t work well as a bar. I\u2019d much rather have table service and eat at Madso because it\u2019s quicker and feels less crowded. There isn\u2019t much space to move about, and with so many people waiting for drinks, standing at the bar feels like a war zone.<\/p>\n I love going to Madso for Fat Fingers or BLT Dip to watch a game with my friends while a server constantly brings us drinks, but I hate standing and waiting at the bar.<\/p>\n Township<\/p>\n Township is another College Town staple<\/a>, mainly for Flip My Ship, which is one of the most exciting happy hours I\u2019ve been to. Your bartender flips a coin, and if you guess heads or tails correctly, your drinks are free. So, every Friday, I have a 50\/50 shot of drinking for free from 4-7 p.m.<\/p>\n Beyond this, Township also has something going on constantly, like Perfect Week or Dueling Pianos, and, of course, weekly events like Two-Dollar Tuesdays. There\u2019s plenty of space to move and dance in Township, the music is good, and the deals are worth it.<\/p>\n It hurts to put Township at number two because it\u2019s my favorite bar; I\u2019ve made some of my best memories with friends here, but one is indeed better\u2026<\/p>\n Vice Society<\/p>\n I\u2019m as surprised as you are, mainly because Vice Society<\/a> is a newer College Town bar, but realistically, it\u2019s probably the best. Though there isn\u2019t always an event happening, like at Township or Madso, Vice has a couple of huge draw-ins.<\/p>\n The first, of course, is that in the morning it acts as a coffee shop \u2014 I\u2019ve found myself studying here in the morning and then partying here at night. The next is Stocks on the Rocks<\/a>, where the price of a drink changes every five minutes based on demand, making drinking kind of educational? There\u2019s also a buy-one-get-one-free happy hour on the weekends, and the music is always a vibe.<\/p>\n Finally, and this is the biggest reason of all: cheesesteaks. Just a skillet grill set up in the outdoor area of Vice, these cheap cheesesteaks are the best I\u2019ve ever had. This year, on Halloweekend, my friends and I probably had a total of 15 between us over the entire weekend.<\/p>\n Though Vice Society only offers cheesesteaks during drinking hours, guests can enjoy sandwiches and breakfast food items during coffee hours, thus making the duality of the bar that much better.<\/p>\n My friends and I have frequented these bars throughout our upper-class years. Each bar will be missed when I leave this place, but not because of the party aspect of them (though those parts were fun), but because of the forever memories I\u2019ve made at them<\/a>.<\/p>\n Want to see more HCFSU? 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