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Editor’s Note: All opinion section content reflects the views of the individual author only and does not represent a stance taken by The Collegian or its editorial board.
On their 21st birthday, Colorado State University students oftentimes hit the town for a long-awaited debut at Ram Band and a newfound eligibility to grace Lucky Joe’s. After what feels like years of aching anticipation on the opposite sides of those gates while friends hit the town, you can join stories of line-cutters and late-night regrets of coffee bombs and AMF’s.
The first night out on the town often reveals that the bars were all they’re cracked up to be: a mutual space to run into random people from class and make decisions that foster a brutal case of hangxiety every Friday morning.
Upon reaching drinking age, weekend nights typically begin Thursday at The Bar District, Rec Room or The Yeti Bar and Grill, with a $14 all-you-can-drink wristband and a tenacious determination to weave through the crowd and order a drink. Ram Band is a fantastic concept, allowing students to drink for cheap and saunter around Old Town. The surrounding bars, like Lucky Joe’s, High Point Bar, Bondi Beach Bar and Grill and Brothers Bar & Grill typically offer similar atmospheres and are common post-game destinations.
This routine account of hitting the same five or six bars every weekend gets old. I now find myself avoiding the bars — after barely two months of being legal – thanks to the repetition. This is not to say Fort Collins lacks variety in its nightlife, but the basic night out in Fort Collins is growing tiresome, and of-age students aren’t taking enough advantage of the variety. There are plenty of better opportunities for 21+ fun in this town.
“We live in a special town, rich with various spaces of entertainment, so we must take advantage.”
I am not nearly cashing in on happy hours enough. As broke college students, we should be the primary — if not perfect — demographic for cheaper daily deals on drinks and appetizers. I argue that our Thursdays and Fridays should start by sitting at restaurants we can’t usually afford, snacking on shared plates and sipping half-priced beer or cocktails.
Breweries, trivia nights, pool tournaments and live entertainment fill the nooks and crannies of the Fort Collins entertainment scene. There are plenty of trivia nights sprinkled throughout the town, such as at Mugs at CSU, which is located right across the street from The Oval. They offer trivia every Thursday, along with a surprising list of cocktails and beer. This is a more than fortunate circumstance; after your last class on Thursday, grab a coffee, finish assignments, then call your friends over for trivia — you won’t have to leave your seat.
Underneath The Armstrong Hotel is the vibrant Ace Gillett’s Lounge. This retro bar is a sleeper pick, offering live DJ sets and musical entertainment every weekend. The live DJ sets differ from the frat flicking and cheek chewing of other DJ parties in Fort Collins; the lounge spins vinyl from their own vintage record collection. Similar intimate vibes can be found at Social, Sunset Lounge Rooftop Bar and The Whisk(e)y, which hosts late-night karaoke on weekends.
An additional, underrated source for local recommendations is @this_is_noco on Instagram. She is a local blogger and influencer who creates a booklet of events hosted in and around the greater Fort Collins area.
These picks are necessary for those who can’t break out of their routine bar situation or house show addiction; it adds a little spice to your weekends. We live in a special town, rich with various spaces of entertainment, so we must take advantage. It would be a waste of our youthful prime, as many of us may be back in our lame hometowns or at a full-time job with no time to go out in a year or two.
This town shockingly has more range than a Thursday night bar crawl. Since we are lucky enough to live out our early 20s in such a lively place, the least we can do is step a little out of our comfort zone and explore these hidden gems.
Reach Caroline Studdert at letters@collegian.com or on social media @RMCollegian.