JJ’s Tavern is a small but busy dive bar. It’s a chill place with little dancing - great to hang with friends and typically flooded with families during parents’ weekend. It has food, basketball and mainstream music. The Rowdy Reptile, or “Rowdy’s,” is also pretty popular. Wall-to-wall crowds mean it’s often hot inside, and the persistent craziness despite its 21+ entry makes it the grown-up Grog. Watch out for all-you-can-drink Saturdays - and the stairs.įat Daddy’s, colloquially called “Fats,” is soundtracked by dance and house music and is the go-to spot for Greeks and UF athletes alike. Grog offers a good time for $5, and can become a mess of crazy freshmen. It’s the civic duty of incoming freshmen to go to Grog House Grill, the only 18+ club in Midtown.
Midtown, a stretch of bars and clubs located in the block between Northwest 17th Street and Northwest 18th Street, is the easiest option for campus residents - a crosswalk away from the closest classrooms. Gainesville nightlife is divided into two scenes: Midtown, the more casual college scene across from campus, and the slightly classier downtown scene.
