Great Dive in Downtown Winston-Salem

SILVER MOON SALOON located at 632 N Trade St - this is a tasty little morsel nestled in the upscale downtown area of Winston Salem. The Silver Moon Saloon is perhaps the most eclectically decorated bar I have ever been in. It's like anytime the owner saw something that made him say WTF???, he purchased it. They have a great selection of beers at reasonable prices. So if you want a bar with character and friendly bartenders, check out the Silver Moon Saloon.

It's not a dive, but if you find yourself in W-S you owe it to yourself to sample the locally made beer at Foothills! http://www.foothillsbrewing.com/

Great Dives outside the French District, New Orleans!

The hands down winner is Snake and Jake's Christmas Club. We didn't get to go in because it was too early but the outside and the surroundings were enough to know that perhaps this is the epitome of a dive. It is located in the middle of a residential area. It is surrounded by small houses. There is no parking except on the street and the roads are narrow, so park at your own risk and car pool if possible. For more info on Snake and Jake's check out their website: http://www.snakeandjakes.com/

Second up is the Brothers Three Lounge located at 4520 Magazine St. God this place is crunchy..... and AWESOME! They have an old school juke box that plays records. Unfortunately they have succumbed to modern times and have a new school juke as well. They sell cheap sandwiches out of a cooler and by cooler, I mean igloo kind of cooler, not the large metal type beers are kept in. The people who work and frequent there could only be described as Characters. We were thoroughly amused and stayed here probably longer than we should have realizing we had to drive back to the hotel. Beer prices are Excellent, especially if you have been in the French Quarter. This place is a must visit!!!

Coming in third is Igor's Buddha Belly. If you need to do some laundry, there is no better place. We were wishing we had brought our laundry with us. This place is much cleaner than most dives, but the washing machines kind of throw it back in that category. It is directly across from Brothers III so make a day of it. Everyone there was friendly. You can play billiards and other games as well. They even serve food basics like burgers, chicken sandwiches and fries. The drink specials were pretty nice too.

FYI, there is a great candy store near these two places called Lucky You. It is awesome. We got some jelly beans there and they lasted the rest of our trip. She has a great selection of candy and the best salt water taffy I have ever tasted!!! Stop by, you know you want a snack after all that drinkin! http://www.luckyyoucandy.com/

New Orleans - French Quarter

Pictures to come later this weekend.

We visited New Orleans for the third time in 12 years this April. We wanted to see some parts of the City we hadn't seen before, so I did my research and planned a Dive bar tour for us. These were the best we found in the French Quarter that were off the beaten path of Bourbon St.

The Abbey
Located at 1123 Decatur St. this bar is just two blocks from Bourbon St, but it seems a world removed. The dark woods and the decorations all point to a wonderful Dive. The back wall is lined with stained glass, presumably from an Abbey. It give the place a wonderful Gothic feel. Tons of stickers and magnets line the wall behind the bar, many with clever sayings you could spend hours reading. The bartender and the locals were the best part. The bartender made our afternoon a fun one with her sarchastic wit and prompt beer service. Prices were extremely reasonable, almost cheap, much more bang for your buck than on Bourbon St.

The R Bar
This was one of those stumble into joints. I had found it in none of my research for dives in the French Quarter. It is located all the way down at the other end of Royal St. at 1431. This place was awesome. The bathroom was scary as hell and that's what you look for in a dive, one of those bathrooms you could take bleach to and it would still look dirty. So much character. The patrons here were friendly and entertaining. This was the type of place you find the real drunks and a few in between drunks. Reasonable prices for drinks and a true dive worth the walk. Hell, you need to walk off that beer gut a bit anyway, right? Get to drunk to walk, stay in one of their rooms: http://royalstreetinn.com/about/

The Apple Barrel609 Frenchmen St
These last three bars are all close together. The Apple Barrel was a REAL dive. It is so tiny you can hardly turn around, yet they have live music. You can see a picture here: It wasn't our type of dive, but perhaps it is more your style. The best part? Abita beers were cheap and they had a full selection. Can't beat Abita. If you are ever there in the spring, try their Strawberry beer. It is to die for.

Honorable Mentions
The Golden Lantern - located at 1239 Royal St.

I am told this place is one of the oldest gay bars, yet I never would have known it. It's a nice, small, dank bar with very personable people working there. We stopped in several times during our journey from the Marigny B&B where we were staying to Jazz Fest. This was truly a neighborhood bar. Everyone knew everyone. Their prices were quite good as well. A word to the wise, I decided to start my journey to the fest with a frozen White Russian (they have two frozen drink machines) because it was a typical humid, scorcher that day in NO. I thought, no big deal, those drinks are always pussy drinks, no real liquor, so we drink a bar and get two White Russians to go. I was literally buzzed by the time we reached jazz fest. That was one strong pussified drink. So be warned!!

The John - located on the corner of Frenchman and Burgundy.
This place was decorated with toilets and a barber's chair. It is way too large to be considered a real dive but the bartender makes it worth a mention. She is the one who told us to head back towards the French Quarter from there and to not go past that intersection unless you want to get robbed. She had a thick English accent which entertained us Carolinians and was very personable. So if you want to stop in a dive with some pool tables and a unique juke box (by unique, I mean the songs listed aren't always what's played, it has a mind of its own), this is the place to do it.

The Kerry @ 331 Decatur
This was another place we stumbled into. It was so awesome we went back the next night and were pleased to see one of the coolest guitarist singing solo we have seen in a long time. The place is decorated with old beer signs and random stickers. Despite it's relative closeness to Bourbon St. this bar hosted locals. The first night we were there we were offered birthday cake for one of the bartenders celebrating their birthday while working. So if you enjoy a dive and some good live music and local culture, this is the place for you! http://www.kerryirishpub.com/index-full.asp

Great Dives in San Antonio, TX

We visited San Antonio for Fiesta this year. My friend and tour guide Ezz took us to some great places including the Mad Boar and the Flying Saucer and several bars. Two were great dives that really stood out in my mind and they are as follows.

OAK HILLS TAVERN - This was the best dive of the night. Cheap drinks, an eclectic atmosphere, a potentially scary bathroom and a seedy outdoors area. Perfect. The bartenders were unique, and by unique I mean smartasses, but I like a good smartass so it all worked out. Word of caution! They have very few parking spots so if you can't find one go in and ask where to park. DO NOT PARK IN THE SHOPPING CENTER NEXT DOOR!!! You will get towed. They patrol that parking lot like crazy and it is over $200 to get your car out! Their website: http://www.myspace.com/yoshimosake

EL TENAMPA BAR - This bar is a dive in EVERY sense of the word. There is original art work on the walls, pool tables and a dance area. It has been in business for 54 years, and looks it. It has a great down home feel and the owners were more than amused with our drunken antics. Great prices, great atmosphere, GREAT DIVE BAR!!!

Wilmington, NC ~ An Awesome Dive Bar Town

The Barbary Coast, located at: 116 S. Front Street.

This one has been recommended to me by two dive bar frequenters, so I feel compelled to include it on here. The atmosphere is dark and the floors are wooden. It's been described as seedy and cheap, two of my favorite adjectives. PBR's are always $1.50 and they have over 100 bottled beers to choose from. It's Wilmington's oldest bar. I hear the drinks are stiff and the bathroom's full of graffiti.

Longstreets Irish Pub Their motto should be: Who couldn't use a little history with their beer?

This place is a must visit for any dive bar aficionado. Longstreets is a downstairs bar in historic downtown Wilmington. The physical address is 135 N. Front St. but it is easier to find by first looking for Fat Tony's (next door) and then heading into the door beside it and down some stairs. The bartenders are super friendly and informative. This place also promotes a drink called the Baltimore Zoo. It is tons of liquor poured into a glass on top of the Miller Lite all while you chug it. DEADLY!!!! Do not drink this drink unless it is your FIRST drink of the night. I tried it after about 12 beers and it wasn't a pretty site. As far as food goes, Fat Tony's will deliver to you at Longstreets, so you won't starve and you won't have to climb back up those stairs for at least another hour. :-)

Longstreets is also home to the largest urinal on the east coast. A relic left over from the fancy hotel it was long ago. The lady's room boasts a creepy old mirror. You know how mirrors get unreflective and cloudy after years upon years? Well that is what you look into there. Better plan to touch up your make up elsewhere. Pics of both are below.

FYI. On your way out be sure to stop by the Orton Pool Hall for some more tasty beer and take your picture playing on the table the legendary Mosconi played on once.

For a pic of the large urinal :

For a pic of the creepy mirror in the ladies room:

A Dive in NYC? YES! East Village

A dirty, redneck, dive in New York? Really? Apparently it is so. I guess every City needs a good dive. Thanks to a reader and fellow dive bar aficionado we have the following place to visit next time we find ourselves in NYC. I did my research and everyone agrees this place is a dive with regulars planted at the bar and all.
Doc Holliday’s

141 Ave A (at 9th St) East Village

DIRECTIONS: Subway: L to First Ave; 6 to Astor Pl

Cash only. Pabst in a can is $2, and four bucks will get you a well drink.
All you can drink bud light from 8pm to 11pm on Tuesdays. Some say AYCD for $5 others say $7. Their happy hour Buy One Get One Free specials happen DAILY from 5-8pm.

BEST TIME TO GO? During the week. I hear that Frat boys get out of hand on Friday and Saturday nights there. If you want a true dive bar experience, you probably want to avoid Fri and Sat nights.

Great Dive in Lakewood, WA

I have it on good authority from a former Washington resident that Rollies Tavern is a great place to visit. Thanks Ruth.

Rollie's Tavern
2404 So 112Th St Lakewood, WA 98499-8892

I checked this place out on the web and every review referred to the fact that it is a hole in the wall, bare bones kind of place. Despite the fact it serves food, this place does seem to fit into the dive guidelines. My friends review follows:

There was a lively and totally eclectic crowd that goes there. It was just interesting to watch everyone. Lots of military people from the McCord Air Force Base frequent there. They also serve food. Rollie is the owner and he owns one other tavern in town that isn't as popular as this one is. It is cool inside and is decorated with lots of military memorbilia. *Visited by Howard & Ruth Baker in Kannapolis, NC back in 2001

Best Dive Bar - Kure Beach, NC

Just because you are the only REAL bar on the beach doesn't make you the best dive necessarily. This place just happens to be one of the best dives around. If any bar deserves the DIVE designation, it is Kure Beach's own:

Bud and Joe's Tavern 106 K Ave Kure Beach, NC

Bud and Joe's is the only bar in Kure' beach proper. Located at 109 K Ave, it is a local favorite. If you don't like smoke, this isn't the bar for you. My husband bought a t-shirt from there, one he loves to wear and recommends by the way. It had been around so much smoke and absorbed so much smoke that it stunk up the whole car on the ride home. This is the type of place you are liable to witness some trailer park trash get into a marital dispute over the pool table. The locals are awesome, and will regale you with tales of the area. This place is definitely worth the trip if you are anywhere in the general vicinity, if not for a good, thick teeshirt, than for a good beer and an interesting story. Pool Tables for entertainment as well.

Best Dive Bars - Raleigh, NC

These recommendations come from my RDU counterparts. They have recommended a few places and I have done my research on them and came up with a top three dive bars:

#1 The Jackpot - The girls both enjoy this place. With a column like this: http://www.newsobserver.com/2920/story/1272785.html and reviews like these: http://triangle.citysearch.com/profile/35677408/raleigh_nc/jackpot.html there is no wonder this place made number 1 on my list.

#2 The Goat - When I stumbled across this gem in my research I asked the girls if they had given this place a try. One replied, "Yes, that place is totally a DIVE." Awesome. With an outside entrance that resembles an old strip club and specials like these, you can't miss: "SUNDAY - Mystery Beer Night! Our most popular night of the week. We fill trash cans with random beers; anything form Strohs to colt 45 to Guiness pub draft; you never know what you are gonna get. The bartender picks the beer out of the can and you get what he grabs for a $1....and try something off our "Bizarro Liquor Shelf" (Random liquors and liquers that you won't find at other bars, that we sell for half off!" OR THURSDAY - "Mystery Draft night. $2 16oz drafts. (We take all of our regular kegs off tap and replace them with random drafts and put a generic tap handle on them. You never know what you will get!)" ALL INFO TAKEN FROM: http://goat-bar.com/

#3 Deep South: $1 Busch Light every day, garbage can sandwiches, and tons of writing on the wall put this place in the list of great dives in Raleigh. The pictures do show a lot of pretty people though, so I guess I could be wrong about its dive worthiness, but hey there is nothing wrong with a little eye candy: http://www.deepsouththebar.com/

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

The Office Tavern = http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-office-tavern-raleigh
Slims = http://www.myspace.com/slimsdowntownraleigh
A place actually called The Dive http://www.myspace.com/DIVEbarRaleigh

Best Dive Bar - Hinesville, GA

This one comes highly recommended from one of our military personnel. He definitely knows his way around a dive bar so I trust his designation.

Jennifer's Big Apple
It is located right outside Fort Stewart. It's very much like a strip bar with that kind of setup, but the girls don't get naked. To make up for that they have great drink specials, on fridays buy a pitcher of beer and it's free the rest of the night. They also have a pool table if you get bored of looking at clothed women dancing. If your real lucky you might get to see some soldiers fighting.

Best Dive Bar - High Point, NC

High Point used to have the king of all dive bars. It was a place called Triple B's and it was just about the crunchiest place I have ever been in. Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on how you look at it, Triple B's was shut down for serving minors several years ago. I fondly remember drinking there when I was not quite yet 21. It was the only place I wasn't carded. Good times.

Now, High Point is at a loss for a dirty, dive bar. Most of the dives serve food and therefore are unqualified to be a true dive. So, I am left with one place and that is Triangle Billiards, or as it is now known:

"Club Triangle". I know that name makes it sound like a strip club, but it really isn't. It is pretty clean for a "dive" designation but it is the closest I have found in High Point (if you know of a place more worthy, email me and I will check it out).

Triangle hosts live bands every weekend and has a great selection of beer. They have a couple of pool tables for your amusement as well. For more info see their myspace site here: http://www.myspace.com/clubtriangle

*Other Notable Bars -
After Hours (formerly Finley's) on Main Street. It is a great relaxed place (dog friendly)to visit but way too clean to be considered a dive. They specialize in live music on Friday and Saturday. I suggest visiting on Sunday though. There are always colorful people at the bar to keep you talking and having a good time. www.myspace.com/afterhourstavern

Copperhood - The Copperhood (2619 South Main St. High Point, NC) could have gotten the dive designation, but they serve food. It is a great place, off of Main St., to visit. Even though it is off of Main, it is still considered off the beaten path because it is in the dying part of HP. It is a very low key and relaxed bar. The food isn't bad either.

Best Dive Bars - Greensboro, NC

Since I have lived in or near Greensboro my entire life, I am very familiar with the area. Greensboro has a very rich history of dirty dive bars and I am here to list the very best for you.

The Bench Tavern
The Bench Tavern is located on Lawndale across from Target(2614 Lawndale Dr). It is members only and they are very strict about this but if you are really nice, you can usually get someone to sign you in. It is Greensboro's oldest bar and it has a dedicated following. They usually have good drink specials and provide wings or some other food on Sunday's during football for free. There is even a pool table in the back for all you ADD folks.

College Hill Sundries
College Hill is located on the corner of Mendenhall and Spring Garden (900 Spring Garden St.) This is a favorite of the college crowd given it's close proximity to UNCG. You can always get a reasonable priced beer here and the bartenders are top notch. There is a pool table and a Foosball table along with several video games to keep you entertained. This place has special dive status because when they try to clean it up, they lose business. That is just proof, that everyone likes a good, dirty bar. (dog friendly)

<Westerwood Tavern
Westerwood is the coup de gras of Dives in Greensboro. Located at 508 Guilford Ave, it is definitely off the beaten path. They have a bar, a pool table, a Foosball table, a photo booth, a few video games, and a great little patio area for drinking, or jamming, or various other activities. They also have some of the best drink specials in Greensboro. If you are lucky enough to have Patty as your bartender when you visit, I promise you will be entertained. She is super high energy and just fun to be around. (Dog friendly)

You can view videos of jamming on the Westerwood patio here (RIP Mr. Benson):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5Eipy9__4c
and herehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYBAPeFRC28

HONORABLE MENTION:
All the bars on Walker St. There are 3 of them: Suds and Duds, Walker Street, & Wahoos. Be sure and check them out as well. They usually have great drink specials.

*Another place worth mentioning if you visit Greensboro:
Natty Greene's
This place is not a dive at all. They brew their own beer and it is awesome. Check them out. http://bigdraft.com/index2.html

Best Dive Bar - Savannah, GA

My hubby and I love visiting Savannah. It is a quaint town with a cobble stone river front and a park oriented historic district. There is quite a lot of bar hopping to be done on the river front, but if you are looking for a real dive haunted by locals as opposed to today's tourist, then the river front is NOT the place you want to be.

The best dive bar in Savannah is, hands down,
The Rail Pub.

The Rail is a one room bar with a unisex bathroom. It is located one block away from the City Market on Congress St. in the historic district. On Fridays and Saturdays first drinks are full price and your second is $1. This works for everything from a PBR to a top shelf scotch, buy one and your next is only $1. Best time to hit the Rail is on a Friday around 4:30 - 5. They have free chicken wings at that time and boy are they tasty.

For more info on The Rail, check out their myspace site: http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=125935745

Pinkie's Master Lounge

Located at: 318 Drayton St.

We found this place by accident one time, and by accident I mean walking around drunkenly at night trying to find our hotel! It took us a year to find it again, so here it is in print so we will never forget again. This is definitely a locals bar. They don't like tourists too much and aren't what you call welcoming, but they will serve you a beer and if you aren't an ass they will eventually warm up to you. The walls are decorated with signed pictures of a bunch of people you have never heard of before, but thats part of the charm. There are a few booths and a huge bar. Belly up! It's an experience.

Other places of to hit in Savannah:
* Moon River Brewing (some great local beer) http://www.moonriverbrewing.com/
* Vinnie Van Go Go's Pizza (best I have ever had) http://www.vinnievangogos.com/
* The Bar Bar (an underground bar, with a very hippie vibe during the day. They have tons of board games for you to play while drinking. FYI, it turns into a dance club late on Friday's and Saturdays and give off a completely different vibe. I suggest visiting before 8 pm on the weekend.) http://www.thebarbar.com/