Tonight’s the opening night for rooftop parties Downtown, so I figured I’d publish sort of a “rooftop party orientation guide” for those new to Downtown or to Memphis, or who’ve never attended the rooftop parties before, and are considering it.<\/p>\n
The Peabody Hotel<\/strong> will have weekly parties every Thursday from 6 to 10 PM.\u00a0 Tonight they will have Lord T and Eloise as their headliner, with Free Sol performing earlier in the evening and Shinedown opening things up.\u00a0 Admission to these parties is $5, with ladies getting in free before 8 PM.<\/p>\n (Note: Tonight’s Peabody party has been moved to their Grand Ballroom due to the fact that they expect a huge crowd.\u00a0 Future parties will be on the roof.)<\/em><\/p>\n The Madison Hotel<\/strong> kicks off their rooftop party season tonight as well.\u00a0 Elmo and the Shades will be tonight’s featured entertainment there.<\/p>\n For those new to Downtown, which should you choose, Peabody or Madison?\u00a0 The Peabody is a larger rooftop, about 4 times the size of the Madison.\u00a0 Average age is 20s and it’s a see-and-be-seen atmosphere with many of the ladies putting on their hottest outfits.\u00a0 Bands tend to be party\/cover bands.\u00a0 The Madison is a more mature crowd, with average age probably 40s, although it attracts all ages from 21 to 70s.\u00a0 Musical acts are selected to appeal to the older crowd, and to accommodate the smaller space.<\/p>\n Me personally?\u00a0 When I go to either of the rooftop parties, I tend to go to the Peabody.\u00a0 Younger, more fun.\u00a0 I have to be in the mood to deal with the crowd, though, some of whom give off a “trying way too hard to impress” vibe.\u00a0 The Madison usually books the Dempseys a couple of times per season, which is enough to draw me that direction.<\/p>\n By the way, the Peabody and Madison are only 2 1\/2 blocks apart, so there’s no reason you can’t try both without having to park the car a second time.<\/p>\n What if you want to stay out after the rooftop parties, which are over by 10?\u00a0 A lot of places have opened, closed, or changed ownership since last year’s rooftop season, so it’s hard to figure out what to do.\u00a0 Here are my top recommendations:<\/p>\n If you want to go to a nightclub and dance, my top pick would be the Red Rooster<\/strong>, on Second just south of Beale.\u00a0 Great place to hear live music, and the DJ spins good tunes when the bands are on break.\u00a0 Big club, good food in huge portions, good drinks, lots of TVs, friendly staff.\u00a0 They do Ladies’ Night on Thursdays, where ladies get in free and enjoy $2.50 Rooster Booster Punch Bowls in their Ladies’ Night cups.\u00a0 There’s also a “You’ve Got the Look” contest, where the winner will receive a designer filled Coach purse.<\/p>\n If you want more of a lounge-type setting with good cocktails, I have two recommendations.\u00a0 One is Automatic Slim’s<\/strong>, under new ownership since last year and now staying open until 3 AM.\u00a0 Michael Patrick, the new chef, has created a spectacular late-night menu.\u00a0 Mark Anderson is the DJ.\u00a0 According to their website, they will have dollar martinis until 10 PM, so you may want to duck out of the rooftop party early to take advantage of that special.\u00a0 Slim’s is on Second across from the Peabody.<\/p>\n Another good lounge-type place is the Silly Goose<\/strong>, on Peabody Place between Main and Second.\u00a0 It’s in the location that used to be Swig, but it’s a lot less pretentious now.\u00a0 Nearly 300 different liquors at the bar, lots of comfy couches to sit on, one of the best patios in Downtown Memphis.\u00a0 This has quickly become one of my favorite bars.<\/p>\n If you want something more relaxed, try Bardog Tavern<\/strong> on Monroe between Front and Main.\u00a0 It’s a dark little neighborhood bar that is less than a year old but feels like it’s been there at least 20.\u00a0 Classic cocktails, 10 beers on tap, food that’s far better than typical bar food.\u00a0 Like the Goose, this was one of my favorites almost from the day it opened.<\/p>\n If you just want a damn beer and like the idea of drinking it in a big, crowded bar, then of course there’s the Flying Saucer<\/strong>, at Second and Peabody Place.\u00a0 70 beers on tap, another 120 in bottles; liquor and wine selection as well, but limited.\u00a0 The Saucer has bands every Thursday starting at 9:30 PM.\u00a0 Tonight it’s White Noise Theory; next Thursday they’ll have the Dempseys.\u00a0 Tends to be very crowded between 10 PM and midnight on rooftop party nights.\u00a0 Garage-door style windows offer great people-watching.\u00a0 They sell cigars too, if that’s your thing.<\/p>\n If you went to Hoop’s Bar post-rooftop last year, check out the Voodoo Room<\/strong> in the downstairs of Orleans on Front, on Front Street just south of Union.\u00a0 That’s where you’ll find Hoop now that EP’s\/Hoop’s is closed.\u00a0 The beer pong table, PBR cans and the Wii made the trip to the new place as well.<\/p>\n If you just want to grab a burger before you head home:\u00a0 Huey’s<\/strong> (Second at Union) and Kooky Canuck<\/strong> (Second, just south of Union) are good choices and nearby.\u00a0 If you’re wondering what Kooky Canuck is, it’s Big Foot Lodge under a new name.\u00a0 No more “Big Foot” or “Sasquatch” or “Yeti” or “Meghan,” but otherwise the same exact concept.\u00a0 $3.99 34 oz. Super Cold Coors Light is still there.<\/p>\n Parking recommendations:<\/strong> The Parking Can Be Fun garage on Union between Front and Main, or one of the three garages on Peabody Place.\u00a0 These are open and attended 24 hours.\u00a0 Or you can park on the street – metered spaces are free after 6 PM.\u00a0 (If someone tries to charge you to park in a metered space, they’re not an attendant.\u00a0 They’re a bum trying to scam you.\u00a0 Don’t fall for it.)<\/p>\n There ya go – that should get you started exploring Downtown on spring and summer Thursday nights.\u00a0 My plan is to hit the Flying Saucer for happy hour, then wander over to the Peabody.\u00a0\u00a0 Hope to see you out!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Tonight’s the opening night for rooftop parties Downtown, so I figured I’d publish sort of a “rooftop party orientation guide” for those new to Downtown or to Memphis, or who’ve never attended the rooftop parties before, and are considering it. The Peabody Hotel will have weekly parties every Thursday from 6 to 10 PM.\u00a0 Tonight … Continue reading “Rooftop party orientation guide: Which party is more your style, where to go afterward, where to park”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.paulryburn.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3487"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.paulryburn.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.paulryburn.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.paulryburn.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.paulryburn.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3487"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/www.paulryburn.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3487\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3489,"href":"http:\/\/www.paulryburn.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3487\/revisions\/3489"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.paulryburn.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3487"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.paulryburn.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3487"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.paulryburn.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3487"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}