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Nightlife:

B

(explain this grade)

Comparable Schools'
Nightlife Grades:

Quick Stats

Useful Resources for Nightlife

  • www.lehighlive.com

Student Favorites

  • Leon’s
  • McGrady’s
  • The Tally Ho

Primary Areas with Nightlife

  • 3rd Street
  • 4th Street
  • 5th Street

Other Places to Check Out

  • Lehigh Pub

Favorite Drinking Games

  • "Baseball"
  • Beirut
  • Card games
  • Flip cup
  • Power Hour
  • Quarters

Bars Close At

2 a.m.

Cheapest Place to Get a Drink

The three main bars are all priced about the same.

College Prowler Take

Fraternities dominate the social scene from freshman through junior year, as many students will probably spend more hours playing Beirut than in class or the library. A big reason for the tremendous popularity of the Hill is because local bars card very hard—it’s not unusual to hear of a Lehigh student who got arrested over the weekend trying to use a fake ID at Leon’s. As such, incoming freshman better get used to lots of Beirut.

Of course, some people complain that playing Beirut every night gets tedious, which is true for just about anything, but  students who are over 21 mix things up by going to the local bars. There are three main drinking establishments that students tend to choose: Tally Ho, McGrady’s, and Leon’s. Leon’s has always been a mainstay. Its prime location to off-campus housing and cheap prices make it a must-visit every weekend night. There are two other seldom-visited dive bars in the area: the Happy Tap and the Funhouse. The Funhouse was actually featured in Stuff’s 20 biggest dive bars in America and occasionally features live music, so it can be a refreshing alternative. On any given weekend night, there is also a fair number of free off-campus parties on Hillside Avenue, but they are usually exclusive to either seniors or members of whichever fraternity or sorority that is scheduled to party there. It’s much more inviting and safer for freshmen to wander the Hill in search of nightlife rather than off campus.

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Students Speak Out

Love your school more than free food? Hate your school more than term papers?
Somewhere in between? Show the world what YOU think of YOUR school:

Anonymous says:

The social scene at Lehigh...

The social scene at Lehigh revolves around fraternity life, so most of the partying is done on the Hill. Some people think it gets old, but I don’t agree.

Nightlife
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Anonymous says:

Parties on campus are either on...

Parties on campus are either on the Hill where all of the fraternity houses are located or off campus at students’ homes. There are three bars to choose from, The Tally Ho, Leon’s, and McGrady’s. All are pretty divey and relatively small, but everything is what you make of it, which at Lehigh, is usually a good time. The club scene at Lehigh is really lacking, as there are no clubs.

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Anonymous says:

Again, campus life is awesome for...

Again, campus life is awesome for a reason. There is not too much going on outside of campus. The Ho is a good happy hour bar, and Leon’s is the ultimate neighborhood spot—the bartender usually knows everyone’s name by the middle of first semester. In fact, it sometimes feels more like a house party than a bar. But, that’s what makes Lehigh great.

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Anonymous says:

You hear it every year: parties on...

You hear it every year: parties on campus aren’t what they used to be. And it’s true. I’m too far removed from the scene to tell you whether someone new would have fun or not, however, my best friend’s little sister was a freshman last year, and she had a blast, so maybe it’s just a matter of being jaded. McGrady’s has become the new Leon’s; everyone and their mom parties there, and its pretty much always packed on party nights Wednesdays to Saturdays. The Ho is still cool, and they often have worthy entertainment. My fave is and always will be the Funhouse. Hardly any of the standard Lehigh cliques go there, they have excellent entertainment, and the bar owner, Tina, is wonderful. If you’re looking for clubs, you may as well just save the energy and drive into Philly or NYC if you want to dance.

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Anonymous says:

The parties on campus are fun and...

The parties on campus are fun and are mostly focused on binge drinking and frequent random hookups. Leon’s, the Tally Ho, and McGrady’s are the good off-campus bars.

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Facts

Club Crawler

Don’t be fooled, Lehigh has absolutely no local clubs.

Bar Prowler

The “Big Three” (Leon’s, McGrady’s, the Ho) completely dominate Lehigh’s bar scene—not because any of them are particularly amazing, but rather that they are the most convenient. Most 21-year-olds live off campus as it is, and Leon’s is a block away from a good majority of houses. McGrady’s and the Ho are a quick car ride away, but be careful about driving drunk—Bethlehem police are always just around the corner. The Funhouse (which was actually voted one of the top 20 dive bars in Stuff Magazine), and the Happy Tap are alternatives, but most students stay away because both are extremely dive and are populated with townies. The Copperhead Grill is fun and enables students to take a break from the scene but also happen to be a car ride away, and very rarely do you find a Lehigh student eager to be the designated driver.

Organization Parties

The only organizational parties to speak of are the events orchestrated by the senior class leaders. There is a Senior Night party every other week, which usually entails a $5 cover. The money goes toward Senior Week at the beach in May, right before graduation.

Bar Listings

If possible, the Happy Tap may be even more of a dive than the Funhouse, although it does have a fair amount of character, as most dive bars do. The Tap is probably the least popular of all the bars among Lehigh students, but it’s incredibly cheap, and like the Funhouse, a good alternative to the normal scene.

Happy Tap Bar

601 E. 4th St.

South Side Bethlehem

(610) 865-2790

Leon’s has been a staple of Lehigh seniors for as long as it’s been in existence. There’s nothing overwhelmingly appealing about the bar, other than the fact that it’s the most convenient for the majority of people living off campus. Inside, it’s fairly standard. It has a pool table and the all-important MegaTouch Force machine, which includes the incredibly addicting Photo Hunt game, although Leon’s charges an obscenely overpriced $1 per play. Leon’s also has an outside area in the back with tables that is opened in warm weather. No one’s really sure why there’s a giant sandbox out on the back, but it’s there, and manages to add to the appeal of the bar. The bar’s most popular nights are Thursdays.

Leon’s

432 E. 5th St.

Bethlehem

(610) 868-6822

Looper’s is one of Lehigh’s underrated hotspots. The food is tremendous, and the bar focuses on martinis. It features more than 30 different kinds of martinis, all of which are specially made. It’s a hit among off-campus dwellers, and whenever anyone is in the mood for a martini or two.

Looper's Grille & Bar

313 E 3rd St.

Bethlehem

(610) 882-2424

McGrady’s has 40 beers on tap and has $3 pitchers of Miller Light on select nights. They also have trivia on Wednesday nights. The walls are covered with old-fashioned beer signs, and it has a very all-American appeal to it. McGrady’s has about a million times more seating than Leon’s and also features two Photo Hunt machines. One aspect of the bar that’s incredibly annoying is the layout; the actual bar itself juts out so much so that getting into the back seating area on a crowded night is nearly-impossible.

J.P. McGrady’s

117 E. 3rd St.

South Side Bethlehem

(610) 868-8925

Starter’s is an excellent sports bar and restaurant but is most often frequented at dinnertime and Sunday afternoons for football. It’s a fun bar but not the kind of place one hangs out at to get absolutely smashed.

Starter’s Pub

3731 Route 378

Bethlehem

(610) 997-5454

The Copperhead is probably the closest thing Bethlehem has to a club. The bar has karaoke Tuesdays, a DJ on Wednesdays and Fridays and a band on Saturdays. It’s also the biggest bar in the area and has become very popular with Lehigh seniors as a venue for bi-monthly “Senior Nights.” Copperhead’s main drawback is that it’s a trek from campus.

Copperhead Grille

5737 Route 378

Bethlehem

(610) 282-4600

www.copperheadgrille.com

The Element, located just off Lehigh's campus, features a laid-back, “basement-bar” feel. Flat-screen televisions adorn the walls, which is cool, but to be honest, the bar hasn’t really caught on.

The Element

336 Adams St.

Bethlehem

(610) 867-1741

The Funhouse appeared in Stuff Magazine’s 20 biggest dive bars in the country. Upon entering the bar, it will become blatantly apparent why it was honored with such a distinction. The drink selection is considerably limited, the bar is small and dingy, and about the only saving grace is that they have an area sectioned off for musical acts to perform. The Funhouse can be an alternative to the typical Leon’s/McGrady’s bar scene, but it must be taken in small doses.

The Funhouse

5 E. 4th St.

South Side Bethlehem

(610) 868-5311

The Ho is the oldest bar in Bethlehem’s south side. There are plenty of booths, as well as an excellent outdoor seating area, although it’s primarily used during the day for eating. The Ho also has a separate room for live musical acts and another separate game room with pool tables and arcade games, as well as a Photo Hunt machine. The Ho has seen its popularity decline somewhat, especially with the opening of McGrady’s, but the bar’s popular enough and has been such a mainstay that it won’t be going anywhere for a long time.

Tally Ho Tavern

205 W. 4th St.

South Side Bethlehem

(610) 865-2591

What to Do if You're Not 21

Attend fraternity parties or drink in your dorm room.

Most Recent Contributing Author

Name: Charlie Gimber
Hometown: Sudbury, MA
Major: English and Journalism

Charlie wrote a satirical restaurant review column for Lehigh's student newspaper.

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