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North Carolina State University - Nightlife - College ProwlerCollege Prowler3.46

Nightlife

B
Where does this grade come from?View all Nightlife rankingsReview this school to add your opinion

Comparable Schools' Nightlife Grades:

Quick Stats

Primary Areas with Nightlife Downtown Raleigh
Student Favorites
  • The Flying Saucer
  • Hi 5 Restaurant & Sports Bar
  • The Player's Retreat
  • Rum Runners
Other Places to Check Out
  • Alltel Pavilion
  • Brewery
  • Cat’s Cradle
  • Club Oxygen
  • Rialto
  • Stool Pigeons
Favorite Drinking Games
  • Beer Die
  • Beer pong
  • Card games (A$$hole)
  • Century Club
  • Circle of Death
  • Flip cup
  • High or Low
  • Power Hour
  • Quarters
Useful Resources for Nightlife
  • Facebook
  • MySpace
  • Raleigh Independent
  • The Technician (NCSU student paper)

Student Author OverviewWhat's This?

Nightlife in Raleigh is raring to go as soon as Thursday night rolls around. There are many fraternity and house parties going on for “Thirsty Thursdays.” With plenty of bars and clubs open with specials, college kids are calling cabs left and right. If you do not want to drop any money on a cover charge or cab, friends will just get together and throw down together nearby. Alltel Pavilion is a huge concert venue near campus where big shows are played by people like the Rolling Stones, Garth Brooks, and the Allman Brothers.

The only real complaint is that sometimes it is hard to go see an open-mic night or a local band play if you’re not 21. That is just a tough break with the law; everyone has to go through it. Bars and clubs are making gestures to help change the underage discrimination by staying open for those under 18 certain nights of the week. The dating scene is popular, and there are many options for a date, whether it is a trip to the park, a romantic dinner at Frazier’s (on Hillsborough Street), or just going to a bar to hang out and have a few drinks.

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NC State Student ReviewsWhat's This?

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Nightlife at North Carolina State University

WolfyRob

'09

Business Administration and Management

3.1
B-

Skip Downtown

If you arent ready to pay for gas, parking, and then high end liquors and walking then just hang around campus areas. Try to find a dorm or apartment party at the least, then if going down the street to say Sammy's then finding a chill place to meet new people or hang with friends isnt far actually. Do have many 'go-to' friends if you are ina bind and dont have a secure ride, as the taxi system is very sketchy.

Dec 02, 2011

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Nightlife at North Carolina State University

grenade007

'15

Industrial and Product Design

3.8
B+

Pretty Good

Frats throw some pretty good parties, but they definitely have room to improve. There is some fun stuff to do downtown as well and hanging out in the dorms can be fun too.

Nov 16, 2011

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Nightlife at North Carolina State University

kcallahan93

'15

Psychology

0.8
D-

Not so great

I'm an out of state freshman, and nightlife is terrible. Theres usually nothing going on besides small frat parties. It may be better if you know a lot of people from high school going here, but if you don't know anyone nightlife is definitely lacking. If you are looking for a school with good night life, I'll save you the trouble of going here and being disappointed.

Nov 09, 2011

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Page 1 of 8

Student Survey Poll ResultsWhat's This?

Rate the off-campus bar and club scene on the following topics

What is the party scene like on campus?

What’s the best way to get to the popular nightlife spots?

Facts

Club Crawler

There are many places to go for dancing. Many are bars and clubs that have the policy that those 18 and up may enter but must be 21 to drink. Places like this usually have a slightly higher cover charge for those under 21. Dive Bar and Hi 5 are two of the most popular places students visit.

Bar Prowler

Most bars are located in downtown Raleigh, but are still a close cab ride away. Downtown Raleigh makes it easy to go barhopping.

Closing Time

2 a.m.

Cheapest Place to Get a Drink

East Village

Flying Saucer

Organization Parties

Occasionally, colleges within the University will have formals or parties. The College of Design is known to have a really fun Halloween bash. The College of Textiles hosts a formal called Lint Dodgers every spring.

Club ListingsWhat's This?

The Office

The Office is a nightclub for those 21 and up. College kids will gather here for a night of dancing.

310 S. West St.

(919) 828-9994

www.theofficenightclub.com

Red Room

This is a very trendy club where students come to hang out, whether it’s by lounging around or dancing.

510 Glenwood Ave.

(919) 835-1322

www.redroomraleigh.com

Hi 5 Restaurant & Sports Bar

Hi 5 is a restaurant where students will gather to watch the game or go out late at night for food, drinks, and dancing.

510 Glenwood Ave.

(919) 834-4335

Lincoln Theater (Raleigh)

This is a very popular venue that plays all sorts of music. Be sure to keep an eye out for when the local favorite Who’s Bad, a Michael Jackson cover band, comes to play. It’s a small venue, so be prepared to be surrounded by dancing, singing, and drinking people. Underagers are permitted.

126 E. Cabarrus St.

(919) 821-4111

Bar ListingsWhat's This?

The Cantina

Located on Hillsborough Street, with an outdoor patio upstairs and downstairs, this is a smaller bar and not quite as popular as East Village, but it’s still crowded on the weekend. The décor of the bar, with fun colored lights, makes it a nice place to just hang out.

3011 Hillsborough St.

Raleigh

(919) 832-4541

East Village Grill & Bar

Its location off of Hillsborough Street makes this a popular destination for those on and off campus, since it’s in walking distance of campus and other local bars. An outdoor patio makes it nice to come for dinner or just drinks.

1 Dixie Trl.

Raleigh

(919) 821-9985

www.eastvillagegrill.com

Flying Saucer Draught Emporium

The Flying Saucer scene is laid-back, and you’ll find yourself surrounded by local students. While the bar is popular on the weekend, the Saucer is mainly a hotspot on Mondays for $2.50 pint night. Loyal customers come back with the goal to drink every beer the bar has to offer in order to get a saucer on the wall with their name on it.

328 W. Morgan St.

Raleigh

(919) 821-7468

www.beerknurd.com

Metro Café & Lounge

309 Blake St.

Raleigh

(919) 926-8796

www.metrocafe.org

The Players' Retreat

105 Oberlin Road

Raleigh

(919) 755-9589

www.playersretreat.net

The Pour House

The Pour House dances to its own beat, literally, as this bar is known as a venue for local artists to play for college students. The live music is usually along the lines of alternative rock.

224 S. Blount St.

Raleigh

(919) 821-1120

www.the-pour-house.com

Rum Runners

Very popular for the college crowd around Raleigh and located downtown, students often gather here on Wednesday night for specials on liquor pitchers.

208 E. Martin St.

Raleigh

(919) 755-6436

www.rumrunnersusa.com

Tir Na Nog Irish Pub & Restaurant

A fun local Irish bar with a mixture of people. This bar is located in downtown Raleigh and attracts both college students and young working adults—especially on weekdays after work.

218 S. Blount St.

Raleigh

(919) 833-7795

www.tnnirishpub.com

What to Do if You're Not 21What's This?

If you’re not 21, it’s really not so bad. Even though it seems like forever when your friends are all 21 and you’re still waiting, there is still plenty to do. It helps if you go check out bars like Mitch’s Tavern (right on Hillsborough Street), because it’s a bar that admits those 18 and up, and there is no cover charge. Also, Helios Coffee Company on Glenwood is a great place to chill and take in a local band.

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Most Recent Student Author

College Prowler guides are in the hands of students throughout the entire process. Because you can't make student-written guides without the students, we have students at each campus who write, edit, and survey their peers for every guide that we publish. Thanks to our most recent student author at NCSU

Name: Matthew J. Cote

Hometown: Teaneck, NJ

Major: English: Language, Writing, and Rhetoric

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