Boston Area Bars for 21 Year Olds to Celebrate

Hi,

My daughter will be turning 21 in November and some of her out of state friends will be coming in town to help her celebrate. She wants to go to some Boston area bars that cater to college kids, etc. Since we live in the suburbs and she goes to school in the suburbs, she really is not familar with the Boston college bar scene.

Can any one provide suggestions as to where she and her friends can go to have a good time? We are familiar with the Fanueil Hall area (but not sure if this is an area a lot of college kids go to). I think they would prefer to frequent an area that has bars within walking distance of each other, maybe Harvard Square, Allston, etc.

Any and all feedback would be greatly appreciated!

Boston Area Bars for 21 Year Olds to Celebrate

I have to admit, I was 21 a long time ago (sigh). But when I was I lived in Brighton on Commonwealth Avenue. This may seem obvious, but the college kids hang around near the colleges (BU, Harvard, MIT, etc...).

One option is Commonwealth Avenue near BU. The added benefit here is that the T Green Line - B Train runs along this route and if they get bored with where they are, they can hop the T and go somewhere else.

Also Lansdowne Street (Fenway Stop) always has lots going on and it is where all the clubs are. You might want to check the Red Sox schedule because anytime there is a game, parking and getting there is going to be tougher.

I suggest coming into the city by T anyway, it is convenient and you can leave to visit other areas without spending lots of time looking for parking.

Boston Area Bars for 21 Year Olds to Celebrate

If she is looking for college-age people, definitely the bar scene along Brighton Ave in Allston is good. The Sunset Grill is usually a busy place.

Harvard Sq. is also a good place to check out. Lots of bars and clubs there too, which would attract a younger crowd.

Oh this is my favorite topic as that I%26#39;m still in many ways a college kid myself. I%26#39;m 23, so I probably could give you a good idea. Alright some of my favorite college bars are:

Hong Kong Cafe- Harvard Square- I came there on my 21st birthday. Great place to drink giant scorpion bowls (not to be missed) and upstairs there is a pretty cool dancefloor area. I never stay here long but it%26#39;s a good place to go and get pumped. The People Republic- One thing I like about this bar--laid back college kids--cheap drinks--dart board and is a great place to just go and hang out with a large group for awhile. If she wants to dance to 80%26#39;s she should try the Phoneix landing in Central Square--it has a good bar but the dancing is even better.

In Allston--that%26#39;s the most collegesque of the bar sceanes but the atmosphere in each place really varies. Thursday night is great at the Common Ground--cute bar with a great 80%26#39;s night. However, for cheap drinks and pool with a very very large area to hang out in with a big group--try Big Sky. Also, in Allston you can just tool around and just wander into bars (There are a lot of them) Harvard bars...it%26#39;s always a little walk. AnaTuaNua in Kenmore is great for dancing and hanging out--and is very popular for the college sceane.

Geez, wherever the rain falls, you%26#39;ll find college kids drinking...

In town?

North Station area has The Harp and Paddy Burke%26#39;s amongst others.

Faneuil Hall - Green Dragon, Purple Shamrock, Bell In Hand, The Rack, Cheers in Quincy Marketplace, Durgin Park, Black Rose, amongst others

Boston Common/Theatre District has The Alley on Boylston between Charles and Tremont; a very popular spot with a handful of bars

Back Bay along Boylston St - Cactus Club, Pour House, Daddy%26#39;s, Whiskey%26#39;s, amongst others

Davis Square in Somerville is very popular with the Joshua Tree, The Burren, and a couple more

Harvard Square has numerous bars.....

Allston/Brighton - in Allston around Harvard/Brighton Aves you have the Kinvara, the Kells, Harper%26#39;s Ferry, amongst others, and the Green Briar and The Last Drop along Washington St in Brighton

Fenway Park - all the bars and clubs along Lansdowne Street, Copperfield%26#39;s and Boston Billiards and others along Brookline Ave.

Drink and be merry, and hope you have a designated driver!!

The two that come to mind immediately are The Kells in Allston and The Harp across the street from North StationFleet Center. I can%26#39;t stand either of them any more because they%26#39;re big bars filled with college kids but I LOVED them when I was in my early 20%26#39;s. Usually great fun dancing to bands and/or djs, and close to other bars. Faneiul Hall area would be fun for them with the Purple Shamrock, the Bell in Hand, and Ned Devine%26#39;s.

Please make sure they have a driver! Maybe rent a van with a driver? The T stops running before the bars close and the commuter rail stops even earlier.

Thanks so much for all the suggestions!

I second recommendations for The Kells in Allston. My friends and I frequented that place in college, and I think it%26#39;s somewhat improved since then. It used to be a bit dingy, but it%26#39;s been renovated in the last few years. Great Scott across from Harvard Ave is also very popular. And Harvard Ave is close to a few other very popular college hangouts on Commonwealth and Brighton Ave - T%26#39;s Pub (has karaoke on certain nights), Tonic (upscale place to dance), White Horse (slightly more ';adult'; atmosphere) and Our House (very casual, popular with the hipster crowd). And everything there is easily accessible by public transportation so they can bar hop with ease. Tell her to have fun, I know I did!

Allston definitely is a huge college playground with BU, BC and Northeastern near by. It%26#39;s great for a 21st because you can do a lot of bar hopping in a small amount of time. The downside is that many of the bars in the area require a cover charge after a certain time on weekends (I believe around 11 pm), so depending on which day of the week she turns 21 this is definitely something to look into as you don%26#39;t want to be spending money just to get in to every place you go. Some bars in the area, like White Horse, also tend to get lines later in the night when the bars reach capacity, so I recommend hitting only 2 places, especially if you get a late start, because otherwise it most likely won%26#39;t be worth the amount of time you wait in line, walk, etc.

Otherwise if she%26#39;s looking for something different, the Theater District has a lot to offer. A bar called the Liquor Store opened up not too long ago in the Alley and has become quite popular (another called The Big Easy is across the street). When a friend turned 21 we hit up these places and had a great time.

You%26#39;re be hard pressed not to find college students at most bars in the city, so I think your daughter won%26#39;t go wrong wherever she goes.

And as a last addition, if your daughter is looking for some place special to start off the night, I%26#39;d recommend the Bristol Lounge in the 4 Seasons. It obviously skews older and is a bit more pricy than your average Allston bar, but they have a lot of unique, special drinks. They also tend to spoil their patrons with little extras like chocolate dipped strawberries, so it%26#39;s a great place for an extra special night.

Oh and just as an FYI....T-service stops around 12:50, so just make sure your daughter and her friends know to bring along extra $$$ for a cab ride. There used to be a night owl bus that ran until 2 pm along the same route as the T, but I believe this has since been suspended.