Old Town or Campus West: Where Should I Drink?
When it comes to going out for a night on the town in Fort Collins, there are really two options for bars. You can either head over to the campus west area and hit up the bars along Elizabeth Street or you can head down to Old Town Fort Collins and pick any number of bars to go enjoy the evening. While Campus West isn’t a bad choice, I am here to tell you that if you are looking to have a great night at the bars, you should head down to Old Town.
Old Town IS Fort Collins. There is a reason it’s always packed on any given evening, especially the weekends. People head down to Old Town for any number of reasons. There are plenty of places to grab some delicious food, catch a concert at one of the concert halls, and of course enjoy a few drinks with your friends at one of the many bars. The reason that I feel like Old Town has the edge is because of how many different bars there are to choose from, and the different variety of vibes the bars give off.
There is a bar for just about everyone in Old Town. If you like to play pool there is Tony’s or CooperSmith’s. If you like to dance there is The Drunken Monkey, Rec Room, and Bondi. If you like to just sit, drink, and listen to music there is Lucky Joe’s or Trailhead. Old Town provides a variety of bars that Campus West can’t match. Old Town is the place to go if you and your crew are looking to party or just enjoy a casual drink. There is a place for everyone.
As for Campus West, there isn’t as many options as far as bars, and there isn’t anywhere to go if you and your friends are looking to get crazy. Road 34 and Mo Jeaux’s are fun places to go if you are just looking to sit and drink, but those are the only two options in that part of town. I think that Barcade has the edge over Pinball Jones in Old Town, but that’s about the only thing advantage I would give Campus West over Old Town. The only two bars remaining are Fuzzy’s and CB & Potts (which is moving away soon!), and those are primarily restaurants. There are five bars to choose from on that side of town, and none of those places are ideal if you and your friends are looking to dance.
Personally, I have never had a bad time on that side of town. But I, along with all of my friends always head over to Old Town if we are really looking to have a good time. Camp West is the place to go if your looking for a nice bar to grab a casual drink with your friends, but if you’re looking to get a little crazy Old Town is your spot.
Old Town is a large part of what makes Fort Collins great and because of that there is a different feeling attached to that area. With that being said, Campus West is home to some great bars but it is no match for the bars in Old Town.
