If you’re looking to mix up the typical gatherings you share with friends or coworkers, why not try bar crawls? A well-planned bar crawl is a cheap and easy way to elevate your night out or work party into something everyone involved will remember for a lifetime. But there are a few things to keep in mind before you set out can separate a successful bar crawls from a bust.
Strategy for the most epic bar crawls
The first thing to keep in mind is that you’ll probably need to look into the schedules and calendars of each bar you’ll be attending. You can’t always just show up unannounced with a giant group at any place any day of the week. They might have a special event for which you need to buy tickets, or they might just be excessively crowded for you to swoop in for one or two drinks. There’s nothing worse for your crawl than losing pace by getting stuck in a crowded bar where it takes 45 minutes to get a drink—or what’s worse, getting stuck at the door with a full group.
Secondly, you’ve probably seen that a lot of bar crawls have extravagant themes. But while dressing up in a onesie or having a TV show-based trivia crawl are great ideas for large sponsored events, an affair with a dozen or two of your best mates or coworkers doesn’t necessarily have to have anything quirky to be legendary. The true heart of a pub crawl is that you’re all working toward a common goal together. You don’t have to have a gimmick to generate enthusiasm among your party: just get everyone on board into the idea of knocking a bar off the itinerary and trucking on!
Are you ready?
Lastly, you’ll need to suggest some sort of limitations on how much time you spend drinking at each establishment. You’re going to be drinking all night long: you don’t want to be so drunk by halfway through your crawl that you’re literally crawling to the next stop. One to two drinks taken together as a game at each spot is ideal for keeping on schedule without losing people left and right.
If you only go to 5 bars and have 2 drinks per bar, that’s already 10 drinks by the end of the night! If you go harder than that, many people won’t even make it to the end—which pretty much defeats the purpose of a group pub crawl in the first place. Stick together and finish your drinks together!
Recommendations: Downtown Minneapolis
So much for the generic recommendations. Let’s get specific about Minneapolis itself. While there’s no way you’ll even scratch the surface of all the drinking holes Minneapolis has to offer, but here is a short sample bar crawl that will take you through a variety of bars if you’re looking to explore downtown.
There’s no better place to start your bar crawl than at the Pourhouse Downtown. Since you and your mates are going to want to get some food in you before you set off on your epic quest, we have a suggestion. You’ll probably want to take advantage of the great 2-for-1 deals on food and drinks at the Pourhouse from 4-7 PM. Plus, if you’ve got a Twins ticket from earlier in the day, the Pourhouse will give you a free drink!
(Bro)mantic Sunset
After having a bit of a snack and grabbing a quick drink, keep your energy up by taking the 12-minute walk south to Brit’s Pub & Eating Establishment. Brit’s Pub will make you feel like you’re at your regular village pub as you enjoy a pint with some Scotch eggs and fish and chips—if you’re still hungry after the Pourhouse, that is. You may even want to time it so you can watch people play lawn bowling as the sunsets.
Next, walk a block up to The Local, where you can keep it in theme with a draft Guinness at an Irish pub with authentic interior decor and a staff that strives to be the friendliest in Minneapolis. Next, you’ll trek a few blocks north to Kieran’s Irish Pub, where you can round out your tour of the UK by either listening to live music or sipping on whiskey and chatting in a quiet corner table. For your penultimate stop, consider heading a mere two blocks to Clockwerk’s Brewing.
Embrace your inner beer connoisseur here by sampling from this local brewery’s unique offerings. Finally, there’s no better place to end your crawl than a couple of blocks away back at The Pourhouse, whereby this point you and your friends can lose track of each other as you enjoy your final drinks among the big crowds.
Recommendations: Uptown Minneapolis
If you’re planning your crawl in uptown instead of downtown Minneapolis, you’re in luck! The Pourhouse has an uptown location too. Come and start your night with at a Prohibition-themed bar with plenty of TVs to catch your evening sports news. And if you can manage to get everyone there on a Thursday, the Pourhouse Uptown has bottles of Absolut for only $100! If you want to get off to a running start, what better way than with a couple of premium but affordable shots all around?
Next, keep things light by drinking and playing some fun games right around the corner at the Libertine. Skee ball? Ping pong? Nintendo 64? A few rounds of lighthearted fun is a great way to keep momentum in the early stages of your night. Plus, they’ve got plenty of interesting food if you’re still hungry. Keep up with the gaming by heading over to Williams Pub and Peanut Bar, where you can play pool and darts while you enjoy their huge selection of beer with your free peanuts and popcorn.
Get some fresh air
After the crowd at Williams, it will be nice to get some fresh air. Head next to Uptown Tavern & Rooftop, where you can enjoy some second-story views of the city and rest up for the last leg of your night. From here, head over to the Hammer & Sickle for a Moscow Mule and hip modern European and Russian cuisine. As Hammer & Sickle is a quaint venue, you’ll want to call ahead if you’ve got a larger group. And if your group is way too big, you may just want to skip this stop. You don’t want to stall out, remember?
Lastly, if you’ve managed to keep the whole crew on track through all these stops, head across the street for your last stop back at the Pourhouse Uptown. There’s nothing like ending your epic Friday or Saturday night by enjoying bottle service with your fellow crawlers while you listen to some great live music!
Get Crawling Today – epic bar crawls are waiting!
These are just a couple samples for bar crawls in Minneapolis. All in all, there’s nothing too complicated about: pick places with good food and good drinks that aren’t too far apart. And be realistic about how many bars you and your party can pull off in a night. One thing for sure, though—you’re going to want to anchor your experience at a tried and true Minneapolis establishment like The Pourhouse. It offers you a little bit of everything at both of its locations!