Nov 24, 2012; Columbus, OH, USA; A general view of Ohio State Buckeyes fans on the field after the game against the Michigan Wolverines at Ohio Stadium. Ohio State Buckeyes defeated Michigan Wolverines 26-21. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

Josh Klein is a writer for FanSided partner BroJackson.com. For more great content, head on over to Bro Jackson and check out Josh’s work.

My friends and I took an impromptu trip last year to attend the Kansas City Chiefs-Carolina Panthers game, finding a last minute cheap hotel room in the nearby suburb of Overland Park, Kansas. After gorging on enough ribs and brisket to make Fred Flintstone’s cholesterol rise, and getting drunk in the Arrowhead parking lot, we returned to our hotel room thinking one thing: Where’s the next bar? A quick search revealed that we were less than a mile from a bar with a yelp review boasting the “worst bar in Overland Park” in the middle of a business center called Fred P. Ott’s Bar & Grill. Not surprisingly, it was not busy on a Sunday night in December, but we had a ridiculously good time, bonding with some of the locals who regaled us with stories of what a fun town Overland Park was, and how we should stay for another night. Needless to say, we didn’t. Maybe Overland Park is a hell of a town (Editor’s Note: It is not.) and we’ll never know it; but this list showcases some actual gems for you to explore. Everyone expects to have the time of your life in Vegas, New York City, or New Orleans, but you might have an even better time in one of these towns a little off the beaten path:

Milwaukee, WI

Bars Close: 2 AM Sunday-Thursday; 2:30 AM Friday/Saturday

When To Go: Summerfest , a 2 weekend music festival that costs as little as $9 a day.

Why Milwaukee?: Milwaukee and Chicago are very similar. They both have a downtown that is on both a river and a lake, fat guys with hilarious accents, and people wanting to fight you for insulting their football team. But only one has both the respect of Alice Cooper , and your fraternity’s favorite beer , and until you’ve drowned your sorrows in a Lakefront IBA and a bucket of fried cheese curds, you haven’t lived.

Savannah, GA

Bars Close: 3 AM

When To Go: St. Patrick’s Day , rumored to be the second-largest party in the US, behind only Chicago

Why Savannah?: This beautiful city perched on the river between South Carolina and Georgia is one of eight places in the United States to boast an open container law, allowing you to carry alcohol in clear plastic cups anywhere in the Historic District, as well as a 24-hour McDonalds with a walk-up window (the true sign of a party city).

Charleston, SC

Bars Close: 2 AM

When To Go: Charleston Wine & Food Festival , a weekend long party that engulfs the entire downtown area.

Why Charleston?: I’ll leave this to my friend Taylor, who lives in Chucktown, and had this to say: College of Charleston is here, which is a good not great school combined with the fact that it’s 70/30 females to males (That may not be 100% correct but Jesus, it seems like it.) so there are literally TONS of hot, not exactly super-smart, young, beach-going, tanned, young girls EVERYWHERE you go. Meaning every bar, every after party, every restaurant. (And yes, he did write young twice. He is a creep.)

Dillon, CO

Bars Close: 2 AM

When To Go: Ski Season, Duh.

Why Dillon?: In between Breckenridge and Keystone ski areas is the mountain town where the locals live. If you’re a ski bum, you live in Dillon. If you live in Denver and come to the mountains to party, you go to Dillon. If you don’t know how to ski, but want to wear your cool Carolina Panthers scarf and get really drunk because you’re almost 9k above sea level, you go to Dillon (not that I’m speaking from experience.) The rich kids are in Vail and Aspen, but the cool kids are dancing and getting hammered at Ollie’s and Backcountry Brewery, but make sure you’re staying close to Main St, the cabs are few and far between up here.





Portland, OR

Bars Close: 2:30 AM

Why Portland?: While you may think of Portland as all female-owned bookstores and brunch places, the city actually has the most number of craft breweries in an American city, a killer live music scene, and a downtown scene surrounding the river (I’m a sucker for drinking and looking at bodies of water at the same time.) Add in fully nude strip clubs, and you’re having a fantastic party weekend.

Omaha, NE

Bars Close: 2 AM

Why Omaha?: Let me preface this paragraph with a warning: DO NOT GO TO OMAHA UNLESS IT IS DURING THE COLLEGE WORLD SERIES. Omaha is a sleepy burgh which up until 2010 sent it’s inhabitants drunkenly across the river to Council Bluffs, Iowa at 1 AM to drink for an extra hour every night, until finally changing their bars’ closing times to 2 AM like the rest of the country. But for ten days a year, eight colleges descend on the city to turn that sleepy town into THIS THIS is something you want to experience at one point in your life. Omaha Bonus: fun indoor football team name alert!





Columbus, OH

Bars Close: 2:30 AM



When To Go: Ohio State University Homecoming Weekend , October 18th-20th