Las Vegas Bucket List: 24 Hours of Dive Bar Heaven

It doesn’t matter who you are, you’ve at some point frequented a dive bar and enjoyed it. For those that claim they’ve never been to a dive bar, well, you are definitely missing out. If you’re in Vegas, then just know we’ve got an abundance of dive bars of all varieties depending on your personal preferences. Not sure what makes a good dive bar? Well, you’re in luck because we have 24-hours on a dive-bar bender that will help you find which one you like the most and why you need to make sure you frequent one every time you’re in Sin City.

9 p.m. Atomic Liquors
Okay, you’ve arrived in Vegas, you’ve had your first meal and now you’re ready to head out for a night on the town, but you want to try something different. Your first stop is not only one of our favorites, but also one of Anthony Bourdain’s – you know that crazy guy who eats whatever is on his plate wherever he is, yeah, that guy. Make friends with the bartenders, especially Rosie, if she’s on shift and sweet talk the barkeep into letting you try the stash of sour beers. If that’s not your thing, try one of the 20 microbrews on tap or just step up and ask for a rando cocktail – no matter what you get it’ll be cheap. This is one fun place to spend your night and while it’s off the beaten path a bit, you’ll be working your way back to your Strip hotel after your dive-bar bender is over, we promise.  917 Fremont Street, Las Vegas, 89101

11:15 p.m. Backstage Bar & Billiards
Once you’ve had your fill of sour beers or whatever inexpensive concoction you’ve consumed, it’s time to move on and within walking distance of Atomic Liquors is Boomer’s Bar. This is a pretty spacious bar that offers a nice dark ambiance to consume booze and people watch a bit. If you’re lucky, you might be able to catch a live burlesque show, which usually runs about $20 a pop – not bad for some live Vegas entertainment. 601 E. Fremont St., Las Vegas, 89101

1:45 a.m. Huntridge Tavern
It’s time to hop in that cab and check out another one of Vegas’ finest dive bars. Head to the Huntridge Tavern and you’ll find a brightly-lit sign in a very dark parking lot. Walk inside and grab a whiskey at the bar. Many of the locals come here frequently enough to join the 100 shots of Jamo club. I wouldn’t try this tonight as you’ve still got quite a few more dives to hit up. But grab the darts and play a game or two. If you’re flying solo, strike up conversation with anyone at the bar. This crew is quite nice and it’s a great dive to chill in that is, if you can find a spot at the bar at this hour. 1116 E. Charleston Blvd., Las Vegas, 89104

3:03 a.m. Dino’s Lounge
Next stop on the list is Dino’s Lounge. While you may have missed karaoke about now, if you’re lucky you’ll be able to catch some random folks on stage belting out the best hits of the last several decades. Either way, Dino’s still has a pretty amazing jukebox music selection. All of the heavy metal or Deftones you’d ever want to hear. Grab a seat or a pool stick and try your hand at billiards. While the folks may look a little rough around the edges, they are the sweetest people in the world. Just don’t tip over anyone’s ride outside on your tipsy way out or that last statement will quickly be recanted. 1516 S. Las Vegas Blvd., Las Vegas 89104

Photo courtesy of Double Down Saloon in Las Vegas

4:37 a.m. Double Down Saloon
An absolute Galavantier favorite dive bar of all time is the Double Down Saloon. This tiny little joint is much closer to the Strip, as it’s located just off of Flamingo and Paradise. One of the adventures includes making a trip to the restroom – just use the buddy system to hold down the fort and you’ll know what I mean when you get there. You never know who you’re going to meet or what you’re going to see at the Double Down. We’ve had the fortunate luck to meet Scorch the Clown in full grim clown gear and all. A friend of mine also got to see a little person and a drag queen battle it out via karaoke. This place stays hoppin’ all night long and is open 24-hours a day. Don’t forget to try the Ass Juice – an infamous concoction you’re friends back home will never believe you actually consumed. 4640 Paradise Rd., Las Vegas, 89169

7:42 a.m. The Dispensary Lounge
The Dispensary Lounge is probably night and day opposite of Double Down, but after all that, you’ll definitely be needing some grub and at this classy dive, ahem, you’ll be able to get fries with a half-pound hamburger any way you like it for only $5.95. It’s almost as if you’ve stepped into your great aunt’s house, complete with smoky atmosphere and all – it even has faux plants hanging on the ceilings and decorating the booths. It’s a great place to end the morning or, in this case, sober up before you move on to the next dive. 2451 E. Tropicana Ave., Las Vegas 89121

9:20 a.m. Stage Door
A great place to get that nightcap, err, morning cup o’ Irish coffee before you either head to the next bar or call it a night per se with a nap in the room. It’s located right off of the Strip behind the Flamingo Hotel so you can stumble back to the hotel along with everyone else at 10 a.m. in the morning on a Saturday in Sin City. Stage Door is where you can go when you simply can’t offer anyone quality conversation any further from the night’s antics. You can grab that last drink, throw a $20 in the machine and get ready to head back to the hotel in peace. 4000 Audrie St., Las Vegas 89109

1 p.m. Money Plays
We gave you a few hours to freshen up after your night of dive-bar madness, by now you should be an expert in Vegas dive and anything you spent on cabs making the loop back to the Strip, you saved on drinks at all these cheap-ass joints. Now it’s time to start the dive-bar extravaganza again. Take the short cab ride to Money Plays just west of the Strip on Flamingo. Here you can order some food from El Taco Feliz, which is right next door and delivers directly to the bar. Play a bit of shuffleboard as you get your drink on and fill your belly at this offbeat bar that is reminiscent of a college town bar, but with cooler patrons. 4755 W. Flamingo Rd., Las Vegas 89103

4:30 p.m. Champagnes Cafe
My brother once rented a house in college that had dark red velvet wallpaper, this bar brings me back to those good ‘ole days when chilling with a cocktail in hand while people watching and petting the wallpaper is still perfectly acceptable. Known for it’s pretty serious karaoke consumer base, you definitely need to get to this bar earlier in the day or you won’t find a seat in the house, specifically on karaoke night, which is pretty much every night of the week. It’s smaller on the inside, but it’s a great dive to get pumped and ready for the night. 3557 S. Maryland Pkwy, Las Vegas, 89169

6:40 p.m. Cheyenne Saloon
Okay, are you ready for the last dive of the night? This one is quite the cab ride away, but well worth it. Cheyenne Saloon is great because the giant bar extends from the doorway to the near other side of the building. There is a huge stage, pool tables and lots of seating. There’s almost always a live band playing here and drinks are cheap. The atmosphere is smoky and the music, whether jukebox or live, is always loud just as you’d expect it to be in a bar. You’ll spend hours in this divey hotspot and, hopefully dance, or head bang, the night away until your noggin hits the pillow first thing the next morning. 3103 N. Rancho Dr., Las Vegas 89130