College Park can seem like a daunting place to navigate, especially with the string of crime alerts that usually show up around this time of year. Fear not, new Terps. Keep this College Park nightlife guide handy and you’ll know where to go, when to go and why.
Bars:
Cornerstone Grill and Loft (AKA “C-Stone”): One of the most popular bars, located on Route 1 next to Knox Road. It’s open until 1:40 a.m. Sunday through Thursday and 2:40 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays. There’s a dance floor in the upstairs loft. Be careful, warns senior government and politics major Nicole Zion, because “the scene can get rowdy in a bad way fast.”
R.J. Bentley’s: The resident sports bar, right next to Cornerstone. It has pretty standard bar food (a lot of fried dishes and burgers). As long as you can deal with sticky floors — and walls — it’s a staple in College Park. “Bentley’s is a little more fratty and bigger crowds,” said senior computer science major James Parker. He prefers Looney’s Pub and Cornerstone as places to hang out with friends.
Looney’s Pub: One of the newcomers in town, located on the first floor of The Varsity apartments. It has live music — filling the empty space in some students’ hearts left by the now-closed Santa Fe Café — and the food is good. There are cheap drinks and themed events. It’s open until 2 a.m. Sunday through Thursday and 3 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays. For graduate student Julia Bui, Looney’s is her favorite because “it’s close and shuttle-accessible.”
The Barking Dog: Another newcomer, this bar replaced the Thirsty Turtle on Route 1 and is arguably the strictest at enforcing no underage drinking. It can be a little expensive, but the atmosphere is nicer. Tuesday is Salsa Night and Wednesday is Trivia Night. It’s open until 12:30 a.m. Monday through Thursday and 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday.
Applebee’s: Not really a bar, but come for karaoke on Thursdays and happy hour specials. It’s down Route 1 next to Hartwick Road and is open until 1 a.m. Monday through Thursday, 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday and midnight on Sunday.
Hookah:
Hookah: Debates over side effects aside, it’s an alternative to the traditional bar scene. There are Prince Café and Mosaic Café, both found in the Campus Village Shopping Center across from The Varsity. Café Hookah, which opened this spring, is right off Route 1 on Lehigh Road, near Potbelly’s. The bar features live performances from students and local musicians and food from Krazi Kebob, the Middle Eastern restaurant next door. It closes at 12 a.m. Sunday, 1 a.m. Monday through Thursday and 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday (called to confirm this).
Late-Night Eating:
It’s an unquestionable necessity for college students. Luckily, College Park has everything, from places that cater to drunken cravings to low-key hangouts for stressed-out insomniacs. The food may not be amazing, but at 3 a.m., who really cares?
Ratsie’s Pizza: Hot, greasy food, students in various degrees of intoxication, occasional arrests for chair-throwings — you’re always in for an interesting time. Located right across from Cornerstone on the corner of Knox Road, it’s open until11:30 p.m. Sunday and 1:30 a.m. Monday through Saturday.
McDonald’s: No description needed. Open 24 hours a day. Located next to the Campus Village Shopping Center across from The Varsity.
Plato’s Diner: Large portions of Greek-inspired food and traditional diner dishes, if you can make the trek all the way down the hill late at night. Located on Route 1 near Calvert Road. Open until 1 a.m. Sunday through Thursday and 24 hours Friday and Saturday.
D.P. Dough: Late-night calzones. Open until 2 a.m. Monday to Wednesday and 3 a.m. Thursday through Saturday. Located in the Campus Village Shopping Center.
Panda: Americanized Chinese food. It’s right off Route 1 on Lehigh Road and open until 3 a.m. Monday through Thursday, 4 a.m. Friday and Saturday and 1 a.m. on Sunday.
Yogiberry: Located on Route 1 near Ratsie’s, it’s a make-it-yourself frozen yogurt place with a huge assortment of toppings. It’s affordable, said senior government and politics major Janelle Asiedu. It’s a good place to go before going out, since it closes at 10 p.m. “It’s a nice place to go chill with friends at night if you’re not big on bars and parties, but you don’t want to stay in your room all night,” Asiedu said. “Plus watching people on Route 1 is like standing at the front row of a parade. You never know what you’ll see next.”
Real food:
The Calvert House Inn: It’s a seafood-specializing restaurant and pub located in Riverdale, about a mile from the campus, near the Calvert Mansion, a National Historic Landmark. Happy hour is from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. every day. Karaoke nights are Thursdays and Saturdays at 10 p.m., and Caribbean Night is Fridays at 10 p.m.
Busboys and Poets: Named for poet Langston Hughes, who worked as a busboy, this restaurant/performance venue/bookshop/art gallery opened in Hyattsville about a year ago. The food is unique and delicious and includes many vegetarian and vegan options, even though it’s a bit pricey. Every Thursday, there’s open mic poetry. It also hosts occasional comedy nights, open mic talent showcases, live music and talks. According to Zion, this restaurant and Looney’s Pub “have the best brunch around” and “can be a good way to wrap up the weekend.”
Non-Alcoholic Off-Campus Activities:
Movies: The closest theater is the Regal Hyattsville Royale Stadium 14. It’s in the University Town Center, near student apartment building The Towers and eateries such as Three Brothers and Mongolian Grill. To get there: Take the Metro down one stop to PG Plaza. Or work off all the popcorn you’re about to eat and take a two-mile hike down Adelphi Road. But be careful; It can get a bit sketchy at night.
Ice Skating: A winter classic. It’s no Christmas at Rockefeller Center, but for poor college students, the Herbert Wells Ice Rink comes pretty close. It’s about a mile down Paint Branch Parkway near the College Park Airport. With a university ID, college students get admission and skate rental for $3. Come Friday nights for a DJ-ed public skate.
Bowling: Hurling a heavy ball at wooden pins can be a great way to relieve the stress of school. The AMF College Park Lanes are located down Route 1 near Pizza Hut and the Comfort Inn. After 10 p.m. on Fridays, bowling is $40 per lane for two hours for up to six people, and shoes are $4.81. They have late night hours: On Fridays, they’re open until 1 a.m., and on Saturdays, 2 a.m.
On-Campus Activities:
Student Entertainment Events holds regular evening events. In the past, these have included free monthly movies, comedy shows with Seth Meyers and Aziz Ansari and an annual concert (last year: B.o.B.). University-sponsored program Stamp Second Saturdays also holds monthly nighttime events in Stamp Student Union , including roller skating, ice skating and salsa lessons last year. In the basement of Stamp, TerpZone features an eight-lane bowling alley, pool tables and arcade games, and there’s cosmic bowling Saturday nights from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m.
The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center (CSPAC) holds professional performances many nights of the week, including all varieties of music, dance, opera and theater. Students get discounted tickets (usually for $10), and sophomore English major Lyla Lawless said sometimes, they’re free. “I don’t think people realize that,” Lawless said. “There’s a lot of free everything over there.”
Some students find their own fun on the campus. “We do photo shoots,” said sophomore piano performance major Daniel Hopkins. “We all dress up in fancy clothes and stand outside and take photos.”
Sophomore English major Anna Johnson said she likes to go to monthly poetry events in Tawes Hall sponsored by the English department. She also talked about fun she and her friends have in the dorms. “We play board games, and we’ve climbed on top of roofs to look at stars,” Johnson said.
Beyond College Park:
And if you can’t find anything to do at school or in College Park, Washington is only a Metro ride away, where there are dance clubs, bars, restaurants, shops and pretty much everything else.
“People should definitely take advantage of the D.C. dance scene,” said Zion. “There are plenty of 18-plus places, and they’re only a 5-20 minute Metro ride depending on how deep into the city you’re going. If you’re 21 plus, I hear great things about the H Street corridor and Adams Morgan. You can’t not find a place to go in those neighborhoods on weekends.”
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