The Hummingbird

The Hummingbird opened in 2005 and has since become the staple for downtown cool. Offering a steady flow of entertainment on a weekly basis the Bird holds its own with a natural concept of good people, music, and drinking. National, regional and local live music are featured all the time and give the bar that rock and roll energy that appeals to all ages at any time of the evening. The Bird has a variety of weekly events such as dart league, 3-4-1 drinks, $8 Bottomless mugs and ladies night. Hummingbird has consistently been voted the people’s choice as “Best Overall Bar,” “Best Place To Hear Live Music,” “Best Bar Staff,” and other awards. Indeed the atmosphere is very laidback, with the back patio offering up games of corn hole and an array of seating to enjoy the evening. The staff is friendly and talkative to customers and provides a welcoming vibe that keeps Mercer students coming back. The Bird is seemingly a constant good time on any night of the week. The price can occasionally deter entrants, as the cost for underage students can sometimes be twice as much as their legal counter-parts.
Element

The new kid on the block performed well in the beginning, drawing in curious Mercer students, but has now fizzled from student radar. Perhaps the reason for the decline was the price, a smooth $10 for those underage versus $5 for legal patrons. The club seems to cater to Warner Robins attendees in their twenties. Thursdays are advertised as College Night and they have many themed parties, most recently a foam party, a toga party and a blackout night. The club still has a full house on weekends, but it definitely lacks in the college town features.The club, which plays up to its name by using the four elements, fire, earth, air and water creates a theatrical environment for partygoers. The club also has 3 bars and 2 DJs that cater to the music allotted for each room.The staff can be objective of potential partiers, even going beyond the dress code. Element was highly criticized during its opening weekend for not allowing customers of Synergy, the club Element replaced, in to the club unless they acted straight. Synergy catered to the LGBT community and since the Element replacement, those customers have been turned away on several occasions.

Bottoms Up

If a bar could be confused, Bottom’s Up would be it. The dance floor, pool house, beer pong, beach bar concept derives a quirky message to customers. As a result mingling with a random assortment of people isn’t just a promise, it’s a guarantee. The clash of a bar slash dance room can lead to a serious combo of patrons, but the variety can be enjoyable amongst a decent crowd. The bar fairs better with Mercer students during the week. Specials such as $2 Tuesdays, 2-for-1 Wednesdays and College Night on Thursdays keeps students coming downtown all week long. The music can be raging at times with quality DJs and bands that bring in an energetic dancing crowd. The dance floor is small and can get packed quickly when there are too many people. The compact quarters can also make it very smoky and hot.The bar offers several flat screens TV’s that play sports while the bartender’s are usually on top of their game with the substantial demand of drinkers.

Asylum

Saturday night belongs to Asylum. The wild energy that comes with the So Sick Saturday’s concept can literally bring in a floodgate of people. The most dominant time to enter the club appears to be 12 a.m. and the crowd can be packed well into the night. Specifically with Mercer students, who managed to dominate the crowd this past Saturday despite it being fall break.The Asylum bus can pick you up anywhere within a sensible distance of the club and offer you an energetic ride with booming music and passengers ready to party. The line outside moves reasonably and the price suits the expectations. The bold club has been open since last April and has never stopped short of its constant up-beat music and video shows. The epileptic strobe light can often be the only complaint of the otherwise superb display. The club prides itself on having the largest video mapping system in the United States, spanning 120 feet with custom made content changing by the second. The large size of the venue keeps it cool and the smoke dispersed. Staff and security are respectful of patrons and can even hold a conversation with a smile.