Shirley's

Tired of those trendy, wannabe yuppified bars on Dickson St in Fayetteville?

Well, Shirley's is the real deal, the last of the great old-time Arkansas bars in the area.   A real dive (in a good way) and some real interesting characters in here as well.

Some decent pool tables in the back with good cues and strong drinks.  The staff is always very nice and friendly and I've never had any trouble in here.  Cash only.

Been here many times on business over the years until I started staying at a different hotel closer to where I were going.  Shirley's is right across the street from the Holiday Inn Springdale, so it's a nice walk across the street from the long parking lot.

This was a freak occurence, so I never expect this to ever happen there again, but one night, one of the shadier patrons got really drunk and belligerent inside.  Naturally, he was 86'd.  A short while later, one of the customers left and noticed that the tires on his car had been slashed.  Suddenly, everyone ran outside and sure enough, every car in the parking lot had a flat. The police came and took a report and every car was accounted for except one.  Fortunately for me, I had walked over from the hotel and not taken the rental car.

The police were concerned about the remaining car in the parking lot (in a good way) and kept asking who was the owner of the last car.  There was a nervous local sitting at a table near the bar who looked like he had had a little more than the legal limit who was trying to melt into his seat and look inconspicuous.  Pretty sure it must have been his car, but the poor guy didn't want to admit it and risk a DUI when he left.  The next morning, the car was still there with four flat tires.

Like I said, that was a freak occurence and nothing like that ever happened again.  Strong drinks, friendly staff, the element of danger (not really), and excitement.  What more could you ask for in a dive bar?  Joe Bob says check it out!