So this is the SEQUEL? I can't imagine what the original Shooters was...
Let me start with the plusses, because they will be short, brief, and the rest can be endlessly enumerated:
-large space
-two floors (2nd sort of a mezzanine area for anthropological types who prefer to observe buffoonery)
-cheap beers
The rest, which will become immediately obvious should you choose to visit:
-$5 cover charge
-bottleneck near the bar (and I'm not talking about beer)
-difficult parking situations
-undergrads who swamp the place around midnight
It's a giant dance club. For some, that is their scene. De gustibus non est disputandem.
Also, there is a giant cage to dance in and a mechanical bull. You can decide which column each belongs to, plus or minus.
Shooters will forever remind me of my college years. This was the dirty place everyone would go to on so many weekends for so many years. As bars go, the place is what you'd expect, but maybe a bit bigger. You'll see tons of Duke kids, plenty of them dancing on the bars...or in the cage on the ceiling...or against the glass.
There's an upstairs with it's own bar that's a nice place to chill if you want to get away from the crowd and people watch. Oh - I forgot to mention there's also a mechanical bull if you're adventurous. Shooters' best night, in my opinion, is Wednesday. When i went there, it was an older, smaller crowd comprised of late junior and a bunch of seniors so you really know everyone you're with. And then super cheap pitchers ($3 when I was there) and beer pong? Let's go!
Shooters will forever hold a place in my heart as a Duke alum, but if you don't go to the school, I wouldn't recommend it. My only issue with it was really the lines - so avoid them at all costs!
This place was.. interesting. To review this place, I am taking out of my mind every club experience I've ever had.
There is a cheap cover charge of $5 if you're over 21. If you're under 21, you must enter through the back door and pay a higher cover. Inside, you'll find a mechanical bull and a cage, if you're feeling a little crazy. Music was typical stuff you hear on the radio, plus some songs more on the country-ish side. Consider your surroundings, okay? Haha. There were a lot of nice boys who were more than willing to booze you up, so I have no idea how much the drinks go for.
The lower floor gets SUPER JAM PACKED, even on slower nights (i.e. right before finals). Remember to take a breather every once in a while upstairs or outside.
If you're actually on here reading reviews about this place, I wouldn't be too mindful about the ones talking about age. There are a TON of Duke grad students that go, too, as well as the men's basketball team. In the end, it's all about having fun, right?
As a Duke alum, tt pains me to give this low a rating to an establishment as near and dear to my heart as Shooters, but I'm not writing this for the college crowd. Â To be honest, if you're an undergrad and you feel you need to check Yelp to learn about / before deciding whether to come here, you should not go. Â
So, you can pretty much expect Shooters to be packed to the gills with undergrads every Thu through Sat night from about 11-2. Â Wednesdays are not quite as crowded, but they usually have beer pong and this event is pretty popular with upperclassmen. Â
The drinks are cheap and the place is home to a cast of characters -- both on staff and also among regulars. Â There is usually a cover charge of like $5. Â There is a mechanical bull, 2 pool tables, several hanging cages, a few bars that are constructed purely for dancing upon, and a big upstairs area for creepers to lurk. Â
Dance floor is big and definitely gets sloppy late at night. Â It is open on 1 side, surrounded by the dance-on-top-of-them-able bars on 2 sides, and enclosed by a MIRRORED wall on the other side, you know, so you can check out just how hot you look after getting down to to the likes of Rihanna etc for the past hour.
Most red-blooded Duke alums love to wax nostalgic their time about Shooters (what little we remember at least). Â Everyone has a story (or a dozen) that they WOULD tell you about a night here, but it's one of those "what happens at ___ stays at ___ place"). Â Even folks I knew from college who still live in the area have moved on (fortunately!) to bigger and better things. Â The place certainly serves its purpose for undergrads well, but you deserve better. Â
In general, if you're over the age of 22* and have any respect for yourself, please don't go here. Â Actually, no, I'll give you one free pass to check it out, just so you can see what all the fuss is about. Â After that though, just say no. Â There are plenty of other solid bars like a block away. Â
*exceptions permitted for grad student proms, reunions, engagement parties, wedding after-parties, and any other similar rare but necessary born-again-freshmen type of endeavors
Oh geez. Â I passed almost five years in Durham as a Shooters virgin, determined never to sully that pristine history. Â A devious friend somehow talked me into ending my happy ignorance of all things Shooters, and I was ill prepared for what I found. Â Swarms and swarms of drunken college students trying to hook up, like some kind of mindless, sweaty zoo of moronic creatures--guys armed with their polo shirts and loafers and inept pick up lines, and girls armed with their boobs pushed up to their chins and their skirts barely concealing the good china, and both parties engaging in some of the most horrific "dancing" to the most awful "music" I've ever seen. Â Thankfully I managed to keep my sanity and avoid hooking up with a lacrosse player. Â Yes, there is a mechanical bull, and it's stupid. Â I gave Shooters an extra star because I strangely enjoyed my time there for the abundant material for mocking with my equally sarcastic companion...but I will never go back, unless dragged kicking and screaming.
Review Source:Shooters loves Duke students. Shooters caters to Duke students. Duke students go to Shooters because (1) as far as I know, it is the only place in Durham to dance, unless something's going on at Casbah, which hasn't really won over a crowd yet (2) cheap drinks! (3) that's where all the Duke people will be when it's happening (usually Saturday nights) and (4) Shooters loves Duke students.
As far as I can tell, the Duke students at Shooters are primarily freshmen and seniors. The freshmen are in their just-received-my-first-taste-of-freedom phase and go there frequently because it's in walking distance of East Campus. Sophomores are a little less thrilled and have found their social niches to party on West Campus. Juniors are abroad and starting to turn 21, so they venture out to new places. Seniors realize they're in their last year of lots of freedom and little responsibility, and they recognize it is the last year of their life in which is is acceptable to get drunk, go to a place like Shooters every week and dance in a cage, and they're frantically trying to make the most of it.
I have no idea what it's like during the summer when Duke isn't in session, but presumably there are still some summer school students and probably more locals.
So just know what you're getting into if you come here. If you want quality drinks, to hear what your companions are saying, nice bathrooms, and you don't want to be around drunk Duke students, don't come here.
Jekyll Susan gives Shooters 1 star, Hyde Susan gives it 5 stars. Â Avg: 3 stars. $5 cover.
Yeah, it'd be really nice if Durham had a club for people born before the fall of the Berlin Wall (hey hey, I remember that! Â :( oh, b/c I'm old). Â But us pre-Wall Fall babies only have Shooters. Â The music is top 40 bump 'n grind. Â Decent dance floor that is guaranteed to be disgustingly crowded.
So set your expectations reaaaaaal low, go with a good/fun group of friends (who are good at keeping secrets), and dress light b/c it's gonna be a sweaty sauna of horny, underage bodies grinding against each other. Â
Cocktails are overpriced & Â WEAKSAUCE, so I recommend doing shots (I will give the best advice to my future kids!) or getting Bud Light. Â Don't wear clothes that are too nice as you will get other people's sweat & drinks on it. Â Bring $5 cash for the bull, it's a must.
The staff are actually really nice, I once lost my phone and Jekyll Susan went back on a Thursday night to discover not only had they found it, but they stored it in a safe place. Â Very nice of them.
Also, be on the watch for guys/girls who ask you "what year are you in?" by countering with a "how old are you?". Â Guys be warned, you're probably gonna be scammed majorly for a ton of drinks. Â The girls are like vultures around the bar.
Shooters reminds me of all the clubs I went to when I was in undergrad. Â It's actually pretty fun if you have people your own age to hang out with so everyone can relive the days when you could party until 3am and somehow make it to your 8am class the next morning feeling just dandy. Â *sigh*
Oh, as a new transplant I was lured in here with the promise of mixing with some grad students. Little did I know what I was getting into. I'll give you 7 reasons to check out another bar. Â First of all it's an 18 and up club. I believe those were the places I avoided when I was 16. Secondly they charged a cover, really honey? I don't pay cover in the city, why would I in Durham? Thirdly, they checked my purse to make sure I wasn't smuggling in mini bar sized alcohol. At first I thought they were making sure I wasn't carrying a loaded weapon, but that might be legal in this state. Apparently the little kiddies who can't get served at the bar bring their own in. Um, guys, just drink at home and then go out. When we finally made it in the joint, I became distinctly aware that I had entered a cowboy themed rodeo. The old western look, complete with, fourthly, the mechanical bull. If you ever have seen the Fry's electronic store in Palo Alto, CA
<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/qqMK_r84G5QxFrffmtVA1g?select=L4b1Jgki-4SGGXHpUlRzEQ">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>
you'll understand what the theme is. The creepy mannequins dressed in cowboy outfits surveying the dance floor. Yes, and hopefully by then you realize you must reach a minimal level of inebriation, which brings me to my 5th point. The female bartenders were certainly not interested in serving you if you weren't a guy, I would try the bar in the back for better service. So by this time you should realize that 6, there is cage to display your sultry moves and get cornered by, 7, an aggressive college undergrad who is clearly unaware that the SLN spoof dance move was clearly a spoof (or perhaps he was too young to even get the reference.) Now if that's not convincing enough, then you'll certainly be the type of person who would enjoy this place, so have at it!
Look - Shooters is the only place with a significant bar, that has a dance floor, and can hold copious numbers of people without it feeling like a crowd coming out of an N'Sync concert.
The staff seem like reasonable folk; I have never had any trouble with them. They do their jobs with checking IDs and making sure people are safe as they come through their door.
I get in here and always hit the dance floor right away, and there's usually a decent number of people who are willing to actually dance with me instead of just wanting to accost me with their pelvis in a dark corner.
I can't give this place more than 3 stars though, because let's face it: this place is an 18+ bar/club. There is a cage and a bull right next to each other, and creepy guys trying to peer down girls' shirts from the second floor railing. And the DJ sounds like he's mixing off of his iPod, which means 2 second pauses between songs, and the same 30 songs every night.
I am a "durhamite" or what most students would consider the aforementioned "local entertainment". I used to enjoy frequenting Shooters when they had live bands and karaoke, and about 1500 less students attending, although the owner and staff love you guys, and work very hard to see that you all have a place to cut loose, and have a good time. In those days, nobody scrogged on the dance floor, and in corner booths like horny teenagers, or shattered beer bottles on the floor and walked away as if they didn't know that it was there. Shooters is a great club, the only place in Durham of its size, w/a huge dance floor, an awesome DJ, and reasonable drink prices. They do not encourage lewd  behavior, however, if you can't act like a civilized adult, who can blame them for exploiting it. I love Shooters, they are there for the students, YOU are responsible for your OWN actions. It is not gross, or shameful to go there, its what you make of it. Don't blame them for someone else's repulsiveness!
Review Source:Shooters... I'm slightly embarrassed to even be writing this review as  this is a well known local joint in Durham for undergrads, BUT in my defense it is also a well known local joint in Durham for "older" students who still yearn for the a taste of the good ole days... The days completely void of responsibility and self-respect.
So go in there with very VERY low expectations and never under any circumstances go there sober.
Shooters = mechanical bull, a dancing cage, and a whole lotta cheap liquor. It's one of those spots where you walk in and immediately feel compelled to yell, "Let's do shots! Who wants to do shots?!" Not the Lemon Drop shots you'd normally do, in celebration of a co-workers birthday, just to prove to yourself, and everyone else in your business casual clad group that "you could still hang" with the best of them. No, this place brought you back to 21, when Adios' and Long Island Ice Teas were the drinks of choice, and where only one of three shots would do. Cuervo. Jager. Goldschläger.
You see at Shooters its totally acceptable to lick salt from your filthy hands, knock back a shot of tequila, and then shove a lime into your mouth, a lime that was passed to you with the same hands that wiped down the bar, touched our money, and most likely other things...
"It is our Mission at Shooters to provide our customers with the best in Local and Regional Entertainment. Our staff is here to make sure that when you leave our establishment, that you have had an entertainment experience in an atmosphere that is the best in the Triangle... Sincerely, The Owners and Staff"
As long as you know what you're getting when you go there, Shooters can be a good time... And their mission is right about one thing - You definitely get the best in "local" entertainment...
Anyone who doesn't like Shooter's (II) deserves to spend their evening at the Applebees bar where they belong.
No, it's not the right place for every occasion, but if you're looking for a sweaty mess of an evening you can't beat the bull, or the $3 beers, or watching some jackass of a Duke girl let herself be taken by 5 guys at once in the corner. The highlight of the Duke undergraduate experience, Shooter's is reliable and surprisingly tough on IDs.
Have to love a place that will watch you throw up 2 feet from the entrance and then part the line for you to get back in.
I give Shooters two stars only because I've always gotten really good service from the bartenders there. Other than that, I can't think of a lot of positives...
Shooters is the kind of bar that is a little out of place in its surroundings. Physically, it's just a block from Brightleaf Square, the James Joyce, and the Federal - but they really couldn't be farther apart. The Joyce and Federal are mostly very laid-back spots to have a beer and enjoy good company; Shooters is either dead quiet or the epitome of a booze-fueled manic fit.
The crowd at Shooters is usually a mix of really drunk Duke students and really drunk locals - that is, on the nights when someone actually shows up. On more than one occasion, I've been in Shooters on a weekend night when there were less than 10 people there. On the other hand, I've been when the place was so packed you could barely move. On one particular night, there were so many people packed in that people were literally undressing to cool off.
It's not to say I've never had fun at Shooters. There have been a couple of visits I really enjoyed. When you're standing outside the door, you never know which Shooters you're going to walk into that night. But with the weekend cover, inflated drink prices, and stellar alternatives just around the corner, I just think it's not worth the cost to find out.
Ouch, a 1-star review; I'll have to swoop in and save this place from utter abomination. I wound up here on Halloween night since I was tromping around downtown Durham with a guy (Obama, as it were) who really wanted to go dancing. Course, by the time we got there (pre-gaming and another bar later), I was entirely too tired to do any dancing. There was a cover charge and overpriced drinks. But the room is huge, with plenty of dance-floor space, and the DJ had a good mix going. They also have a mechanical bull for all you cowboys and drunk party gals out there. The second story is a balcony that overlooks the whole melee, and it makes for a nice retreat.
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