Woodlands Tavern

Woodlands Tavern is a pretty good time. Nice sound, good sight lines, unfathomably futuristic LED lighting. I went there to see the Mike Dillon band a while ago and had an enjoyable experience. There are two rooms, one with a large bar and another room with a smaller bar. The small bar room is where the stage is located. I had to pay to enter small bar stage room, which was fine with me because it was way less crowded in there.

The bar is one of those bars that's a bar. I had a draft alcohols that was very cold and drinkish. I don't think it was unreasonably priced, but I don't like paying for drinks in general, so I'm disappointed that they charge money for them.

If you're in the room where the stage is and you decide to check out the patio you will get locked out and you will have to walk through the crowded no-cover side to get back to where the music is. It's ok though, because the person working the door to that room is your friend now and they remember you.

About halfway through the set some friends of mine showed up and I remembered that people go out with other people sometimes and that it can be fun. When they finished playing, Mike came over and we all had some laughs and talked about other shows and other clubs and methadone and regular stuff.

All of that was a pretty good time. Woodlands is a pretty nice place, everyone was perfectly hospitable and I don't think anyone in my group did anything too obnoxious, so that's a win. I will absolutely go back when the next punk New Orleans jazz funeral band plays, that's probably all the time. Three stars.

Woodland's knows how to bring people in! Whether you're a beer snob looking for the best draft list in town, a happy hour junky looking to do some patio sitting with your pals, or you're ready to put your boogie shoes on and dance to some fabulous bands (or, like me, you want it ALL), this is the place.

The ever-changing beer list features, I think, 30 drafts, Bell's Two Hearted being one of those most of the time, so I'm hooked.  And almost all of them are just 2 bucks during happy hour, which runs until 8 every night. But wait, there's more! Come for Monday Funday, and enjoy this price ALL NIGHT! It gets dangerous, people.

Then, there's the music. They know how to book some bands! They even bring some bigger names. They are starting to charge some steep covers, but typically the cover will only be for the back room where the main stage is, so you can still come in and drink with no cover most of the time. It gets mighty crowded, even on weeknights, but as long as that doesn't bother you, you're good to go!

My advice: come early and get a patio spot!  Even on chilly nights, there's a nice fire to warm your bones.

A Monday night at Woodlands is a favorite past time among our friends. Grabbing a spot on the patio during the warmer months, a cheap draft beverage, and a slice of Mikey's makes for a really pleasant time. The TVs are nice for those who want to see a sporting event but the real thing to do is to see a cheap show. Live music and comedy nights are tops.

The fact that it's now so close to where we live means we'll be spending a lot of time at Woodlands.