Best nightlife in the south 2018 (compared, Los Angeles, live, better)

[meep]

Originally Posted by cdw1084

Miami has the best overall nightlife in the nation, not only the south.

Atlanta has the best black nightlife in the country.

Dallas, Houston, and DC have a decent black nightlife.

New Orleans has the 2nd best overall nightlife in the south.

Atlanta, DC, Houston and Dallas have exceptional-to-nice AA scenes, but these cities rank somewhere in the top overall as well.

[Spade]

Originally Posted by odurandina

Austin should be as high as 4th behind Miami, DC & New Orleans.

i'd rank it above Atlanta/Buckhead etc.

1. Miami
2. New Orleans
3. DC
4. Austin (for Christ's sake's people).
5. Ft Lauderdale
6. Atlanta/ Buckhead
7. Delray Beach, FL
8. St Augustine
9. Orlando, FL
10. Panama City and the Emerald Coast (aka Redneck Riviera).
11. South Padre Island
12. Huntington Beach
13. Newport Beach
14. Nashville
15. Venice Beach
16. Redondo Beach
17. Pacific Beach
18. Clearwater Beach, FL
19. Myrtle Beach, SC
20. Anaheim/ Disneyland Dr

honorable mention/s
Dallas
Houston
Charlotte
Lake Havasu
Biloxi, MS
Mobile, AL
Anderson Hollow Cove - Lake of the Ozarks
San Antonio River Walk
Santa Fe, NM
Juarez, Chihuahua

Ridiculous list.

[odurandina]

i've traveled over 2M miles, been there spanning from a few visits to weeks to months, to years for vacations, passing through, school & work over 38 years. i believe my rankings to be an honest estimate, albeit subjective opinion like all the posts in this thread. i think the number of cities i mentioned is good because some of you might not have checked them all out. i felt they were all well-deserving of mention.
Peoples' experience can range widely on their personal preferences, racial and cultural backgrounds.

For example, i prefer Ft Lauderdale's epic Downtown, and Delray Beach/Atlantic Ave over South Beach, or Ft Lauderdale's A1A/ Las Olas party scenes.... i love the flavor and diverse character of St Augustine's night life over Daytona or Orlando.

Even after all these years, i still believe finding great night life in California a challenge. While others fit in well, i've always preferred hanging with friends in San Diego (and recently in Orange County and LA) rather than pounding the pavement in PB, the LA beach zone or TJ.

I liked Atlanta (Buckhead specifically) a lot. Because Atlanta is so spread out, you're not always going to be at such an advantage to enjoy one part of Atlanta vs another. Sometimes your local watering holes are easier, especially if you're going out early.

How many places can you party all day and night on the weekends? In this, context, few places top Austin; because when you add 6th street + Barton Springs, Zilker Park + Lake Travis, Hippy Hollow, etc to your favorite neighborhood bar (i was a regular at Speeds off Riverside on the East Side of Austin), not to mention its diverse and endless character, Austin is VERY tough to beat. You'll rarely leave disappointed from an evening, day or weekend in Austin!


estimates of my time spent

1. Miami - better part of 8 winters in Ft Lauderdale
2. New Orleans - about 3 weeks spent exploring the area (incredible nightlife)
3. DC - about 3~4 weeks over the years
4. Austin - lived there from '94-98
5. Ft Lauderdale - better part of 8 winters in Ft Lauderdale
6. Atlanta/ Buckhead - summer of '93
7. Delray Beach, FL - 8 winters in Ft Lauderdale incredible night life on Atlantic Ave
8. St Augustine - been maybe 20 times. unsung, incredible night life
9. Orlando, FL - 3 months summer of '14
10. Panama City and the Emerald Coast - 1 week in 2017
11. South Padre Island - been 4 or 5 times for a few days each time
12. Huntington Beach - at least 70 short visits, surfing, OP pro over the last 5 years
13. Newport Beach - lived in Newport Beach 1 year
14. Nashville - passed through many times. never there long.
15. Venice Beach - lived, worked in LA about 3 of the past 5 years
16. Redondo Beach - lived in LA 3 years
17. Pacific Beach - attended UCSD 5 years resident of La Jolla/Del Mar
18. Clearwater Beach, FL - spent a summer in the early 80s, 3~4 short visits about 7~8 years ago
19. Myrtle Beach, SC - 3 or 4 short visits
20. Anaheim/ Disneyland Dr - lived in Newport Beach 1 year
21. Sunset Strip/ Sunset, Hollywood Blvd - LA 3 years

honorable mention/s
Dallas - 2 months in 2008 during the financial meltdown
Houston - about 5 times
Charlotte - about 3 times
Lake Havasu - seasonal mecca been 3 times
Biloxi, MS - about 3 weeks in the area in 2017
Mobile, AL - about 3 weeks in the area in 2017
Anderson Hollow Cove - Lake of the Ozarks - two weekend visits in early 2000s
San Antonio River Walk - probably 15~20 times out partying
Santa Fe, NM - 3 weeks snowboarding, exploring the area
Juarez, Chihuahua 2.5 years within the city limits from 1998-01
(if planning a visit to Valentino's, exercise extreme caution )

Palm Springs bout 4 or 5 times; Palm Springs is more of seasonal hot spot.
Redlands, CA might is probably the best place in the Inland Empire.

i've had the fortunate experience of being in a Porsche club, and frequently visit people or their car events all over the country.... On average, folks who've seen more of America possibly number a few Army/AF brats, or truck drivers. i've met quite a few gringo truckers giving J-Town a try, when confronted with the less spicy El Paso.

[Mutiny77]

Seems like Savannah should have at least made the honorable mention list.

[Onxyknight85]

Originally Posted by DTXman34

I'd have to check out Wynwood! I don't doubt it's more vibrant than Deep Ellum. The thing with DE though is that there was a huge vibrancy gap between 2014/2015 and today. It's really over the past couple of years that the neighborhood began to explode. I'm personally not a fan of the word "hipster" since it's meaning has become vague and loosely defined over time. Artsy, creative, eclectic, etc. are better descriptions, IMO. Dallas may have been at the bottom for such nightlife at one time, but that's definitely changed over the past 5 years.

It's not really. I think Wynwood is great but a little over hyped. When I visited this time last year I got the impression it's just really starting to take off. Reasonable to compare it to Deep Ellum, East Nashville ( five points), East Atlanta/Poncey-Highland/Little Five points etc...

Not mentioned on this list because it's a small city in comparison to the other majors is Lexington, Ky. If you are in your early twenties its night life is pretty hype.

1. Miami
2. Atlanta
3. Nashville
4. Austin
5. Dallas/Fort Worth

[_OT]

Originally Posted by Onxyknight85

It's not really. I think Wynwood is great but a little over hyped. When I visited this time last year I got the impression it's just really starting to take off. Reasonable to compare it to Deep Ellum, East Nashville ( five points), East Atlanta/Poncey-Highland/Little Five points etc...

Not mentioned on this list because it's a small city in comparison to the other majors is Lexington, Ky. If you are in your early twenties its night life is pretty hype.

I don't even think it's right to put Wynwood in the same group with freaking East Nashville, EA/LFP, or Deep Ellum. Y'all have to be joking...

Wynwood is WAY more walkable, more dense, larger, has better urban bones, has a versatile nightlife, Wynwood is just overall a more complete neighborhood/entertainment district than those three you just listed.

[Onxyknight85]

Originally Posted by _OT

I don't even think it's right to put Wynwood in the same group with freaking East Nashville, EA/LFP, or Deep Ellum. Y'all have to be joking...

Wynwood is WAY more walkable, more dense, larger, has better urban bones, has a versatile nightlife, Wynwood is just overall a more complete neighborhood/entertainment district than those three you just listed.

Unless Wynwood has grown tremendously in a year's time it is not more dense and it is not large. I have visited all three within the last year and this is just my assessment. We will just have to agree to disagree on this one.

[CXT2000]

Originally Posted by Onxyknight85

Unless Wynwood has grown tremendously in a year's time it is not more dense and it is not large. I have visited all three within the last year and this is just my assessment. We will just have to agree to disagree on this one.

Wynwood is still a very small neighbourhood, and all the nightlife is in a small concentration. Every time I go out there people are on 2nd ave for 2-3 blocks and then the rest of the area is dead/filled with homeless people. Also, the hype is slowly starting to fade, so it's aiming more for tourism and it's lost that little charm it had. Locals go to Brickell instead now and avoid SoBe/Wynwood too since those areas have become tourist traps.

[BPt111]

Originally Posted by djesus007

Wynwood is still a very small neighbourhood, and all the nightlife is in a small concentration. Every time I go out there people are on 2nd ave for 2-3 blocks and then the rest of the area is dead/filled with homeless people. Also, the hype is slowly starting to fade, so it's aiming more for tourism and it's lost that little charm it had. Locals go to Brickell instead now and avoid SoBe/Wynwood too since those areas have become tourist traps.

I love Brickell/Wynwood, Coconut Gove, South Beach, Bal Harbour, Sunny Isles Beach, Coral Gables nice areas

[_OT]

Originally Posted by Onxyknight85

Unless Wynwood has grown tremendously in a year's time it is not more dense and it is not large. I have visited all three within the last year and this is just my assessment. We will just have to agree to disagree on this one.

Lay off the drugs.

Wynwood is CLEARLY larger and more dense than Deep Ellum, L5P and Five Points in East Nashville. It's also MUCH more developed....

Atlanta, Nashville, and Dallas could only wish.