City: Savannah, GA

Category: Nightlife

Telephone: (912) 238-0447

Address: 318 Drayton St.

Description: Looking for a true dive in the city? This modest neighborhood watering hole is legendary in Savannah as a political bar. Journalists once plied local sources with alcohol here; Jimmy Carter (yes, that Jimmy Carter) once gave a speech standing on the bar. What you’ll find today is a small bar where regulars talk back to the television set. There’s an eclectic jukebox, darts, and a few game machines, along with the beer and the booze. We have friends who swear by this place, and you can’t say it doesn’t have plenty of atmosphere: Christmas decorations that never come down, a stuffed crow (at least we hope it’s stuffed—maybe it’s just dead), a rogue’s gallery of politician’s photos, and a soft-focus nude painting about which any of the regulars is willing to tell you lies. Drinks are cheap, the air is thick, and there’s a sign above the bar reading TIPPING IS NOT A CITY IN CHINA. Looking back over this, we sound like we’re running the place down, so we better ’fess up that we occasionally go here even when we aren’t researching this book’s various editions, and it’s always interesting. There’s a lot to be said for a place that refuses to gloss up for tourists. Hours are Mon through Sat, 4 p.m. to 3 a.m., also open Sun after noon.