Nightlife at Flagler College

Though Flagler is a small, quiet campus, with chem-free dorms, there is no absence of nightlife. The downtown area of Saint Augustine that surrounds the school caters to tourists and students alike. When leaving your dorm, make sure you have your student ID because it could get you a discount at a lot of restaurants, cafes, and even some of the stores.

Drinking Scene:

Most of the bars and clubs are a short walk away from campus in the heart of downtown, and there is no shortage of them. Don’t think you’re limited to Friday and Saturday nights; Thirsty Thursday is widely celebrated, as people get the weekend started early. White Lion, which may look like an upscale restaurant, is one of the more popular bars, with a club scene after restaurant hours, and right down the street is a small club that usually has good live music, called no name; that’s right, look for the bar with no sign outside. Local Heroes, a sub shop during the day, is located right on Saint George Street (one street away from campus), and is another Flagler favorite.

These three, along with Acapulco, a nightclub just down the street from campus, are popular places for students to dance and drink. If you are looking for a more relaxed atmosphere, there’s Stoagies, the Wine Cellar, or Scarlet O’Hara’s. Stoagies is the place to go if you want a beer and maybe a cigar; they have a cozy atmosphere upstairs and good jazz music downstairs. The Wine Cellar is a quieter atmosphere, serving wine and beer, and Charlie Brown (a Jazz musician) plays every night. Scarlet’s may get busy, but they have an outdoor bar where you can sit back with a drink. There are bars and clubs across the Bridge of Lions on Anastasia Island, but the distance makes them less appealing to the students living on campus. If you get hungry while you are out late, South A Philly and Taco Shop are two places that are still serving food.

Fun at the Fair:

Bars and clubs are not the only things to do around downtown; the fairgrounds behind the parking garage on Cordova Street have different events happening on certain weekends throughout the year. They host everything from the bacon festival to medieval fairs. These events sometimes have small rides, but they always have plenty of food, vendors, and games. These events start in the morning or afternoon, but most of them stay open for nighttime fun as well.

Music Scene:

If you are looking for concerts, most of them will be either in Jacksonville at a bigger venue, or at the Amphitheatre on A1A Boulevard on Anastasia Island. Jacksonville is about a 45 minute drive, but if you’re willing to make the trip, Jacksonville has more concert venues and usually bigger-name bands. The Amphitheatre usually has something going on, though, and they do occasionally get the more popular bands. The fairgrounds that host the events have also recently started hosting outdoor concerts. Last year they shut down half of downtown for a Mumford and Sons concert there.

Theatrics:

The College itself puts on a lot of good musicals and plays in the Lewis Auditorium, but the Limelight Theatre on San Marco is another option. Flagler stages plays a few times a semester, some of which are student written and/or directed, and the actors and actresses at the school are very talented. The seniors’ final projects are a two-night set of one-act plays that is always fun to see. The Limelight Theatre, however, always has at least one show going on, so if you are in a theatrical mood and Flagler is not playing anything, there is an alternative.

School Spirit:

Though not the typical nightlife, there are often sports events, with a shuttle usually provided for students needing a ride, plus a variety of lectures, discussions, and literary events going on in the evenings. CAB also hosts campus events such as midnight breakfasts and dances. So always check out what’s happening on campus before you make your weekend plans.

Cara Fontaine graduated from Flagler in May 2014 with a degree in English and a minor concentration in Business. She is originally from Portland, Maine, and visited the school twice before attending.