Students reflect on the nightlife in downtown Fredericksburg, or lack thereof

MADISON MCCALLUM Staff Writer

No matter if you’re a transfer student or came to UMW right out of high school, we all made the choice to come to a Division III school in the small city of Fredericksburg, acknowledging the obvious drawbacks that would come along with it—especially in regards to student nightlife.

The nightlife here is very routine. Week after week, students pile into the same bar and move in a pack-like formation to another location every few months. It seems as if every year a new bar is the go-to, bouncing back and forth between Jay’s Downtown Sports Lounge and Brock’s Riverside Grill. Regardless of where the students choose to go on their Saturday night, I can’t help but hear constant complaints from peers regarding the nightlife. I must admit, I am sometimes disappointed seeing the same exact people every time I go downtown on a Saturday night, too, but we don’t necessarily have the largest student population to interact with. Because students tend to frequent the same couple of bars, here’s a breakdown of the most popular spots and the pros and cons they offer on a night out, as well as a few honorable mentions around town.

Jay’s Downtown Sports Lounge

Jay’s Downtown Sports Lounge seems to be the “it” place this year. Even I admit that, at the start of the year, the bar’s reopening was something to be excited about. The bar’s casual atmosphere and younger crowd make it an easy place to feel comfortable while enjoying a few of your favorite beers or mixed drinks. Between competing in arcade games, fighting for the high score on the punching bag, capturing a moment at the photo booth or schooling your friends in a game of pool, there are plenty of activities to keep you busy during your time here. But here’s a warning: if you use the photo booth, be prepared for drunk townies photobombing and harsh looks from blondes in hot pink tank tops with their hair slicked back into high ponytails. Regardless of your feelings about the addition of arcade games replacing the traditional dart boards, Jay’s attempt to keep up with current trends and make their customers happy is noticeable, and it makes for a fun night out.

on top of the automatic amount. You could just read the pieces of printer paper taped behind the bar stating, “Automatic 25% gratuity added,” but even English majors have a hard time reading after a couple drinks. Recently, the automatic gratuity has been increased to 30%, along with a $5 or $10 cover charge through cash or Venmo upon entry on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, leaving many with a bitter taste in their mouths about visiting the bar—and I don’t mean the watermelon sour that they offer on their menu. Because of the extra fees associated with Jay’s, it leaves students with a choice: go to another bar and not be surrounded by their peers, or stay home.

“I like Jay’s, or at least I used to before the new changes,” said senior business administration major Noah Adcock-Howeth. “Recently it feels like they’ve been allergic to smart decisions. The cover is absolutely idiotic, and I’ve got no interest in paying just to get in the door. It’s a nice place, but if they think that spot is worth a cover charge they need to look in the mirror and see what the world sees.”

Brock’s Riverside Grill

Back in the day—in this case, the year 2019—Brock’s lured customers in with $1 beers, enticing broke college students to stumble into their bar every weekend. Even after this deal ended, the bar continued to accumulate a large following and even opened up an outdoor patio during the warmer months. Following the reopening of Jay’s, the student traffic through Brock’s began to calm down, picking up sporadically on random nights throughout the month. The upside to Brock’s is that they only charge a cover fee on Saturdays past midnight, and your admittance includes indoor and outdoor options with seating, allowing customers to move around freely.

However, as the college crowd claimed the bar as its own, Jay’s began to make changes that have turned some away. At the start of the school year, gratuity was something that the customer had control of as they paid their bill. However, as the bar’s popularity grew, they began adding an automatic 25% tip on customers’ bills. Although this is not an excessive amount to some, many customers were unaware of this and would tip