Celebrating a 21st birthday in Charlotte

I have long awaited the moment where I can easily walk into a bar and not be afraid of the bouncer outing me for my fake.

This past Thursday, I celebrated my birthday in the Queen City. As a third-year college student in Charlotte (originally from Winston-Salem), I only knew of a few places to celebrate a monumental moment like this.

But Montford Drive wasn’t going to cut it this time; Montford is too close to campus. An average night at Montford is like walking into the dining hall. That was a no-go.

I had to explore this beautiful city in a way that I haven’t before. So, how does a 21-year-old celebrate their birthday in Charlotte? Here’s some sound advice to make sure you celebrate your 21 properly.

(1) Tell your professor beforehand that you’re celebrating your birthday.

There’s nothing worse than a 9 a.m. class the next day and your head is about to explode. I let my professor know and he was eager to tell me to “What do they call it, ‘turn-up’?” and even excused my absence.

(2) Try new things. 

The eve of my birthday, my college roommates surprised me with the living room decked out with streamers, balloons and of course, alcohol. We popped cheap champagne at midnight.

I asked around for restaurant ideas and my nine friends and I ended up at Cabo Fish Taco in NoDa.

Great choice.

Cabo was the perfect intimate setting to celebrate my special day. The restaurant is dim and invites a hipster-friendly vibe. My friends and I couldn’t stop raving about the Beer-Battered Shrimp Tacos or the margaritas.

I had never eaten at Cabo Fish Taco before my birthday, but this is definitely going to be a new spot for me.

(3) Don’t get too wrapped up in planning the night.

Be 21 and spontaneous.

After dinner, we played the night by ear. I ended up bar-hopping in NoDa and doing the bachata at a bar in the N.C. Music Factory.

We finished at Wet Willie’s and La Revolución in the Music Factory. Both are 21+ to drink of course, but because they’re restaurants anyone is allowed to come in.

Wet Willie’s is like a 7-Eleven except there’s alcohol in their drinks. More than a normal bar. They warn you to only have one drink and be wary of brain freezes. The atmosphere is typical bar, except less noisy. It’s a nicer place to have a conversation with someone rather than yelling to your friend right beside you.

La Revolución had a slightly older crowd, but once everyone started dancing, it was hard to separate the young folks from the more mature.

(4) Don’t forget to call your parents the next day.

They may be wondering if they still have a daughter.

This has certainly been the best birthday thus far. I woke up with a mean headache and I may or may not have been hungover the entire day after. But, that’s beside the point.

If you’re underage in this city, there isn’t much to do besides your typical Thursday night club scene, but even that gets boring after a while. Now I see Charlotte in a whole new way. I’m eager to explore the bar scene and go to venues that college freshmen can’t get in.

Next on my to-do list is going to one of those painting and wine classes. And crying about how close I am to 25.