If you enjoy dive bars, you’re going to love the Thirsty Beaver Saloon in Charlotte! A humble little brick building amidst a busy neighborhood is nothing special, amirite? But it’s pretty special when you see the large apartment building (Overton Row) that’s been built up around the Thirsty Beaver.
Apparently in 2015, a developer offered to purchase the land and building but was rebuffed. After multiple offers and rejections, the developer purchased all the land around the Thirsty Beaver Saloon and just started building the 300+ unit apartment building minus their lot. And years later, the Thirsty Beaver Saloon still stands, a bit of a Johnny Cash middle-finger to the corporate developer that tried to push them out of the neighborhood.
Given its rebellious history, the Thirsty Beaver has thrived with a crowd of young locals enjoying their PBRs on the regular. It’s a simple place offering laughs, cheap beer, and liquor in unpretentious surroundings. On a warm summers night, you can find the crowd milling about up front because the space inside isn’t big at all! And one of the funnier moments was a recent photo from the Rolling Stones lead singer, Mick Jagger who quietly (and unnoticed) stepped in for a cold one during their 2021 concert tour.
What to say but I really enjoyed my visit to the Thirsty Beaver Saloon, cheap beer and a little bit of attitude and sass works for me and hopefully you too will appreciate this dive bar icon in Charlotte. If it’s good enough for Mick, it’s probably good enough for the rest of us!
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