WHAT'S NEW DOWNTOWN: Get Your Country on at Double Wide Saloon

Ah, that old "Cheers" jingle:  The quaint little bar where “everybody knows your name.”  Times have changed though.  Surely there are still a few of these, but drinking, it seems, is largely an anonymous endeavor (until you’ve had a few). 

Sure there are the people you’re with, but with the hustle and bustle of everything, especially in a busy bar, it’s hard to build camaraderie with the ol’ barkeep or the regulars.

Well, they’re sure making an effort at the newly opened Double Wide Saloon in Downtown St. Pete.

“Hey man, what’s your name?”

My name?  I’m not going to be “Bud” or “Pal” or “Hey, what do you want?” But my real name?  That extra effort makes a big difference in a competitive, concentrated bar scene like Downtown St. Petersburg’s.

Bartender amicability aside, the Double Wide Saloon has a lot to offer. First it can handle the crowds; it is a monstrous bar. The indoor area, lined with hardwood floors surely prepped for line-dancing in the near future, could easily hold a crowd number way into the triple digits.

Big, barky tree trunks rising up from the bar compliment the country feel nicely and the covered outdoor patio, with another full bar, could easily match the capacity of the indoor area as well. 

And, good thing, because the Double Wide is an easy baseball throw over 1^st Avenue South from the beloved Trop.  Ferg’s Sports Bar has been the staple for pre- and post- game libations, but the Double Wide will likely provide some stiff competition if it can get people in the door. 

Their specials are tentative at the moment, but on game days, Bud Light drafts are only $2 with more specials to come in the future.

The cocktails are well poured and hover around the $5 mark, if you’re opting for, well, liquor in your mix.  Sixteen-ounce draft beers include Bud, Bud Light, Amber Bock, Michelob, with additional bottle selections like Yuengling, Corona, and more. 

And, rumor has it that the bartenders, or the Double Wide Divas as they like to be called, have a tendency to get up on the bar and dance, too, if you play your cards right.

Being a little over a week old, the Double Wide Saloon is still ironing out a few kinks, but they’re on the right track.  The bar’s open now, but the official grand opening is coming up on the 22^nd with $1 drafts, $2 wells, and tons of music and festivities.

Friendly and spacious, the Double Wide could easily be dowtown’s next great bar.  With its close proximity to the Trop, and enough of the great amicability on their end, the Double Wide could also easily become the destination for pre- and post-game libations.  The potential is there.  Cheers to the future, guys.