This story originally appeared in the March 24 edition of the weekly LINK Reader. To see these stories first, subscribe here.
For basketball fans, there are few things more exciting than the month of March. Basketball games on every day and at nearly every hour, anticipating to see if your team will make the next round. These games are only as exciting as the atmosphere where you watch them. This Streetscapes, we’re headed to Boone, Kenton and Campbell counties to check out the best bars for March Madness.
Skyline Tavern
For a true college experience, Skyline Tavern will throw patrons into the thick of it. Revelers can see Northern Kentucky University’s campus from this bar, so it’s bound to be packed and full of energy during the NCAA tournament.
For newbies to Skyline Tavern, this is your typical college dive bar – it’s the perfect spot to go and relive your college days. Buckets of beer and their famous wings fuel patrons as they cheer on NKU. For those truly camping out and making a day of March Madness games, they also offer a large pub menu with staples like burgers, wraps and sandwiches.
Although just a stone’s throw away from Northern’s campus, Skyline Tavern does celebrate other fan favorites like University of Kentucky and Xavier University. They offer all the bar basics from cocktails to canned classics, all for incredible prices.
If there’s one place to be to watch an underdog NKU seed beat the number one seed Houston, it’s this bar.
Covington Yard
When the weather gets warmer, there are few places as fun as Covington Yard. Covington Yard is meant to feel like a best friend’s backyard, with lawn chairs for patrons who want to sit back and chat and cornhole for those itching to play. There’s plenty of entertainment to keep kids and adults busy in between games. With Covington Yard being nearly all outdoors, they have huge projector televisions so bar goers can see the winning basket from every spot in the yard.
Unlike an actual backyard BBQ, there’s no added work. Food trucks serve as the pit masters, so every guest can truly relax. With options of tacos, nachos, burgers, wings and waffles, everyone in the group is covered. In true backyard fashion, everyone is welcome at the yard. Kids and dogs are just as commonplace as adults. Covington Yard makes for a great meeting place for large groups, even on the busiest days there is no bad spot at the yard.
Their interior bar offers more coverage from the rain or sun, but still has interior TV’s to watch every game. Located in the hub of Covington’s bar scene, it can get really busy at the yard during March Madness. Environments like this erupt with excitement when teams win a nail biter, and is truly one of the most exciting places to be this March.
859 Taproom and Grill
Those looking to watch a good game with quality beer, and maybe a bit more serene atmosphere, 859 Taproom and Grill offers all you want with college basketball, and nothing you don’t. Of course, there will still be passionate fans rooting on their teams, but for those wanting something a bit more family friendly, 859 is the spot.
The perfect pair to basketball will always be beer, and 859 does not mess around. They have the largest beer wall in NKY with over 60, yes, 60 beers on draft; no fan will go thirsty. For halftime hungries their menu does not disappoint, tacos and Wagyu burgers come in nearly any creation imaginable. The 859 Bourbon Wagyu burger with bacon, cheddar cheese, onion tanglers and drizzled in a bourbon glaze will keep you full game after game.
Whether fans are cheering on local favorites or a team hours away, rest assured, with seventeen TV’s, patrons will never have to miss a minute of madness.