It’s Friday, so I’m drawing on the collective wisdom of the Internet to seek advice on a pretty trivial subject.
Namely: the Bachelor Party.
I’ve never planned one before, but I suspect that your typical pre-wedding binge is pretty simple: pick a few bars or a strip club and go to town. Unfortunately, I’m operating under certain constraints. In this case, the groom – whom I love dearly – is a bit of an introvert who generally shies away from raucous bar scenes. He’s a great guy, but we became friends because we debated together in college, not because he was some legendary party animal.
Which is fine. But I’d still like to put together something special and memorable to bookend his career as an eligible bachelor and celebrate the upcoming ceremonies. Does anyone have ideas for bachelor celebrations that don’t hinge on over-the-top partying? Suggestions specific to the DC area would be particularly helpful.
DensityDuck 
Rose 
karl 
Elias Isquith 
BlaiseP 
clawback 
James Hanley 
Mark Thompson
{ 26 comments }
Top Golf in Kingstown, Alexandria. A good place to start the festivities, hang out, have a couple beers, and hit some golf balls in a friendly competition without having to actually play golf. They’ve got plenty of clubs to rent for free, as well. I’ve been there for two bachelor/pre-wedding groomsman’s parties of the low-key, non-raucous variety, and they seemed to go swimmingly.
Beyond that, I don’t know – the rest of the bachelor parties I attended when I was down there all involved trips to AC.
AC does seem to be the go-to location, but that place really is a hole, and I don’t think the groom has any interest in a low-rent remake of “The Hangover.”
The Top Golf suggestion is worth investigating, though. Thanks Mark!
Also – would it be too obvious for me to suggest the Arlington Cinema & Drafthouse?
I’d also second the Lazer Tag suggestion, though I’d add that I seem to vaguely recall there being a few decent paintball places relatively close to the city if that’s more your style.
I love the Drafthouse, but we go there all the time . . .
I figured as much. I don’t know that it’s possible to be in your 20′s in Arlington/Alexandria and not regularly go to the Drafthouse.
Lazer Tag.
Define “excessive”. Teatotalling? If “a little too much beer” is okay under controlled circumstances, rent The Road Warrior, Mad Max, and Mad Max beyond Thunderdome and watch the movies as you grow steadily drunker. (He may find himself at a strip club after he is married… but he will *NEVER* be able to watch a Post-Apocalyptic Mel Marathon ever again.)
Is he a geek? Get a good one-night session of D&D going (if money is no object, go to a game store and pick up “Descent” and play that with some beer).
I did a bachelor’s party for a guy who was described similarly, we ordered pizzas and talked about how much better being married was going to be for him than being a bachelor.
Not a teatotaller, but definitely not a fan of raucous partying. He is kind of a dork (and I mean that affectionately), so laser tag and D&D aren’t bad suggestions. I would like to find something a bit more memorable, however.
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/17226
2-5 players.
This is not terribly appropriate for a huge number of folks… but it’s a *GREAT* 4-hour session for 5 people. With beer.
I will forever remember my stag where the Best Man coordinated to have myself and five of my closest friends eschew civilization and head out to a cabin on an island to spend four days together hanging out, drinking leisurely, building a sweat lodge from ground up, and having a variety of discussions about our history, lives, futures, thoughts, fears, etc.
I dunno what y’all gots in the way of “get-away” spots (most cities have something), but if brother isn’t a party animal then I would offer going in exactly the opposite direction and opt for q/t via seclusion.
Will,
This might help:
http://artofmanliness.com/2009/01/08/throw-a-bachelor-party/
As I think I related to Scott just before his bachelor party, mine involved about a dozen guys at a friend’s farm. We shot skeet for most of the day. For dinner some of the guys pitched in and we had BBQ ribs on the grill, corn, etc. Then we sat around a bonfire making jokes, passing gas and downing beers until we couldn’t stand the cold anymore. Then we headed into the house and watched an old Richard Pryor standup for awhile until everyone passed out. The next morning we had a big breakfast and most of the guys left. A few of us stayed behind and did some squirrel hunting. A fantastic weekend for me.
Scott and Mike -
Both bachelor parties sound fantastic. Neither of us really has access to a cabin or a farm, though. We’re also stuck in DC.
I highly recommend skydiving. It’s definitely a memorable experience, and it’s loads of fun. Skydive Delmarva is a pretty good spot–it’s relatively close to DC and I had a good experience with their tandem jump instructors (tandem is much better; no training required). If you leave at 10 AM or so, you can jump and be back in DC by early evening; top it off with a concert or a really nice dinner or something more low key and you’ve got a terrific day.
That’s a suggestion worth investigating. Thanks Dan!
I forgot to mention–for a post-skydive drink, be sure to check out the Gibson. The best cocktails I’ve ever had, and the atmosphere is pretty non-raucous. Reservations required, though, at least on a weekend night.
I will also add (and this may forever mark me as a weenie) that I see the strip club thing as incredibly disrespectful to the future bride. I wanted no part of it and I still don’t go in them now when other guys have their BP’s. I just meet them at the bar afterwards.
I think I’m with you on that one, Mike. I’m not really a big fan of strip clubs, either.
Strip clubs are beyond cliched and cheesy. Plus, the drinks suck and cost a lot. F-that!
Gotta second Jaybird on Descent. Or any other boardgames but only if he’s a boardgame geek. I love Descent myself.
Zombies!!!! and Last Night on Earth are really good too… but it’s a bachelor party. Save the zombies until after the marriage – when they will be most needed.
First off, I totally agree with other commenters on the use of strip clubs. If someone really really has to see nekkid wimmins, he can go buy a magazine or watch a DVD on his own time. Your bachelor sounds like he’s pretty much over that, and the party is about him, after all.
For my own BP, my best man got us good seats to a baseball game in the afternoon (in your case, you’d have to go see the Nats, who have day games on Sunday August 23 against Milwaukee, Sunday September 6 against Florida and Saturday September 26 against Atlanta), followed by an indulgent steakhouse dinner (in your case, I’d suggest the Palm — but when I’ve been in DC in the past, I noticed no shortage of places for heavy indulgent dinners so I’m sure you can find a suitable place to the bachelor’s liking).
When the shock of ingesting 4,000 calories over six hours and consuming “a little too much” alcohol along the way proved to be not enough partying for some, we went to a cigar bar for martinis and stogies.
Transplanted Lawyer:
The Nats kind of suck, but I like the steak, cocktails and cigars game plan. Any ideas for decent cigar/cocktail lounges in DC?
I’ve been to a lot of bachelor parties. The WORST ones involved strip joints. AC is right out. Not only an expensive pit, but the dancers aren’t even allowed to be totally naked.
The best bachelor parties I have been to are just a bunch of guys renting a house at the beach or mountains or whatever and hanging out. At one we brought our own fooseball table and played for 3 days straight. D&D, video games work too. Another we took lots of beer and weed out to Deep Creek Lake and watch, among other things, a Bob Ross marathon on PBS. He totally rocks if you have enough weed. I even went to a coed bachelor party that was nothing but three bushels of crabs, a raw bar, and a keg of Red Stripe.
The point is inebriation, camaraderie, and fun.
I know very few men who want or enjoy strip clubs or private strippers for their Bachelor Party. That this endures as some sort of Rite of Passage we all want as a myth still baffles and sometimes offends me a little.
Oh lord, don’t ever hire private strippers. Usually they’re just prostitutes and they do some scary things. Plus you always have that one a-hole who decides to bang one of them in the bathroom. I’ve seen more than one bachelor gets so ticked about what was going on and worried that his future wife would find out that fights nearly broke out.
Lots of pot and a Bob Ross marathon? That sounds kind of amazing.
Drinks — good drinks — in one place, then a long, multi-course meal in another, hopefully one you can walk to. I’m not that familiar with DC anymore, so I’m sure there are more options, but a classy bar in Georgetown and then a stroll downhill to the Sequoia Club would work well.
I have a friend who sounds similar. For his party we did a DC walk. Started in G’town for lunch at Cafe Milano then walked East on M stopping at little bars along the way. When we hit the Mall we had arranged for a friend to be there with beers (in non-descript cups, of course) and sat on the grass near the monument reminiscing. Kept walking toward the Hill and then hit White Tiger for dinner and drinks.
Not sure when you’re having it, but if you wanted something more upscale you could reverse the route and go to the Roof Terrace Restaurant at the Kennedy Center. One final thought – you could bring food/drinks/cigars down to Gravelly Point.
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