University Club

NOT the only gay bar in town. There is also Spikes on 6^th Street. But, it is a much older crowd and is a «hole in the wall» type place. UC used to be fun way back in the day before the current owners took over. Strong drinks. Basic college town bar. Busy on Thurs, Fri, and Sat.

Came into the club to have a fun night based on reviews. It was a slow Sunday. 3 – 7 people in the bar all night… all of the bar was closed except the top floor. The bartender was busy making jello shots for the week, and took a bit to get us drinks. Once he had our attention a pretty good bartender. Since there was nothing going on, and the place was pretty quiet I put some money in the AMI juke box and played about 20 songs… all generations… 70’s through today mixes and old school. Needless to say lots of the customer’s liked my picks, but not the bartenders friend sitting at the bar with us. He made the bartender turn the music down until «he liked or at least knew a song on here». So the last 10 songs I played were played very softly. So the batender let his friend run the bar, made me feel uncomfortable, and we left. No one else was playing any music… I guess this is supposed to be a quiet bar… as an out of towner I will never come back. I guess if you are a regular, you would get treated like a customer. I had been told this was a fun bar, but if you dont want customers on Sunday, stay closed. My money is good all days of the week.

Since it is the only Gay bar in Gainesville, I have been coming here since my first year of college. I have some great memories in this place. Over the years it has changed a lot, some for the best and some for the worst.
Ernie is one of the bartenders here, he is so sweet. He is fast and always tries to accommodate everyone’s drinking needs. The drinks are really strong. They are basically all alcohol and a splash of whatever you’re mixing with. (5 stars there) I’ve never had a complaint about their drinks. Usually they’re below 5 dollars!
The drag shows have always been ok, there are much more talented drag queens in Orlando or anywhere else for that matter. I loved the shows back in the day when Jade Jolie was around. I’ve seen drag shows all over the U.S. and the Gainesville drag show at the UC is definitely a 2, maybe a 3… that might be too generous.
One of the things I’d have to say that has changed are the DJs. A few years ago, the music used to be much better. Now, the music is mostly house music with little variation.
Overall, I love the UC. I basically grew up there. it grows on you. It’s the best gay club in Gainesville but it’s basically the only one you find.

An awesome place to unwind after a day or week of work. Acoustic coffee bar Thursday nights 7 – 10 pm with the mighty Marilyn Quinn rocking your favorites from the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s.
Friday nights is piano bar entertainment.
Good drinks at a good price.
Pool table upstairs.

It was $ 5 to enter. it was the saturday before easter so everything was dead. This place however actually made the night… the drag queen show was too funny and fun! I like this place because no one gives a danm you’re accepted for who you are. A bit empty hopefully it will be better on non-​holiday days.

The UC, it’s a classic! The music is good, but there’s literally no one on the dance floor. I went with my bestie and saw a drag show. Some of the queens were pretty bad, but one was vogue femme-​ing it up like a pro. The drag queens are silly, include the crowd and as long as standards aren’t too high, you’ll enjoy it. You’re going more to a comedy show than anything else. Also, my girl Nathalie totally won the hula hooping contest and a $ 25 gift certificate. Solid work! She said she saw the competition and knew it was over before it started. «Those hips don’t lie!»
The UC’s time has come and gone, it’s a shell of it’s former glory, BUT it’s still worth the trip for a show and a laugh.

The UC is a Gainesville mainstay. For a while I was the resident DJ for the Tuesday night TWITCH, but with graduation approaching, I’m now just an occasional attendee. Drinks rock, especially with Elaine behind the bar, Chastity adds a lot o color to the door and when its open, the top floor provides a great place to chat. You’ll see a colorful and varied crowd depending on the night. I even got pix of my girlfriend with the mayor one night.
Joey does a great job Thursday, Friday and Saturday with house and pop hits. Given the size of the place, it doesn’t take much to ramp the party up. The décor is ‘1980s’ but not in a retro way — it just hasn’t changed. I’m not sure any of the drag performers have either. Very fun place.

This is a fairly average small college town gay bar. Its usually busy and crowded on Thursday nights. The drag shows are fun with dancing in between the drag sets. There are probably an equal number of straight girls to gay guys. Not sure why that is, but I cannot believe the number of straight girls that frequent this bar. (Get a life, please?)
Drinks are reasonably priced and people are friendly. Mostly locals up on the small 3^rd floor with the pool tables. I’ve seen minors with drinks and those who give minors drinks be thrown out of the bar. I’d suggest not engaging in that type of activity. Its a quick way out of the bar.
A tip: You have to enter through the door from the alley (up the wooden stairs on the back of the building). Don’t try to come in the front door off of university avenue. That door is locked and you’ll feel like a moron.
Give the UC a shot. Not the best gay bar on the planet, but an inexpensive, fun time in the conservative central Florida region.

This place has been here forever! The cover charge was really cheap to get in, if there was even a cover charge at all. The location is great, and all of the employees were really nice and treated you with respect. There are male and female bouncers to keep the drunks in line. The only dance floor is on the bottom floor, and the space is really small. It can get crowded here really fast. Sometimes I would end up here 2 – 3 nights a week for; drag night, 80’s night, or just a random night. There were always drinks specials and a cooler of water at the end of the bar for those who are thirsty. All age groups are represented here, even my Mom and family friends have frequented UC. If you live in Gainesville, you have to go there at least once to say you have been.

I am a tad bit surprised that UC has such rave reviews, really. Perhaps five years ago UC was better (in fact, I know it was) but now I feel like the music has drifted away from gay-​oriented dance and towards the same banal hip-​hop and pop remixes every other club plays. Where is the Deborah Cox, where are the Moto Blanco remixes of things like «Love Today»? There is SUCH good dance music out there beyond Brit, Beyoncé, et al. .. go to a club in Miami or even Pulse in Orlando and you’ll hear great music you just won’t very often at UC. Also, there’s hardly any room to dance on a busy night: the dance floor is waaaaay too small, in fact, the physical space UC is in is half their problem: it’s too small for what’s going on here and not very attractive either. They need a larger, fresher, venue.
Lady Pearl and the drag show is hit or miss: some of the talent is actually pretty good but I’ve seen far better elsewhere and I know enough drag queens in the region to think we should get better talent from Jax, Orlando, and so forth than the ones we get here. Lady Pearl CAN be funny though at least. When I lived in Savannah, Georgia, I got to see some very good drag and we could learn something from them, though in fairness Savannah has become a regional center for drag so it’s expected they have a high level going on up there.
I’ve had some very fun times at UC, but for a college town this size we need a better gay club. I appreciate the fact we have one at all, sure, but it could be much better. I went to Ascension last night (goth/​industrial night at the Attic) and it was more fun by far than UC. .. different scene, yeah, but really. .. people are praising UC based on its past, it needs to focus more on its present and future. Sure, I’ve made out with boys here, met people here, have fond memories, but many times my boyfriend and I will drive to Orlando to go clubbing now just because the options are much better there.

Even as a little straight girl I was readily accepted and loved.
This place rocks because of the people that make it happen.
Untz Untz Untz Untz!!!

Oh… back in the day. I was practically club furniture here.
Ive drunk, puked, danced, done drag, watched drag, made out with boys, walked in fashion shows in this place since I was 17.
It really is a home away from home for so many. Oh how I miss thee.

Lady Pearl. Are you calling my name.
Lady Pearl, Thursday night drag show. I remember when you pulled me up on stage for my 21^st (my reall, therefore 2^nd) birthday… told me how much you loved my boyfriend, asked me about his secret spots and tossed up my skirt like it was blowing in the wind.
you’re divine. i hope you’re still showing all the little boys the ways of the world. You made my day, you made my year.
Thanks University Club for always rocking and keeping the dance floor bumping.