Dive Bar Tourist fan Valerie describes this dive, which is nestled in the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina, as something like “the Addams Family rec room.”
Wait a sec—a dive bar and a creepy museum in one place?Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner.
The entertainment on the night that Valerie visited was provided by a chicken named Sammi. That’s not a metaphor or a colloquialism. Sammi is an actual chicken, which is pretty odd.
Well played, Asheville Odditorium.
(DBT knows this post is not supposed to be about celebrity chickens, but Sammi the Chicken has an instagram page, a twitter handle, and a YouTube channel. If you’re lucky enough to meet her, you might just get an autographed egg. This is not a drill.)
About the bar! They do have actual live music and other fun events almost every night. Looking for a burlesque show or a magic show? Weird bands with weird music? Regular bands with regular music? All are welcome to perform and observe here!
Every Tuesday, the Odditorium hosts free open mic comedy. If this is something you’ve ever wanted to try, you aren’t likely to run out of comedic material here. When you’re surrounded by taxidermied animals (included a two-headed duck), old-school circus memorabilia, and creepy curios—and you’re drinking good, cheap booze—inspiration is sure to strike!
You’ll find a pool table in the back, covered in stickers, and the place is known not only for its fascinating décor, but also its friendly staff and regulars. Play the pinball machine (circus-themed, of course) and be sure to buy a monster koozie for a unique souvenir.
If it wasn’t for the big psychic eye hand sign out front and the amazing murals on the sides of the building, it would look like any regular, local dive bar. The marquee signs and the building itself are nothing special. But the inside is extraordinary. Try a creative, on-trend cocktail for a steal, or stick with the old dive bar favorite: a can of PBR!
Dive bars are special because they’re unique to their area, they’re a gathering place rather than a destination, and they attract eclectic locals. While this place shouldfeel like its trying to attract tourists—a la some Ripley’s Believe it or Not museum—it just doesn’t!
The Asheville Odditorium feels entirely organic. You get the impression that someone who really likes collecting oddities just decided to open a bar. Rather than secretly acquiring interesting regulars, the owner made the bar a beacon for oddballs everywhere:
Step right up! Come one, come all, to the Greatest Dive on Earth!
Location: Asheville, North Carolina
Be sure to try: Their unique rotating cocktail specials
