Cheers to You!

Cheers to You is one of few great bars on the islands with a sunset view. This picture is from their deck.

So here I am looking for just the right picture of a great little dive bar, Cheers to You on Wilmington Island for a BBQ contest I am planning and I come across a review on Yelp, and the review is from someone I took on a boat tour - freaking Google never fails to amaze... This young woman was in a "bride tribe" group that we took on the river last year. Yes, I sent her to Cheers - through the hole in the fence - after our tour. And yes, they were a lot of fun on the boat!
Here's what she had to say about Cheers...


"I've been to my share of 'dive bars' before, but Cheers gives a whole new meaning to the name.  In the most wonderful way, this was the MOST divey bar I've ever seen in my life.  On recommendation from our boat captains (from Bull River Cruises based at Hogan's Marina), we walked over to the bar next door for some afternoon deck drinking.  We were even warned that the deck might fall off while we're on it!

Walking into the dark dingy dive, we instantly went onto the deck and soaked up space on their somewhat bouncy porch, which overlooked the marina and the water - looking down there's a marsh and my thoughts briefly drifted to questioning the structural integrity of the whole contraption.  Anyways, drinks in hand, we listened to music, chatted, and ate boiled peanuts and popcorn for a solid 3 hours on that deck.  The other patrons were vaguely amused by us, they were obviously regulars here, and we were clearly not.  Regardless of this fact, everyone was super friendly and nice!

Most of our party was drinking beer, but after seeing a Twisted Tea sign adorning their wall, I ordered myself one of those - but they didn't have any.  The bartender made some sort of concoction which tasted EXACTLY like a Twisted Tea, and a few of us happily slurped them up!

*Total aside.  If anyone ever goes here and meets a man named Rudy, please buy him a beer!  During the dancing-on-the-deck portion of our time here, my wallet flipped over the side of the porch and promptly landed in the marsh directly below us.  It was about a 2 story drop and my heart fell almost that distance as it dropped into my stomach.  I went inside - unsure of what to do, and explained the problem to the bartender, thinking I would be able to get some sort of bucket/fishing wire contraption to get it back.  Lo and behold - a wonderful patron (Rudy!) gallantly trekked into the marsh and retrieved my wallet.  He even apologized for it being covered with Georgia mud!  Much to my dismay, he only let me buy him one beer!  Needless to say, this bar is good people."

I couldn't agree more! Cheers to You is on Wilmington Island, near Savannah GA, and on July 27th we will hold the second annual "Smoke 'em if You Got 'em Backyard BBQ Contest" to benefit the Randy Davis Family. Y'all come!

A Pub-lic Service To Our Community...

I was tired. Dog-tired. My feet hurt. I had been standing on them all day pouring beer at a festival in downtown Savannah, and when it was done I wanted nothing more than a comfortable seat, warm food, and a cool drink.

I stopped by one of my fave-spots, The Flying Fish Bar and Grill on Wilmington Island near Savannah. It was late in their day, and things were winding down. I chatted up River, the bartender and owner's daughter, and started tucking into a big plate of shrimp and fries.

Happy Pleasure...

As time passed, the kids working the store began to do their closing calculations. Three or four of them found a table to work at and laid out all of their order tickets from the night's work. Then they sorted out all the money and began figuring what was their's to keep and what was headed for the till.

I was struck by the fact that these kids were learning very important life-skills courtesy of this little eatery on Wilmington. Dozens of kids have worked there over the ten years or so that I have been going, including the kids of many of my friends. They learn discipline, the value of hard work (and a dollar), how to get along with others, and how to be a good follower (and leader). In short, a job like this prepares a kid to do more than hang out on mom and dad's couch and fail to launch. While some youngsters spend the weekend focusing on a video screen, the kids at the Fish were earning and learning and having fun working.

Yet another benefit of having a Pub in your neighborhood. May the Fish ever Fly...