Betty’s Lounge (123 Truck Stop)
A true old-school dive, Betty’s Lounge sat on Highway 123 heading toward Seneca, across from the 123 Truck Stop. Known to regulars as “Betty’s 1-2-3”, it catered to truckers, locals, and adventurous students. Betty, the proprietress, was famously no-nonsense – she even kept a shotgun visibly hanging behind the bar for everyone’s “encouragement” to behavetigernet.com. A sign at the door laid down the law: No knives, no guns, no fighting, no cursing, and so ontigernet.com. Despite (or because of) its rough-around-the-edges vibe, Betty’s was always welcoming to those who respected the house rules. It was the kind of place where, if you came often, the staff might throw you a surprise birthday partytigernet.com. Beer was the beverage of choice – where else could you get a 14-ounce can of Old Milwaukee on a college bar crawl?tigernet.com – and it was dirt cheap. Many a Clemson student of the ’80s made a late-night pilgrimage to Betty’s for one more round, often followed by a sobering bite at Sunny’s diner across the street. By the ’90s, Betty’s Lounge had closed its doors, but its legend lives on. Alumni swap tales of the rowdy nights and colorful characters at Betty’s, remembering it as the dive bar with a heart of gold (nugget)… and a shotgun on the walltigernet.comtigernet.com.
