Doug’s Place
In an era of South Carolina blue laws, Doug’s Place gained fame as Clemson’s after-hours club. It was a private, members-only spot (memberships ran about $5–$10 a year) tucked underneath a bar called Lamar’s, near the old train station sitetigernet.com. Because bars in that era had to stop serving at midnight Saturday (no alcohol sales on Sunday), Doug’s Place would open at midnight and keep the party going into the early hours of Sunday. Students and locals who weren’t ready to call it a night could head to Doug’s and keep dancing (and, presumably, drinking) after the rest of town went dark. The club skirted the law by operating as a “private club” – you flashed your membership card at the door. Many recall that it stayed packed with a post-midnight crowd. Clemson football legend Jeff Davis even did a stint as a bouncer there, according to lore. Hidden away in the basement, Doug’s Place wasn’t flashy, but it was invaluable for extending the fun. It eventually faded away (as alcohol laws relaxed and enforcement caught up), but those who were around still remember “going to Doug’s” when everywhere else closed. It’s a unique piece of Clemson bar history – the little after-hours joint under Lamar’s where the night didn’t end at midnighttigernet.com.
