South Carolina Liquor Insurance Requirements – Could Bars Be In Trouble?

The South Carolina liquor insurance requirements may put bars across the state at risk of shutting down. It's already forced a legendary bar in Greenville to shut down after 29 years in business.

On Tuesday night, The Blind Horse Saloon in Greenville, South Carolina, shared a post on their social media that because of the South Carolina liquor insurance requirements, they were going to have to close. And the decision was effective immediately.

The bar, located on Lowndes Hill Road in Greenville, had been in operation for 29 years. Their closure announcement is also on their website, that still features event information for Tyler Hubbard's Strong World Tour that was scheduled for Friday, September 20th.

The Blind Horse Saloon was known for the best live country in Greenville. They also hosted free dance lessons every Wednesday night.

According to WYFF, the South Carolina liquor liability law requires businesses serving alcohol to have a $1 million liability policy. This law was a result of an incident where an uninsured drunk driver left an uninsured bar, and crashed into a police officer and injuring him.

The bill that brought forth this law was passed in 2017 and was called the Dram Shop Bill. Lawmakers felt instating this law would ensure incidents like this would be covered. But for business owners, it raised costs overtime, and led some out of business. This law also made claims for insurance carriers more expensive.

Unfortunately, lawmakers ran out of time during the most recent legislative session to address this issue. Bills that were proposed during this recent session will have to start from scratch during the next session, which doesn't start again until January 2025.

There have been efforts to raise awareness about the issues that have stemmed from this law. SC Venue Crisis is a grassroots movement that has been on a mission to make people aware of the problems. There have also been other bills and a discussion to suspend the $1 million insurance mimimum. Unfortunately, the bills failed to make it to Governor Henry McMaster's desk.

South Carolina bars and music venues will now have to wait until January for the next legislative session, but before that, there's hope that the election in November will have a positive impact. Movements to raise awareness for the issues are encouraging people to pay attention and vote out the politicians who haven't done what they said they would.

Sheila Merck with SC Venue Crisis told WYFF she hopes there can be a tavern and bar association created. An association like this could help represent the bar and music venue owners across the state.

Every town has one, but some big cities, like Atlanta, have a few great dive bars. Some are in the middle of the city, and some are further out in the suburbs. We've picked four great ones to talk about here. Best Dive Bars In Atlanta And One I Had To Show You In Florida.

I love a good dive bar, and when I'm on vacation, I usually search for one. A dive bar is much like a neighborhood bar, not polished and well kept, just a good lived-in feeling with a cold beer and usually some good dive bar food. Oh, and the people You meet some of the best people in a dive bar.

According to My Bartender, one of the most important aspects of a dive bar is its character and authenticity. Dive bars are typically small and unglamorous, with shabby or dated decor, dim lighting, and neon beer signs. They often have a lived-in feel, with a patina of age and use that can’t be replicated. This is part of what gives them their charm and appeal.

Hopefully, soon, I'll travel to more dive bars across the south and check them out. There is one or two in every town or community. When I do, you can bet that I'll come back with a story or two and a bunch of pictures (some blurry). After all, what's better than discovering new places, meeting good people, and having a few cold beers?

Probably one of the best dive bars I have been to, outside of the Atlanta area is in Tarpon Springs, Florida. The Boat Club is the diviest (is that a word?) of dive bars I've seen. You have to see this one! Check it out HERE.

The Northside Tavern has been voted as one of the top ten dive bars in the USA. This bar has been in business for over 50 years and is open 7 days a week, 12 noon til last call, except for Sunday, when they close at midnight.

It is also a favorite of Hollywood, with scenes from Netflix series Ozark season 4 filmed here. Also, Fast and Furious 8 and more have picked this dive bar as a place to shoot a scene or two.

The Northside Tavern is located at 1058 Howell Mill Rd NW Atlanta GA.

This dive bar stands out from their neighbor businesses in Buckhead, a very affluent area of Atlanta. Five Paces Inn brings a little bit of small-town dive bar goodness to the area. A great mix of people frequents this bar, from local hipsters in Buckhead to a few good rednecks, all friendly and doing the same thing....relaxing and having a cold one at their favorite dive bar.

Five Paces Inn is located at 41 Irby Ave NW, Atlanta.
41 Irby Ave NW, Atlanta, GA 30305

Their Instagram page describes Smith's Olde Bar as having delicious food, games, and live music. Plus, I'm sure they have cold beers, too.

You'll find Smith's Old Bar at 1578 Piedmont Ave NE, Atlanta

Midtown Atlanta may not be what you think of when you think of dive bars, but this is a good one! In a sea of highrises is Eleventh Street Pub. All of the things you love about dive bars, like great pub food and cold beer, are here, as well as a good mix of locals who call this their neighborhood bar.

Eleventh Street Pub is located at 1041 W Peachtree ST NW, Atlanta