BEST GAY BAR

Club Station House

306 East Washington St. - 525-0438 There are only a handful of places to dance in downtown Springfield, and that number drops precipitously when one rules out bars that are grimy, sticky or full of guys in MMA shirts. Of those remaining, Club Station House is probably the best. The fact that it’s a gay bar hardly matters, especially when you factor in the large drink selection. Owner Ryan Bandy bought the club two years ago and sunk a ton of money into cleaning it up and modernizing it. “I like the energy of the crowd, when everyone is dancing and having a good time,” Bandy says. His focus is making the bar inviting, from the drinks and the service to the overall atmosphere. During the week, the club feels like a neighborhood bar, he says, but on the weekends, it becomes “a big-city nightclub” complete with a very punchy sound system and laser lighting. Not gay? No problem, Bandy says. “About half of the crowd that comes here is straight,” he says. “We just have a good time. I love everyone who comes here, and I think of it as a fun, trendy place where you can dance and just let loose.” Runner-up: Scandals