After leaving Georgia – the second state on our 50 state road trip – we crossed into Alabama and made our way on to Montgomery.
A couple of days beforehand, we’d checked Groupon for discounts on things to do in Alabama’s state capital. One of the options was a Groupon for GTSouth Geek & Gaming Tavern. For $23, we’d get two specialty stuffed burgers, two signature cocktails or beers and unlimited gaming.
That sounded like a good deal, but it got better. Groupon had a 20% off coupon, plus we’d bought a Groupon gift card at a 10% discount. That put the total cost at only $16.56 – a bargain for what sounded like two great burgers, two cocktails and video games.
We arrived at GTSouth at 7pm, just as they were opening. It’s located in a strip mall and is very nondescript from the outside.
They were having a Bob Ross paint night the evening we visited, so they were still getting the tables ready when we arrived.
They had someone at the entrance who checked our ID as we came in. If you’re 21+, you’ll get a wristband so that they can identify who’s allowed to drink alcohol. That’s because you’re allowed to visit GTSouth from the age of 19.
We received a friendly welcome and were told we could sit anywhere we liked. I’d already checked out their menus online, so had a good idea of what I wanted to order.
Our Groupon was for two stuffed specialty burgers, but they said we could order any of the burgers seeing as the specialty ones were the most expensive ones.
I ordered the Johnny Castaway which was stuffed with pepperoni, ham and pineapple and topped with marinara sauce (I asked for it without cheese). Shae went for the Fallout burger – a burger stuffed with mac n’ cheese bites.
Choosing our food was fairly easy. Choosing our cocktails was much harder as there were so many to choose from.
How many? Six pages worth.
54 different cocktails, all with names that had a geek and/or gaming theme. That wasn’t all though – as it was Bob Ross paint night, they had some additional cocktail options.
We placed our food and drink orders up at the bar. In addition to the main food menu, they also had chips and candy bars for sale.
In the end, I went for The Flash – vodka, rum, whiskey, Wild Turkey, Mellow Yellow and raspberry. Shae went for a cocktail with the same name as her burger – Fallout – which contained Bacardi, Bacardi 151, Everclear, vodka, sour mix and pineapple juice. Both our cocktails were tasty.
As well as retro video games, GTSouth Geek & Gaming Tavern has all kinds of board games you can play. While we waited for our food, we had a game of Super Mario checkers. Despite her taking an early lead, Shae made a mistake which meant I was able to come back and take the win.
Our food took a little while longer, so we also played a game of Blokus. We used to own it before we got rid of pretty much everything we own, so it was nice to play it again.
Once we’d finished our game, our stuffed specialty burgers came out.
They were quite tasty despite not looking like much, especially seeing as a lot of the flavor was stuffed inside.
Once we’d finished eating, we made our way over to the wall containing all the retro video game consoles. Shae’s childhood was spent playing Super Mario 3 on the NES, so it made her night that this was an option.
By the time we started playing video games, the place had started filling up. In addition to the main front area, there was a section out back with a large sofa where people could hang out. I felt a little awkward trying to take a photo back there, so only got this picture of the front area.
Shae enjoys paint nights, so she bought a mini easel and canvas for $5.
Sitting at one of the tables, she got herself set up with her canvas and one of the Bob Ross cocktails – Phthalo Blue – which contained light rum, blue Curacao, Grenadine, green apple and Sprite.
With everything in place, Shae streamed a Bob Ross episode from YouTube on her phone to follow along with his painting.
This is what Bob Ross’s painting ended up looking like…
…and this is what Shae’s looked like. I have to admit, I was super-impressed with how her picture turned out, especially seeing as the canvas was only about three inches tall.
After finishing her painting, we played video games for a little while longer before making our way back to our Airbnb.
Final Thoughts
Shae and I had a fun time visiting GTSouth Geek & Gaming Tavern. Their staff were all extremely friendly and welcoming, the food was good, the cocktails were tasty and there was a huge selection of games of both video and board varieties.
If you enjoy gaming and geek culture, you’ll love it at GTSouth in Montgomery, Alabama. There seemed to be a great and diverse community there, so you should feel welcomed no matter who you are or what you’re into.
Address
GTSouth Geek & Gaming Tavern, 4017 Eastern Blvd, Montgomery, AL 36116
Cassie says
My husband loves all things Bob Ross. It made our morning reading this post. He’s very impressed with your artwork Shae!
stephen says
Awesome! Shae’s been known to stream several episodes of Bob Ross as it’s so relaxing to have on.
Jo Pepper says
Your painting’s amazing Shae!