Seven Years of College Down the Drain

According to Playboy, SMU and TCU are full of drunk, sexy sinners

SMU was named the top nightlife school in the nation by Playboy. Barley House onSMU Boulevard had a big part in that.
TCU was named the ninth best party school, behind Tulane. Apparently, BourbonStreet's nightlife can't touch the scene in Dallas.
Photo by Peter Barnes

So Playboy just released its Top Party School list (NSFW-ish), and, would you look at that — those good Christian students at TCU and SMU have wrangled their way to the no. 9 overall and no. 1 nightlife schools, respectively.

Rounding out the Texas trio of coed copulation and consumption recognition is UT Austin at no. 4 overall. Good job, everyone.

We do have to wonder about SMU winning best overall nightlife, though. Not to sound bitter, but as a UT alum, we consider Sixth Street in Austin to be inferior only to Bourbon Street when it comes to American alcohol meccas.

And speaking of New Orleans, Playboy ranks Tulane at no. 8 overall but outside the top five in nightlife. Maybe we’re missing something.

Don’t get me wrong; SMU’s nightlife is top-notch. Between the SMU Boulevard collection of Milo’s, Barley House, Ozona and Home Bar and McKinney Avenue haunts like Idle Rich and Blackfriar, SMU students are swimming in it.

But has Playboy been to Bourbon Street? Have they been to New Orleans at all? An esteemed colleague of ours is currently enrolled at Tulane law and has relayed tales of debauchery and drunken mayhem that would make what goes on in Dallas and Austin look like kindergarten recess.

Maybe we’re too close to the situation here and have taken the Dallas college bar scene for granted. After all, Playboy does know a thing or two about partying, and if they consider the nightlife here to be the best of the best, well, then, we’re not going to complain about living in that city.

So SMU fans, alumni and students, rejoice: you are the top dogs in rowdiness this year.

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Fun times in the city

Dallas swings a spot on new list of most fun cities in U.S. for 2024

Topgolf Facebook

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Dallas just wants to have fun, according to WalletHub's new ranking of the most fun cities in America in 2024.

The annual report ranked Dallas No. 31 out of 182 U.S. cities.

WalletHub's experts compared each city using 65 metrics to determine their level of "fun." Metrics were split among three main categories: entertainment and recreation, nightlife and parties, and cost.

According to the study's findings, Dallas was 24th nationally in the category for nightlife and parties, and ranked No. 39 in the "entertainment and recreation" category. That may be especially alluring for anyone who wants to explore the city's vast entertainment opportunities (especially during the holiday season), family-friendly recreational activities, top dining destinations, and more. Plus, Dallas is home to entertainment juggernauts like the State Fair of Texas and TopGolf.

Dallas performed poorly in the overall cost category, earning No. 114 out of all 182 cities. However, this category mostly compares flat costs rather than affordability based on local cost of living.

Potential new Dallasites should do their research before deciding to move here, rather than basing their decision on short trips and vacations alone. But we won't blame them for wanting to live in one of the best cities in the world.

"The top cities offer affordable options for year-round fun for their residents, which is good for residents’ wallets and their mental health," said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo in the report.

Austin (No. 6) and Houston (No. 9) were the only Texas cities to earn a spot in the top 10 most fun U.S. cities list. Austin moved up one spot from last year, while Houston made a 10-place jump.

Other fun-filled Texas cities that made it in the top 100 are El Paso (No. 53), Fort Worth (No. 55), Plano (No. 78), Arlington (No. 79), and Corpus Christi (No. 99).

The top 10 most fun U.S. cities are:

No. 1 – Las Vegas, Nevada
No. 2 – Orlando, Florida
No. 3 – Miami, Florida
No. 4 – Atlanta, Georgia
No. 5 – New Orleans, Louisiana
No. 6 – Austin, Texas
No. 7 – San Francisco, California
No. 8 – Chicago, Illinois
No. 9 – Houston, Texas
No. 10 – New York City, New York

Cities were evaluated based on the number of attractions per capita, nightlife activities per capita, the average prices for eating at a restaurant or buying a movie ticket, and more. Data was sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau, The Trust for Public Land, and the Council for Community and Economic Research, among others.

dance clubs fun cities nightlife parties recreation wallethub

Seven Years of College Down the Drain

According to Playboy, SMU and TCU are full of drunk, sexy sinners

Fun times in the city

Dallas swings a spot on new list of most fun cities in U.S. for 2024

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