Now at Campus No. 805, you can have your beer and take it, too! On February 23rd, the City Council approved the proposed S.R. Butler Green Arts and Entertainment District, which went into effect Sunday, March 5. The newest district encompasses Campus No. 805 and stretches east toward downtown, including our neighbors the Salty Nut brewery.

The goal of Arts and Entertainment districts is to revitalize and animate our urban areas by attracting live music, festivals, dining, and other entertainment. To compliment these events, patrons are now allowed to buy a beer or other alcoholic beverage from an establishment and take it with them in a designated open container (purple cup) throughout the entertainment district. Huntsville now has four Arts and Entertainment Districts: the Quigley (downtown), the Meridian (around A.M. Booth’s Lumberyard), the Village of Providence, and now the S.R. Butler Green districts.

So what does that mean for Campus No. 805? Well, do you remember those signs near Ronnie Raygun’s in Straight to Ale that say “NO BEER PAST THIS POINT?” Gone. If a band you want to see is playing on Butler Green, you can buy a pint at Yellowhammer and sip it while you listen. Want to take a cocktail from Lone Goose upstairs to your Spirited Art class? No problem! You are allowed to take your drink anywhere within the boundaries except for another establishment. You can’t take a pint poured from one of Wish You Were Beer’s 40 taps into your dinner at Rock ‘n’ Roll Sushi, for example.

The hours for the new S.R. Butler Green Arts and Entertainment District are Thursday nights from 5 to 11 p.m. and Friday to Sunday from noon to 11 p.m. We can’t wait for people to utilize the entertainment district flexibility during our upcoming spring and summer events, as well as during normal entertainment district hours! See you (and purple cups) on Campus!