As you approach the frosted double doors at Evansville’s newest hot spot, Icon, you are greeted by a professionally dressed security guard checking you attire for the evening. Icon is an upscale club for Evansville finest. Don’t even think about coming dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. The dress code is what attracts me to this club. As you walk in it is as if you are in a nightclub in a whole other city like Miami. The upscale retro decor is vibrant and fresh.

The bar at icon is positioned perfectly to serve its entire crowd. It is centered around the club. If you are out to impress someone special, Icon does offer a premier bottle service, just make sure you bring your plastic.

Some of the features that this club offers can’t be found at any other bar in town including an amazing wall of bubble lights that according to Evansville Living magazine was imported from out of the country. Icon also offers several private VIP lounging areas, but to take advantage of this reservations and bottle service are just some of the requirements.

If you are looking to get down on the large dance floor be sure to wear you’re dancing shoes. Most nights of the week the DJ is playing some of your favorite music, and from what I have noticed depending on the demographic of the crowd that’s the genre of music playing.

Saturdays tend to be more of an 80’s and urban night, which makes a great night of dancing. It’s nice to see some of Evansville more experienced bar goers (cougars!) mingle with the younger generation.

When Jason English, the owner of Icon as well as Scores, was designing the club, I think he had a more middle age crowd in mind. I have been attending this club since the first weekend and it is amazing to see how the crowd has grown. It started off very small with a mixed group of people and as each weekend came around the crowd would grow by the hundreds. Walking in on a Saturday night you would think that this bar had been established for years. Icon is a packed house on Friday and Saturday night. Icon is open every night, save for Monday, with something different going on each night. Wednesday night is ladies night with drink specials and a Coach purse giveaway.

If you are single or married, young or old, this club is for great. I guarantee a good time.

Icon is located on South Green River road in the 111 South Plaza between Brinkers and Custom Fit Personal Training.

While it’s a few months away, we thought we’d give you the opportunity to sign up for this year’s Franklin Pub Crawl. The crawl takes you and your four of your closest friends on a tour of the bars of Franklin Street. That includes Smitty’s Little Tavern, the Gerst Babarian Haus, Sportsmans Grille & Billiards, Club Royal, Hagadorns, Corner Bar and Leroy’s. At each stop on your crawl will be a team “challenge” that may win you some cool prizes at the end of the night. Wear your t-shirt, pay no cover at any of the seven bars.

The crawl is to benefit Katie’s Helping Hands, a group that works to provide assistance for lung cancer victim Katie McCutcheon. The event is Saturday July 14, but you need to sign up by Thursday July 5, 2007. The cost is $20 per team and you can register by visint the Franklin Pub Crawl Web site.

Nothing like drinking for a good cause.

We all have our favorite hangouts in town. Whether it be the big bar everyone goes to on Saturday night or just the small joint a few blocks from where you live that you often frequent. Use this open thread to tell everyone about your favorite bar in town.

Which bar is it? Why do you like it? What makes it unique? Leave your thoughts in the comments.

photo courtesy of Andre Charland