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The party never stops for the more than 42,000 students enrolled at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Walk through the Campustown neighborhood on any blustery Friday in February and you'll see lines of students waiting to enter bars; females clad in short skirts freezing for a chance to let loose. It is dedication befitting one of the school's most libertine alumni, Playboy founder Hugh Hefner, who introduced a Coed of the Month feature during his tenure at a campus humor magazine. Nothing keeps a male Illini from good drinks or beautiful women, especially when bars like Kam's serve up endless rounds of cheap, ice-cold beer.

The Scene

"Kam's is the shit; Kam's is awesome," proclaims Sam, an undeclared sophomore who regularly hits up the bar with her girlfriends. It's one of many testimonials that backs up Kam's claim to be home of the Drinking Illini. Inside, framed glossy posters from the Fighting Illini's 2005 Final Four game are tacked along all of the orange-painted walls of one of the area's oldest bars. Hip-hop and R&B blast from the speakers, providing the rhythm for girls ready to dance. Kam's owner Eric Meyer says his bar, an athlete hangout, is centered around sports. "We remind people what it's like to be here on campus," he says.

Girls at the Bar

With booths lining the walls, a sizeable floor space for grinding and constantly rowdy crowds, Kam's is known as the place to hook up. And the girls are never in short supply. TJ, a senior studying kinesiology, has been coming to Kam's for years and likes his odds there. "It's likely you will hook up with someone if you come," he says.

When to Go

Weekends at Kam's are the busiest nights, but come for Country Night on Tuesday evenings. Country music, snakeskin boots and straw hats are the norm, and a mechanical bull is set up once a month. TJ loves Country Night and calls Kam's "one of the top bars on campus. I like this bar no matter what night it is." Although TJ has never ridden the bull, he says he doesn't mind watching the ladies go for a spin. Kam's is also the place for pre-game partying, opening two hours before every major home game with drink specials available all day. Kam's also regularly prints special T-shirts, mugs and other sports memorabilia for its Drinking Illini.

Dress Code

While almost every guy prefers to don Illini jerseys or go casual with a polo and jeans, most girls are dressed to impress. Flirty, low-cut tank tops and jeans with heels are the norm, along with a beer or mixed drink in hand.

At the Bar

Kam's offers plenty of beer specials and a new signature drink called the blue A-bomb, a shot of Bacardi Big Apple rum and Blue Banzai energy drink that costs a measly $2.

 

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