Going down to see a concert at The Granada with a couple college buddies in July. Planning on staying at one of the two Marriotts that are close to the venue. Gonna be there for a couple days. Any can't miss nightlife or other things to do around there? Would it be best to go do some stuff in KC one of the days? Any suggestions are welcome.
Depends how old you are.
The Granada (known locally as the Granasty) is right on Mass, which is the main shopping/bar hub for Lawrence. Unlike Ames, Mass. duals as the college and community hub so there are a lot of restaurants and bars on the street. You will probably notice there are a lot of homeless for a college town as the next closest homeless shelter (in Kansas) is in Wichita.
While Lawrence has some decent restaurants and nightlife, there isn't anything that would make me want to stay longer than necessary. I would make a point to visit the Phog and do a tour if you haven't been there. Lots of history in that building, whether you hate the Jayhawks or not, and a great place to see a game.
Like I said, if you have a couple of days I think you'd likely enjoy yourself more staying in KC for a day and hanging in the Crossroads, seeing another show (Recordbar, Starlight, etc), checking out museums, and or exploring local cuisine. Much better food and entertainment options in and around the city.
Oh...I haven't been there since the pandemic, but supposedly they "remodeled" the Granada and replaced/upgraded the sound system. It was always a decent place for a show but it was old, run down, and smelled kind of musty. Unless it's a thrash show and you want to be on the floor, I recommend camping near the first set of railings are you have superior acoustics and views (IMHO).
