Sports on nine flat-screen TVs. More fun and games, like ping pong and pool, darts, horseshoes and Wii. Large dance floor with live entertainment each Saturday night. Good cheap grub and daily happy hour...even on weekends.

    The Bar at the Vintage would be a happening place even if it wasn’t located on beautiful Big Bear Lake. With water views framed by soaring pine trees and a large outdoor patio to take it all in, the outdoors is as much of The Bar’s story as the indoors, especially in July.

    There’s umbrella-covered tables to relax at and sand horseshoe pits with weekly tournaments each Friday night. While The Bar at the Vintage doesn’t have a dock, boaters often beach their craft on the shoreline for a visit, while the rest of us drive in, using two boulevard entrances to the lakeside property.

    With one of Big Bear’s best happy hours, lake views and fun and games, The Bar at the Vintage is worth finding. All drinks are a buck off their already reasonable prices from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. each Saturday and Sunday, and 2-6 p.m. Monday through Thursday...till 7 p.m. on Friday! Weekends feature a build-your-own Bloody Mary bar for $3 and beer pong.

    Fine dining is dead as a doornail at Vintage, replaced by fun at a “Clean and Classy Hangout with the Best Lakeside Atmosphere.” Everything on the menu is under eight bucks—most items well below that—with sandwiches including half-pound hamburgers, handformed and seasoned on the premises, just $7...add chili, cheese or bacon for a buck. Grilled pastrami sandwich with Swiss, spicy mustard and onions is $8. The Bar’s all-beef quarter-pound dog is $4.

    The menu’s latest addition is everyone’s favorite...wings! There’s three different flavors to choose from besides the traditional buffalo wings, which come in mild, medium and hot. Teriyaki wings with wasabi ranch dip has proven super popular and there’s also honey barbecue too. All wings come with celery sticks.

    July 4th weekend will be celebrated in style at The Bar, where there’s free parking and a good view of the fireworks show from its shoreline—reserve a table in advance. Back by popular request is One Pint Short, a hot reggae band from Las Vegas, playing July 3 from 8-midnight and July 4 outside on the beach from 2-6 p.m.

    Enjoy $2 drafts all weekend plus $1 red, white and blue jello shots...very patriotic! Beer bucket specials feature five domestic bottles for $12 or imports for $16 and there’s hamburger, bratwurst or hot dog meals specials, each paired with chips, for $5. Corn on the cob off the grill is $2.

    The rest of the month is hopping too, with great live music on tap weekends. July 10-11 sees Band of Brothers with hard-rocking tunes by Led Zepellin, Jimi Hendrix and the Rolling Stones, but also tunes by Neil Diamond, BTO and others.

    Catch high-energy dance band Planet Groove on Saturday, July 18 as it plays a mix of Top 40 hits and hip-hop. A week later on July 25 it’s karaoke with Greg.

    The Bar at the Vintage is at 41072 Big Bear Blvd., on the lake behind Big Bear Gourmet Coffee. Call (909) 366-0205.