After Dark in The District

Downtown Columbia, MO.  

Home of the Tigers.  Home of Shakespeare’s pizza, the historic Sharp End District, renowned performance venue, the Blue Note (since 1927!), and the iconic Tiger Hotel. It’s also home to the North Village Arts District (a district within The District), which is home to hundreds of homegrown artists busy creating in their studios,  crafting precious works for the art markets we peruse and praise and gladly exert our purchasing powers.  There are premium coffeehouses, burger joints (a la Booches and Billards), and Sparky’s Homemade Ice Cream.  There’s an arthouse theatre, Ragtag Cinema, and classic college hangouts like Harpo’s and Field House.  There are bakeries and salons and unique retailers like Maude Vintage Clothing, Dryers Shoes, Aardvarks, Tallulahs, and more.   

This place is eclectic and local and home to a host of good vibes. 

Here:  There’s prime people watching, great nosh, shopping, and plenty to sip on.  If you come out during the evening hours you may be hosted to street performers, cheery bar hoppers, and date night lovers out for a nighttime stroll.  But all this vibrancy brings its share of challenges, too.  

Recently, The District’s Executive Director, Nickie Davis, and the host of CoMo411, Adonica Coleman (fondly known as AC), took advantage of the Columbia Police Department’s “Ride Along Observer Program” to learn more about how CPD works and how they prioritize calls during high-volume call times, specific to the downtown beat.  KBIA  reporter Travis McMillen covered their outing; you can get a taste of what it was like by riding along with their ride-along in the video below:

We hope you enjoyed getting a peek into The District after dark. To schedule your own ride-along you can start by submitting an Observer Application with the CPD.

Keeping The District inviting to visitors, clean, safe and full of vibrancy is something the downtown CID has been working towards since its inception.  All of The District’s Board and Committee meetings are open to the public and listed on The District’s event page.    It’s good to be here!