Collegiate Times

For fans of Major League Baseball, Champs Restaurant and Sports Bar is a great place to be this summer.

Champs is located at 111 N Main St. It is situated between Boudreaux's and the start of South Main Street.

The bar is open from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. Monday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. on weekends.

The bar boasts 27 televisions with high definition DirecTV. They get all the major sports including football, basketball, hockey and baseball, but with the recent end of both basketball and hockey season, baseball is the big summer sport on the televisions.

Champs has the full baseball sports package, so if you are an Orioles, Yankees or Red Sox fan, Champs has all of the games if you can't get them at home.

All these games are presented in beautiful high-definition as well, which is unnavailable at most apartment complexes.

There are, unfortunately, few other sports during the summer to enjoy.

Soccer is another sport that is growing in popularity, but hasn't quite made a break into American bars. "We don't carry the soccer one, we just do the baseball," said Rich Swenson, the manager.

But Champs is sure to put on any game that pops up on major networks for soccer enthusiasts.

The bar also offers other means of entertainment. Champs has several pool tables, a foosball table, a shuffleboard table, NTN Trivia and dart boards.

The one bar activity that is most popular at Champs is darts. Toward the back of the bar, there are four dart boards, each with its own chalk board to keep score.

Some places require bringing darts to play, but Champs provides the darts free of charge, so long as you leave a credit card or license with the bartender.

There are also several high tables to sit at while playing darts, which is a great way to relax with friends, drink a pitcher, and watch baseball until your turn at the board.

Champs is one of the few bars in Blacksburg that also does catering. It offers a full menu of varying party platters for family gatherings or parties with friends.

The platters range from hot dishes such as chicken tenders to cold dishes such as shrimp cocktail. Dessert trays are also available.

Additionally, it offers fully-catered buffets for large groups. For lunches, a 25-person minimum is required, as is 50 for a dinner buffet.

The standard fare of buffet items is available to choose from, but there are tons of options. This is a great way to celebrate a family event or school-related club function.

Located underneath the bar is the cafe, where live musical performances are offered throughout the summer every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night.

During the day, the cafe is a quieter area for people to sit down and eat as in a typical restaurant.

Champs is at its heart a sports bar, plain and simple.

If you want a place to come relax, eat and watch whatever game is on, this is the place to be.