Downtown Outdoor Refreshment Area (DORA)

What is a DORA?

A Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area (DORA) is a special zone in downtown Mt. Vernon where you can buy alcoholic drinks from participating bars and restaurants and enjoy them outside. It’s a great way to support local businesses while strolling through the area.

How Does It Work?

1. Enter 
Visit any participating establishment and order a beer, wine, or cocktail in a special DORA cup. You can enjoy the DORA every day between 11 a.m. and 11 p.m.

2. Exit
Take your DORA cup and leave the establishment to walk around downtown. Your drink must stay in the DORA cup, and there will be signs and a map showing the area’s boundaries.

3. Enjoy
Feel free to sip your drink while walking or stopping by places marked with a green DORA sticker.

4. Dispose
Once your drink is finished, throw away your DORA cup. If you visit another liquor establishment or a store with a red DORA sticker, you need to toss your cup before entering.

What You Can't Do in the Dora

• You cannot bring your own drinks into the DORA.
• You must have your drink in a DORA cup - no cans, glass, or other containers.
• You cannot take a drink from one liquor establishment into another or into stores with a red sticker.
• Drinks must stay inside the DORA area. Any person who takes a drink outside of the DORA is in violation of city ordinance.

Enjoy the DORA safely and help us keep downtown Mt. Vernon a fun and vibrant place! All regular liquor laws still apply within the DORA, and remember to drink responsibly.