St. Patrick's Day has a wonderful way of bridging generational gaps unlike any other holiday. For 21-year-olds, it's an excuse to don gimmicky Irish-themed T-shirts and party like ... well, like they always do. But for older folks, March 17 is a day to revert to the drinking habits of their college years. For those of you brave enough to descend upon Twin Cities bars packed with amateur dipsomaniacs next Thursday, we've compiled a guide on how to maximize your experience, hitting as many Irish bars as possible.

Kick off the festivities at Keegan's Irish Pub. The Northeast staple will open at 8 a.m. to accommodate those looking to do a little pre-gaming over breakfast. While that may be a bit early for even the most eager party animals, we suggest arriving by 11 a.m., when the benevolent whiskey-peddlers at Bushmills will have a team on hand giving out samples of their famed Irish spirit.

After washing down some food with a little free booze, catch a bus or cab across the Hennepin Avenue bridge to downtown Minneapolis, which is sure to be filled with throngs of Guinness guzzlers talking up their one-eighth Irish heritage. Kieran's Irish Pub will crank up a live-music lineup starting at 2 p.m., including the Belfast Cowboys and a U2 tribute. Irish pub kingpin Kieran Folliard will be debuting his Irish whiskey, 2 Gingers, at Kieran's, The Local and the Liffey in St. Paul (see below). Meanwhile, O'Donovan's will throw its annual tent party with music from the Wild Colonial Bhoys.

As much as Minneapolis has to offer, the real St. Patty's partying goes down on the other side of the river. In lieu of paying a lofty cab fare, we suggest public transportation. Though Metro Transit probably didn't have Thursday afternoon inter-city partiers in mind when routing the 94 express bus, it certainly serves this demographic nicely (check www.metrotransit.org for times). Head straight for the melee of downtown St. Paul or get off at Snelling Avenue and walk a few blocks south for a pit stop at O'Gara's to catch the 20th annual World's Shortest St. Patrick's Day Parade at 3 p.m.

Downtown options include Patrick McGovern's tent party and the Liffey. Weather-permitting, the Liffey plans to open its outdoor terrace to grill burgers and brats for patrons who will undoubtedly need to reline their stomachs with some red meat during a daylong drinkathon.