Internet Archive Book Images [No restrictions], via Wikimedia Commons
Historic Bars in America and Around the World
Bars have always been more than places to get a drink. They’ve been gathering places, hideouts, hotels, brothels, speakeasies, music halls, political meeting spots, and occasionally places where somebody apparently thought putting a tree through the middle of the building was perfectly reasonable.
Some of the bars in this section have survived wars, Prohibition, fires, earthquakes, hurricanes, changing drinking laws, changing drinking habits, and countless owners who probably said, “You know what this place needs? Karaoke.”
What makes these bars worth visiting isn’t just their age—it’s their stories. You can sit where presidents, gangsters, writers, musicians, movie stars, sailors, cowboys, and generations of everyday drinkers once raised a glass. In some places, even the ghosts apparently haven’t closed their tabs.
Good to know: Historic bars sometimes close, change names, relocate, alter their hours, or temporarily shut down for renovations. Always check ahead before making a special trip. Nothing ruins a pilgrimage to a 200-year-old tavern quite like discovering it closed three Tuesdays ago.
United States of America
Alabama
Flora-Bama (Est. 1964) | Perdido
Nicknamed “the Bama,” this wildly popular dive beach bar, oyster bar, honky-tonk roadhouse, and package store sits directly on the Florida–Alabama state line. At one time, the sprawling complex had more than twenty bars with several bands playing at once. The Bushwacker is its signature drink, and annual events include the Super Bowl Chili Cook-Off, Interstate Mullet Toss, Bulls on the Beach, and Polar Bear Dip. The Flora-Bama has even been mentioned in songs by more than seven country artists, including Jimmy Buffett, Kenny Chesney, and Blake Shelton.
Basically, it’s what happens when a beach bar refuses to choose a personality.
Alaska
B&B Bar (Est. 1908) | Kodiak
The B&B Bar is considered Alaska’s oldest bar—and displays its original liquor license as proof.
Because when you’re making a claim like that in a bar, somebody is eventually going to say, “Prove it.”
Arizona
The Crystal Palace Saloon (Est. 1879) | Tombstone
The Crystal Palace Saloon was originally built in 1879, burned down in 1881, was immediately rebuilt, burned down again in 1882, and was rebuilt a second time. Doc Holliday was its most famous patron. Unlike many saloons of the era, the second floor wasn’t a brothel; it housed the offices of prominent locals, including U.S. Deputy Marshal Virgil Earp, attorney George W. Berry, and Dr. George E. Goodfellow. Today, its slogan is: “Still Serving Good Whiskey and Tolerable Water.”
After surviving two fires, “tolerable water” probably seemed like a perfectly reasonable standard.
Drift Inn Saloon (Est. 1902) | Globe
The Drift Inn Saloon is said to be haunted by the ghosts of ladies of the night because its second floor was once used as a brothel. Today, it’s known as a popular biker bar.
So depending on the evening, you may be sharing the bar with bikers, ghosts, or both.
Arkansas
The Ohio Club (Est. 1905) | Hot Springs
The Ohio Club is Arkansas’s oldest bar. During Prohibition, it became a secret speakeasy cleverly disguised as the Ohio Cigar Store—cigars in the front, cocktails in the back. The club reportedly attracted many of the era’s best-known gangsters, including Al Capone. Today, a statue of Capone sits outside on the sidewalk, cigar in hand.
Baseball legend Babe Ruth was also a visitor when Hot Springs hosted spring training. Over the years, entertainers including Al Jolson, Mae West, Louis Armstrong, Sammy Davis Jr., and Tony Bennett passed through. The Ohio Club continues its entertainment tradition with live music.
Gangsters, baseball legends, jazz greats, and a fake cigar store. Honestly, Netflix has made shows with less material.
California
Iron Door Saloon (Est. 1852) | Groveland
The Iron Door Saloon is believed to be California’s oldest continuously operating saloon. Its name comes from the massive swinging cast-iron doors shipped from England. Located just miles from Yosemite, the saloon has wadded-up dollar bills covering the ceiling, elk heads hanging on the walls, and even a few old gunshot holes.
You know a bar is old when the bullet holes qualify as décor.
Balboa Café (Est. 1913) | San Francisco
The elegant Balboa Café has been serving classic cocktails since 1913. It’s also a longtime favorite for American fare and people-watching, and much of its historic interior has been preserved.
Because people-watching pairs beautifully with a cocktail—and requires no reservation.
Buena Vista Café (Est. 1912) | San Francisco
The Buena Vista Café is best known for introducing Irish Coffee to America in 1952. Today, the café reportedly serves thousands of them a day.
At that point, it’s less of a cocktail program and more of an Irish Coffee assembly line.
Elixir (Est. 1858) | San Francisco
One of San Francisco’s oldest continuously operating saloons, Elixir has survived more than a century and a half of the city’s colorful drinking history. H. Joseph Ehrmann became its eleventh proprietor and restored its Victorian bones in 2003, helping the bar gain international recognition during the early-2000s cocktail revival. Today, Elixir is known for its extensive whiskey collection and its dedication to preserving the saloon’s history.
When you’re proprietor number eleven, apparently the lease comes with a little responsibility.
Old Ship Saloon (Est. 1851) | San Francisco
The Old Ship Saloon sits atop a Gold Rush-era ship graveyard. In 1849, the Arkansas sailed from New York to San Francisco, ran aground near Alcatraz, and was eventually brought ashore and converted into a store. In 1851, part of the ship became a saloon, complete with a plank entrance. The vessel was later dismantled and built over, and after the 1906 earthquake, a brick building was erected on the site.
So yes, technically you can belly up to the bar while standing over a ship. Try finding that at Applebee’s.
Magic Castle (Est. 1963) | Hollywood
The world-famous Magic Castle is the private clubhouse of the Academy of Magical Arts and one of Hollywood’s most unusual destinations. You can’t simply walk in; admission generally requires an invitation or other approved access.
In 2012, beverage manager Chris Taggart introduced classic and craft cocktails throughout the Castle’s bars. In 2005, the Academy of Magical Arts Awards added a Bar Magician category, and my friend William H. “Doc” Eason became its first recipient. He has since won the award multiple times.
A private magic club with multiple bars. Finally, a place where making your cocktail disappear is considered part of the act.
The Saloon (Est. 1861) | San Francisco
The Saloon is one of California’s oldest bars and has survived earthquakes and fires. Back in the day, the upstairs operated as a brothel; today, the place is known as a legendary blues dive. Too many famous patrons have passed through to name them all, but one of the owner’s favorite stories involves Johnny Depp taking over door duty while the doorman took a restroom break.
Imagine getting carded by Johnny Depp and thinking, “Well, this evening took a turn.”
Tonga Hut (Est. 1958) | North Hollywood
Don the Beachcomber opened America’s first tiki bar in Los Angeles in 1934, but it closed in 1985. Tonga Hut, which opened in 1958, is now California’s oldest surviving tiki bar. Tiki culture boomed from the 1930s through the 1960s, fell out of fashion for several decades, then came roaring back. Tonga Hut simply held on through all of it.
Sometimes the secret to becoming historic is refusing to get the memo that you’re out of style.
Colorado
The Mint (Est. 1862) | Silverthorne
The Mint is one of Colorado’s oldest continuously operating bars, still occupying its historic building and using its original name. It opened fourteen years before Colorado became a state.
Nothing establishes seniority quite like being able to tell the entire state, “I was here first.”
Connecticut
Griswold Inn Tap Room (Est. 1776) | Essex
The Griswold Inn sits along the Connecticut River and has welcomed travelers since the year the Declaration of Independence was signed. It flourished during the golden age of steamboat travel, and its long history includes famous visitors such as George Washington, Mark Twain, Katharine Hepburn, and Albert Einstein. Since the 1960s, the Griswold has also appeared as a backdrop in television shows and films.
When your guest list includes Washington, Twain, Hepburn, and Einstein, you’ve earned the right to stop name-dropping.
Florida
Palace Saloon (Est. 1903) | Fernandina Beach
Fernandina Beach was a bustling rail and seaport when the Palace Saloon opened in 1903. Adolphus Busch, co-founder of Anheuser-Busch, served as a design consultant, and many original features remain, including the embossed tin ceiling, mosaic floors, hand-carved mahogany, a forty-foot bar once illuminated by gas lamps, and six commissioned murals.
Apparently, even in 1903 somebody understood that people drink longer when the room looks fabulous.
Captain Tony’s Saloon (Est. 1958) | Key West
The building housing Captain Tony’s dates to 1852 and has served as a city morgue, icehouse, telegraph station, brothel, cigar factory, and speakeasy. After Prohibition, it became the original Sloppy Joe’s before that bar moved down the street in 1937. Jimmy Buffett got an early start here, Ernest Hemingway was among its famous patrons, and even presidents have visited.
And then there’s the tree growing through the building—a tree associated with Key West’s hanging history. A tombstone sits at its base, and local lore adds even more macabre stories about people buried beneath the building.
Basically, “What was this building before it became a bar?” is not a question you want to ask at Captain Tony’s unless you have some time.
Hawaii
Murphy’s Bar & Grill (Est. 1891) | Honolulu
The building housing Murphy’s has a drinking history stretching back to the nineteenth century. Once part of the Royal Hotel, a bar was established there in 1891, when Honolulu’s waterfront attracted ship captains, merchants, and travelers. After numerous owners and name changes, it became Murphy’s Bar & Grill in 1987 and today operates as an Irish pub.
Because apparently every port city eventually earns an Irish bar.
Tropics Bar & Grill at Hilton Hawaiian Village (Est. 1957) | Waikiki
Hawaii experienced a major tourism boom during the 1950s, even before becoming a U.S. state in 1959. The property that became Hilton Hawaiian Village began as the Niumalu Hotel in 1928. Henry J. Kaiser purchased it in 1954, expanded the property, and renamed it Kaiser Hawaiian Village.
This is where legendary bartender Harry Yee created the Blue Hawaii. Yee is also credited with helping popularize paper parasols and fresh orchids as cocktail garnishes and created other memorable drinks, including the Tropical Itch—famously garnished with a bamboo back scratcher.
Conrad Hilton purchased the property in 1961, the same year Elvis Presley filmed Blue Hawaii and stayed at the resort.
A cocktail with a back scratcher, Elvis upstairs, and Waikiki outside. The 1960s were clearly showing off.
Idaho
White Horse Saloon (Est. 1907) | Spirit Lake
The White Horse Saloon is considered Idaho’s oldest operating saloon and was reportedly the tallest building in Spirit Lake when it opened. It’s also said to be haunted by a woman known as “Big Girl,” and generations of employees have shared stories of unexplained happenings. The saloon retains its original hardwood floors, and upstairs are eight old flophouse rooms where travelers once stayed.
Old saloon, original floors, rooms upstairs, resident ghost. Honestly, all it needs is a continental breakfast.
Illinois
The Village Tavern (Est. 1849) | Long Grove
The Village Tavern has been operating since 1849 and still features its antique thirty-five-foot mahogany bar, which survived the Great McCormick Place Fire of 1967.
A thirty-five-foot bar that survived a major fire deserves to be called “the bar” with a capital B.
Indiana
Knickerbocker Saloon (Est. 1835) | Lafayette
The Knickerbocker is one of Indiana’s oldest bars and was reportedly the first in the state to receive a liquor license. Originally known as the Gault House, it later became the Cherry Wood Bar. In 1974, it was renamed the Knickerbocker Saloon after its large player piano.
After nearly 140 years in business, apparently somebody finally said, “Let’s name the place after the piano.”
Slippery Noodle Inn (Est. 1850) | Indianapolis
This historic bar began as the Tremont House and went through an impressive collection of names over the years, including Concordia House, Germania House, Beck’s Saloon, Moore’s Beer Tavern, and, during Prohibition, Moore’s Restaurant. In 1963, the new owner’s six-year-old son came up with the name Slippery Noodle Inn. Today, it’s an award-winning blues bar with live entertainment.
After more than a century of adults naming the place, they finally let a six-year-old handle the branding—and nailed it.
Kansas
Hays House (Est. 1857) | Council Grove
In 1857, Seth Hays, great-grandson of Daniel Boone, built Hays House as a trading post, restaurant, and gathering place. Today, it is recognized as one of the oldest continuously operating restaurants west of the Mississippi and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
When your family tree starts with Daniel Boone, opening a place on the frontier seems almost mandatory.
Kentucky
Talbott Tavern (Est. 1779) | Bardstown
The Old Talbott Tavern has been called the oldest western stagecoach stop in America. Built in 1779, the sturdy stone building has held up remarkably well. Daniel Boone gave a deposition here in 1792, and the tavern has ties to some of Kentucky bourbon’s biggest names, including the Heaven Hill, Samuels, and Beam families. Today, appropriately enough, it has a Bourbon bar.
After nearly 250 years in Kentucky, becoming a Bourbon bar feels less like a business decision and more like destiny.
Louisiana
Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop (Est. 1722) | New Orleans
Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop, at the corner of Bourbon and St. Philip streets, occupies one of the oldest buildings used as a bar in America. Built sometime between 1722 and 1732, legend connects it to Jean Lafitte, the privateer, smuggler, and entrepreneur who played a role in the Battle of New Orleans. At night, much of the bar is still illuminated by candlelight.
Nothing says “historic New Orleans bar” quite like drinking by candlelight in a building associated with a pirate.
Carousel Bar & Lounge at Hotel Monteleone (Est. 1949) | New Orleans
The Carousel Bar is one of New Orleans’ most famous watering holes, thanks to its rotating twenty-five-seat carousel bar. The Hotel Monteleone itself dates to 1886 and has welcomed literary legends including Tennessee Williams, William Faulkner, Ernest Hemingway, Eudora Welty, and Truman Capote. So many writers frequented the hotel that the Friends of the Library Association designated it an official Literary Landmark in 1999.
The carousel makes one complete rotation about every fifteen minutes—so technically, you can travel while sitting perfectly still.
Maine
Jameson Tavern (Est. 1779) | Freeport
Built in 1779 as a residence for the town doctor, the building was purchased by Captain Samuel Jameson in 1801 and converted into a tavern with rooms for travelers. Presidents and writers have stayed here, but its biggest claim to fame is the plaque outside proclaiming it the “Birthplace of Maine.” Records indicate commissioners met upstairs to sign the final papers separating Maine from Massachusetts. After serving other purposes over the years, the building returned to tavern life in 1981.
Imagine having a few drinks upstairs and accidentally creating a state.
Maryland
Middleton Tavern (Est. 1750) | Annapolis
Middleton Tavern has hosted some of America’s most famous early leaders, including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin. The Maryland Jockey Club, Freemasons, and Tuesday Club also gathered here to discuss the events of the day while drinking, smoking, and gambling. After several name changes through the centuries, owners restored its original name in 1968.
Basically, the eighteenth-century version of checking the news while having happy hour.
Massachusetts
The Green Dragon Tavern | Boston
The original Green Dragon Tavern was famously called the “Headquarters of the Revolution” by Daniel Webster. Samuel Adams, Dr. Joseph Warren, Paul Revere, and other revolutionaries met there to discuss—and sometimes secretly plan—events leading up to the American Revolution. Meetings associated with the tavern helped set the stage for the Boston Tea Party and Paul Revere’s famous midnight ride.
The Green Dragon operating today is not the original tavern or original location, but it carries the historic name.
So before Americans were arguing politics in bars, Americans were apparently planning an entire revolution in one.
Michigan
Old Tavern Inn (Est. 1835) | Niles
Michigan’s oldest surviving business began as a stagecoach stop along the route between Chicago and Detroit.
Because before rest areas and travel plazas, you had taverns. Frankly, this sounds like an upgrade.
Minnesota
Neumann’s Bar (Est. 1887) | North St. Paul
Neumann’s lays claim to being Minnesota’s oldest continuously operating bar. During Prohibition, it sold near-beer downstairs while a speakeasy operated upstairs. One particularly memorable bit of bar lore involves a life-size image of bodybuilder Charles Atlas in the ladies’ restroom wearing nothing but a fig leaf. Lift the leaf and a buzzer reportedly sounded in the bar.
Which may be history’s most efficient way of announcing, “Someone looked.”
Mississippi
King’s Tavern (Est. 1769) | Natchez
King’s Tavern has a colorful history as a stagecoach and riverboat stop. Its first known proprietor was Richard King, and local legend claims the building is haunted by his mistress, Madeline. During renovations, remains were reportedly discovered inside a fireplace along with a Spanish dagger, adding considerably to the ghost story.
Because finding bones in the fireplace tends to give a haunting story a little more credibility.
Missouri
O’Malley’s Pub | Weston
O’Malley’s Pub occupies the cavernous underground cellars of the historic Weston Brewing Company. Parts of the bar sit nearly sixty feet underground, and the cellars were reportedly used for drinking during Prohibition.
Sixty feet underground during Prohibition. At that point, you weren’t hiding the booze—you were giving it witness protection.
Montana
Bale of Hay Saloon (Est. 1863) | Virginia City
The Bale of Hay Saloon is known as one of Montana’s oldest watering holes. The historic saloon embraces its Wild West past with ghost tours and events celebrating Virginia City’s colorful history.
And Virginia City itself has only a few hundred year-round residents.
At those numbers, you don’t really have regular customers. You have a town meeting with drinks.
Nebraska
Glur’s Tavern (Est. 1876) | Columbus
This whitewashed tavern is considered Nebraska’s oldest continuously operating bar in the same building. Legend has it that Buffalo Bill Cody stopped here while traveling to the funeral of Major Frank North. Glur’s is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
When Buffalo Bill may have stopped by for a drink, you’ve officially earned the word “historic.”
Nevada
Genoa Bar (Est. 1853) | Genoa
Genoa Bar is Nevada’s oldest thirst parlor and has attracted plenty of Hollywood attention. Movies associated with the area and bar include The Shootist, Charley Varrick, Honkytonk Man, and Misery. Famous visitors have included Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, and John Denver.
But the best story may belong to Raquel Welch. When asked to leave her bra behind, she reportedly agreed on the condition that all the other bras hanging in the bar be removed. Her black leopard-print bra still hangs from deer antlers behind the bar.
The historic diamond-dust mirror behind the bar traveled from Glasgow, Scotland, around South America to San Francisco before making the final journey by covered wagon to Nevada.
Honestly, I’m not sure which had the more interesting trip—the mirror or Raquel Welch’s bra.
New Hampshire
The Fox Tavern at Hancock Inn (Est. 1789) | Hancock
The historic Hancock Inn dates to 1789 and later became associated with the Fox Tavern when the property passed to Jedediah Fox. In its early days, the tavern hosted balls, dances, sleighing parties, stagecoach travelers, and eventually railroad passengers.
Historic wall murals by itinerant artist, inventor, and journalist Rufus Porter were discovered in one bedroom, while stenciling attributed to noted artist Moses Eaton Jr. was uncovered beneath layers of wallpaper.
The inn was also a favorite stop of Franklin Pierce, the only U.S. president from New Hampshire.
Apparently, people renovating old New England inns don’t find drywall. They find nineteenth-century artwork.
New Jersey
Barnsboro Inn (Est. 1720) | Sewell
The Barnsboro Inn has provided lodging, food, and drink during various periods of its long history and has also been known as the Spread Eagle, Crooked Billet Inn, and Barnsboro Hotel. Constructed with massive cedar logs, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. Today, it operates as a restaurant and bar.
After 300 years and four names, you’re allowed to stop rebranding.
New York
White Horse Tavern (Est. 1880) | New York City
The White Horse Tavern is one of New York City’s oldest continuously operating taverns. Originally catering to workers from the Hudson River piers, it became a favorite of writers and artists in the 1950s. Welsh poet Dylan Thomas became particularly associated with the place, and the tavern later attracted influential figures from the jazz, folk, and rock scenes.
A neighborhood bar for dockworkers that became a literary landmark. That’s one heck of a customer demographic shift.
The Old ’76 House (Est. 1755) | Tappan
The Old ’76 House is one of New York’s oldest taverns and played a role in Revolutionary War history. It served as a meeting place for American patriots and, most famously, as the prison for British spy Major John André before his execution in 1780. George Washington and his officers also gathered here.
When the bar’s history includes George Washington and an imprisoned British spy, trivia night seems almost unnecessary.
McSorley’s Old Ale House (Est. 1854) | New York City
McSorley’s is one of New York City’s oldest continuously operating saloons—and one I’ve actually visited. Everyone from Abraham Lincoln to John Lennon is said to have passed through its swinging doors, and Woody Guthrie was among the artists and activists who gathered there.
For more than a century, women weren’t allowed inside. Attorneys Faith Seidenberg and Karen DeCrow challenged the policy, and women were finally admitted in 1970. A women’s restroom wasn’t installed until 1986, and McSorley’s hired its first female bartender in 1994.
Ordering is refreshingly uncomplicated: the ale comes in two choices—light or dark—and traditionally arrives two mugs at a time.
No twenty-page cocktail menu. No rosemary smoke bubble. Light or dark. Next.
King Cole Bar at The St. Regis (Est. 1904) | New York City
The elegant King Cole Bar at The St. Regis is central to one of the competing stories surrounding the creation—or at least the American popularization—of the Bloody Mary. The drink became known there as the Red Snapper. The five-star hotel itself has hosted an extraordinary list of celebrities, with famous residents including Marilyn Monroe, Joe DiMaggio, John Lennon, and Yoko Ono.
When your hotel guests include Marilyn Monroe and John Lennon, the Bloody Mary story is almost just a bonus.
North Carolina
The Tavern in Old Salem (Est. 1771) | Winston-Salem
The original Tavern in Old Salem burned in 1784 and was quickly rebuilt in brick. A wooden connecting building was added in 1832. Its most famous guest was George Washington, who stayed there for two nights during his Southern tour.
Two nights with George Washington and they’re still talking about it. That’s what you call a five-star guest review.
North Dakota
Peacock Alley | Bismarck
Located in the historic Patterson Hotel building, Peacock Alley has welcomed famous visitors including John F. Kennedy, Joe Louis, Theodore Roosevelt, and Lyndon B. Johnson. During Prohibition, the hotel reportedly used an elaborate alarm system to warn of unwanted visitors while illegal gambling and other activities continued inside. Rumors even tell of an underground tunnel connecting the hotel to the nearby train depot.
The Patterson stopped operating as a hotel in the late 1970s, and its former guest rooms were later converted into housing.
Illegal booze, gambling, secret alarms, and a rumored tunnel. Apparently, Prohibition really brought out everyone’s inner architect.
Ohio
Ye Olde Trail Tavern (Est. 1827) | Yellow Springs
Ye Olde Trail Tavern is among Ohio’s oldest taverns and sits in the heart of historic Yellow Springs. The walls display an eclectic collection of old flasks, steins, jugs, memorabilia, and signed dollar bills.
Because eventually every historic tavern reaches the decorating stage called “just put it on the wall.”
Oklahoma
Eischen’s Bar (Est. 1896) | Okarche
Eischen’s is Oklahoma’s oldest bar. It closed during Prohibition and operated as a restaurant before alcohol eventually returned. One of its treasures is an enormous hand-carved backbar that originated in Spain and was brought from California to Oklahoma in the 1950s. A 1993 fire destroyed much of the building, but the historic bar survived and Eischen’s was rebuilt.
That backbar crossed an ocean, crossed the country, and survived a fire. At this point, it owns the place.
Oregon
Huber’s (Est. 1879) | Portland
Huber’s is famous for turkey dinners and its flaming signature Spanish Coffee. During Prohibition, it officially operated as a restaurant while a speakeasy reportedly carried on in the back.
Turkey in the front, illegal cocktails in the back. Everybody wins.
Pennsylvania
Broad Axe Tavern (Est. 1681) | Ambler
The Broad Axe Tavern traces its history to a stopping place along an early trail used by travelers and farmers. As the surrounding population grew, it became a tavern and gathering place for exchanging news. By the eighteenth century, horse races along nearby Skippack Road attracted crowds, and Revolutionary War troops under George Washington passed through the area.
Local lore even claims that after nearby cemeteries were abandoned, old tombstones were used in the tavern’s fireplace hearth.
Nothing makes a cozy fireplace quite like discovering you may be warming your feet on somebody’s headstone.
Rhode Island
White Horse Tavern (Est. 1673) | Newport
The White Horse Tavern is widely recognized as one of America’s oldest taverns. Its name came from the white horse symbol displayed outside—a practical form of advertising in an era when many people couldn’t read.
Over the centuries, the tavern welcomed colonists, British soldiers, Hessian mercenaries, pirates, sailors, and prominent early Americans. In 1957, the Preservation Society of Newport County acquired the property and carefully restored it.
Colonists, soldiers, mercenaries, pirates, and sailors all drinking under one roof. What could possibly go wrong?
South Carolina
Henry’s on the Market (Est. 1932) | Charleston
Henry’s began in 1932 and became Henry’s Beer Parlor when Prohibition ended in 1933, serving beer alongside Lowcountry favorites such as shrimp and deviled crab. Over the decades, it evolved into a Charleston institution and today spreads across several levels with restaurants, bars, live music, and nightlife. It is now widely cited as South Carolina’s oldest continuously operating restaurant/bar.
South Dakota
Buffalo Bodega (Est. 1877) | Deadwood
The Buffalo Bodega opened during Deadwood’s Wild West heyday and was reportedly the town’s eighteenth saloon. It was named for Buffalo Bill Cody, a friend of original owner Mike Russell. Over the years, the property evolved into the Buffalo Bodega Gaming Complex.
Being the eighteenth saloon in a tiny frontier town tells you pretty much everything you need to know about Deadwood in 1877.
Tennessee
Springwater Supper Club & Lounge (Est. 1897) | Nashville
Springwater is one of Nashville’s oldest bars and today is better known as a wonderfully unpolished rock-and-roll dive. The building dates to the era of Nashville’s 1897 Tennessee Centennial and International Exposition and has operated under several names, including Norma’s and the Pirate’s Den, before becoming Springwater Supper Club in 1978.
It also claims to have kept the drinks flowing during Prohibition.
Because apparently “Prohibition” was interpreted by some bars as more of a suggestion.
Texas
Scholz Garten (Est. 1866) | Austin
German immigrant and Civil War veteran August Scholz opened his public bar and café in 1866, just one year after the Civil War ended. Scholz Garten became an important gathering place for Austin’s German community and eventually generations of politicians, students, musicians, and locals. During Prohibition, it survived by serving food and nonalcoholic beverages, and the historic property has undergone extensive restoration over the years.
When you’ve been serving Austin since 1866, you don’t need to call yourself an institution. Everyone else does it for you.
Utah
Shooting Star Saloon (Est. 1879) | Huntsville
The Shooting Star Saloon is widely considered Utah’s oldest continuously operating bar. It previously operated under names including Holin’s Bar and Clarence’s Bar. One story says its current name came from a patron called Whiskey Joe, who was cut off, thrown out, and responded by shooting at the star on the outside of the building.
Today, the wonderfully cluttered interior is filled with old photographs, business cards, boots, kitchen utensils, signs, memorabilia, and the mounted head of a massive St. Bernard named Buck.
Whiskey Joe being cut off and immediately firing a gun is a pretty convincing argument that the bartender made the right call.
Vermont
Ye Olde Tavern (Est. 1790) | Manchester
Built by master builder Aaron Sheldon, this historic building features a sprung floor in its third-floor ballroom and distinctive square porch columns. Originally known as the Stagecoach Inn, it later became Lockwood’s Hotel, Thayer’s Hotel, and Fairview Hotel before being renamed Ye Olde Tavern in 2002. Today, it serves classic cocktails and American fare in a setting that still celebrates its long history.
After more than 200 years and five names, “Ye Olde Tavern” pretty much covers it.
Virginia
The Tavern (Est. 1779) | Abingdon
Over its long life, The Tavern has hosted notable guests including future French king Louis Philippe, President Andrew Jackson, and Pierre Charles L’Enfant, designer of Washington, D.C. The building has also served as a bank, bakery, general store, cabinet shop, barbershop, residence, post office, antique shop, restaurant, and hospital for wounded Confederate and Union soldiers during the Civil War.
In 1984, local attorney Emmitt F. Yeary restored the historic building as a tavern.
Bank, bakery, hospital, post office, barbershop, and tavern. This building has a longer résumé than most people.
Washington
The Brick Saloon (Est. 1889) | Roslyn
The Brick is Washington’s oldest continuously operating bar and gained another dose of fame when Roslyn became the backdrop for the television series Northern Exposure. Inside, you can still see its unusual twenty-three-foot running-water spittoon and an old jail cell in the basement. Today, The Brick offers live entertainment, bar food, and, of course, plenty of booze.
A running-water spittoon and a jail cell downstairs. They really did think of everything.
Wyoming
Miners and Stockmen’s Steakhouse (Est. 1862) | Hartville
Miners and Stockmen’s is considered Wyoming’s oldest bar and is one of the few surviving structures connected to Hartville’s mining and trading-post days. Over the years, the place reportedly provided refuge for its share of outlaws and colorful frontier characters.
Its magnificent hand-carved backbar was made in Germany, shipped to New York, transported west by train to Cheyenne, and then hauled the rest of the way by horse and wagon.
And if you decide to visit, keep your eyes open. Hartville is tiny enough that you could practically miss the whole town while changing the radio station.
That bar traveled farther to get to Hartville than most customers do.
Around the World
Canada
Auberge Saint-Gabriel (Est. 1754) | Montréal, Québec
Auberge Saint-Gabriel is credited as the first auberge—or inn—in Canada to receive a liquor license. The historic property eventually evolved into an elegant restaurant, bar, and event space.
When you have one of the first liquor licenses on the continent, you’ve earned some serious seniority.
Mansion House Tavern (Est. 1828) | St. Catharines, Ontario
Mansion House Tavern is known as the oldest licensed bar in Canada and the oldest bar in St. Catharines. Today, it’s a lively music venue, with local and touring bands regularly taking the stage.
Nearly 200 years later, apparently nobody has yelled “Last call!” loud enough.
Cuba
El Floridita (Est. 1817) | Havana
El Floridita originally opened as La Piña de Plata—the Silver Pineapple—and about a century later became Bar La Florida, eventually shortened to Floridita. Legendary bartender Constantino Ribalaigua Vert began working here in 1914 and later bought the bar. Under his watch, Floridita became famous for its frozen Daiquiris.
Ernest Hemingway lived in Cuba for roughly twenty years and made Floridita one of his favorite haunts. Today, his presence is hard to miss: there’s a life-size bronze statue of Hemingway leaning against the bar.
At this point, Hemingway has been sitting at the bar longer than he ever did while alive.
England
American Bar at The Savoy (Est. 1893) | London
During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, American-style cocktails fascinated European drinkers, and fashionable “American Bars” began appearing throughout Europe. The American Bar at The Savoy became one of the most prestigious of them all.
Its legendary bartenders have included Ada Coleman, creator of the Hanky Panky; Harry Craddock, author of The Savoy Cocktail Book; Joe Gilmore; Peter Dorelli; and many other influential names.
For Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012, then-head bartender Erik Lorincz created the Diamond Jubilee Punch. In suitably royal fashion, hundreds of liters were served from the fountain outside the hotel.
Because apparently a punch bowl simply wasn’t going to cut it for the Queen.
The Spaniards Inn (Est. c. 1585) | London
The exact beginnings of this historic pub are a little murky, but The Spaniards Inn has been serving travelers for centuries. Its literary connections are especially impressive: Charles Dickens mentioned it in The Pickwick Papers, and it also appears in Bram Stoker’s Dracula.
Today, the pub has a large dog-friendly beer garden, making it particularly appealing to literary fans traveling with four-legged drinking companions.
Dickens, Dracula, beer, and dogs. Frankly, they’ve covered all the important demographics.
The Eagle and Child (Est. c. 1650) | Oxford
The Eagle and Child is an ancient Oxford pub affectionately nicknamed “The Bird and Baby.” Its greatest claim to fame came in the twentieth century, when a literary group known as the Inklings regularly gathered in its private Rabbit Room.
The group included J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Hugo Dyson. They met to drink, talk, debate, and discuss their writing.
If those names don’t ring a bell, think The Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia.
So the next time someone tells you nothing productive happens while drinking in a pub, you have Tolkien and C.S. Lewis as your rebuttal.
France
Harry’s New York Bar (Est. 1911) | Paris
American jockey Tod Sloan wanted to bring a genuine New York bar to Paris, so he had one dismantled in Manhattan and shipped across the Atlantic. He hired Scottish bartender Harry MacElhone, who eventually bought the establishment in 1923 and renamed it Harry’s New York Bar.
Over the years, the bar became a magnet for celebrities, expatriates, and thirsty tourists. Ian Fleming even mentioned it in his first James Bond novel, Casino Royale.
Harry’s is associated with several famous cocktails, although—as happens often in cocktail history—the exact inventor of some remains disputed. Drinks connected to the bar include the Bloody Mary, Sidecar, French 75, and White Lady.
They literally shipped a New York bar to Paris. Apparently, opening one from scratch seemed like too much trouble.
Bar Hemingway at The Ritz Paris | Paris
The Ritz has one of the richest drinking histories in Paris. Bartender Frank Meier worked at the hotel’s bars during the early twentieth century, and the Ritz became a favorite gathering place for writers, artists, royalty, and celebrities.
Ernest Hemingway was famously devoted to the Ritz; Coco Chanel lived at the hotel for decades, Cole Porter reportedly spent hours composing music there, and F. Scott Fitzgerald was another familiar face.
The intimate Bar Hemingway that visitors know today was created in Hemingway’s honor.
When a hotel has enough famous regulars to name bars after them, you know the lobby has seen some things.
Ireland
Kennedy’s Pub (Est. 1850) | Dublin
Kennedy’s began in the traditional Irish style as a grocery store in front with a pub in back. Its most famous employee was a young Oscar Wilde, and the pub later became associated with Dublin’s rich literary culture.
Located near Trinity College, today it attracts a healthy mix of students, locals, literary pilgrims, and tourists.
Oscar Wilde working in a pub sounds less like employment and more like destiny.
Sean’s Bar (Est. c. 900) | Athlone
Sean’s Bar traces its history back to around A.D. 900 and is recognized by Guinness World Records for its extraordinary age. During renovations in 1970, ancient wattle-and-daub walls and old coins were discovered, helping establish just how far back the site’s drinking history goes. Some of the artifacts were preserved, with a section of the ancient wall remaining on display at the pub.
A pub from A.D. 900. Suddenly, a bar from 1800 feels like new construction.
Italy
Harry’s Bar (Est. 1931) | Venice
Giuseppe Cipriani opened Harry’s Bar in Venice in 1931. He later created the Bellini there, combining Prosecco with white-peach purée and naming the drink after Renaissance painter Giovanni Bellini.
The tiny bar became internationally famous, attracting guests including Ernest Hemingway, Charlie Chaplin, Truman Capote, and Orson Welles.
If Hemingway keeps showing up in this section, it’s because the man apparently considered historic bars a full-time research project.
Al Brindisi (Est. c. 1435) | Ferrara
Al Brindisi lays claim to being one of the world’s oldest wine bars, with roots stretching back centuries. Its famous patrons reportedly included Renaissance artists and intellectuals, and Nicolaus Copernicus lived nearby while studying at the University of Ferrara.
Nothing like discussing the Earth revolving around the sun while everyone around you is working on making the room revolve.
Jamaica
Rick’s Cafe (Est. 1974) | Negril
Rick’s Cafe opened on the cliffs of Negril’s West End in 1974 and helped turn the area into an international destination. Today, it’s famous for spectacular sunsets, live music, cold drinks, and daredevil cliff divers plunging into the Caribbean below.
You can enjoy the sunset, have a cocktail, and watch someone leap off a cliff—all without leaving your barstool.
Puerto Rico
Caribe Hilton (Est. 1949) | San Juan
The Caribe Hilton emerged from an architectural competition won by the Puerto Rican firm Toro-Ferrer. But for cocktail lovers, its biggest claim to fame is the Piña Colada.
Bartender Ramón “Monchito” Marrero is widely credited with creating the drink at the hotel in 1954 after experimenting with rum, coconut cream, and pineapple juice. As with many famous cocktails, another origin story exists—but the Caribe Hilton proudly claims this one.
Rum, coconut, pineapple, Puerto Rico. Sometimes the universe just hands you the answer.
Spain
Cervecería Alemana (Est. 1904) | Madrid
Cervecería Alemana opened in Madrid’s Plaza de Santa Ana in 1904 and became a favorite haunt of Ernest Hemingway, who wrote about spending time there during his years in Spain. His association with the café remains one of its biggest attractions.
And there he is again. At this point, we could have called this section Historic Bars Ernest Hemingway Beat You To.