Oldest Bars in Each State

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ALABAMA

T.P. Crockmeirs — Mobile (Est. 1875)

It should surprise absolutely nobody that the oldest bar in Alabama was started by “a plantation owner with large holdings, and a loyal Southerner who fought in General Lee’s army.” In New York this would likely lead to your bar getting picketed (unless you put it in Williamsburg to be “ironic”), but in Alabama it makes you one of the most popular spots in Mobile.

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ARKANSAS

Ohio Club — Hot Springs (Est. 1905)

We’d like to think this was a bar where Bill Clinton took and/or met all his ladies NOT named Hillary, but we have no idea. What we do know is that before Bill ever came to Hot Springs, the Ohio Club was a bookie joint frequented by the likes of Al Capone, and a target of frequent police raids until the late 1960s.

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FLORIDA

Palace Saloon — Fernandina Beach (Est. 1903)

In 1903 the “normal” part of Florida (if there ever was such a thing) was up north, and Fernandina Beach near Jacksonville was a major rail and sea port in need of a bar. And so opened the Palace Saloon, complete with an embossed tin ceiling (that’s still there today), Italian marble, and a mahogany & oak bar that was purchased in 1905 for the ungodly sum of $1,250; in today’s dollars, that’s $33,783.78!!!

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GEORGIA

The Pirate’s House — Savannah (Est. 1753)

Originally built as an inn for sailors in Georgia’s main port city, it didn’t take long for the Pirate House to morph it into a drinking establishment. We are talking about sailors, after all. The oldest bar in Georgia was also once the site of an experimental garden that early colonists used to determine which crops would grow best in the region. It sits next to a house that’s reported to be the oldest standing building in the state.

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KENTUCKY

Talbott Tavern — Bardstown (Est. 1779)

It’s cute how every hipster enclave in America now has its own little bourbon bar. But long before skinny jeans and drinking brown booze was cool, Abraham Lincoln, Jesse James, and Daniel Boone were knocking ‘em back at this Bardstown joint. Talbott Tavern’s the oldest bourbon bar in America, and still displays both bullet holes courtesy of Mr. James and murals painted by the entourage of exiled French King Louis Philippe.

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LOUISIANA

Jean Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop — New Orleans (Est. 1772)

You wouldn’t think the oldest bar in Louisiana would be smack at the end of the tourist trap that is Bourbon Street, but it is. Jean Lafitte’s used to be a hangout for pirates and other carriers of contraband — and then a gay bar in the 1950s — before becoming a nice, quiet little pub on America’s most raucous street.

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MISSISSIPPI

Kings Tavern — Natchez (Est. 1769)

What’s worse than tearing out a wall during a renovation and finding a dead body? Tearing out said wall and finding THREE dead bodies, plus a jeweled dagger, all of which date back a good 160 years. That’s exactly what happened in the 1930s when workers uncovered what they suspected to be the remains of original owner Richard King’s mistress, along with two unidentified males.

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MISSOURI

O’Malley’s Pub — Weston (Est. 1842)

It seems like every trendy nightspot now is trying to be some kind of secret “speakeasy” where you need a reservation to pay $19 for a drink made with ingredients you can’t pronounce. O’Malley’s is slightly more legit — as in, it really was a speakeasy. But it was also around long before Prohibition. This cavernous, three-level Missouri hideaway is located 55 feet underground in the basement of the Weston Brewing Company.

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SOUTH CAROLINA

McCrady’s — Charleston (Est. 1778)

Now that McCrady’s has graduated from saloon to fine-dining establishment, you may find yourself having more than a couple of courses while you partake of their extensive lineup of craft beer, wines, and cocktails. But you’ll never top George Washington, who in 1791, enjoyed a 30-course dinner here.

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TENNESSEE

Springwater Supper Club — Nashville (Est. 1896)

Originally opened as a bar for the Tennessee Centennial and International Exposition, this grungy rock club was a southern speakeasy during Prohibition, then a bar called the Pirate’s Den, Norma’s, and finally, its current iteration since 1978. It’s a divey live music venue that, in the ever-changing world of Nashville nightlife, has managed to survive for over a century.

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TEXAS

Scholz Garten — Austin (Est. 1866)

Since it’s in the capital, the oldest Lone Star bar has been a popular hangout for local politicos, as well as a staging ground for fundraisers, campaign events, and pretty much anything else alcohol related that Texas politicians do. Founded originally by German immigrant August Scholz, this beer hall is, not surprisingly, also known for its its schnitzel

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