Found: The Oldest Bar In Every State

Because you love drinking, you love history, and of course, you love the history of drinking, we’ve tracked down the oldest bar, tavern, or pub in each of the 50 states… and Washington, D.C.

Now obviously, tracing bars through time is an admittedly inaccurate science, especially in a country that once banned booze. Some bars opened, closed, and reopened again years later; some burned down and were rebuilt; others moved buildings, changed names, turned into post offices, or stopped serving alcohol altogether. And still others, amazingly, remain the longest, continuous-running, liquor-pouring establishments in their great states, having weathered Prohibition by peddling turkey sandwiches and O’Doul’s.

While records are scarce, debate fierce, and the laughter we received when calling state historical societies very real (not to mention, slightly hurtful. Come on, we’re just asking a question!), in the end these 51 bars can — to the best of our research — lay at least some claim to the title of the state’s oldest watering hole...