Welcome!
Some people collect autographs, some collect antiques, others collect stamps. My hobby is a little different, I collect bars. This site represents my collection, documenting each bar I visit.
This is not a review site, there's plenty of those already. Most posts in this bar diary are slice-of-life recaps of the half hour or so I spent having a beer. I hope you enjoy browsing through my collection!
--ScooterJA Few Random Favorites
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Darlene’s Place
09 August 2006(Ellston, IA) Scooter’s 107th bar, first visited in 2006. We sat at the short end of the L-shaped bar under the watchful eye of a mounted goat head smoking a...
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Suzy’s Bar
25 November 2022(Hamtramck, MI) Scooter’s 1600th bar, first visited in 2022. We almost didn’t stop here because of the party bus parked out front, but we decided to give it a shot....
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Shorty’s Somewhat Fancy Bar
05 July 2019(Downtown, Des Moines, IA) Scooter’s 1343rd bar, first visited in 2019. We tried to go to El Bait Shop next but it was wasn’t happening — far too crowded. So...
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Dive bar Archive
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#1827: The Undertow
Posted on November 2024 | No Comments(Orange Beach, AL) Scooter’s 1827th bar, first visited in 2024. One of the locals suggested we go here next. We were a little let down when we saw it was... -
#1826: The Sloop
Posted on November 2024 | No Comments(Gulf Shores, AL) Scooter’s 1826th bar, first visited in 2024. We were looking for a true dive bar among a sea of touristy bars, and we struck gold with this... -
#1824: WelCo Brewing Project
Posted on November 2024 | No Comments(Smithville, MO) Scooter’s 1824th bar, first visited in 2024. I was camping nearby at Smithville Lake and got bored one afternoon so decided to head into town to check out... -
#1823: Ron’s Bar
Posted on October 2024 | No Comments(Petoskey, MI) Scooter’s 1823rd bar, first visited in 2024. While we were at the winery my wife asked one of the servers, “If we wanted to go to a dive... -
#1817: Mitchell Street Pub
Posted on October 2024 | No Comments(Downtown, Petoskey, MI) Scooter’s 1817th bar, first visited in 2024. We had parked a couple of blocks away and shopped and a candy shop and a clothing store. I took... -
#1815: Mustang Lounge
Posted on October 2024 | No Comments(Mackinac Island, MI) Scooter’s 1815th bar, first visited in 2024. While we were at the Pink Pony we heard about the oldest bar on the island, so headed over there... -
#1809: VFW Post # 56
Posted on September 2024 | No Comments(Downtown, Leavenworth, KS) Scooter’s 1809th bar, first visited in 2024. We were walking from Fluffy’s to Willcott Brewing when we found ourselves in front of an open VFW that we... -
#1808: Fluffy’s Swedish Pub
Posted on September 2024 | No Comments(Downtown, Leavenworth, KS) Scooter’s 1808th bar, first visited in 2024. I was hoping to find some sport of crazy Swedish beer here, but it turns out the owner spent quite... -
#1802: Silver Moon Bar
Posted on August 2024 | No Comments(North End East, Sioux Falls, SD) Scooter’s 1802nd bar, first visited in 2024. The ride to Silver Moon would be my last Uber ride of this vacation apart from tomorrow’s... -
#1801: Hi Ho Tavern
Posted on August 2024 | No Comments(Whittier, Sioux Falls, SD) Scooter’s 1801st bar, first visited in 2024. Hi-Ho Tavern (also listed as Walter’s Hi-Ho Casino) is a cash-only, beer-only dive bar located just a little bit... -
#1797: Ken’s Korner
Posted on August 2024 | No Comments(North End West, Sioux Falls, SD) Scooter’s 1797th bar, first visited in 2024. This dive bar was also participating in the poker run I intersected with a few times throughout... -
#1795: Gaslight Saloon
Posted on August 2024 | No Comments(Emerson, Sioux Falls, SD) Scooter’s 1795th bar, first visited in 2024. I fully expected this to be a dive bar, but I guess I was…. gaslighted… because it most definitely... -
#1794: The Log Cabin
Posted on August 2024 | No Comments(Sioux Falls, SD) Scooter’s 1794th bar, first visited in 2024. I began the day by walking to the Phillips Diner for breakfast, then got in an Uber and headed out... -
#1793: Tommy Jack’s Pub
Posted on August 2024 | No Comments(Downtown, Sioux Falls, SD) Scooter’s 1793rd bar, first visited in 2024. After leaving Top Hat I decided to take a short cut through the alley to avoid the construction zone,... -
#1792: Top Hat Lounge
Posted on August 2024 | No Comments(Downtown, Sioux Falls, SD) Scooter’s 1792nd bar, first visited in 2024. Walking here proved to be quite a longer haul than I expected, made more difficult thanks to construction closing... -
#1791: The Orion Pub
Posted on August 2024 | No Comments(Downtown, Sioux Falls, SD) Scooter’s 1791st bar, first visited in 2024. This dive-ish bar was right next door to Glacial Lakes so visiting it wads a no-brainer. Right after I... -
#1785: Ray’s Corner
Posted on August 2024 | No Comments(Downtown, Brookings, SD) Scooter’s 1785th bar, first visited in 2024. Before long I needed to break up the monotony again, and my advance research showed this cash-only dive bar to... -
#1784: Doc’s Bar
Posted on August 2024 | No Comments(Downtown, Watertown, SD) Scooter’s 1784th bar, first visited in 2024. The drive from Fargo to Sioux Falls seems short on paper, but it’s a mid-numbingly dull drive with about 2... -
#1774: Bismarck Tavern
Posted on August 2024 | No Comments(Downtown, Fargo, ND) Scooter’s 1774th bar, first visited in 2024. This is another dive bar that I’d been warned was sketchy but seemed like a pretty normal place to me.... -
#1773: Empire Tavern
Posted on August 2024 | No Comments(Downtown, Fargo, ND) Scooter’s 1773rd bar, first visited in 2024. Locals warned me that this place could get stabby, but in the middle of the afternoon it seemed to be... -
#1771: Speck’s
Posted on August 2024 | No Comments(Fargo, ND) Scooter’s 1771st bar, first visited in 2024. Speck’s is right next door to Rick’s. It’s a bit smaller, and has one pool table and a bank of casino...