Scooter’s 1716th bar, first visited in 2023.

The building is a former firehouse, converted to a massive brewery/restaurant. Apart from the large rectangular central bar there are massive seating levels on two levels, plus outdoor seating both on the sidewalk and on a rooftop deck.

My flight consisted of the Steel Cut Stout, the Dundee Export 90 Scotch Ale, Pursuit of Juiciness (NEIPA), and the Capitol (with Simcoe Cask Conditioned) — a pale ale that was a last-moment substitution after the keg blew of whatever I originally wanted in that spot was.

Unfortunately that last second substitution ended up being one of the worst craft beers I’ve ever had. Definitely among bottom ten out of the over 2,700 distinct craft beers I’d had up until then. So unfortunately that’s the memory I was left with. I should have STARTED with that one because any of the other three beers would have ended this visit on a good note!

514 S 11th St
Omaha, NE 68102
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Scooter’s 1715th bar, first visited in 2023.

When we first arrived a tour was getting ready to start so it was a bit hectic, but once the tour group moved to the back it became much calmer.

I was faced with a dilemma. This was the start of the day, so the best strategy would be a few samplings of lower alcohol beers that I was only mildly interested in. But what I really wanted was the Barrel-Aged Epic Blackout Stout, a delicious beast with a powerful 17% ABV but was NOT available in flights. I’d had it before, but never from the source. I really wanted it from the source. So that’s what I chose. And, guess what? The rest of the day would still work out just fine.

At one point I went to use the restroom. Inside the men’s room was a door labeled “employees only”. It was the employee access to the same restroom. That door was also ajar. And I could plainly hear that the tour group was currently gathered right on the other side of that door. I briefly considered the entertainment value of a nice loud fart. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) I just didn’t have it in me.

1116 Jackson St
Omaha, NE 68102
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Scooter’s 1714th bar, first visited in 2023.

We both had ourselves a bunch of breakfast food. I had coffee boozed up in various ways, my friend stuck to Bloody Marys.

After we left here we went to a nearby convenience store to get some Ibuprofen, where we both got in trouble for failing to notice the “no backpacks” sign among the sea of signs on the front of the building.

1125 Jackson S
Omaha, NE 68102
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Scooter’s 1713th bar, first visited in 2023.

While at The Elbow Room we made the decision to return to out hotel for dinner. But then we had second thoughts, fearing that once we got to the hotel we might not go back out again. So we decided to find someplace to eat along the way. That led to us Crescent Moon Ale House, which I had previous visited in October 2009 but my friend had not visited, where we both had rather good food and met a Lupulin Brewing rep who gave us swag and bough me a beer.

FINALLY, after that, we returned to our hotel (the Magnolia) and made out first visit to the hotel bar.

There was some confusion as to the name of this place as the hotel web site called it “Olive & Ira’s”. But the sign in front said “The District” so that’s what we went with.

We had decided upon our arrival that we would have one drink here, then head back out to visit one or two more nearby bars before calling it a night.

I had an Old Fashioned while my friend had a bourbon. Then I had an espresso martini while my friend had more bourbon. The bartenders were great (both with drink making and with being fun), and we enjoyed ourselves so much here that we ended up staying until nearly close and then just headed back to our room. We would end up visiting this bar two more times during our stay — Saturday night where we closed it, and Sunday morning for a boozy brunch. In the end between all the visits I had 1-2 old fashioneds, 3-4 espresso martinis, an AKRS Cream Ale by Zipline Brewing, two Irish coffees, and one more cocktail that I can’t remember.

Overall, this proved to be my favorite hotel bar so far.

1615 Howard St
Omaha, NE 68102
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Scooter’s 1708th bar, first visited in 2023.

Looking back at what all we had passed, we decided Havana Garage looked the most interesting so we backtracked to there.

As it is a cigar bar, it was a bit too smoky inside for our comfort. So we decided to take our drinks to the headed/covered patio out back.

The patio is surrounded with vegetation and included a large tree that passed through one of the tables. The patio has a back alley entrance that we had already passed twice before while walking around today. I thought it looked enticing, my friend thought it look creepy.

I had an Omaha Stylee IPA by Brickway Brewery & Distillery.
As we were leaving I had stopped to use the restroom (which honestly I had to do at least once at every single bar we went to), and I remember something was odd about it but I can’t remember what. I remember it was in the basement, but it was something else. I’ll have to pee there again someday to try to figure out what it was.

Google Street View images of the alley entrance that I thought looked cool but gave my friend the creeps…

1008 Howard St
Omaha, NE 68102
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Scooter’s 1707th bar, first visited in 2023.

There was a well dressed group having a good time at the next table and we bantered back and forth a couple of times. When we were about halfway finished with our drinks they paid their tab and left. A few minutes later they returned and ordered another round.

“Change your mind?” my friend asked them.

“YES!” they said. “It’s POURING out there!”

The weather forecast up to this point (which we had been monitoring frequently) had always insisted on only periods of sprinkles to very light rain. So we assumed they were exaggerating. After we finished our drinks and closed our tab we decided to brave the walk back to the hotel.

NOPE! It was a full-on monsoon outside. Torrents of rain. We stood under the canopy for a minute debating whether to also go back inside. But we were tired, so we decided to awning-hop our way back to the hotel.

420 S 10th St
Omaha, NE 68102
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Scooter’s 1706th bar, first visited in 2023.

Our original plan was to visit both bars in this venue, and we would have accomplished that had we not stopped next door to eat first. But while we were eating, Moe & Curly’s went from nearly-empty to absolutely packed as karaoke was fully underway.

After several minutes of being unable to get the bartender’s attention, we decided to skip a drink at Moe & Curly’s (as well as skip asking her where the speakeasy was) and went to look for it ourselves. We found it back past the restrooms. Unlike the main bar, there was almost nobody in here so it worked out perfectly for us.

The only available beer was Lone Star (technically, Original by Lone Star Brewing), so I started off with a bottle of that. My friend ordered the same, but then he noticed they had Dewars so he switched to that and he gave me the rest of his beer to finish. After finishing those I am pretty sure I also had a gin & tonic.

We had a lot of fun here, the bartender was very friendly and made good conversation.

At $8 for the bottle, this is almost certainly the most expensive Lone Star I’ll ever have.

The bar area of Moe & Curly’s, where we did NOT have a drink.

1011 Capitol Ave
Omaha, NE 68102
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Scooter’s 1705th bar, first visited in 2023.

I had a chicken tenders platter, but I completely forgot to check in my beer on UnTappd so I have no idea what I had to drink. I am pretty sure I did not have Guinness. I had something local, either an IPA or a brown ale. It annoys me that I didn’t keep track. The only thing I am certain of is that it was NOT a Fairy Nectar IPA by Kros Strain Brewing because that’s what my friend ordered.

1003 Capitol Ave
Omaha, NE 68102
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Scooter’s 1704th bar, first visited in 2023.

The most prominent feature of this bar is the stage at the front end. There was some early prep underway for what I assume was an act scheduled for later i the evening.

I had a Guinness.

After we left here we decided to go across the street to T. Henery’s since my friend had never been there. (This was my third visit and second this year.) It was my first visit where it wasn’t packed.

1215 Harney St.
Omaha, NE 68102
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Scooter’s 1703rd bar, first visited in 2023.

This is a basement bar on a block with (at least) three basement bars. It was all decked out for Halloween when we visited. There are video gambling machines, and they have live music on the weekends.

I had a Guinness.

1205 Harney St, Omaha, NE 68102
Omaha, NE 68102
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Scooter’s 1642nd bar, first visited in 2023.

In addition to our breakfasts my wife had a bloody Mary while I had a poinsettia.

902 Dodge St
Omaha, NE 68102
United States
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Scooter’s 1641st bar, first visited in 2023.

This tiki bar is located in the basement. There were at least two large rooms, packed with people, we sat at a table shared with two other groups. We both had island themed cocktails, I don’t remember what my wife had but mine was a rum-based take on an Old Fashioned.

We were pretty buzzed by this point so these pictures aren’t my best work.

1204 Howard St
Omaha, NE 68102
United States
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Scooter’s 1640th bar, first visited in 2023.

1212 Harney St.
Omaha, NE 68102
United States
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Scooter’s 1038th bar, first visited in 2014.

We had all agreed from how it looked on the outside (much like a house) that this was a bar we wanted to visit. Stepping inside the door, we were surprised to find that instead of being in a bar, we were in a tiled foyer with a turn towards a set of stairs leading to the basement. At the bottom of the stairs, past the anachronistic payphone, the bartender stood behind a jail door. Turning right, we found the entrance to the lounge in the basement of this house.

This is a bar that developed its personality in the 1950s thru 1970s, then stopped changing. The entire atmosphere remains frozen in that era.

The bartender is a very friendly guy who enjoyed talking to us about Omaha and his bar. Drinks are cheap, the patrons are quiet and friendly. This is a very relaxing place to hang out away from the crowds.

There’s a pool table, an old jukebox, and lots of quirky decor.

This is now one of my favorite bars and I’ll definitely be visiting every time I return to Omaha.

2201 Pierce St
Omaha, NE 68108
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Scooter’s 1037th bar, first visited in 2014.

Fast forward five years, and I found myself in downtown Omaha with two friends the night before we would begin a question to barhop 9 states in a single day. I decided I needed to take care of unfinished business and visit Happy Bar.

It’s a dive, don’t get me wrong, but there’s nothing at all scary about it. This is a fun little bar with friendly regulars and a friendly bartender.

On tap is an extensive selection of choices ranging from Bud to Bud Light, with an even wider variety available in cans. There’s a pool table in the back.

We really enjoyed our visit here and also enjoyed the free gifts the bartender gave us to prepare us for the next day’s adventure.

601 N 16th St
Omaha, NE 68102
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Scooter’s 653rd bar, first visited in 2009.

Just as we were giving up, the light of this place appeared. We only had 10 minutes left until closing time but we managed to get served.

A band that I think was called “”Over The River”" was playing “”Night Moves”" when we arrived. The bar wasn’t very busy and only a few people were dancing. The band had time for a couple more songs. They did covers of other southern rock hits, and when the final song played, everyone in the bar was dancing.

1512 Howard St
Omaha, NE 68102
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Scooter’s 648th bar, first visited in 2009.

We walked over here to grab one last been before in this area before calling a cab. Our cab showed up just as we finished, so that was good timing.

1901 Harney St
Omaha, NE 68102
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Scooter’s 647th bar, first visited in 2009.

This place is rated as one of Omaha’s top dives. The bar area itself is nice, and it has a beautiful deck in the back. We had also read a review that told us we needed to check out the basement bathrooms that would remind one of Buffalo Bill’s basement in “”Silence of the Lambs”", but since neither of us had to go, we both forgot about doing so.

Update: On a later visit I did use the restroom. You go down a treacherous staircase with a very low ceiling into the very low ceilinged basement. At the bottom there are three small unmarked doors. Women’s has a nude woman on the door, Men’s has a Nebraska logo. I don’t know what’s behind the third door.

Many of my companions on the second trip thought this was a gay bar but I didn’t see it. Gay-friendly maybe but it wasn’t flaunted.

515 S 20th St
Omaha, NE 68102
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