Scooter’s 1754th bar, first visited in 2024.

They sell all three kinds of beer (Bud, Miller, Busch), as well as a basic selection of spirits and mixers. Elsie cooks all the food herself (you can see her making my lunch in one of the photos below), though when it gets busy she sometimes gets a helping hand from a local regular. As was the case when we arrived — which was right after a group of around 50 had just left after swarming the place.

One thing we noticed early is that there isn’t a restroom in the tavern. We later found it, details in the photos.

Right next door to the tavern is a leaning building whose original purpose I don’t know, the “Nite Owls” sign on it is a reference to a local motorcycle group. On the other side of that is an unassuming building named Rudy’s Library. It’s a memorial to Elsie’s husband Rudy, who left behind a massive collection of books (around 5,000) when he passed in 2004. Rather than get rid of them, she moved them all into this building for visitors to enjoy.

Across the highway is a separate abandoned brick building next to an old grain elevator. It’s labeled as a church on Google Maps, but that’s incorrect, the abandoned wooden church is actually 2 blocks north of the tavern and I missed it due to (1) the wrong building being marked on Google Maps and (2) since we were towing a travel trailer we were nervous to explore the town’s dirt roads and risk getting stuck.

I decided to go outside and wander around, when I found this sign that seemed to indicate I’d found the restrooms:

I wasn’t certain, though, as this was the only door:

Opening that door revealed this:

And walking around to my side revealed the restroom:

9 Broad Street
Monowi, NE 68746
US
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Scooter’s 1720th bar, first visited in 2023.

I had the Black Betty Imperial Stout, the MOAB (Mother of All Bettys) (2020), Vanilla Bean Fathead (barleywine), MOAB (Cabernet Sauvignon Barrel Aged) (2019), Double Dog Dare (barleywine), and a 6th pour that the bartender gave me that I forgot to record. (I think it was the Wick For Brains, their oktoberfest beer.)

Our plan was to go to two more breweries out this way, but my friend was hitting a wall. So we decided to return to the hotel bar for dinner and then go back to Brickway to have some more there to finish the night. Bust as you already saw in my post about the hotel bar, we ended up enever leaving there.

6950 S 108th St
La Vista, NE 68128
US
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Scooter’s 1719th bar, first visited in 2023.

The Sociable is a bit, uh, unusual. A very interesting décor. Honestly, it’s easier to just say “look at the pictures” rather than try to describe it.

I had a Bud bottle.

When we left here it was brewery time again. We decided that the next stop was too far to try to walk so we got the second worst Uber driver I’ve ever had to take us. I’m honestly not sure how she didn’t crash the car getting us there.

4917 S 136th St
Omaha, NE 68137
US
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Scooter’s 1718th bar, first visited in 2023.

Unfortunately we were not getting a good vibe here. I don’t know if he was doing it consciously or not, but the bartender was talking trash about where we were from and made a few racist remarks, so we finished our beer quickly and left.

I had either a Bud bottle or a Coors draft, this place was not on unTappd so I was unable to do a check-in to record it.

13328 Millard Ave
Omaha, NE 68137
US
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Scooter’s 1717th bar, first visited in 2023.

This place is a lot bigger than it looks, with a separate half containing pool tables and other games — plus an actual phone booth.

We had a lot more fun here than we were expecting too, chatting it up with the bartender and other customers while blowing most of our cash on pull tabs.

I had a Budweiser bottle.

One great unanswered question: If this us the Duck Inn, then why is it on Millard instead of Mallard?

13336 Millard Ave
Omaha, NE 68137
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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 1712th bar, first visited in 2023.

Our next stop was Homy Inn, which I had visited in August 2009 but my friend had never been to. We both had the on-tap champagne. (I had the sweet version, I don’t remember what he had.)

After that we made our way over to The Neighber’s [sic], which we had both visited in August 2014 but were under a time crunch. This time we were able to give it a proper visit.

We were debating walking from here to our next place, but then I noticed that a block in the other direction was a bar I’d been meaning to visit for years but kept missing. So that’s how we wound up with an unplanned stop at Leavenworth Bar.

We didn’t stay super long since we had one more stop we wanted to make before dinner, but we had a nice time in our short visit. I had a Ruthie (pale lager) by Exile Brewing Company, which I thought was a new beer for me but it turned out I’d had it at the actual brewery when we both visited it in July 2019.

Once we finished here we decided that the one block in the other direction we went to come here made our original next stop now just a hair too far to walk, so we got an Uber.

4556 Leavenworth St
Omaha, NE 68106
US
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Scooter’s 1711th bar, first visited in 2023.

We played Tetris here, and I had a Shake Chocolate Porter by Boulder Beer.

6102 Maple St.
Omaha, NE 68104
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Scooter’s 1710th bar, first visited in 2023.

Once we finished there, more places were open and we were able to continue on to some more new places.

Beercade is an arcade bar, mainly focused on pinball. We spent a good amount of time here trying out most of not all of the machines.

I had a Gigantic Nitro Stout by Gigantic Brewing Company.

Attached to and affiliated with Beercade is St. Andrew’s Pub, which is naturally where we went next. Though both bars share the same POS (so you can open or close your tab in either bar), the tap lists and it appears even the hours differ.

6104 Maple St
Omaha, NE 68104
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Scooter’s 1709th bar, first visited in 2023.

The menu is primarily German food & beer, but when it came to the food we both got nervous and went with “safe” picks. My friend got kebobs (which turned out to me more like wraps instead of the skewers he was expecting) while I went safer still with chicken strips. Beer-wise I had a Hofbräu Dunkel / Dunkel Gold by Staatliches Hofbräuhaus München.

It was too cold to enjoy the beer garden itself so we stayed inside. But it’s a pretty impressive patio.

6209 Maple St
Omaha, NE 68104
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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
US
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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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+14023935493
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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 1639th bar, first visited in 2023.

3216 Leavenworth St
Omaha, NE 68105
United States
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+14023415190
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Scooter’s 1486th bar, first visited in 2021.

118 NE Main St
Rulo, NE 68431
United States
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+14022454097
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Scooter’s 1485th bar, first visited in 2021.

5800 Hidcote Dr
Lincoln, NE 68516
United States
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+15315005250
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Scooter’s 1484th bar, first visited in 2021.

I had the Things We Don’t Say (American IPA) and the Chocolate Orange Double Stout.

5740 Hidcote Dr
Lincoln, NE 68516
United States
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Scooter’s 1483rd bar, first visited in 2021.

They have quite a few of their own brews, plus an extensive guest tap list. I stuck with their own beer, having the New Beginnings (American IPA), Sticky Knife Peanut Butter Porter, and Old Fashioned Barleywine.

5730 Hidcote Dr
Lincoln, NE 68516
United States
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Scooter’s 1482nd bar, first visited in 2021.

I didn’t really have any time for games, just a quick drink. I at the Flat Roofin’(porter) from White Elm Brewing.

247 N 8th St
Lincoln, NE 68508
United States
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Scooter’s 1481st bar, first visited in 2021.

317 S 11th St
Lincoln, NE 68508
United States
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+14022613915
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Scooter’s 1480th bar, first visited in 2021.

We had a map we had made and we still had about 30 minutes before places would start doing last call, but each place we wandered to seemed not quite divey enough. We finally set our sites on Beacon Lounge and began walking towards it.

About a block before we got there, we were crossing a large empty parking lot (and apartment building is located there now) and directly in our path was an empty, idling cab. We took that as our sign from the beer gods that we were meant to go safely back to our hotel now rather than go to a 25th bar and then have to try to get a cab at the same time as everyone else.

So once again, nearly 12 years later, I found myself out of stamina at the end of a long day of wandering around Lincoln. I was once again a block away. But this time, I forced myself to go in order to fulfill the void left by missing it 12 years earlier.

I had a Guinness again here, which with my dwindling stomach capacity took quite a while to finish.

There’s a patio in the front, a pool table in the back, and also buy the front is a raised platform with gaming machines and a “no cellphones” rule up there for reasons I’m unclear on.

I sent my wife (who is a bartender) this photo while I was sitting at the bar and she responded “Oh HELL no. I would QUIT.”

311 S 11th St
Lincoln, NE 68508
United States
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Scooter’s 1478th bar, first visited in 2021.

408 S 11th St
Lincoln, NE 68508
United States
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+14027700292
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Scooter’s 1479th bar, first visited in 2021.

408 S 11th St
Lincoln, NE 68508
United States
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+14024775671
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Scooter’s 1477th bar, first visited in 2021.

On arrival I blew right on past a guy who was hanging out in the alley and got a bit nervous when I noticed he had started following me. Turned out he was the bartender.

I almost got a cocktail here, but ended up with a Dead Man’s Run (lager) by Cosmic Eye Brewing.

Surely they wouldn’t allow drunk people such easy, unsupervised access to controls that could screw things up on stage. Nonetheless, I opted to not touch.

124 N 13th St
Lincoln, NE 68508
United States
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Scooter’s 1476th bar, first visited in 2021.

This place is a true dive, and reminded me a lot of my own Zoo Bar in KC apart from the stage at the far end and the piano in the middle.

I had Guinness.

136 N 14th St
Lincoln, NE 68508
United States
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Scooter’s 1475th bar, first visited in 2021.

A group seated to my right had a young child with them, and she seemed to be more knowledgeable about ciders than the adults she was with. You go, girl!

I had the Pearsecco and the Riva Raspberry.

1746 N St
Lincoln, NE 68508
United States
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Scooter’s 1474th bar, first visited in 2021.

200 S Antelope Valley Pkwy
Lincoln, NE 68510
United States
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+14023185888
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Scooter’s 1473rd bar, first visited in 2021.

The tasting room is a long narrow space with a lengthy bar counter at one end and tables at the other end.

There was grill set up out front and the brewery was trying desperately to give away free bratwurst with purchase of a full pour, but as it was about 2:30 in the afternoon no one coming in was hungry.

I had the Salted Caramel (imperial milk stout), White Chocolate Torte Wheatwine, and Cerberus (Belgian Strong Golden Ale).

720 Van Dorn St
Lincoln, NE 68502
United States
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Scooter’s 1472nd bar, first visited in 2021.

I had their Oatmeal Stout, Gingerbread Stout, Rye IPA, and Backswing Scottish Ale.

500 W South St
Lincoln, NE 68522
United States
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Scooter’s 1471st bar, first visited in 2021.

There is a small man bar area, plus a separate party room and a patio.

I had their Easy Lifting IPA, Oatmeal Porter, Chocolate Orange Cream Stout, and Latte Imperial Stout.

2100 Magnum Circle
Lincoln, NE 68522
United States
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Scooter’s 1469th bar, first visited in 2021.

There was a farmer’s market going on outside and it was very busy. There was only the bartender working and she was slammed, so I was amazed I was able to get served as quickly as I did.

201 N 7th St
Lincoln, NE 68508
United States
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+14024806488
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Scooter’s 1470th bar, first visited in 2021.

210 N 7th St
Lincoln, NE 68508
United States
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+14024345636
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Scooter’s 1468th bar, first visited in 2021.

As it was breakfast time, I had oatmeal, milk, and coffee in the form of their Casual Friday (imperial stout), Chocolate Hazelnut Oatmeal Stout, and Vanilla Whole Latte (milk stout).

801 R St
Lincoln, NE 68508
United States
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+15315003411
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Scooter’s 1467th bar, first visited in 2021.

816 P St
Lincoln, NE 68508
United States
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+14022614608
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Scooter’s 1466th bar, first visited in 2021.

I had Massive (Cognac Barrel Aged) (2019) by Gigantic Brewing Company, Massive (Rye Barrel Aged) (2019) by Gigantic Brewing Company, Big Luscious by Founders Brewing Co., and Rye On Rye (2021) by Boulevard Brewing Co.

122 N 11th St
Lincoln, NE 68508
United States
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Scooter’s 1465th bar, first visited in 2021.

I had their Arrow of Time (Black IPA), Gaze of the Basilisk (Schwarzbier), and Your Friend, Death (Imperial oatmeal stout)

6800 P St
Lincoln, NE 68505
United States
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+15315002739
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Scooter’s 1464th bar, first visited in 2021.

625 Monroe St
Bennet, NE 68317
United States
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+14027821059
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Scooter’s 1463rd bar, first visited in 2021.

I had Guinness…

704 Central Ave
Nebraska City, NE 68410
United States
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+14027135063
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Scooter’s 1301st bar, first visited in 2018.

I had a flight of all the stouts they had on at that time: Double Cinnamon Toast S’mores, No Way! Double 4-Way! Sweet Minou Chocolate Stout!, Double Café Mocha, Alarm Clock Coffee Stout, and Koo Koo For Coconut.

129 N 10th St, Ste 8
Lincoln, NE 68508
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402-261-8775
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Scooter’s 1044th bar, first visited in 2014.

This was the second stop on our 9-states-in-1-day pub crawl, picked because it opens at 6am. Unfortunately our GPS had the location wrong and we got here a lot later than planned so had to make up the time by having only a round of shots instead of getting to stay for a while.

The Neighber’s sits towards the west end of the Leavenworth dive bar district. The bar features a pool table, darts, video games, a claw machine, and a new beer garden.

4689 Leavenworth St
Omaha, NE 68106
US
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Scooter’s 1042nd bar, first visited in 2014.

Apart from the fact that I was sitting directly beneath a condensation drip from the ceiling, this was a great spot to end the night, with a lot of great beers to try.

6115 Maple Street
Omaha, NE 68104
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(402) 916-9998
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Scooter’s 1041st bar, first visited in 2014.

6059 Maple Street
Omaha, NE 68104
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(402) 934-8668
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Scooter’s 1040th bar, first visited in 2014.

Don’t bother trying to go in the front door, that door doesn’t work. You enter through the nondescript door in the back.

There’ pool tables, several video games, and lots of seating. A separate room to the side has a pool table.

Upon finding out we were from out of town, they gave us free shirts and koozies.

4973 Center St
Omaha, NE 68106
US
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(402) 932-5116
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Scooter’s 1039th bar, first visited in 2014.

Inside the long skinny building the bar takes up most of the space, though in the front is a small library and a barber chair. This is the second barber chair I have seen in a bar out of 1,039 bars so far — and both have been here in Omaha.

The elevated back room with the pool table is the most interesting feature of the bar What I dubbed the Georges Seurat Memorial Billiard Hall, the walls are painted with a representation of his master work, Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte.

3207 Leavenworth St
Omaha, NE 68105
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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
US
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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
US
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(402) 346-9677
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Scooter’s 1024th bar, first visited in 2014.

There is a great deal of seating at the double-sided rectangular bar, plus lots of tables throughout the space. I saw darts, shuffleboard, and several video games. I didn’t notice any pool tables but it’s possible some were around back by the stage.

Since I didn’t go all the way around to the back room, I missed noticing the big partially-covered beer garden out back.

I’ve seen bars go to great lengths to prevent pooping (among other nefarious activities) in the men’s room — such as removing toilet seats and/or stall doors. But this was a first for me — the toilet out in the open while the urinal gets the private stall. (Bonus — note the tiny sink in the corner.)

110 E 8th St.
South Sioux City, NE 68776
US
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(402) 494-5903
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Scooter’s 995th bar, first visited in 2013.

Inside is a boxing game, a pool table, and a lot of crowd noise due to so many people in a kind of cavernous space. There’s also a courtyard outside, adjacent to the main bar area. Free wifi.

We later learned that the reason it was so busy was that a carnival was going on just a block away. It took us a little while to navigate our way around this unexpected obstacle when we left.

1821 Stone St
Falls City, NE 68355
US
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(402) 245-0862
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Scooter’s 994th bar, first visited in 2013.

One strange thing about our visit — and it may have just been that they had just recently been cleaning — is that there was an overpowering smell of “urinal mints” hanging in the air while we were seated at the bar. I hope that’s not normal?

102 Main St.
Shubert, NE 68437
US
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(402) 883-2656
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Scooter’s 993rd bar, first visited in 2013.

The bartender, as well as the customers, were very friendly and welcoming. We sat at a table opposite the L-shaped bar. There was a pool table in the back, a jukebox, and food available. The bar has wifi, but it’s password protected. There are numerous dead deer attached to the walls.

The restrooms here are about the side of caskets.

207 N Main St
Stella, NE 68442
US
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(402) 883-2300
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Scooter’s 992nd bar, first visited in 2013.

The bar’s main area is divided in half by a shuffleboard running straight down the center. There’s a pool table in the back, a juke box, and a small kitchen. Wifi is available.

We noticed some K-State signs here — kind of unexpected in Nebraska.

1417 19th St
Auburn, NE 68305
US
[launch map]
(402) 274-9961

Scooter’s 991st bar, first visited in 2013.

Out front is a small shaded outdoor seating area. Inside, two long bars down the center face each other, with a fish tank-in-between. There’s a claw machine, Golden Tee, shuffleboard, and pool tables.

A poker run was arriving as we were leaving, we weren’t sure of it was the same group we saw earlier in Iowa or not.

416 Central Ave
Nebraska City, NE 68410
US
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(402) 873-7997
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Scooter’s 990th bar, first visited in 2013.

At first we didn’t think it was open, as the door closest to the sign was locked. But it turns out the entrance is the next door past that.

Geno’s is very much a dive, but it was a little nicer than I was expecting from the outside. The main area has a long bar, a jukebox, and a few TVs. Behind the bar, accessible from a small entryway at the far end of the bar, is a smaller room with poo, tables and a shuffleboard. Free wifi is available.

Bonus shout-out for the Spuds McKenzie!

301 East 4th Corso
Nebraska City, NE 68410
US
[launch map]
(402) 873-9910

Scooter’s 981st bar, first visited in 2013.

This is a nice friendly little small town dive bar that opens bright and early. There’s a pool table in the back, and the grill serves up burgers as well as steaks and prime rib on certain evenings. (The evening menu varies by day of the week.)

No tabs, bottled beer only. Including a couple of unexpected national and local brews.

We had no reception here on either AT&T or T-Mobile. Which is probably why these strange objects can be found nearby…

378 5th Street
Syracuse, NE 68446
US
[launch map]
(402) 269-9919

Scooter’s 980th bar, first visited in 2013.

The bar itself is an island in the center of the building, and a pool table and foosball table are tucked away behind it. In the bar back a separate room has a dart board and a large projection screen. Along the west side of the building is partially-covered outdoor seating.

Apart from good food and lots of TVs, they host live music regularly.

5551 S. 48th St.
Lincoln, NE 68516
US
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(402) 423-2996
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Scooter’s 979th bar, first visited in 2013.

This does seem to be a bar more for grown-ups, but it looks like a fun bar nonetheless. There’s 3 pool tables, lots of TVs, and a good sound system. The convoluted bar, covered in vintage regional newspapers, resembles a crooked fish hook.

They do not serve food, at least not regularly, though there was a BBQ grill out front and their Facebook page has mentioned food in the past.

The bartender was really nice and the locals seem friendly. By the way this place has Guinness on tap, kind of unusual for a non-Irish-themed dive bar.

2109 Hwy 2
Lincoln, NE 68502
US
[launch map]
(402) 421-2186
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Scooter’s 965th bar, first visited in 2012.

247 N. 8th St. Ste 101
Lincoln, NE 68508
US
[launch map]
(402) 475-8822
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Scooter’s 669th bar, first visited in 2009.

Crescent Moon is the main bar where you first walk in. It has more of a sports bar feel. This was what we visited.

Huber-Haus is a German beer hall in the basement. We tried to go here but it was packed. This section features beer in boots.

Max & Joe’s is off to the site of the main level, it’s a more quiet, laid-back restaurant/lounge.

Beertopia is the liquor store portion. We didn’t see an entrance from the bar area but may have missed it.

3578 Farnam Street
Omaha, NE 68131
US
[launch map]
402) 345-1708‎
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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
US
[launch map]
(402) 345-0180

Scooter’s 652nd bar, first visited in 2009.

I can’t remember exactly what it was that B asked the bartender for when we sat down. But when the bartender said he didn’t have it, B jokingly replied “”You don’t have that? This is a pussy bar.”"

“”You’re the pussy who chose this place,”" replied the bartender.

As we drank our beers, a girl came by whose shoe had broken and asked for advice. The bartender didn’t have anything to help out, so we tried to rig something using toothpicks, a stir stick, and matches. Unfortunately we just couldn’t get the strap back through the sole in order to fasten it in place.

1217 Howard St
Omaha, NE 68102
US
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(402) 934-9790
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Scooter’s 651st bar, first visited in 2009.

We were making circles throughout the neighborhood and sort of stumbled across this place when we saw people disappearing under the sidewalk. The allure of a basement bar drew us in so we headed on down. We later realized this was one of the bars the bartender back at Homy Inn had recommended to us.

We found a basement sports bar that looked like a frathouse rec room, but I actually mean that in a good way. There was a DEA dog present, as far as I could tell it was here only because its handler was in for a visit, it didn’t seem anyone was getting busted for anything.

UPDATE: Revisited on Friday, April 28, 2023. Just like in 2009, I was still the oldest person in here — but this time by a much wider margin. The pictures below are from this new visit.

1102 Harney St
Omaha, NE 68102
US
[launch map]
(402) 345-3651

Scooter’s 650th bar, first visited in 2009.

This was more like it. It wasn’t super crowded like the other places had been. The front end of the bar was open air with a garage door style entrance. The bartenders were fun, as were the customers.

The restrooms were down a long corridor and were pretty disgusting — obviously a public restroom not associated with the bar.

1125 Jackson St
Omaha, NE 68102
US
[launch map]
(402) 502-5150

Scooter’s 649th bar, first visited in 2009.

Since Barry O’s blew, we were on a mission to find a nearby bar that didn’t blow. This was the least-blowy one we found on this street. We were able to get our drinks quickly, though there was no place to sit. B went outside and chatted with the bouncer, who was a nice guy, to get some advice from him as to where to find some less busy/upscale bars. We advises us to head further west and south.

514 S 10th St
Omaha, NE 68102
US
[launch map]
(402) 341-0191

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
US
[launch map]
(402) 934-7808
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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
US
[launch map]
(402) 346-8242

Scooter’s 646th bar, first visited in 2009.

At long last! B had been searching for the new PowerPutt Golf game for a few months, and now he finally found one. So we took a break to enjoy a game of virtual mini golf.

4964 Dodge St
Omaha, NE 68132
US
[launch map]
(402) 558-0801

Scooter’s 645th bar, first visited in 2009.

Right across the street from Underwood. We had a very nice waitress who gave us 1/2 price, 1/2 pint draws so that we could continue on our mission quickly.

4949 Underwood Ave
Omaha, NE 68132
US
[launch map]
(402) 614-4999

Scooter’s 644th bar, first visited in 2009.

The parking lot was very small and very full. I had to parallel park inside the lot, and the lot had only one entrance — behind me. We ended up leaving the car here for the next couple of bars.

As I took the picture of the outside, a woman ducked away saying “”Oh, I can’t be in your photo!”" B jokingly informed her we were with the FBI.

Underwood was one of our top picks and we soon found out why, this bar bills itself as The Hub of the Universe.

The bar was pretty full, and as we started taking he indoor pictures, the women who had been outside asked what we were doing. B explained to her the trip we were on and how we had been out since Wednesday morning on a quest to have a drink at 100 bars.

She thought that sounded awesome, and immediately turned to her friends and told them what we were doing. “”Wow! That’s like one of those things people people talk about doing but never actually go and do,”" said one of them.

“”Are you guys talking about anal sex?”" asked another woman sitting catty-corner to the first group.

That end of the bar erupted in laughter and word about what we were doing spread throughout the bar.

4918 Underwood Ave
Omaha, NE 68132
US
[launch map]
(402) 556-7727

Scooter’s 643rd bar, first visited in 2009.

We have a winner! Normally it would be hard for me to pick a favorite bar of each day, but this was it. From the beeer trays on the ceiling, to the wall of cans, to our awesome bartender named Nikki, this place was perfect!

Oh, and did I mention that it serves champagne on tap?

That’s right! See for yourself in the photos. Naturally we passed on beer here in favor of a couple of glasses of the bubbly goodness.

We told Nikki about our trip and she gave us some great suggestions for places to hit up later when we reached downtown. (T Henery’s, Billy Frog’s if they hadn’t lost their license, The Dubliner, and The Maxx)

1510 N Saddle Creek Rd
Omaha, NE 68104
US
[launch map]
(402) 554-5815

Scooter’s 642nd bar, first visited in 2009.

We would end up going to 101 bars on this trip, yet this was the only one we went to where we were the only white people inside. Usually that should be the case at about at least 4 or 5 places. Oh well. It was still daytime so the handful of people in here were older.

It should be noted that of the 640+ bars I had been to as of this visit, this is absolutely the nicest smelling bar I have ever been in.

1604 N 47th St
Omaha, NE 68104
US
[launch map]
(402) 553-8787

Scooter’s 641st bar, first visited in 2009.

We picked this place because the online reviews we read talked about the rowdy crowd and that customers are constantly getting their cars towed.

Admittedly we did have trouble figuring out how to get to their parking lot, but once we did it wasn’t too hard at all to park legally. The crowd inside seemed pretty mellow, thought it was still early. We played Silver Strike. Starting at the 9th frame a little kid repeatedly asked us when we’d be done because he wanted to “”play”".

4721 NW Radial Hwy
Omaha, NE 68104
US
[launch map]
(402) 933-9300

Scooter’s 640th bar, first visited in 2009.

There was a cute little dog running around in here that loved to chase the ball and play fetch.

We noticed that this bar had more shuffleboard tables than most places. Turns out the owner is Shane Hagen, a champion shuffleboard player.

We asked the bartender about the name of the bar. He didn’t know the origin, just that it had had that name for nearly a hundred years and the current owner saw no reason to change it when he bought the place.

6020 Maple St
Omaha, NE 68104
US
[launch map]
(402) 554-5830
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Scooter’s 639th bar, first visited in 2009.

This place looked like it’s probably a music venue or dance club by night. B and I had a discussion about Tourette Syndrome, Tourette camps, and some of the things that each of us are constantly thinking in various situations that we might accidentally blurt out if our internal filters were impaired.

6212 Maple St
Omaha, NE 68104
US
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(402) 884-5353
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Scooter’s 638th bar, first visited in 2009.

The bartender offered us up some free hot dogs and popcorn. I declined, but B went ahead and dug into the corn. I enjoyed the barber chair inside the front door.

6117 Maple St
Omaha, NE 68104
US
[launch map]
(402) 558-1365

Scooter’s 637th bar, first visited in 2009.

We found a place to park the car and began a short walking adventure in the Benson neighborhood. We started out with this place, a little removed from the main strip.

After nearly four full days of taking pictures in bars, it took until #81 for someone to ask us what we were doing. They were cool about it though, the people here were friendly.

6135 Military Ave
Omaha, NE 68104
US
[launch map]
(402) 558-3133

Scooter’s 636th bar, first visited in 2009.

This was probably the dive-iest dive we went to today.

6913 Maple St
Omaha, NE 68104
US
[launch map]
(402) 505-5448

Scooter’s 635th bar, first visited in 2009.

Why did we have to eat breakfast????? This place was serving up a pizza that looked even better than the one we saw earlier in the day at The Fire Barn. Actually we were starting to get hungry, but we had plans of another sort for food coming up soon.

8503 Maple St
Omaha, NE 68134
US
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(402) 391-7162
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Scooter’s 634th bar, first visited in 2009.

This was one that barely made our list, primarily because we couldn’t find any information about it whatsoever. Instead it turned out to be one of our favorite stops.

At first it looked like a basic boring cookie-cutter joint in a run-down strip mall. But that was from the outside. Inside we found an honest-to-goodness neighborhood dive bar, the kind that people make their home away from home. This was a nice place and we enjoyed our visit.

8805 Maple St
Omaha, NE 68134
US
[launch map]
(402) 391-2589

Scooter’s 633rd bar, first visited in 2009.

This was a place we had selected simply because of its name. If we had pulled up and found it was named anything else, we were going to move on. Thankfully we found that we could indeed go on inside for a drink.

We sat at the large rectangular bar. It was now lunchtime and a few tables were occupied with families sitting down for a meal. We watched an episode of “”The World’s Most Amazing Videos”" and drank the raspberry version of Mike’s Hard Lemonade. This would be the last of the girly drinks of the day, our stomachs were now ready for a return to beer.

3346 N 108th St
Omaha, NE 68164
US
[launch map]
(402) 763-2800

Scooter’s 632nd bar, first visited in 2009.

An “”Animal House”" themed bar! The walls were covered with props, publicity photos, and posters from the movie. We were the only customers at this time of day but this place looks like it could be a pretty fun hangout in the evenings.

3121 N 108th St
Omaha, NE 68164
US
[launch map]
(402) 934-4042

Scooter’s 631st bar, first visited in 2009.

We picked this location on name alone, and the fact that its advertising uses the phrase “”Why Soitenly!”" sealed the deal as this being a “”Three Stooges”" themed bar.

2946 N 108th St
Omaha, NE 68164
US
[launch map]
(402) 493-9808

Scooter’s 630th bar, first visited in 2009.

This one came very close to not making the cut, but it was saved only because the very nondescript web site suggested that it was a dive even though the location suggested to us otherwise. We were intrigued enough to check it out.

The Lighthouse was very tricky to get to from Maple. It was only barely visible — we’d never have spotted had we not plotted its location in advance. Two congested left turns, then a parking lot maze that took us around the back of a strip mall in order to get us around to the far side where the entrance was.

It was still early so we were the only customers. We watched part of the movie “”Cocktail”" with the bartender and learned about the heroics of a local legend, illustrated in one of the photos above.

15676 W Maple Rd
Omaha, NE 68116
US
[launch map]
(402) 498-3824
Visit Web Site

Scooter’s 629th bar, first visited in 2009.

Not too far from The Depot we found The Fire Barn, a firefighter-themed bar in a brand new strip mall. (Which is why the map link puts it in the middle of a field.) The bar was covered with photos of burning buildings, the walls were adorned with fire station memorabilia, and there was even a fire pole near the door. (Unfortunately, with no upper level from which to slide down, it is more forr show.)

2601 River Road Dr
Waterloo, NE 68069
US
[launch map]
(402) 932-3600

Scooter’s 628th bar, first visited in 2009.

A railroad themed bar, though we didn’t notice the theme quite so much on the inside as we did on the outside. There were breakfast customers inside, we were the first bar customers. However it didn’t take too long before others started coming in and filled up a majority of the barstools.

310 3rd St
Waterloo, NE 68069
US
[launch map]
(402) 779-4110

Scooter’s 627th bar, first visited in 2009.

I honestly didn’t expect this place to be open, suburban style sports bars usually do not open this early. But this one does, at least on Saturday, in order to take advantage of the nearby golf course. And sure enough, there were already a few golfers inside.

The problem was, the linoleum part of the floor was being waxed, during business hours. We were not able to enter through the main door and were only able to enter through a side door by making a jump to the carpeted area. All the furnishings had been moved to this carpeted area so there was very little room to maneuver. The four golfers were trapped, and the room smelled of floor cleaner. We even had to reach to get to our beers, unable to completely approach the bar. Luckily we were limber and sober enough to make a leaping escape when we were ready to go.

28564 W Reichmuth Rd
Valley, NE 68064
US
[launch map]
(402) 359-8757

Scooter’s 626th bar, first visited in 2009.

We had called ahead and knew that this place opened at 8am, though neither of us remembered this at the time and were surprised at first to find it open.

There were a handful of people here already, including a guy who from the looks of it had been there since opening. Everyone was watching the movie “”Sorority Boys“”.

327 N Spruce St
Valley, NE 68064
US
[launch map]
(402) 359-5734

Scooter’s 625th bar, first visited in 2009.

Except for J’s Steakhouse, every bar we had visited tonight was busy. So it was surprising to find this place, dead. There were a few people out on the patio, but no one inside. The bartender seemed happy to have customers.

This was a big place with a barn-like feel. We played a Silver Strike series while cartoons played on the bar TVs. More customers arrived just as we were leaving to begin our long walk back for the night.

500 S Main St
Fremont, NE 68025
US
[launch map]
(402) 721-9833
Visit Web Site

Scooter’s 624th bar, first visited in 2009.

We made it just in time, 10 minutes before the kitchen closed. B ordered a hot ham and cheese sandwich, an I ordered a smoked prime rib sandwich with swiss.

The food. Was. Amazing. A perfect barhopping meal!

415 S Main St
Fremont, NE 68025
US
[launch map]
(402) 721-2001

Scooter’s 623rd bar, first visited in 2009.

There’s a pretty big courtyard, monitored on a closed circuit television facing the bar. The bartender told us that the owner also gets a feed and can watch it in her home.

148 N Main St
Fremont, NE 68025
US
[launch map]
(402) 727-9825

Scooter’s 622nd bar, first visited in 2009.

Our beers were $1.80, an odd price. This was a risky place to enter and exit, the dart boards are immediately to the right inside the front door while the dart line is immediately to the left inside the front door.

300 N Main St
Fremont, NE 68025
US
[launch map]
(402) 721-9996

Scooter’s 621st bar, first visited in 2009.

This was a bonus bar in a building that looked like it had been converted into some sort of mall. The bartender talked with us about the Royals and Kauffman Stadium.

There was food here, including a pretty good looking pizza being eaten by a couple a few barstools over, but it looked like it would take a little too long for us so we decided to wait.

406 N Main St # 1
Fremont, NE 68025
US
[launch map]
(402) 727-6100
Visit Web Site

Scooter’s 620th bar, first visited in 2009.

Before we went inside we walked around the block looking for a pizza place that was supposed to be there, but it was closed and looked like it might have been out of business. We continued around the block back to The Dugout.

This was an awesome little neighborhood dive. The bar was full so we had to take a table in the back corner. ELO was playing and the women in the bar were rocking out.

239 E 6th St
Fremont, NE 68025
US
[launch map]
(402) 721-5868

Scooter’s 619th bar, first visited in 2009.

Having missed the Big Red Keno in Lincoln, we made sure to visit this location. It wasn’t what I expected on the inside being brightly lit and restaurant-like. Every booth had a flat panel screen that could be used for Keno results or to watch any channel you want.

2323 Laverna St
Fremont, NE 68025
US
[launch map]
(402) 721-8545

Scooter’s 618th bar, first visited in 2009.

353 W 23rd St
Fremont, NE 68025
US
[launch map]
(402) 727-4119

Scooter’s 617th bar, first visited in 2009.

This place looked like it was built somewhat recently. I expected it to be a biker bar, but it seemed to appeal to a wide cross section.

3041 County Road 26
Morse Bluff, NE 68648
US
[launch map]
(402) 666-9226

Scooter’s 616th bar, first visited in 2009.

The bartender’s side of the bar is a pit sunken down about 2 feet below floor level. The bar itself is also shorter than at most bars. So there are no barstools, you sit in office chairs instead. There wasn’t room for both of at the bar us but everybody moved down so we could squeeze in another chair.

725 Main St
North Bend, NE 68649
US
[launch map]
402-652-8314

Scooter’s 615th bar, first visited in 2009.

This was a surprisingly nice place. We played with some interlocking horseshoe puzzles for a while that were very tricky, though B finally solved one of them.

644 Main St
North Bend, NE 68649
US
[launch map]
(402) 652-8383

Scooter’s 614th bar, first visited in 2009.

50-cent draws! A new all-time price record for us! (Excluding quarter draws of Natural Light served in dixie cups at frat bars.) There were no normal white light bulbs in this place, each light was a different color.

The men’s room here fit the dive bar restroom mold beautifully. It was basically an alcove behind the pool table and pretty run down.

120 E 12th St
Schuyler, NE 68661
US
[launch map]
(402) 352-9949

Scooter’s 613th bar, first visited in 2009.

We watched an episode of “”Cash Cab”" here. I got a laugh out of a handwashing poster in the men’s room, which in an attempt to be politically correct seemed to imply that your ethnicity will change several times as you wash your hands.

1109 B St
Schuyler, NE 68661
US
[launch map]
(402) 352-9900

Scooter’s 612th bar, first visited in 2009.

There were two things about this placed that cracked us up. One was all of the KISS decor throughout the bar. The other was the redundant urinal. The men’s room contained two urinals, but one of them was pointless because they were places side-by-side at 90 degree angles to each other so only one could ever be used at any one time. (Except I suppose in the case of conjoined twins, I guess I shouldn’t rule out the possibility the restroom was designed to accomadate two very specific regular customers.)

2521 11th St
Columbus, NE 68601
US
[launch map]
(402) 563-3002

Scooter’s 611th bar, first visited in 2009.

Micek’s was really busy, we couldn’t sit at the bar and had to take one of the few remaining tables.

2506 12th St
Columbus, NE 68601
US
[launch map]
(402) 564-3093

Scooter’s 610th bar, first visited in 2009.

We had trouble finding this place. First off, the building doesn’t look like a bar. Second, we went inside and the first set of doors took us to a fancy restaurant. Then we tried another direction and found ourselves in a business office. Luckily a friendly person there told us how to get to the bar through the restaurant.

B tried their American Gold, while I tried the 1916 Irish Stout. We met the brewmaster, who had actually just started working there a few days earlier. He had applied at a few places, including the 75th Street Brewery back home in KC. 75th Street had apparently called to offer him a job just after he accepted the job here.

We also learned that the Gottberg brew pub is owned by the same guy who owns Dorothy Lynch Salad Dressing.

By the way, $2 draws. How often do you see that at a brewpub?

2804 13th St
Columbus, NE 68601
US
[launch map]
(402) 562-6488
Visit Web Site

Scooter’s 609th bar, first visited in 2009.

Having opened in 1876, this is the oldest continually-operating bar in Nebraska and one of the oldest in the west. It was a favorite spot of Buffalo Bill and more recently of Leon Sphinx. We really, really wanted souvenir glasses from here, but they were in the basement and the bartender had a broken foot and couldn’t get them for us.

2301 11th St
Columbus, NE 68601
US
[launch map]
(402) 564-8615

Scooter’s 608th bar, first visited in 2009.

This was the busiest bar we’d seen so far today.

2403 11th St
Columbus, NE 68601
US
[launch map]
(402) 564-2909

Scooter’s 607th bar, first visited in 2009.

75-cent draws! I discovered I had left my camera in the car so the pictures for this and the next few bars all had to come from my phone.

2501 11th St
Columbus, NE 68601
US
[launch map]
(402) 564-5767

Scooter’s 606th bar, first visited in 2009.

We picked this place first because we happened to stumble across it first. We ended up parking the car here to do the rest of Columbus on foot. The bar had just opened and the bartender wasn’t quite ready for customers but she took good care of us. She told us about the railroad construction that had nearly cut the town in half and how several trains roll by an hour.

1061 26th Ave
Columbus, NE 68601
US
[launch map]
(402) 563-3635

Scooter’s 605th bar, first visited in 2009.

This was a family run place, enough that children were working behind the counter and had to call for mom when we ordered beer. The only beer on tap was Keystone Light, and Mom had to look up the price ($1.35 each).

730 Main St
Rising City, NE 68658
US
[launch map]
(402) 542-2400

Scooter’s 604th bar, first visited in 2009.

I later found a notation in an earlier draft of my guide book for this trip:

Also check out the local hotel, it has a liquor license. Probably just to serve wine for dinner but maybe it has a bar.

As it turns out, the Shelby Hotel is not a hotel at all. Or, at least, it hasn’t been for a very long time. It’s actually a bar and grill inside a historic hotel building. It was very busy serving up lunch and is apparently mostly a daytime operation, but it served us well.

240 N Walnut
Shelby, NE 68662
US
[launch map]
402-527-5457
Visit Web Site

Scooter’s 603rd bar, first visited in 2009.

When we got out of the car we were greeted by a cute little scruffy dog named Chloe who was waiting outside the bar. The bar was a big, wide open space and was fairly active for this time of day. Chloe kept trying to come inside, so her owner finally told her, “”Chloe, go home.”" And she did. I guess small town dogs are smarter than city dogs.

160 N Main
Polk, NE 68654
US
[launch map]
(402) 765-3291

Scooter’s 602nd bar, first visited in 2009.

A very big, old bar with all sorts of large, inflatable objects hanging from the ceiling.

417 G St
Central City, NE 68826
US
[launch map]
(308) 946-9819

Scooter’s 601st bar, first visited in 2009.

A pretty generic strip mall bar in a new building. A big, open sports bar with a high ceiling and blank, gray-painted drywall walls. The place was so new it hasn’t really established any character yet, but business seemed to be good and customers were enjoying themselves.

217 E Stolley Park Rd
Grand Island, NE 68801
US
[launch map]
(308) 382-4288

Scooter’s 600th bar, first visited in 2009.

This was a good, basic roadhouse-style dive. There was a menu and the food smelled good, but we had leftover pizza waiting for us back at the motel. The Game Show channel was on the big wall TV, we watched some “”Deal or No Deal”" and another game show I was unfamiliar with.

1803 W North Front St
Grand Island, NE 68803
US
[launch map]
(308) 384-4586

Scooter’s 599th bar, first visited in 2009.

This place was more restaurant than bar, though by this time of day the bar was the only thing open. Everything inside was woodwork, and the dining area included upstairs and downstairs booths forming a ring around the outer walls.

316 N Pine St
Grand Island, NE 68801
US
[launch map]
(308) 384-3655

Scooter’s 598th bar, first visited in 2009.

This was a cool place. We started out at the angular, stainless steel bar but later moved into the lounge room and relaxed on a very comfortable leather sofa looking out onto the patio.

308 N Pine St
Grand Island, NE 68801
US
[launch map]
(308) 398-8466

Scooter’s 597th bar, first visited in 2009.

This was a rock bar. As we entered, B expressed concern over the “”NO NUDITY”" sign posted at the door. “”Oh, it’s more of a guideline,”" joked the bouncer.

B had tremendous difficulty finding the restrooms, which turned out to be in the room with the pool tables. When he returned, he told me to go look for them and even showed me which room. I went to the pool table room and looked around, and I was stumped. One wall of windows, 2 bare walls, and one wall painted with graffiti. No doors anywhere! I was just about to give up when suddenly a rectangle of light appeared on the graffiti wall as someone exited a restroom. The doors were camouflaged, blending perfectly into the wall.

106 E 3rd St
Grand Island, NE 68801
US
[launch map]
(308) 675-0187

Scooter’s 596th bar, first visited in 2009.

Finally, the place we had been waiting for all day! The owner of this place owns a few other places around town, and the person B talked to a week earlier during our planning was very nice and helpful. We’d been waiting all day to try their pizza.

Our plan was to put in an order, go hit up a couple of nearby bars, and then come back. But when they said it would be only 15 minutes, we decided to just stick around and wait.

After several minutes of watching others eat we were getting impatient, so I went outside to call our backup motel and reserve a room, knowing that stepping away always triggers food to arrive. It worked.

The pizza was absolutely delicious and very cheesy, one of the best pizzas I’ve had!

107 N Walnut St
Grand Island, NE 68801
US
[launch map]
(308) 398-9283

Scooter’s 595th bar, first visited in 2009.

Entering this place was kind of strange, we walked down a smelly, carpeted hallway though a series of glass doors, with meeting rooms on either side. At the end of the hallway a couple of flights of stairs led to the bar that occupied most of the building’s upper level.

Their draws were all pints so we ordered 12-oz bottles. B asked for a glass to pour his beer into. He was handed a pint glass, and B’s beer filled it to the top. Busted! One of the barbacks overheard us talking about it and gave us a physics demonstration showing that what looks like very little liquid at the the top of the glass looks like a whole lot at the bottom of the glass. But that still doesn’t explain where other other 4 ounces went.

2110 W 2nd St
Grand Island, NE 68803
US
[launch map]
(308) 381-8666

Scooter’s 594th bar, first visited in 2009.

We had to drive around the building to get to the parking lot, and we noticed several people out back smoking. “”The cool people must use the back entrance,”" B said. We pulled around front, where we were the only car, and went inside. “”Oh! I’m glad I remembered to unlock the front door this time!”" said the bartender.

We played some Silver Strike and B set a new high score. Meanwhile on the bar’s TV, ABC was airing a segment on J.K. Rowling (the author of the Harry Potter series, in case you’ve been in a coma), specifically focusing on her sorrows and tribulations. “”I, [sniff] I fell asleep in a big pile of money, and [sniff] I didn’t know where I was!”" exclaimed B in his best sobbing British female voice, to the delight of the other patrons.

2320 S Locust St
Grand Island, NE 68801
US
[launch map]
(308) 382-9773

Scooter’s 593rd bar, first visited in 2009.

The front area was a buffet style restaurant, serving up all-you-can-eat fried chicken. It smelled really good and we were starving, but we wanted to hold out for pizza. The bar was in another room in the back and overlooked a golf course. We were a little early for a bartender so had to wait for an of-age server to become available to serve us.

2848 S Locust St
Grand Island, NE 68801
US
[launch map]
(308) 382-7687

Scooter’s 592nd bar, first visited in 2009.

This was a pool hall with a very nice bar. Lots of original brick and exposed timbers. When we first stepped in I thought this might be a gay bar because the bartender had a big mustache and was wearing very short, tight denim shorts, but the place was pretty full with women slightly outnumbering men so it must have just been his personal style.

1229 M St
Aurora, NE 68818
US
[launch map]
(402) 694-3272

Scooter’s 591st bar, first visited in 2009.

This is about as incognito as a bar can get. Circling around the block a few times we deduced that this was the most likely building given the address, but there was absolutely no identifying signage, or any signage whatsoever. We tried peering in windows and couldn’t make anything out. Finally I worked up the nerve to go open the front door, hoping I wasn’t stepping into someone’s house. Thankfully, we were right and had found the bar.

111 A St
Hampton, NE 68843
US
[launch map]
(402) 725-3362

Scooter’s 590th bar, first visited in 2009.

Bonus Bar! We have now established the First Law Of Rural Nebraska Barfinding. Grain towers of suitable size = bar in immediate vicinity.

Our bartender had a tattoo on her breasts and wasn’t shy about joining in with a beer of her own. Behind the bar we saw signs identifying this place as both Hoffman’s Bar and as Rog & Lou’s Bar but the Hoffman’s name seemed to be the predominate one.

105 E Highway 34
Bradshaw, NE 68319
US
[launch map]
(402) 736-4441

Scooter’s 589th bar, first visited in 2009.

This was a long, narrow space that was well lit. It was really more grill than bar, the actual bar was just a small section at the front end of the lunch counter. In the back past the pool table were several older arcade games including a few that seemed to be just getting stored there.

Behind the bar I noticed a police scanner — something I later spotted in a number of bars — and a two plaques. One honored Midway as the best bar in York, the other was an award for best Bartender in York. Which are nice accomplishments, although as best as we could tell there wasn’t a whole lot of competition.

728 N Lincoln Ave
York, NE 68467
US
[launch map]
(402) 362-9912

Scooter’s 588th bar, first visited in 2009.

This place has a split personality. When you walk in you are presented with a choice of two doors: one leading to the Keno lounge and one leading to the restaurant/lounge. We chose the door on the right and sat at a bar that was your basic bar & grill type of place with a slight sports bar feel to it. We also checked out the other side, it was much darker and more lounge-like with more of an emphasis on hard liquor and mixed drinks as opposed to the beer emphasis on the other side. Though the Keno lounge is where the hard core Keno players hang out, you can actually play Keno on both sides.

311 Midland St
Waco, NE 68460
US
[launch map]
(402) 728-5613
Visit Web Site

Scooter’s 587th bar, first visited in 2009.

After The Bullet Hole there really wasn’t much to say about this place, it was pretty plain, but it had some interesting grandma’s-house-like décor.

440 1st St
Utica, NE 68456
US
[launch map]
(402) 534-2777

Scooter’s 586th bar, first visited in 2009.

This was a COMPLETE bonus bar, absolutely nothing in our research indicated this would be here and we wouldn’t expect a town of this size to be able to support two bars side-by-side. The Bullet Hole is over a century old (believed to have opened in the late 1800s) and it has always been named The Bullet Hole. The bar itself was constructed in 1892 by the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company in St. Louis and originally used in Dubuque, IA before being shipped here in 1906. For being so old, it’s in amazing condition!

430 1st St
Utica, NE 68456
US
[launch map]
(402) 534-2323

Scooter’s 585th bar, first visited in 2009.

This was originally supposed to be our first Seward bar but it was closed when we arrived, we spotted it open as we were leaving town. A nice big clean bar. $1 draws, some of the cheapest we’d find. It took us about 10-15 minutes to drink our 12oz beers, meanwhile a guy behind us drank a 32oz red beer in just a couple of minutes.

719 Main St
Seward, NE 68434
US
[launch map]
(402) 643-3152

Scooter’s 584th bar, first visited in 2009.

This was a bowling alley bar but was pretty isolated from the bowling, enough to give it its own personality. It had a very unusual, split-level layout (see pictures above) that made the bartender actually lower than the customers at about 2/3 of the barstools. They had recently opened a new patio, I believe they called it “The Beach Club”.

123 S 4th St
Seward, NE 68434
US
[launch map]
(402) 643-3898

Scooter’s 583rd bar, first visited in 2009.

We weren’t 100% sure if there would be a bar here or not, our research had given us an iffy impression that it might have gone out of business a few months ago. But it was open and business seemed to be good.

There was a beer garden, and this place was unusually clean and well-maintained for a bar in such a small town.

330 A St
Staplehurst, NE 68439
US
[launch map]
(402) 535-2253

Scooter’s 582nd bar, first visited in 2009.

Luckily for us, Lou and Mary Ann were awake and doing business. This place felt like a perfect small town gathering spot. It was also a welcome relief after the land of oversized college beers in Lincoln: nice little 10oz draws! As we enjoyed our drinks, we watched Judge Judy decide a case about a vandalized car and a case about a sick dog that had been put to sleep.

“”Do you know if there’s any more rain coming?”" the bartender asked me.

“”No, I think it’s over,”" I said. “”I hope it’s over, anyway.”"

“”I hope it’s not,”" he replied. We really, really need it.

Guess it was pretty selfish of me to want good weather for the drive. It hadn’t occurred to me how important rain is here.

176 Elm St
Bee, NE 68314
US
[launch map]
(402) 643-2313

Scooter’s 581st bar, first visited in 2009.

I think we were the day’s first customers, though more began trickling in. There was no shortage of service, we had at least 3 people taking care of us. I got myself a nice big steak, while B ordered one of the day’s specials, sirloin hash. The latter was so good that I have since learned the recipe and made it a few times.

8250 W O St
Lincoln, NE 68528
US
[launch map]
(402) 474-6435
Visit Web Site

Scooter’s 580th bar, first visited in 2009.

It was microbrew/import night, all microbrews and imports were $2.50. While B perused the cooler I I went to use the restroom. “”Just get me whatever,”" I told him, “”I trust your judgement.”"

I returned to find a choice between Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and Mike’s Hard Lemonade. I chose the Sierra Nevada. I chose poorly. I forgot I really don’t like the Sierra Nevada ale. We ended up trading bottles halfway through.

1320 P St # 100
Lincoln, NE 68508
US
[launch map]
(402) 474-3366
Visit Web Site

Scooter’s 579th bar, first visited in 2009.

Upon entering we noticed that this was definitely a fratboy hangout.

1436 O St
Lincoln, NE 68508
US
[launch map]
(402) 474-5741

Scooter’s 578th bar, first visited in 2009.

On the advice of our friends at The Spigot we crossed the street and found ourselves in a nice little dive, the kind of place we really like.

We ordered beer, but evidently mixed drinks are supposed to be the way to enjoy this place. While other bars are stingey, this place serves up a basic mixed drink in a beer mug, at least in the demonstration we were given.

1621 O St
Lincoln, NE 68508
US
[launch map]
(402) 474-7309

Scooter’s 577th bar, first visited in 2009.

There were a couple of college kids loitering outside. “”I don’t want any trouble!”" B informed them as we stepped inside.

As is the case with most bars in college towns, beer gets served in oversized glasses that make it hard to drink it all before it’s warm and flat. (At least, unless you are one of those 22-year-old fratboy types who still thinks drinking beer is about chugging as much as you can, as fast as you can.) So, to get around that problem, we requested cans. Much to our chagrin, we were given 16oz cans.

As we worked our way through the volume (keep in mind, this was beer #21 for each of us and our stomachs can only stretch so far) we told the girls sitting next to us about the trip we were taking. They were in utter disbelief that we had walked here from 27th Street, making me wonder if maybe Lincoln is less safe than I assumed?

1624 O St
Lincoln, NE 68508
US
[launch map]
(402) 435-4582
Visit Web Site

Scooter’s 576th bar, first visited in 2009.

Whenever you have a bar that’s set up primarily to be a music venue, very often you wind up with a bar that doesn’t seem to have any character or personality if there isn’t a band playing. That seemed to be kind of the problem here. B though this place blew and wanted to hurry and leave, but I thought that any bar that had Family Guy playing on the big screen can’t be all that bad.

1644 O St
Lincoln, NE 68508
US
[launch map]
(402) 261-5826

Scooter’s 575th bar, first visited in 2009.

There were quite a few motorcycles in the parking lot. We stepped inside and the first thing we noticed was that the floor under the bar was covered in piles of used lottery tickets. “”I dropped a winner in here the other night, I’m here to reclaim it!”" B announced to the bartender.

Saddles hung from the ceiling, and beer was served in jars. I was bothered by a strange smell that I thought was similar to baby diarrhea, but B thought I was crazy so maybe it was just my imagination. We reminisced about our trip to Salina back in 2007 and discussed plans for a domain name inspired by that trip.

104 N 20th St
Lincoln, NE 68503
US
[launch map]
(402) 474-9395
Visit Web Site

Scooter’s 574th bar, first visited in 2009.

It was ‘Crappy Beer Night’ on our visit, so we got $2 Miller High Lifes.

105 S 25th St
Lincoln, NE 68510
US
[launch map]
(402) 474-2394

Scooter’s 573rd bar, first visited in 2009.

A retro lounge (in decor, not theme) with a regular, laid-back vibe. The bartender was really into what we were doing and, after getting a feel for the kinds of bars we like, wrote down a good list of places we should check out. (Unfortunately, as it would turn out, the only bar on his list we would make it far enough today to see was closed.)

(For the curious, he recommended: Zen, Marz, Zoo Bar, Buffy’s, Watering Hole, and Cliff’s. Zoo Bar was the only of these we reached before the end of the night and it was closed for some inexplicable reason.)

6913 O St
Lincoln, NE 68510
US
[launch map]
(402) 488-2002

Scooter’s 572nd bar, first visited in 2009.

Biker bar with a pretty good sized beer garden. This was where we really started noticing the popularity of Keno. We read through a Keno book and B played a few games.

540 S 4th St
Eagle, NE 68347
US
[launch map]
(402) 781-2739
Visit Web Site

Scooter’s 571st bar, first visited in 2009.

We made our way over to Murdock and parked across the street from the bar, conveniently right in front of the post office. Unfortunately I still did not have any stamps and this was the town I wanted to mail my cards from.

As we stepped in the door we were bum-rushed by two little kids who darted in past us and took the only two remaining seats at the bar. Most of the tables were occupied. As we looked around for a place to sit, three guys at the other end of the bar scooted around to make room and invited us down to sit near them.

Our bartender’s name was Lori and she was very busy dealing with a full house, but I was finally able to get a moment of her time to find out if she or the bar had a couple of stamps I could buy. Unfortunately, she did not.

Just as it looked like my hope of mailing out these cards with my last name as the postcard was dashed, one of the local guys who had moved earlier to make room for us chimed in. “”I think I have some stamps in my car,”" he said, “”I’ll be right back.”"

A few moments later he returned. I gave him a buck for the stamps and bought him a beer for going above and beyond the call of duty.

Had those two little kids not chumped us for the barstools, I’m most likely have had to mail my cards from Lincoln instead and lose the fun of the Murdock postmark.

301 Nebraska St
Murdock, NE 68407
US
[launch map]
(402) 867-9191
Visit Web Site

Scooter’s 570th bar, first visited in 2009.

We got inside and the first thing we noticed was that our friends from Hopkins Tavern back in Weeping Water were there.

“”It’s about time!”" they said.

They got a good laugh out of it when we explained that we had arrived by way of Louisville.

The bar was completely full so we had to sit at a table. We decided to go ahead and get a little food, just some fried appetizers, and the bartender was so service-minded that she wouldn’t hear of it when we got up to order from the bar and she instead came around to take our orders.

I knew it had to be getting late since the evening news was on, which meant we had fallen a little behind schedule. As we watched the TVs we noticed that the ceiling was decorated with dozens of classic beer tap handles.

115 Main St
Manley, NE 68403
US
[launch map]
(402) 234-9903

Scooter’s 569th bar, first visited in 2009.

The people in this bar were very friendly. While walking back from the restroom I accidently bumped into a biker, causing him to spill some of his beer. “”Oh, I’m really sorry,”" I told him. “”Oh don’t worry about it,”" he said with a laugh, “”it’s no harm at all.”"

225 Main St
Louisville, NE 68037
US
[launch map]
(402) 234-9900

Scooter’s 568th bar, first visited in 2009.

When we first arrived the bar was empty. As we drank our beer we asked the bartender for directions to our next town, Manley. He was new to the area and didn’t know, so called a friend. His friend’s first question to me was if we were riding bikes or driving. “”Driving,”" I said. He told me he’d come down and hung up.

The bartender told us the story of how he came to be in this area and working at a bar, and within moments his friend arrived and started giving me directions.

The route would take us on dirt roads and the instructions included an important detail: “”You’ll see scale houses on each side of the road. As soon as you pass the scales on your right, that’s when you need to turn.”"

By the time he finished giving us directions the bar had filled up, and some nearby patrons had overheard and asked where we were heading. We explained that we were going to the bar in Manley, and they wished us well.

305 W Eldora Ave
Weeping Water, NE 68463
US
[launch map]
(402) 267-5232

Scooter’s 567th bar, first visited in 2009.

We played a few games of bartop trivia and set a respectable new high score.

513 House St
Avoca, NE 68307
US
[launch map]
(402) 275-3334

Scooter’s 566th bar, first visited in 2009.

This place had a pretty big beer garden to the side. We asked the bartender who Ruli is and we learned it is an amalgamation of the names of the bar’s owners: Ruth and Lisa.

By the way, Ruli’s had been the end point of Bikers for Boobies just a few weeks earlier.

417 Elm
Nehawka, NE 68413
US
[launch map]
(402) 227-2026

Scooter’s 565th bar, first visited in 2009.

By now it was a little after 3:00 in the afternoon. We walked up to the front door of the bar, and it was locked. We turned to walk away, then noticed the other door we were standing right next to. Open. We had been tricked by a false door.

The bartender was not from Union herself, and told us about how the nearby town of Nehawka is where most of the people around this general area go to school.

Midway through our drinks the back door opened and a thick, tough-looking farm guy entered. He sat down to our left and ordered, a vodka cranberry??? C’mon, dude!

108 Main St
Union, NE 68455
US
[launch map]
(402) 263-9755

Scooter’s 564th bar, first visited in 2009.

This was a tiny, tiny bar. Though no one was eating at the moment, the lunch cooking in the kitchen filled the bar with a delicious, beefy smell.

108 S 8th St
Nebraska City, NE 68410
US
[launch map]
(402) 873-5833

Scooter’s 563rd bar, first visited in 2009.

Looked like a converted Pizza Shoppe. Had a sand volleyball court outside, something we soon found to be common about Nebraska bars. (The other commonality is that nearly all of them have Keno.)

The Silver Strike machine had inadvertently been left in admin mode, so we could easily have had a lot of fun with that.

703 S 11th St
Nebraska City, NE 68410
US
[launch map]
(402) 873-9909

Scooter’s 562nd bar, first visited in 2009.

Located in the unincorporated community of Paul, one of approximately 6 buildings in the village. The inside of the bar was a dingy white and fairly bright. We talked with a former truck driver (possibly the owner), whose beard merged perfectly with his chest hair, about the time several years ago that he spent 14 weeks driving loads of bagels to the Cold Storage building in the River Market back in Kansas City.

5996 N Rd
Nebraska City, NE 68410
US
[launch map]
(402) 873-4501