Welcome!
Some people collect autographs, some collect antiques, others collect stamps. My hobby is a little different, I collect bars. This site represents my collection, documenting each bar I visit.
This is not a review site, there's plenty of those already. Most posts in this bar diary are slice-of-life recaps of the half hour or so I spent having a beer. I hope you enjoy browsing through my collection!
--ScooterJA Few Random Favorites
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Van Till Family Farm Winery
(Rayville, MO ) Scooter’s 1844th bar, first visited in 2025. This winery has been on our list for a while, as we had been to its former satellite location in…
Latest Posts
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#920: Rendezvous Bar & Grill
Posted on July 2011 | No Comments(Downtown, St. Joseph, MO) Scooter’s 920th bar, first visited in 2011. This dive is located a block down the street from Foster’s. Another responsible bartender working here. B had water... -
#919: Foster’s
Posted on July 2011 | No Comments(Downtown, St. Joseph, MO) Scooter’s 919th bar, first visited in 2011. Fosters is a martini & wine bar primarily. We got here pretty late and they were preparing to close.... -
#918: Long Branch Tavern
Posted on July 2011 | No Comments(St. Joseph, MO) Scooter’s 918th bar, first visited in 2011. As expected from the outside appearance, this was a good old-school dive. There were two rooms, with the smaller side... -
#917: Norty’s Bar & Grill
Posted on July 2011 | No Comments(St. Joseph, MO) Scooter’s 917th bar, first visited in 2011. This is the second location for Norty’s. It used to be located on Messanie, but it burned down in 2007.... -
#916: Kelly’s Pub
Posted on July 2011 | No Comments(St. Joseph, MO) Scooter’s 916th bar, first visited in 2011. We started out about to go the the Frederick Inn, but when we looked inside we decided it looked too... -
#915: Big Shots
Posted on July 2011 | No Comments(St. Joseph, MO) Scooter’s 915th bar, first visited in 2011. We had no idea what kind of place this was going to be, as we could find absolutely NO information... -
#914: Hi-Ho Bar & Grill
Posted on July 2011 | No Comments(St. Joseph, MO) Scooter’s 914th bar, first visited in 2011. This is a great little bar with a really nice semi-covered patio. I saw Golden Tee and lots of flatscreens,... -
#913: Pop A Top Tavern
Posted on July 2011 | No Comments(St. Joseph, MO) Formerly Family Tavern Scooter’s 913th bar, first visited in 2011. A dive bar does not get more divey than this. A dive in its purest form, not... -
#912: Peterman’s Shamrock
Posted on July 2011 | No Comments(St. Joseph, MO) Formerly Shamrock Inn Scooter’s 912th bar, first visited in 2011. As far as I can tell this bar has been called the Shamrock for a very long... -
#911: Brown Bear Tavern
Posted on July 2011 | No Comments(St. Joseph, MO) Scooter’s 911th bar, first visited in 2011. This is another really old bar, having opened in either 1898 or 1899 depending on your source. And it’s another... -
#910: First Ward House
Posted on July 2011 | No Comments(St. Joseph, MO) Scooter’s 910th bar, first visited in 2011. The First Ward House opened in 1878 and is one of the contenders for Oldest Bar West of the Mississippi.... -
#909: Bottoms Up Bar & Grill
Posted on July 2011 | No Comments(St. Joseph, MO) Scooter’s 909th bar, first visited in 2011. I’ve seen this place off and on for the past 15 years or so but never stopped in until now.... -
#908: Jumpin Jack’s
Posted on July 2011 | No Comments(St. Joseph, MO) Formerly Old Lamplighter Inn Scooter’s 908th bar, first visited in 2011. Every barhopping trip includes one bar that is so far beyond our expectations that it ends... -
#907: American Tavern
Posted on July 2011 | No Comments(St. Joseph, MO) Scooter’s 907th bar, first visited in 2011. American Tavern is a beautifl, timeless, classic example of a dive bar all-around. It is rustic, dirty, and charming. This... -
#906: VFW #1668
Posted on July 2011 | No Comments(St. Joseph, MO) Scooter’s 906th bar, first visited in 2011. This is one of the busiest VFW bars I have been to on a day that wasn’t a holiday! Almost... -
#905: Magoon’s Saloon
Posted on July 2011 | No Comments(St. Joseph, MO) Scooter’s 905th bar, first visited in 2011. Magoon’s Saloon is a place we chose to visit simply because we liked the name, and it turned out to... -
#904: A’s J. R’s McGaughy Lounge
Posted on July 2011 | No Comments(St. Joseph, MO) Scooter’s 904th bar, first visited in 2011. We knew before arriving here that were not exactly going to fit in here. We’d been warned that the bar... -
#903: Susie’s Place
Posted on July 2011 | No Comments(St. Joseph, MO) Formerly Frank’s Tavern Scooter’s 903rd bar, first visited in 2011. There was a little bit of tension in the air when we first stepped inside, and I’m... -
#902: Pappy’s Grill & Pub
Posted on July 2011 | No Comments(St. Joseph, MO) Scooter’s 902nd bar, first visited in 2011. We almost didn’t stop here because it looked too much like a restaurant, but once inside we decided to go... -
#901: Muny Inn
Posted on July 2011 | No Comments(St. Joseph, MO) Scooter’s 901st bar, first visited in 2011. We kept seeing this place listed as “Big Al’s Muny Inn”, but the bartender had never heard of the “Big... -
#900: First & Last Chance Tavern
Posted on July 2011 | No Comments(St. Joseph, MO) Scooter’s 900th bar, first visited in 2011. My 900th bar! To help me celebrate B bought the round out-of-turn, and lucked out with $1 cans for the...
