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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HooDoo Brewing Company
29 November 2019(Fairbanks, AK) Scooter’s 1416th bar, first visited in 2019. This is one that I was unable to make it to the last time I was in Fairbanks, so I was...
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Juniper Bar + Market + Bistro + Bottle Shop
24 November 2018(Downtown, Cody, WY) Scooter’s 1302nd bar, first visited in 2018. Cute cocktail/wine/craft beer bar in the back of a bottle shop, with an alley-facing patio. Only a few taps, but...
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Dates of First Visit
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Strawberry Hill Brewing
(Strawberry Hill, Kansas City, KS) Scooter’s 1838th bar, first visited in 2025. After a few years of delays, this finally opened in the Fall of 2024. But since it’s only…

Missy’s White Rabbit Lounge
(Downtown, Eureka Springs, AR) Scooter’s 1837th bar, first visited in 2025. Missy’s White Rabbit is located in one of the staircase alleys, either one flight down or 2 flights up…

Jack Rabbett’s Whisky Bar
(Downtown, Eureka Springs, AR) Scooter’s 1836th bar, first visited in 2025. This is one of two bars in the Basin Park Hotel, located on the 1st floor (which is actually…

Voodoo Lounge
(Downtown, Eureka Springs, AR) Scooter’s 1835th bar, first visited in 2025. This is the other bar in the New Orleans Hotel, at street level and tucked away in the back…

The Quarter
(Downtown, Eureka Springs, AR) Scooter’s 1834th bar, first visited in 2025. One of two bars in the New Orleans Hotel, I wouldn’t necessarily call this a basement bar because it…

Brews Taproom & Java Joint
(Downtown, Eureka Springs, AR) Scooter’s 1833rd bar, first visited in 2025. A combination coffee shop and craft beer bar. Also offered at least some cocktails — my wife got a…

Spring On Main
(Downtown, Eureka Springs, AR) Scooter’s 1832nd bar, first visited in 2025. This bar/restaurant is accessible only via an outdoor flight of stairs on the second floor of a downtown building….

Kon Tiki
(Downtown, Kansas City, MO) Scooter’s 1831st bar, first visited in 2025. I didn’t even know this tiki bar existed until visiting it on this Sunday afternoon for a birthday party….

Parkville Wine House
(Downtown, Parkville, MO) Scooter’s 1830th bar, first visited in 2025. This wine bar (which also features a curated set of craft beer) opened in 2024 in a converted house right…

Warbird Whiskey
(Downtown, Excelsior Springs, MO) Scooter’s 1829th bar, first visited in 2024. A whiskey/cocktail bar that opened a few months ago, this one with theme honoring American military aviation history. When…

Huey’s Hidden Vault
(Downtown, Excelsior Springs, MO) Scooter’s 1828th bar, first visited in 2024. This is a new whiskey, cocktail, and cigar bar that opened this past August. Don’t worry if you don’t…

The Undertow
(Orange Beach, AL) Scooter’s 1827th bar, first visited in 2024. One of the locals suggested we go here next. We were a little let down when we saw it was…

The Sloop
(Gulf Shores, AL) Scooter’s 1826th bar, first visited in 2024. We were looking for a true dive bar among a sea of touristy bars, and we struck gold with this…

Grassroots Garden Lounge
(Downtown, Smithville, MO) Scooter’s 1825th bar, first visited in 2024. While I was circling around the block after leaving the brewery I noticed this cocktail bar and decided to check…

WelCo Brewing Project
(Smithville, MO) Scooter’s 1824th bar, first visited in 2024. I was camping nearby at Smithville Lake and got bored one afternoon so decided to head into town to check out…

Ron’s Bar
(Petoskey, MI) Scooter’s 1823rd bar, first visited in 2024. While we were at the winery my wife asked one of the servers, “If we wanted to go to a dive…

Mackinaw Trail Winery, Brewery & Bistro
(Petoskey, MI) Scooter’s 1822nd bar, first visited in 2024. This winery / brewery is a few miles south of Petoskey. I’d originally planned to do a wine tasting or have…

The Back Lot
(Downtown, Petoskey, MI) Scooter’s 1821st bar, first visited in 2024. We were looking for someplace to get lunch, and I was charged with finding a place, but no one could…

Legs Inn
(Cross Village, MI) Scooter’s 1820th bar, first visited in 2024. This historic tavern is a must-see tourist destination at the end of the Tunnel of Trees scenic highway. It was…

Petoskey Brewing
(Petoskey, MI) Scooter’s 1819th bar, first visited in 2024. This had been on my must-visit list ever since I saw a picture of the building a little over a year…

Tap30 Pourhouse
(Downtown, Petoskey, MI) Scooter’s 1818th bar, first visited in 2024. Since this was right next door we decided it was a must-visit before heading out of downtown. Most of the…

Mitchell Street Pub
(Downtown, Petoskey, MI) Scooter’s 1817th bar, first visited in 2024. We had parked a couple of blocks away and shopped and a candy shop and a clothing store. I took…

Great Turtle Brewery & Distillery
(Mackinac Island, MI) Scooter’s 1816th bar, first visited in 2024. After high tea at the Grand Hotel we went to the bar at the top of the hotel, which offers…

Mustang Lounge
(Mackinac Island, MI) Scooter’s 1815th bar, first visited in 2024. While we were at the Pink Pony we heard about the oldest bar on the island, so headed over there…

Pink Pony Bar & Grill
(Mackinac Island, MI) Scooter’s 1814th bar, first visited in 2024. Our visit to Mackinac Island was kind of a spur of the moment decision. Upon arrival we had a great…

Vue Wine Bar
(Downtown, Charlevoix, MI) Scooter’s 1813th bar, first visited in 2024. It was too windy and choppy to put our kayaks into Lake Michigan, so we decided to drive down to…

New Holland Brewing – Holland Tap Room
(Downtown, Holland, MI) Scooter’s 1812th bar, first visited in 2024. This brewery has been on my bucket list for a few years, and today our driving route just happened to…

Barley & Vine
(Downtown, Platte City, MO) Scooter’s 1811th bar, first visited in 2024. Half brewery, half wine bar, this place opened (I believe) around the end of last year. I opted for…

Willcott Brewing Company
(Downtown, Leavenworth, KS) Scooter’s 1810th bar, first visited in 2024. As we walked in the door we were stopped by a lady who said “Here’s even more people I don’t…

VFW Post # 56
(Downtown, Leavenworth, KS) Scooter’s 1809th bar, first visited in 2024. We were walking from Fluffy’s to Willcott Brewing when we found ourselves in front of an open VFW that we…
Latest Posts
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#452: Cozy Inn
Posted on March 2008 | No Comments(Fairmount, Independence, MO) Scooter’s 452nd bar, first visited in 2008. Re-backtracking back to where we were about to go when we realized we needed to backtrack, we came across this... -
#451: Tonahill’s South
Posted on March 2008 | No Comments(Maywood, Independence, MO) Formerly Charlie’s Scooter’s 451st bar, first visited in 2008. Formerly Charlie’s, then Tonahill’s South, then a closed bar, it’s now Tonahill’s South once again, albeit leased out.... -
#450: Bills Pappys Den
Posted on March 2008 | No Comments(Maywood, Independence, MO) Scooter’s 450th bar, first visited in 2008. We did some quick backtracking after the Calico Cat when we realized we were on the verge of missing a... -
#449: Calico Cat
Posted on March 2008 | No Comments(Fairmount, Independence, MO) Scooter’s 449th bar, first visited in 2008. A customer at Down The Road had told us this morning about his lifelong ban from The Calico Cat, and... -
#448: Kross Lounge & Restaurant
Posted on March 2008 | No Comments(Sugar Creek, MO) Scooter’s 448th bar, first visited in 2008. It was kind of a shame we had just had Taco Bell, because the food available at the bar here... -
#447: Tonahill Sugar Inn
Posted on March 2008 | No Comments(Sugar Creek, MO) Closed, but a new bar has opened in the same location. Now called Cuzzy’s. Scooter’s 447th bar, first visited in 2008. Our second Tonahill location for the... -
#446: Verona Room
Posted on March 2008 | No Comments(Sugar Creek, MO) Scooter’s 446th bar, first visited in 2008. It’d be very easy to miss this little bar attached to (but isolated from) the corner of a small bowling... -
#445: Stix & Stones
Posted on March 2008 | No Comments(Sugar Creek, MO) Scooter’s 445th bar, first visited in 2008. We had heard about this as a new place earlier in the day back at Down The Road but coming... -
#444: Tonahill’s Three of A Kind
Posted on March 2008 | No Comments(Englewood, Independence, MO) Formerly Cecil’s Scooter’s 444th bar, first visited in 2008. Formerly Cecil’s, the interior has been renovated to make this place the third Tonahill’s location. On the way... -
#443: Norm & Betty’s
Posted on March 2008 | No Comments(Englewood, Independence, MO) Scooter’s 443rd bar, first visited in 2008. We met with Norm and/or Betty and learned how much the smoking ban has hurt their business as well. They’ve... -
#442: Players Club Bar & Grill
Posted on March 2008 | No Comments(Independence, MO) Scooter’s 442nd bar, first visited in 2008. This former Mr. Steak restaurant was bought, gutted, and transformed into a bar last year by the current owner/bartender. My beer... -
#441: Tommy’s Tavern
Posted on March 2008 | No Comments(The Square, Independence, MO) Scooter’s 441st bar, first visited in 2008. On the edge of the Independence Square. I missed the parking lot so we circled around the block and... -
#440: Big John’s Corner Bar
Posted on March 2008 | No Comments(The Square, Independence, MO) Scooter’s 440th bar, first visited in 2008. A very tiny, long-standing institution in the heart of downtown Independence. Since this was my first visit we were... -
#439: Wild Stallion Saloon
Posted on March 2008 | No Comments(Independence, MO) Scooter’s 439th bar, first visited in 2008. 1016 N Doris Ave Independence, MO 64050US [launch map] (816) 836-0123 -
#438: Down the Road Lounge
Posted on March 2008 | No Comments(Independence, MO) Scooter’s 438th bar, first visited in 2008. This is kind of cool… a former Mugs Up Root Beer restaurant that has been converted to a bar, and a... -
#437: Cosmo’s
Posted on March 2008 | No Comments(Ripley, Independence, MO) Scooter’s 437th bar, first visited in 2008. This was the first of many bars we went to today where the bartender lamented that they have lost business... -
#436: Rack Daddy’s
Posted on March 2008 | No Comments(Ripley, Independence, MO) Scooter’s 436th bar, first visited in 2008. We took a couple of seats at the bar populated by older, blue-collar men. B needed to break a large... -
#435: Neighbors Cocktail Lounge
Posted on March 2008 | No Comments(Leeds, Kansas City, MO) Scooter’s 435th bar, first visited in 2008. Having been kicked out of this place at the end of our last run through Independence (one member of... -
#434: Old Chicago
Posted on March 2008 | No Comments(Shawnee Mission, KS) Closed, but a new bar has opened in the same location. Next became a Mickey’s Irish Pub. Now it’s called Saints. Now it’s called Saints. Scooter’s 434th... -
#433: Garozzo’s Ristorante
Posted on February 2008 | No Comments(Downtown, Kansas City, MO) Scooter’s 433rd bar, first visited in 2008. Formal restaurant, the bar is well-separated from the dining area so can be enjoyed on its own. 526 Harrison... -
#432: Spiatza Pizza & Pasta Co
Posted on February 2008 | No Comments(West End, Dallas, TX) Scooter’s 432nd bar, first visited in 2008. Pizza/pasta place with a mid-sized bar. 2001 N Lamar St # 125 Dallas, TX 75202US [launch map] (214) 999-0066