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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Dive bar Archive
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#1762: Chubs
Posted on August 2024 | No Comments(Downtown, Fargo, ND) Scooter’s 1762nd bar, first visited in 2024. This dive bar wasn’t originally on my radar but while I was finalizing my travel plans I realized it was... -
#1754: Monowi Tavern
Posted on July 2024 | No Comments(Monowi, NE) Scooter’s 1754th bar, first visited in 2024. On the last day of this vacation we took back roads and dropped down into northeastern Nebraska, specifically to visit the... -
#1750: Wagon Wheel Bar
Posted on July 2024 | No Comments(Interior, SD) Scooter’s 1750th bar, first visited in 2024. While driving through Badlands National Park we accidentally exited the park, and we decided “why not drive on to that little... -
#1749: Big Dummy’s
Posted on July 2024 | No Comments(Downtown, Mitchell, SD) Scooter’s 1749th bar, first visited in 2024. My picture is of the back because from the front it look closed, but when we circled back around the... -
#1740: Friendly Valley Tavern
Posted on December 2023 | No Comments(Peoria, IL) Scooter’s 1740th bar, first visited in 2023. Our last dive bar for this trip opened in an old bunker in 1947. The oddly-shaped building features a low and... -
#1739: Tartan Inn
Posted on December 2023 | No Comments(West Peoria, IL) Scooter’s 1739th bar, first visited in 2023. We decided to visit just one other bar in West Peoria, and it was a choice between Owls Nest and... -
#1738: Mike’s Tavern
Posted on December 2023 | No Comments(West Peoria, IL) Scooter’s 1738th bar, first visited in 2023. The town of West Peoria has a cluster of neighborhood dive bars, and we decided to explore a couple of... -
#1737: West Town Tap
Posted on December 2023 | No Comments(West Bluff, Peoria, IL) Scooter’s 1737th bar, first visited in 2023. This dive bar serves breakfast from 6am-2pm daily, so seemed like a good place to start the day. Most... -
#1736: The Basket Case
Posted on December 2023 | No Comments(West Bluff, Peoria, IL) Scooter’s 1736th bar, first visited in 2023. We hadn’t been to a dive bar yet on this trip and my wife wanted to sing, so after... -
#1729: Fat Boyz Grill & Bar
Posted on December 2023 | No Comments(Downtown, Kearney, MO) Scooter’s 1729th bar, first visited in 2023. We came up here for a big cannabis sale at a nearby dispensary, then decided to check out the local... -
#1719: The Sociable Inn
Posted on October 2023 | No Comments(Millard, Omaha, NE) Scooter’s 1719th bar, first visited in 2023. We decided our next bar was close enough to walk to, so we set out on foot passing a new... -
#1718: Piccolo’s Bar
Posted on October 2023 | No Comments(Millard, Omaha, NE) Scooter’s 1718th bar, first visited in 2023. This was an unplanned stop, but it was literally right next door so it would have been dumb to not... -
#1717: Joe’s Duck Inn
Posted on October 2023 | No Comments(Millard, Omaha, NE) Scooter’s 1717th bar, first visited in 2023. After the morning breweries it was time for a dive bar break. If I had realized the route our Uber... -
#1712: Leavenworth Bar
Posted on October 2023 | No Comments(Leavenworth, Omaha, NE) Scooter’s 1712th bar, first visited in 2023. After St. Andrew’s Pub we still had a couple of hours before the other bars we wanted to visit in... -
#1707: Barry O’s
Posted on October 2023 | No Comments(Downtown, Omaha, NE) Scooter’s 1707th bar, first visited in 2023. This is another bar that I tried to visit in August 2009 but it was so busy it was impossible... -
#1704: Harney St. Tavern
Posted on October 2023 | No Comments(Downtown, Omaha, NE) Scooter’s 1704th bar, first visited in 2023. Another basement bar located a few doors over from Dubliner. Originally we weren’t going to stop here, but we were... -
#1703: Dubliner Pub
Posted on October 2023 | No Comments(Downtown, Omaha, NE) Scooter’s 1703rd bar, first visited in 2023. I tried to visit this bar on an August Saturday night back in 2009, but it was so packed I... -
#1697: McShane’s Irish Pub & Whiskey Bar
Posted on August 2023 | No Comments(Corktown, Detroit, MI) Scooter’s 1697th bar, first visited in 2023. And another great bar! We love Detroit. We stayed here for quite a while, sharing several plates of appetizers while... -
#1697: Nemo’s Bar
Posted on August 2023 | No Comments(Corktown, Detroit, MI) Scooter’s 1697th bar, first visited in 2023. And another great historic dive bar! As we approached we were worried we wouldn’t be able to get in because... -
#1696: Nancy Whiskey
Posted on August 2023 | No Comments(North Corktown, Detroit, MI) Scooter’s 1696th bar, first visited in 2023. An absolutely amazing 120+ year old neighborhood dive bar just outside of downtown Detroit! Inside there’s an antique phone... -
#1682: Loose Caboose Saloon
Posted on August 2023 | No Comments(Downtown, Hermann, MO) Scooter’s 1682nd bar, first visited in 2023. I was expecting a dive bar, but this was too clubby for my tastes. I think I would have enjoyed...
