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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L D’s Corner Bar
05 July 2019(McKinley School/ Columbus Park, Des Moines, IA) Scooter’s 1339th bar, first visited in 2019. Originally we had made the difficult decision of cutting this place from our itinerary. But after...
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Darlene’s Place
09 August 2006(Ellston, IA) Scooter’s 107th bar, first visited in 2006. We sat at the short end of the L-shaped bar under the watchful eye of a mounted goat head smoking a...
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#841: The Club
Posted on November 2010 | No Comments(Quincy, IL) Formerly Saddle Club, High Hat Scooter’s 841st bar, first visited in 2010. After finishing at the Silver Moon we walked across the street to an unidentified bar. “The... -
#839: Uncle Bob’s Bar
Posted on November 2010 | No Comments(Quincy, IL) Scooter’s 839th bar, first visited in 2010. Our visit to the next bar may have made the bartender nervous, as B entered the side door while I almost... -
#837: North End Tavern
Posted on November 2010 | No Comments(Quincy, IL) Scooter’s 837th bar, first visited in 2010. Finally, some 11 hours after it began, we completed our 4-hour drive across Illinois and arrived at our ultimate destination: Quincy.... -
#836: Tiny’s New Place
Posted on November 2010 | No Comments(Barry, IL) Scooter’s 836th bar, first visited in 2010. This was a nice little bar around the corner from The Black Lantern. The bartender was pretty friendly and we talked... -
#835: Black Lantern Tavern
Posted on November 2010 | No Comments(Barry, IL) Scooter’s 835th bar, first visited in 2010. We stepped inside to find the bar packed with hunters. There were two long bars along opposite walls, but only one... -
#834: The Still
Posted on November 2010 | No Comments(New Berlin, IL) Scooter’s 834th bar, first visited in 2010. B noticed this bar as we headed into town, I somehow missed it completely despite it being at the main... -
#833: Shepp’s Bar & Grill
Posted on November 2010 | No Comments(Downtown, New Berlin, IL) Scooter’s 833rd bar, first visited in 2010. I got kind of an off vibe from Shepp’s, I don’t know if B got it too or not.... -
#831: Curly’s Sports Bar & Grill
Posted on November 2010 | No Comments(Decatur, IL) Scooter’s 831st bar, first visited in 2010. We were starving when we pulled into Decatur, and some quick Google research on our phones made it appear that Curly’s... -
#830: Sliderz
Posted on November 2010 | No Comments(Long Creek, IL) Scooter’s 830th bar, first visited in 2010. This is a new-looking sports bar in a strip mall on the outskirts of Decatur. It has pool tables, a... -
#827: Proud Mary’s
Posted on November 2010 | No Comments(Tuscola, IL) Scooter’s 827th bar, first visited in 2010. This is a pretty big bar. There’s a large front room that’s the “face” of the establishment. There’s an even larger... -
#823: Daddy-O’s
Posted on November 2010 | No Comments(Downtown, Paris, IL) Scooter’s 823rd bar, first visited in 2010. We walked into this bar at 10:00am to find about half a dozen customers already seated. We ordered Bud Lights,... -
#821: Ballyhoo Pizza King: Campus Location
Posted on November 2010 | No Comments(Terre Haute, IN) Scooter’s 821st bar, first visited in 2010. We found this bar as a result of our unsuccessful attempt to circle back and find Mogger’s. We didn’t know... -
#818: Ambrosini’s
Posted on November 2010 | No Comments(Terre Haute, IN) Scooter’s 818th bar, first visited in 2010. This Italian restaurant & catering operation looks so elegant from the outside that I was stunned to step in and... -
#817: Terminal Sports & Spirits
Posted on November 2010 | No Comments(Terre Haute, IN) Scooter’s 817th bar, first visited in 2010. Right next to Copper Bar is Terminal Sports & Spirits. This is a big sports bar in what appears to... -
#814: Mickey’s Bar & Grill
Posted on November 2010 | No Comments(Farmersburg, IN) Scooter’s 814th bar, first visited in 2010. This was a bonus bar, found entirely on a hunch. We had to step around some construction tape to get inside.... -
#813: Runt’s Lounge
Posted on November 2010 | No Comments(Sullivan, IN) Scooter’s 813th bar, first visited in 2010. Located on one of the corners of the downtown square. This was a brightly-lit venue, with a center island serving as... -
#812: Da Bar & Grill
Posted on November 2010 | No Comments(Oaktown, IN) Scooter’s 812th bar, first visited in 2010. This is a very hard bar to find. Some mapping software claims it doesn’t exist, and the roads in this town... -
#810: Fat Boys Tavern
Posted on November 2010 | No Comments(Fort Branch, IN) Formerly Mayer Tavern Scooter’s 810th bar, first visited in 2010. This biker-friendly dive had critter heads mounted all over the place. The bar was pretty busy so... -
#809: Deerhead Tavern
Posted on November 2010 | No Comments(Jacobsville, Evansville, IN) Scooter’s 809th bar, first visited in 2010. A pizza pub, jazz tavern, and sidewalk cafe all rolled up into one. This is a new one for me... -
#805: Paradise Park Trailer Resort
Posted on November 2010 | No Comments(Downtown, Nashville, TN) Scooter’s 805th bar, first visited in 2010. After walking most of the length of the Broadway strip, we decided this looked like the most interesting place to... -
#804: Coconut Bay Cafe
Posted on November 2010 | No Comments(Manchester, TN) Scooter’s 804th bar, first visited in 2010. The bartender at Irma’s Place told us there were no other bars in town. We headed back to I-24, but crossed...




















