Step Inside America’s Oldest Taverns and Most Historic Bars Still Pouring Drinks

The United States has tens of thousands of bars and nightclubs, with IBISWorld estimating about 70,015 bars and nightclub businesses in 2026. With that many choices, the most memorable places are often the ones with a story behind them: colonial taverns, old inns, neighborhood saloons, and landmark bars that have survived wars, changing drinking laws, shifting cities, and generations of regulars.

Many of America’s oldest drinking establishments are concentrated in the eastern part of the country, where colonial taverns served as more than places to order ale. They often functioned as meeting halls, inns, political gathering spots, and social centers for early American communities. Some, including Rhode Island’s White Horse Tavern, trace their service history back to the 1600s and are still tied to the country’s earliest tavern culture.

For this Tempo feature, we reviewed longstanding bars and taverns across the United States, using historical sources, bar histories, and preservation records where available to compare age claims and continued operation. The list focuses on establishments with deep local roots, lasting cultural significance, and a continued connection to America’s drinking and gathering traditions.

• Date founded: 1775
• Location: New Orleans, Louisiana
• Situated at the quiet end of Bourbon Street, occupying a building that was constructed around 1722, this tavern is said to have been used by legendary privateer Jean Lafitte as a New Orleans base of operations (although that hasn’t been verified) before becoming a tavern. Today, it’s a dark, cozy bar that’s best known for strong, sugary drinks like the grape-flavored, Everclear-spiked Purple Drank.

• Date founded: 1776
• Location: Sewell, New Jersey
• Originally built as a log cabin in 1720 on the highest ground in the area by John Budd, the Barnsboro Inn has seen many additions in the years since but the original log cabin remains intact. In 1776, the home was converted into a tavern, which it has remained ever since. Today it is a popular bar and restaurant, known for its burgers, bar food, and local beer.

• Date founded: 1822
• Location: Odessa, Delaware
• Founded as Cantwell’s Bridge Hotel and Tavern by businessman William Polk, this beautiful Federal-style tavern was purchased by the Ashby Hospitality Group in 2011 and beautifully restored to have cozy fireplaces and plenty of old-world charm. The large menu has raw bar items, pizzas, sandwiches, and local-inspired specialties, in addition to a wide array of cocktails and local beers.

• Date founded: 1673
• Location: Newport, Rhode Island
• This National Historic Landmark is believed to be the oldest tavern in America and is the 10th oldest in the world. The White Horse Tavern occupies a building originally constructed in 1652 for use as a two-room home. When it was purchased by William Mayes, Sr. in 1673, it was enlarged to house a tavern, where it has remained ever since.
• It also served as a meeting house for the Rhode Island General Assembly, and it quartered British troops taking part in the occupation of Newport during the Revolutionary War. It was restored in the 1950s after years of neglect, and today the red-painted building is a warm and inviting bar and restaurant with an elegant Colonial-inspired atmosphere.

• Date founded: 1750
• Location: Annapolis, Maryland
• Established by owner Samuel Horatio Middleton, it is one of the oldest continuously operating taverns in the country. Patrons have included George Washington, Ben Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson, as well as various members of the Continental Congress. It served as an important stopping place for travelers who were waiting for the ferry to cross the bay, and it also once had an elegant garden.
• It was restored in the 1970s and expanded in the 1980s, and is today one of the city’s best spots for fresh Chesapeake seafood.

• Date founded: 1801
• Location: Freeport, Maine
• Originally built as a private home in 1779, it was converted to a tavern two years later and served as a meeting place for commissioners from the Province of Maine, where they signed papers to declare independence from Massachusetts and today is known as “the birthplace of Maine.” New ownership took over in 1981, and it was restored to how it might have looked when first constructed. It is now one of the best places in the state for a traditional Maine lobster dinner.

• Date founded: 1790
• Location: Manchester, Vermont
• Originally called the Stagecoach Inn, Ye Olde Tavern catered to the famed Green Mountain Boys and is older than the state of Vermont itself. It was painstakingly restored in the 1970s and was added to the Vermont Register of Historic Places in 2020. It still looks very much as it might have 200 years ago, and it is a great place for a candle-lit dinner of New England specialties like Yankee pot roast and scrod.

• Date founded: 1775
• Location: Baltimore, Maryland
• Known by locals as “The Horse,” this tavern in Fells Point claims to be the country’s oldest continually operated saloon. It is the only bar in the state to have existed before, during, and after Prohibition and is also said to have been Edgar Allan Poe’s last stop before his mysterious death in 1849. Today, it’s a warm and inviting old bar and popular live music venue.

• Date founded: 1737
• Location: Sandisfield, Massachusetts
• Founded as a stagecoach stop, the New Boston is Berkshire County’s oldest inn and is said to have been the training location for Revolutionary War soldiers. The original barroom is a pub to this day, and there’s also an inn with a full restaurant, a “Gentleman’s Parlor,” and seven guest rooms. They even claim to have a resident ghost named Harriet who they tout as a friendly spirit.

• Date founded: 1776
• Location: Essex, Connecticut
• The Griswold Inn, one of the oldest continuously operated inns in the country, is an upscale destination for dining and lodging (there are 33 guest rooms, each unique)has a tap room that was constructed as a schoolhouse in 1735 and later moved into its current position by a team of oxen. One of the most beautiful and historic barrooms in America, “the Gris” is known for its clam chowder and house-made sausages.

• Date founded: 1779
• Location: Abingdon, Virginia
• One of America’s oldest buildings west of the Blue Ridge Mountains is The Tavern, built as a drinking place and stagecoach stop, that has hosted such notables as Henry Clay, Andrew Jackson, and Pierre L’Enfant (who designed Washington, D.C.). It also served as a hospital for wounded Confederate and Union soldiers during the Civil War. The Tavern was fully restored in 1984 and is now a local fine dining destination.

• Date founded: 1795
• Location: Boston, Massachusetts
• The Bell in Hand Tavern was opened by the former town crier after he retired (hence the name). Located near historic Faneuil Hall since it opened, Bell in Hand Tavern first attracted printers, politicians, and sailors. Today it is a beloved hangout for locals and tourists alike. It is filled with Colonial-era charm and is a great place for beer and bar food.

• Date founded: 1753
• Location: Savannah, Georgia
• One block from the Savannah River, the Pirate’s House opened as an inn for seafarers and soon became a popular hangout for pirates and working sailors alike. After falling into disrepair during World War II, it was restored in the early 1950s and is today a major tourist destination with a full-service Southern restaurant, bar, and event space.

• Date founded: 1755
• Location: Tappan, New York
• The Old ’76 House (André’s Prison) is another locale that claims to be the oldest, and although it is alleged to have been built in 1688, reports have it being built as a public inn in 1755. In addition to being used as a meeting place for patriots, The Old ’76 House was famously used as a prison for Major John André, a British spy who assisted Benedict Arnold in his plan to turn West Point over to the British.
• George Washington and just about every other luminary of the Revolution dined there, and nowadays it’s a popular tavern, private event space, and live music venue.

• Date founded: 1780
• Location: Charleston, Massachusetts
• This legendary tavern famously counted George Washington and Paul Revere as regulars. One of the first buildings constructed after Charlestown was sacked by the British, the tavern hasn’t changed much since then and remains a favorite among locals for its Colonial ambiance, cold beer, and burgers.

• Date founded: early 1800s
• Location: Natchez waterfront in Mississippi
• Formerly a thriving cotton port, Under-the-Hill Saloon originally catered to grifters, cut-throats, and other unsavory types. It is now a homey bar with brick walls, cold beer, and great Mississippi River views from the front porch.

• Date founded: 1779
• Location: Bardstown, Kentucky
• The oldest Western stagecoach stop in the U.S. is the Old Talbott Tavern which served as a welcoming haven for pioneers during the country’s earliest days. The building is reminiscent of old Warwickshire inns in England and is filled with legendary tales, some of which include Andrew Jackson warming up by the fire and Abraham Lincoln staying there as a child. There are even bullet holes in the walls reportedly left by Jesse James.
• Today, it’s home to one of America’s best bourbon bars and a popular restaurant and offers six well-appointed guest rooms.

• Date founded: 1681
• Location: Bristol, Pennsylvania
• Believed to be the oldest continually operated inn in the United States, King George II was established as a stopping point on the road between New York and Philadelphia. Overlooking the Delaware River, the inn was renamed the Fountain House after the Revolutionary War and was a popular resort in the 1800s. The original name was restored in the 1940s and is currently a popular bar and restaurant.

• Date founded: 1789
• Location: Hancock, New Hampshire
• The state’s oldest continuously operating inn, the Hancock has been welcoming locals and travelers since 1789. Warm and cozy, it’s home to a bar, restaurant, and a 14-room inn and was sold by owners Marcia and Jarvis Coffin to a Boston-based investor group in April 2022. In May 2024, the Hancock Historic District Commission approved several proposed renovations, and they appear to be complete as of summer 2025.

• Date founded: 1728
• Location: Middleburg, Virginia
• Built at the halfway point between Alexandria and the frontier town of Winchester, between Bull Run and the Blue Ridge mountains, the Red Fox Inn & Tavern has an impressive list of guests through the years. From George Washington and John F. Kennedy to Elizabeth Taylor and Tom Cruise, this tavern has an impressive history. The inn & tavern once served as a Confederate headquarters and hospital during the Civil War.
• Today it is a charming and elegant retreat with five guest rooms, an upscale tavern, and a cozy pub managed by the husband and wife team of Jonathan Engle and Matilda Reuter.

• Date founded: 1762
• Location: New York City, New York
• Located in the Financial District, the Colonial-era Fraunces Tavern is New York’s oldest tavern and is most famously where George Washington bid farewell to his officers after the end of the Revolutionary War in 1783. The land where the tavern sits was once water until it was landfilled in the late 17th century.
• The current building is a reconstruction (nobody is quite sure exactly what it originally looked like), but it’s home to a lovely restaurant, a couple of beautiful bars, and a museum.