After dinner Bruce, Glenn, and I stayed to have a drink in the corner bar to make sure we completed the oldest bar experience.  There are four separate bar areas in addition to the dining areas which were all ornately adorned and every area was full of people!  It was easy to see how Old Ebbitt Grill for several years was the restaurant that boasted the highest sales in the country.  We barely had room to enjoy our beer, but it was worth the squeeze to look around and enjoy all of the artifacts, antiques and artwork that made the atmosphere so unique.  The Saloon began in 1856 as a boarding house owned started by William E Ebbitt, and moved locations, changed owners, and accumulated a priceless collection of fixtures and furnishings.  The mounted Walrus head is said to have been shot by Teddy Roosevelt and the walls are covered with beautiful paintings, and everything you see looks beautiful, old, historic, and probably has a good story!  Unfortunately the place was far too busy to talk to anyone there about the history but it was an incredible environment for the three of us to enjoy some beer together!

Maryland has some controversy over which bar claims the title of the oldest.  Matt Meltzer’s Yahoo article on oldest bars credits Middleton Tavern as the oldest bar in Maryland, established in 1750, however just up the street we found a bar, Reynolds Tavern that claims they have 3 years on Middleton.  If we discount Reynolds because they had converted over the years to a private residence and to a bank, than we may have to discount Middleton anyway because “The Horse You came in on Saloon” established in 1775 claims to be the oldest continuously operating bar in MD.  “The horse” claims they are the only bar in Maryland that operated through prohibition.  In any case, we visited both Middleton and Reynolds in Annapolis and love Maryland enough to come back someday to visit “The Horse you came in on” at Fell’s Point in Baltimore.

Middleton Tavern is located right on the end of a really cool historic area surrounding a water inlet in almost a park-like setting.  The building itself is old, charming, and beautiful, but the highlight was probably the oysters Bruce enjoyed, including their famous Oyster shooters.  This is a shot glass filled with an oyster and cocktail sauce to be slurped and chased with another shot glass of beer.  Bruce found new love with that shot!  Though the bar itself was open to a two story ceiling and was quite ornate and beautiful, it maintained its local warmth.  Joining us at the bar were two regulars, one woman who makes Middleton a regular stop for lunch topped with an oyster shooter and another gentleman who happened to be from the chamber of commerce.  To me, when we meet friendly locals at these bars it makes the experience more authentic and says a lot about the character of the bar.​

Considering Nashville’s music notoriety and history of nightclubs, you’d think the oldest bar would be a swank, historic destination.  It is not swank.  The reviews we read on Yelp, in fact, called it “the divyest dive bar you’ll find.”  One review even said, “walked in, turned around and walked right back out.  I still smell like smoke”.   We went to Nashville prepared to clutch our wallets close and watch our backs for a knife fight.  We arrived in the early afternoon, under the protection of broad daylight, and took pictures of the near windowless, signless, painted shed like exterior.  Not deterred by the broken window in the front, determined to fulfill our mission of visiting the oldest bar in every state, we held our breath and walked in.

We were immediately greeted by Angel, a very friendly sweet bartender.  There was no one else in the bar yet, so we took a seat at the bar and looked around.  The atmosphere was definitely divey but with charm and character. They weren’t serving any food yet in the afternoon, but invited us to bring over barbecue from Hog Heaven next door which was so good we went back for more.  By the time we were on our second beer, there were 7 or 8 patrons who had strolled in, about half through the back door, who not only all seemed to know each other but were friendly enough to strike up conversations with us.  We learned this is the quintessential local bar where everybody knows each other and are warm and welcoming to strangers.