Historic Watering Holes Where the Spirits May Not All Come in a Bottle
I’ve learned something after more than 25 years of traveling:
Never underestimate an old tavern.
The shiny new restaurant downtown might have a celebrity chef, twelve-dollar truffle fries and cocktails served beneath clouds of smoke.
But give me the crooked little tavern that’s been pouring drinks for 200 years.
Because that place has stories.
Across America, you’ll find historic restaurants and bars where pirates supposedly drank, miners settled arguments with considerably more than harsh words, politicians plotted over dinner, smugglers conducted business and generations of travelers pulled up a chair.
Some of those former customers, according to local legend, apparently never left.
We’re talking mysterious footsteps after closing, glasses moving on their own, shadowy figures appearing near fireplaces and resident ghosts who’ve become almost as famous as the food.
Are they really haunted?
I’ll let you decide.
But every place on this list has something even better than a ghost story:
Real history and a reason to visit.
Pull up a chair and order something good.
Here are 10 haunted restaurants, taverns and bars in America with a story to tell.
1. White Horse Tavern — Newport, Rhode Island
If walls could talk, the walls at the White Horse Tavern would probably need their own podcast.
The building dates to 1652, and it became a tavern in 1673. Today, the White Horse calls itself America’s oldest operating restaurant and is recognized as a National Historic Landmark.
Think about that for a second.
People were gathering here for food, politics and strong drink more than a century before the United States existed.
The tavern served as a meeting place for Rhode Island’s General Assembly, Criminal Court and City Council. It welcomed colonists, British soldiers, sailors and even pirates over its long history.
And apparently not everybody found the exit.
Stories associated with the tavern include unexplained footsteps in empty rooms and visitors feeling mysterious taps on the shoulder.
Naturally, some people believe former patrons are still hanging around.
Frankly, after 350 years, I’d be more surprised if the building didn’t make strange noises.
Why Go
This isn’t a Halloween attraction dressed up to look old.
It’s a beautiful historic restaurant where you can actually sit beside massive fireplaces and have dinner inside a piece of colonial America.
City Unknown Tip
Make dinner reservations and arrive early enough to explore historic Newport.
And if somebody taps you on the shoulder during dinner?
Turn around slowly.
Visit: White Horse Tavern — Newport, Rhode Island
2. Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop Bar — New Orleans, Louisiana
Some places don’t need fake cobwebs.
Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop looks spooky all by itself.
The building on Bourbon Street is believed to have been constructed in the early 1700s and is reputed to be one of the oldest structures operating as a bar in the United States.
Then there’s Jean Lafitte.
According to longstanding New Orleans legend, privateer Jean Lafitte and his brother Pierre used the property as part of their smuggling operations during the late 1700s.
How much of that story is documented history and how much is classic New Orleans embellishment is still debated.
Which makes it even better.
The establishment itself describes the legend as a mixture of historical fact and generations of storytelling.
Naturally, ghost stories followed.
Visitors have reported shadowy figures, unexplained activity and sightings sometimes attributed to Lafitte himself.
Why Go
Atmosphere.
After dark, candles illuminate portions of the old building while exposed brick and centuries-old architecture do the rest.
There aren’t many places where drinking by candlelight feels this appropriate.
City Unknown Tip
Go after sunset.
New Orleans has plenty of historic bars, but Lafitte’s is one of those rare places where the building itself becomes the attraction.
Grab a drink.
Find a quiet corner.
And keep one eye on the fireplace.
Visit: Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop Bar — New Orleans
3. The Pirate’s House — Savannah, Georgia
Any restaurant with the word Pirate in its name has my attention.
Put it in Savannah and give it nearly three centuries of history?
Now we’re talking.
The Pirate’s House opened in 1753 as an inn for seafarers, becoming a gathering place for sailors arriving at Savannah’s busy port.
Over the generations, stories developed involving pirates, smugglers and unfortunate sailors who supposedly disappeared from taverns and woke aboard ships headed out to sea.
There’s even longstanding folklore surrounding underground tunnels and the property’s connection to Savannah’s waterfront.
Then come the ghost stories.
Visitors and employees have reported mysterious sounds and figures, while Savannah’s tourism organization includes the Pirate’s House among the city’s well-known haunted locations.
Why Go
Because this is exactly what City Unknown should be looking for:
A historic attraction where you can eat dinner.
The restaurant still incorporates portions of the old structure, including the tiny historic Herb House.
City Unknown Tip
Don’t simply sit down, eat and leave.
Ask about the oldest portions of the building and explore what you’re permitted to see.
Savannah is a city where knowing the history behind the room changes the entire experience.
Visit: The Pirate’s House — Savannah, Georgia
4. The Olde Pink House — Savannah, Georgia
Yes.
Savannah gets two.
It probably deserves five.
The Olde Pink House occupies a mansion begun in 1771 for James Habersham Jr., one of colonial Georgia’s prominent citizens.
Today it’s one of Savannah’s signature Southern restaurants.
It’s also associated with one of the city’s best-known ghost stories.
According to local lore, the spirit of James Habersham Jr. has been seen around the mansion.
Diners and employees have reported footsteps, mysterious noises, doors seemingly moving without assistance and occasional apparitions.
Whether Mr. Habersham is still checking on the property is up for debate.
But I appreciate an owner who takes property management seriously.
Why Go
The Olde Pink House would belong on a Savannah food itinerary even if it didn’t have a single ghost story.
Its collection of historic dining rooms makes eating here feel less like visiting a restaurant and more like having dinner inside an old Savannah mansion.
Which is exactly what you’re doing.
City Unknown Tip
Try to get into one of the smaller historic dining spaces or downstairs tavern.
And give yourself time after dinner to walk through Savannah’s nearby squares.
Savannah after dark practically writes its own ghost stories.
Visit: The Olde Pink House — Savannah, Georgia
5. The Ear Inn — New York City
Here’s a place thousands of visitors to Manhattan probably walk past without realizing what they’ve found.
The Ear Inn occupies the historic James Brown House in Lower Manhattan.
The building dates to around 1770, when the Hudson River shoreline was reportedly only a few feet from the front door.
As New York’s waterfront developed, sailors became regular customers. By the mid-1800s, beer and whiskey were being served here, and during Prohibition the establishment operated as a speakeasy.
Upstairs had an even more colorful history, serving at different times as a boarding house, smuggler’s den, brothel and doctor’s office.
That’s enough material for several ghosts.
The best-known is Mickey, a sailor who, according to the Ear Inn’s own history, has supposedly been waiting about a century for his clipper ship to return.
Apparently nobody has had the heart to tell him about air travel.
Why Go
This doesn’t feel like a manufactured tourist attraction.
It’s still a neighborhood bar.
Have a burger and beer surrounded by more than two centuries of New York waterfront history.
City Unknown Tip
Visit this one precisely because it isn’t flashy.
Places like the Ear Inn are why I love digging deeper into cities we’ve supposedly already seen.
Sometimes the hidden gem is sitting right in Manhattan.
Visit: The Ear Inn — New York City
6. Stone’s Public House — Ashland, Massachusetts
Now this is what an old New England pub should look like.
Stone’s Public House occupies a property dating to 1832 and embraces its Irish-American tavern atmosphere with fireplaces, dark wood, pub food and plenty of stories.
One story involves the original proprietor, John Stone.
And according to the restaurant?
Some folks believe he never left.
The establishment even cheekily describes its history as including “a whisper of spirits” beyond the kind poured behind the bar.
Over the years, stories have included unexplained sounds and other mysterious activity around the old building.
Why Go
Because you don’t need to be a paranormal investigator to appreciate a cozy 19th-century New England pub.
Grab shepherd’s pie or fish and chips, order a pint and enjoy the building for what it is.
If John decides to join you?
Be polite.
It’s technically his place.
City Unknown Tip
Visit on a cold fall evening when the fireplace is going.
If you’re going to hear a ghost story in New England, you might as well do it properly.
Visit: Stone’s Public House — Ashland, Massachusetts
7. The Tavern — Austin, Texas
Austin has changed tremendously over the years.
The Tavern has been hanging around since 1916.
The distinctive building originally housed the Enfield Grocery Store before eventually becoming the neighborhood watering hole Austin residents know today.
But there’s another resident everybody talks about.
Emily.
The Tavern itself embraces the legend of its resident ghost, who reportedly wanders the upstairs portion of the building.
Guests have described unexplained footsteps, cold spots, televisions switching on and off, strange touches and the sensation of being watched.
During a 2003 renovation, workers reportedly discovered old shoes hidden inside an upstairs wall.
Naturally, those became part of Emily’s growing legend.
The Tavern has embraced the story so thoroughly that it has even hosted a murder-mystery dinner production called The Haunting of the Tavern.
Why Go
Because haunted history is much more fun when the business itself has a sense of humor about it.
The Tavern remains an Austin neighborhood pub known for burgers, wings, beer and sports.
City Unknown Tip
Ask about Emily.
Staff at genuinely historic places often have much better stories than you’ll find online.
And if the television changes channels while you’re talking?
Emily apparently has the remote.
Visit: The Tavern — Austin, Texas
8. Shaker’s Cigar Bar — Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Shaker’s isn’t shy about its history.
The Milwaukee building dates to 1894 and has reportedly served several purposes over the generations, including a cooperage, Prohibition-era speakeasy and brothel.
Today it’s Shaker’s Cigar Bar.
And rather than whispering about its paranormal reputation, Shaker’s practically hands the ghosts a microphone.
The establishment offers haunted and historical tours, including paranormal experiences inside the building.
That makes this one particularly interesting for travelers who want more than a ghost story attached to dinner.
You can actually investigate the building’s history.
Why Go
Shaker’s combines several things we like around here:
Food.
Historic architecture.
Cocktails.
Prohibition history.
Ghost stories.
And tours.
That’s basically a City Unknown starter pack.
City Unknown Tip
Take one of the ghost tours instead of simply stopping for dinner.
You’ll learn considerably more about the building, and afterward you can return to the bar knowing exactly which corners you’re keeping an eye on.
Visit: Shaker’s Cigar Bar — Milwaukee, Wisconsin
9. Pioneer Saloon — Goodsprings, Nevada
Drive about 45 minutes from the lights of Las Vegas and Nevada starts looking very different.
Eventually you’ll reach tiny Goodsprings.
And there you’ll find the Pioneer Saloon.
Opened in 1913, Pioneer is the oldest bar in southern Nevada.
The building retains its stamped-tin walls and ceiling, old wooden features and historic Brunswick bar.
But here’s where things get properly Old West.
In 1915, miner Paul Coski was shot and killed inside the saloon following a card game.
The coroner’s report is displayed inside, along with holes in the original tin wall that are believed to be associated with the shooting.
Coski has since become one of several figures connected to the saloon’s paranormal folklore.
Employees and customers have reported mysterious voices, an unplugged telephone supposedly ringing and other unexplained occurrences.
The Pioneer doesn’t run away from its reputation either.
You can order a Ghost Burger.
I appreciate commitment to a theme.
A Hollywood Connection
The saloon also has a poignant connection to Clark Gable.
His wife, actress Carole Lombard, died when her plane crashed into nearby Mount Potosi in 1942.
Gable reportedly waited at the Pioneer while rescuers searched the mountain.
Memorabilia related to Lombard remains displayed at the saloon.
City Unknown Tip
This is one of my favorites on the list because it’s a genuine road-trip destination.
Leave Las Vegas behind for an afternoon, explore Goodsprings and have lunch at the Pioneer.
You’re visiting the real thing — not a casino’s reproduction of an Old West saloon.
Visit: Pioneer Saloon — Goodsprings, Nevada
10. Captain Tony’s Saloon — Key West, Florida
We’re finishing this trip exactly where a haunted-bar adventure ought to finish.
Key West.
But Captain Tony’s Saloon isn’t simply another tropical bar.
The building at 428 Greene Street has accumulated generations of colorful Key West history before Captain Tony Tarracino took over in 1958.
Captain Tony himself was a character worthy of his own movie — gambler, charter-boat captain, gunrunner, bar owner and eventually mayor of Key West.
But the property surrounding the saloon has an even older collection of legends.
One of its most famous features is the enormous tree growing through the building.
Local stories have long connected the property with hangings, deaths and other colorful chapters of old Key West.
Naturally, ghost stories followed.
Visitors have reported strange noises, mysterious figures and unexplained activity around the building.
Whether any of those stories hold paranormal water is another question.
But one thing isn’t debatable:
Captain Tony’s has character.
Lots of it.
Why Go
Key West has plenty of bars.
Captain Tony’s has stories.
Look around at the memorabilia covering the walls and ceiling and you’ll quickly realize that simply ordering a drink and staring at your phone would be missing the point.
City Unknown Tip
Ask the bartender for a story.
In a place like Captain Tony’s, the best part of your visit may be something that never appears on the menu.
And whatever you do…
Don’t complain about the tree.
It was there first.
Visit: Captain Tony’s Saloon — Key West, Florida
Are America’s Haunted Taverns Really Haunted?
That’s the million-dollar question.
And after years of traveling, I’ve decided I’m perfectly comfortable not answering it.
Old buildings make noises.
Wood expands.
Pipes groan.
Wind finds places to whistle through that modern architects forgot existed.
And once somebody tells you a building is haunted, every creak suddenly becomes considerably more interesting.
But that’s not really why I visit places like these.
I go because of the stories.
Think about the people who have walked through these doors.
Pirates.
Sailors.
Miners.
Politicians.
Immigrants.
Gamblers.
Smugglers.
Soldiers.
Actors.
Writers.
And countless ordinary travelers whose names disappeared from history.
For a few hours, you’re sitting in the same rooms they did.
That’s pretty remarkable without adding a single ghost.
Although…
If Mickey wants to pull up a chair at the Ear Inn, I’m buying him a beer.
He’s been waiting long enough.
The City Unknown Haunted Tavern Challenge
Here’s how I’d experience this list.
Don’t walk in, snap a photo and leave.
Order something.
Sit at the old bar.
Look around the building.
Ask about its history.
Talk to the bartender.
Take the ghost tour when one is available.
And whenever possible, explore the neighborhood surrounding it.
These places survived because they remained part of their communities.
That’s what makes them different from manufactured tourist attractions.
You’re not walking through a recreation of history.
You’re having dinner inside it.
And remember the most important rule of haunted-bar travel:
If you leave your drink sitting on the bar and come back to find half of it missing…
Don’t immediately blame the ghost.
Check your friends first.
