6 Wondrous Places to Get Tipsy in Missouri: 50 States of Wonder - Atlas Obscura

50 States of Wonder
6 Wondrous Places to Get Tipsy in Missouri

Celebration or desperation aside, these six spots in Missouri are proof that imbibing is only half the fun of bar culture. From a mountaintop drive-through golf-cart bar to the state's oldest waterhole hole—nestled more than 50 feet underground in a limestone cellar—the “Show-Me State” has no shortage of boozy fun to show you (as long as you're 21+, of course).

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Try the Bat’s Blood (vodka with strawberry and peach lemonade). Courtesy of Big Cedar Lodge
Cave Bar

1. Bat Bar in Lost Canyon Cave

If there's another drive-through golf-cart bar next to a waterfall inside a bat-filled, mountaintop cave, we don't know about it.

In the Missouri Ozarks, the Bat Bar gives new meaning to the term “watering hole.” Visitors take golf carts through a 2.5-mile woodland path over streams and bridges, stopping at both a butterfly garden and a scenic overlook. Shortly into the trip, the trail dips into the Lost Canyon Cave, wherein lies the one-of-a-kind bar. (Read more.)

150 Top of the Rock Rd, Ridgedale, MO 65739

The uninitiated might start by chili bombing a simple cheese pie. victorcaballero.unofficial/Used With Permission
Hangover Cure

2. Grinders

Most of us would blow a gasket if someone removed the molten cheesy center of our pizza, but at Grinders in Kansas City, Missouri, chefs have something much bigger in store for the vacancy. First, they fill it with some crispy, fried tater tots, then plop on a scoop of chili, slather that with a hefty helping of Cheez Whiz, and, to lighten it up, sprinkle the potato, meat, and Cheez mountain with fresh green onion. Voila: That pizza has just been Chili Bombed. This decadent mashup can grace any pizza on the Grinders menu. (Read more.)

417 E 18th St, Kansas City, MO 64108

It's a pretty underground spot. stubasteve/Used With Permission
Underground Bar

3. O'Malley's Pub

German immigrant John Georgian was one of many Kansans in the mid-1800s to open a brewery along the banks of the Missouri River. Most employed local geology to aid in brewing, utilizing natural cave formations and river ice to manufacture suitable brewing and storage conditions. Georgian, however, had no cave. He dug his own limestone cellars more than 50 feet underground—now home to the oldest bar in Missouri. (Read more.)

500 Welt St, Weston, MO 64098

Bob Squirrely eyes a bottle of Hennessy. scrappyviolet/Used With Permission
Biker Bar

4. Defiance Roadhouse

In 2012, new owners took over Dave and Jacquie’s, a longtime bar-restaurant at a bend in the road on Route 94, running along the Missouri River. They renamed it Defiance Roadhouse, added outdoor dining, and renovated the interior. They did keep a clientele that leans “biker,” however: The parking lot overflows with Harleys and leather on sunny weekends. They kept the extensive taxidermy squirrel collection, too. (Read more.)

2999 MO-94, Defiance, MO 63341

Satisfy your midnight munchies or cure your hangover. steven_rea/Used With Permission
Midnight Munchies

5. Eat-Rite Diner

Legendary combinations of cheap eats often have late-night cult followings. Establishments in St. Louis, Missouri, serve a greasy, grand Franken-feast known as “The Slinger,” a hodgepodge of hash browns, over-easy eggs, and sausage patties topped with a ladle of chili, American cheese, a smattering of raw onions, and a side of toast. 

Where The Slinger began is lost to history, but the concept is now an integral part of St. Louis culture. Breakfast joints and 24-hour greasy spoons around the city get creative with the dish, slinging upscale, modern, and classic renditions. Eat-Rite Diner has been serving the same version for decades: whole hog sausage, over-easy eggs, and hash browns covered with chili, American cheese, and raw yellow onions. (Read more.)

622 Chouteau Ave #1028, St. Louis, MO 63102

Just wait until you see the bathrooms. Collector of Experiences (Atlas Obscura User)
Venue Bar

6. Venice Cafe

In 1978, Jeff Lockheed purchased a house in the neighborhood of Benton Park. After letting friends hang around for nearly a decade, he formalized his hospitality and converted his home into a café. He applied for a liquor license shortly thereafter (his patrons were already practicing the BYOB model), and, according to the bar’s Facebook, “then took on the business model it follows today: Booze and beauty for cash.”

The beauty that Venice Café alludes to—concentrated, vivid, and frenetic—swarms the property, both inside and out. Downstairs, you’ll find an ATM (the bar is cash-only), along with a fish tank, turtles, and a continued expanse of mosaics that flows into two bathrooms and surrounds the toilets. (Read more.)

1903 Pestalozzi St, St. Louis, MO 63118

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At Glacier Gardens, the tree canopies are flowers in bloom.

11 Places Where Alaska Bursts Into Color

Picture Alaska. You might see in your mind's eye the granite and stark white snowcaps of Denali National Park, or the dark seas that surround 6,000-plus miles of coastline, or the muted olive of its tundra in the summer. But as anyone who's been there knows, the country's largest, most sparsely populated state can absolutely burst with color, from the luminous green of the Northern Lights, to the deep aqua of its glaciers, to the flourish of wildflowers fed by its long summer days. Here are some places to see the full spectrum of The Last Frontier.

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Workers assess the exterior of the Washington Monument after an earthquake in 2011.

9 Places in D.C. That You're Probably Never Allowed to Go

The District of Columbia is home to a number of places that you need to flash the right ID to access. From restricted rooftops to government storage facilities and underground tunnels, the city is filled with places that are off-limits to the average visitor. What’s more, many of them are hidden within popular tourist destinations and densely populated neighborhoods—so you might catch a glimpse of them, but never get any closer. These are a few of our favorite restricted spots in D.C., and the stories behind them.

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