Sagebrush Saloons: The Ultimate Guide to Nevada’s Most Storied Watering Holes

They get their name from the tough and hardy shrubs that proliferate across the region. Much like the plant itself, Nevada’s “Sagebrush Saloons” offer a unique form of nourishment. These are the state’s longest-running waterholes, dusty ol’ quarters where bartenders pour cold drafts—and in some cases, dish up big plates of food—with a slice of history. Think of them as places that literally ‘held the fort’ when boomtowns went bust, safeguarding the stories that are seemingly oozing from every hand-painted sign and ceiling-stapled dollar bill.

There’s the Pioneer Saloon in Goodsprings, a ghost town south of the Vegas Strip, where patrons can sidle up to the same mahogany bar that’s been welcoming visitors for well over a century, and dine on stacks of cinnamon roll flapjacks and spicy “ghost” burgers in the presence of—if some are to be believed—the ghost of Hollywood actress Carole Lombard. You can still see the cigar marks left by a distraught Clark Gable, while he awaited word on whether his wife, Lombard, had survived a fateful airplane crash, and view a trio of bullet holes left as unintentional mementos in the saloon’s pressed-tin walls. Or visit the Gold Hill mining town and its eponymous hotel, the oldest hotel in Nevada, dating back to the early 1860s. The property is said to be the site of paranormal activity and has been featured in several television programs. (If you stop by for a drink, you might just see some ghostly guests that never checked out). 

Whether it’s sipping on Moscow Mules served up in copper mugs at Genoa Bar & Saloon, Nevada’s oldest drinking parlor, or trying to devour a four-pound “Monster Burger” at Middlegate Station, a roadhouse pit stop that once served as a horse-changing station along the legendary Pony Express mail route, here are six Silver State saloons that are as authentic as they come.