Genoa Bar & Saloon

A sign declares this the oldest bar in Nevada. lavirgo67 (Atlas Obscura User)

The exterior of the bar. lavirgo67 (Atlas Obscura User)

The pool table. lavirgo67 (Atlas Obscura User)

Peering out of the windows at Genoa Bar & Saloon. lavirgo67 (Atlas Obscura User)

View of Nevada's Oldest Thirst Parlor from the front. The blue flag with the U.S. flag is the Nevada state flag. slgwv (Atlas Obscura User)

Summertime in Genoa Avoiding Regret (Creative Commons)

E. Clampus Vitus historical plaque Avoiding Regret (Creative Commons)

Nevada's Oldest Thirst Parlor Avoiding Regret (Creative Commons)

Walking this bar, which a sign proudly proclaims to be “Nevada’s Oldest Thirst Parlor” is like stepping back in time. Locals in the area know Genoa Bar & Saloon for its signature Spicy Bloody Mary, but there’s much more to this place than its cocktails. Opened in 1853, this watering hole predates the state itself by a good 11 years.

Many famous names have bellied up to the bar, among them Mark Twain, Ulysses S. Grant, Teddy Roosevelt, Carole Lombard, Lauren Bacall, John Wayne, Red Skelton, Clark Gable, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, and John Denver. During the lean years of Prohibition, the saloon stayed afloat by pretending to be a soda fountain. Since then, it’s served as the backdrop for a number of films.As you enter the bar, there’s a taxidermied moose head with Raquel Welch’s bra dangling from it. Meanwhile, the mirror that runs along the back of the bar is decorated with crushed diamonds. Made in the 1840s, this unusually lavish accent piece sailed across the Atlantic from Scotland, before being loaded onto mules for a trip over the Eastern Sierras. Up on the walls hangs a rather eclectic collection of art, including what may be two original sketches by Frederic Remington.