The Buckhorn Bar & Parlor in Laramie, Wyoming qualifies as a top dive bar for three reasons: it’s old (established in 1900), it’s got a wild history and reputation, and it offers booze at cheap prices. With its green façade fronting a brick building that contains three floors of fun and frivolity, The Buckhorn is a drinker’s and dancer’s dream.
There’s a dance floor on every level, each with different music playing. On any given night, you might hear Abba on one floor, the Rolling Stones on another, and Lady Gaga on the third. On the walls, you’ll find a two-headed calf, the head of the largest elk ever recorded in the United States, and a goalpost from a 1999 football game (Wyoming beat Brigham Young, 31-17).
The Buckhorn attracts an extremely varied crowd, including Millennials, X-Geners, Sputnik Babies, and everyone in between. If you want to meet new and exciting people, this is a good spot. You will encounter real people with real opinions and undoubtedly have an awesome time at this dive.
After looking at online reviews, I saw comments like “Is there anything better than being drunk in Laramie surrounded by just an absolute melting pot of different humans in a bar full of stuffed wild animals and a bullet hole behind the bar? I submit to you that there is not” and “This is the epitome of the Pearly Gates. When you die, you don’t get to heaven. You get to Buckhorn.”
There is no doubt that the Buckhorn has some of the finest drink specials in the Cowboy State. Every night there is a different deal. On Mondays it’s $6 pitchers, Tuesday is $1 Pint Night, Happy Hour is from 5-7 pm Mon-Fri, and Sunday is Service Industry Night with specials exclusively for servers, bartenders, bar managers, and even bouncers who want to unwind on their day off.
A bar that is more than 120 years old always has some stories to tell—mostly consisting of anecdotal evidence. 45 years ago, a drunk customer started brandishing a firearm and let a few shots fly—one that ended up in the ceiling, with another in a mirror behind the bar. Both are still clearly visible today, which adds an extra level of believability to the tale.
Back in 1993, a patron disappeared in the bathroom and left a warm beer behind. For many years Buckhorn’s bartenders placed a glass of stale beer on a shelf next to the commode in the hopes that he would come back, but of course, he never did.
As a world-famous dive bar, patrons can buy merchandise to show off the fact that they were there. Some t-shirts tout “I Survived the Buckhorn”; there is a lady’s tee that says “Nice Rack” (now that’s classy); and another that simply says “I’m Drunk!”
For the next time you’re in Wyoming and in close proximity to Laramie, drop in at the Buckhorn Bar & Parlor, but please leave your six-shooter at home. The only shots allowed at this place are in glasses and always priced reasonably.
Located in: Laramie, Wyoming
Be sure to try: one of Buckhorn’s one-of-a-kind drink creations, such as the Wyoming Awesome Sauce (vodka, Apple Pucker and Pineapple Juice) or the Pancake Bomb (Jameson, Butterscotch and Orange Juice)
