Buckhorn Saloon

Ladies and gentlemen, I have traveled all over this great state and frequented many a saloon. I have heard tales shared across the divide and seen sunsets of a hundred shades. I have been banned from Yelp. So, ladies and gentlemen, if I say I am a bar man, you will agree. It's as plain as day. There's no great mystery, this is the face. Now, with that said and straightened, I say that I do not advocate for drinking in museums, especially in broad daylight. It's a curious practice. And yet, in the case of the Buckhorn Saloon, I find that I must make an exception.

How so, you may ask? This particular saloon is also a museum. It can offer the bond of history and fine whiskeys few other museums can match. It is located inside the Buckhorn Museum, which contains over 520 species of mounted wildlife. It's also adjacent to the Texas Ranger Museum, which contains Texas Ranger artifacts, a recreation of old San Antonio, and a replica of the old Buckhorn Saloon.

The vast mounted collection you'll see was started in 1881 by Albert Friedrich, a cabinetmaker who opened the original Buckhorn Saloon location in 1896. He began accepting horns as payment for bar tabs from traveling hunters and trappers, growing the collection along with his own hunting trips. Naturally, the original saloon was frequented by Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders when they were deployed in San Antonio. Rumors say Pancho Villa planned the Mexican Revolution there too.

When Prohibiton arrived, Friedrich moved his collection to a curio store in 1922. After his death in 1926, the collection was eventually restored at the Lone Star Brewery in 1956. When the brewing company changed owners, the collection was sold off. But Friedrich's granddaughter acquired it in 1997 and moved it to its current home.

And here we are. Ladies and gentlemen, if you do make your way here, and I hope that you do, know that it is a place of import and distinction. It is a museum, but it is also a saloon of great repute. So, in retrospect, perhaps I do say, drink in museums. Or at least this one. It will be worth your while.