Historic Columbus Taverns: The Capital City's Most Storied Saloons (Food & Drink)

Taverns came early to Columbus, refreshing settlers and travelers as far back as the 1790s. Tom Betti and Doreen Uhas Sauer, from Columbus Landmarks Foundation, go barhopping through some of the historic public houses from the frontier era through Prohibition. Along the way, the stories of historic taverns in Columbus include Native American captivity stories, live bears, German “vinegar” brewers, Catholic Masses set against the backdrop of a tavern, cholera, typhoid, land speculation and political dealings, underground tunnels, a scandalous divorce and even a bordello (imagine that). Columbus has a lot of tavern history. Drink it in.