Five Great Historic Front Range Saloons

DENVER

Buckhorn Exchange. This 1893 restaurant is part museum, with old firearms and more than 575 mounted critters. Enjoy a game dinner, or belly up to the 1857 bar that served Buffalo Bill and try a Buffalo Bill Cocktail – bourbon and apple juice. $$$$. 1000 Osage St.; 303/534-9505.

My Brother’s Bar. Denver’s oldest bar opened in 1873 as Highland House; in the 1950s, On the Road author Jack Kerouac was a regular. This unsigned Highlands hangout boasts a stairway to nowhere and a beer garden serving 18 draft brews. Closed Sun. 2376 15th St.; 303/455-9991.

Zang Brewing Company. This redbrick beauty was part of the original Zang Brewing Company Complex. Today, Denver’s oldest sports bar is famous for fried mountain oysters, buffalo burgers, and Zang’s own amber ale. $$. 2301 Seventh St.; 303/455-2500.

LOUISVILLE

Old Louisville Inn. Tuck into Irish American-style cuisine while seated at an ornate, 1880s cherry-and-mahogany bar that has a bullet hole near the foot rail. The bar is known for its Flirtini martini, rimmed with Pop Rocks candy. $$. 740 Front St.; 303/666-9982.

FORT COLLINS

The Town Pump. The bar is the oldest and smallest in Fort Collins – which happens to be Colorado’s second-largest beer producer. Check out the beer-can collection and an array of local brews, and don’t miss the Town Pump Pale Ale. 124 N. College Ave.; 970/493-4404.