On the Road to Kelly's Westport Inn


Grabbing my musket, which isn't really a musket at all but an official Red Ryder carbine action two-hundred shot range model air rifle with a compass in the stock and this thing that tells time, and my coon-skin cap, I head out the door and hop onto my horse, which is actually a Toyota Tacoma, but that would ruin the story. So, I'm on my "horse," we'll call him Running With Beer, heading down the trail on our way to Westport to fill our empty jugs--the kind with the big X's on the front. You know the jugs, the "jugs of Tang" grandma kept next to her rocker... Yeah. Those jugs.

Ok, I'm on the horse and I've got the jugs in my hand. Hey, where's a guy gonna go when he needs some morning moonshine? Well, if you were to stop by my place, you could just fill 'em up in the tub, but not today. It's plum dry; drat the luck! We're on our way to a little general store, located along tree lined streets in a charming rural village, far from the urban bustle of the riverboat port near downtown Kansas City.

Picture it. Westport, Missouri. The year, 1855. Wagon trains criss-cross through on the California, Oregon and Santa Fe trails stopping in this town of about 2,000 people before beginning the long journey west. Cowboys and settlers meander the streets. Oxen can be seen grazing on the outskirts of the village, as well as aunt Myrtle, but that's a whole different post.

Now, flash forward 152 years. Here we are in the exact same location, at one of my favorite KC haunts--Kelly's Westport Inn, the former general store. Nowadays, the building still stands, which is supposedly Kansas City's oldest building dating to the 1830s. It's especially important to our history as having been once owned by the grandson of Daniel Boone, who operated the building as an outfitting store for wagon trains from 1854-1859.

It is comfortable and has plenty of old-world character; you can almost feel the history oozing from the walls. The bartenders are friendly, and the BEER IS FRESH. No, they won't fill up your jug, and no, they don't sell moonshine, but they do have BIG BEER NIGHT on Mondays and pizza in the back room!

So throw yer wife and kiddies up in the wagon, head to Westport's favorite watering hole and belly-up to the bar. OH, but don't leave the kids in the wagon, as it's dangerous in the dead heat of the summer. Bring 'em in for some pizza at Joe's in the back!





  • Monday... BIG BEER Night
  • Tuesday... Guinness and Harp Draft
  • Thursday... Fat Tire Pint Glass Promo
  • Sunday... Boulevard Beer

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