Ford's Bar
Idaho Falls, Idaho · New Century & Prohibition · Est. 1906 · Open today
Since 1906
Ford's Bar opened in 1906 in Idaho Falls and has carried the same name through multiple owners for 120 years. It is a longstanding staple of the city's nightlife scene, known by the local saying that 'you haven't partied until you've been to Ford's.' Current owner Shane Dial has been with the establishment for about five years as of 2026, and the bar at 444 A Street today offers nightly karaoke, cold drinks, pool tables and darts. Local coverage bills it as Idaho Falls' oldest bar, while older establishments elsewhere in the state — notably the 1880 Snake Pit at Enaville and the 1907 White Horse Saloon in Spirit Lake — contest the statewide title.
Ford's has carried the exact same name through every ownership change since it opened in 1906 — 120 years of continuous operation under one name in downtown Idaho Falls.
What to order: Nightly karaoke, pool and darts — its documented modern-day draw as a downtown Idaho Falls institution.
How solid is the claim?
Idaho’s oldest bar — the evidence
Ford's Bar in Idaho Falls is our featured pick for the oldest bar in Idaho, with a claimed founding year of 1906. Ford's Bar is well documented as Idaho Falls' oldest bar, operating under the same name through multiple owners since 1906, but local coverage claims only the citywide title, not the statewide one. The Snake Pit at Enaville dates to 1880 and is still operating (sold to new owners Autumn and Viljo Basso in 2024), and the White Horse Saloon in Spirit Lake (1907) bills itself as the state's oldest operating saloon, so the statewide 'oldest bar' title does not clearly belong to Ford's.
Competing Claims
Other Idaho establishments with a stake in the title: