Sultana Bar - Route 66 - Williams, Arizona, USA.
N 35° 14.998 W 112° 11.380
12S E 391769 N 3901412
The Sultana Bars, One of the city's longest lasting, & most loved, locations. Voted one of the best bars in the USA. The Sultana Bar and Theatre share this building have been a local hotspot since the 1920s in Williams, Arizona.
Waymark Code: WMM7Z8
Location: Arizona, United States
Date Posted: 08/07/2014
Views: 16
This is the place the locals use, always a good measure of competition nearby. If its good for the locals, its great for the road tripper on Historic route 66. It also has a great Neon Sign, that shines brightly alongside the Mother road.
The Sultana Bar has been open on this site since 1912, 14 years before route 66 premiered. The building has always been the center of activity in the Town.
The Sultana Bar features a stunning Neon, that looks as if its been there a long time.
The Blue Neon Cocktail Glass is approx. 6 feet tall x 3 feet wide.
The glass comes complete with red cherry, and a yellow cocktail stick, all Text is Red. The sign is mounted above the entrance to the Sultana Bar.
From the Examiner.com:
"This 1912 block building once housed a saloon, billiard hall and silent movie theatre. During the prohibition years the Sultana Bar provided liquor and gambling for patrons by invitation only. It was once the social center for the town of Williams—even housed a few of the city offices. The first “talkie” movie show in Northern Arizona was premiered at the Sultana Theatre in 1930.
In the rear of the saloon, camouflaged by a janitor’s broom closet, you will find a wooden trap door that leads down into a web of tunnels constructed by the Chinese rail workers as the railroad town developed back in 1882. During prohibition years these passageways were used for the running and storing of booze at a time when just mentioning the word alcohol was a crime. These dark tunnels were rumored to have harbored outlaws on the run. They were also known to house dingy opium dens. The tunnels criss-cross the down town area between Fifth Street to First Street." Text Source: (
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"One of the city's longest lasting, and most beloved, fixtures earned national recognition recently when the Sultana Bar was named one of the best bars, not just in Arizona, but in the entire United States of America. "Gourmet Magazine" recently named the local Williams establishment as one of the best when it comes to American bars, based on bars that have been in operation for 60 years or more. The Sultana Bar has been in operation for 97 years. It opened in 1912. The bar also boasts the record of holding the longest continuous liquor license in the state of Arizona, according to owners.." Text source: (
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"As famous for its bold claim to world fame as it is for any genuine reason for celebrity status (other than holding Arizona's longest continuous liquor license it opened in 1906), the World Famous Sultana Bar is a burgers-and-beer joint favoured by locals in the Route 66 city of Williams. It may not be anything special but it provides a more authentic experience than that offered by many of the tourist bars in Williams." Text Source: (
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