Page 86 - SLO Visitors Guide - Fall 2024

86 FALL 2024 slovisitorsguide.com
Visit an old-time saloon
rooted in Paso Robles history
Before “Beer for My Horses”
hit the country music
charts the Pine Street Saloon
was already serving horses and
their riders. The Pioneer Day
parade, held annually in Octo-
ber, unofficially ends at the Pine
Street Saloon where, for the past
40-some years, horses are ridden
right up to the bar. Saloon owner
Ron French said, “People get a
real kick out of it and how often
do you get to have a beer with a
horse?”
Sharing a beer with a horse
isn’t the only thing that sets this
bar apart. You might find yourself
bending an elbow with a ghost.
Regulars talk about noises and
things moving. “I don’t believe
in ghosts,” said French. “It’s an
old creaky, wooden building.”
Nevertheless, French set up
night-vision cameras and has
video footage of glowing “super-
charged dust particles” zipping
through glass and around the
room and lamps and a vacuum
cleaner moving across the floor.
Pine Street Saloon
is a Paso Robles
legend
French’s mother, Pat, in 1971.
Built around 1857 the saloon had
a reputation as a bordello and
visits from Jesse James. Drury
James, one of Paso Robles’ found-
ers, was Frank and Jesse’s uncle.
In May 2021, the Pine Street
Saloon was voted the “Best North
County Bar” in the New Times
“Best of SLO County.”
Paso Robles
Wendy
Berti
591 12th Street • Paso Robles • (805) 226-5655
No-nonsense drinks, live
music, entertainment and
safe rides home
“We have daily drink specials
and serve lots of beer, Jack and
Coke,” said French. “We can
make foo-foo drinks but they’re
not very popular here.”
The saloon is cash-only but
there’s an ATM. The décor is
rustic. There are pool tables and
Baby & Toddler Clothing & Gifts
(805) 296-3833 • 815 12th Street, Paso Robles
A few years ago, the rumors
of hauntings earned the Pine
Street Saloon an episode on the
Travel Channel’s hit show, The
Dead Files. This year the Travel
Channel returned to film a new
episode for Ghost Adventures,
scheduled for release around the
end of 2021.
The saloon has been in
the family since purchased by
Pioneeer Day Celebration at The Pine Street Saloon.