(Part two of a series.)

Because our delay in Woodburn was followed by finding noting open in Lucas, we arrived in Chariton, IA at noon — right when we needed to.

The reason for our visit to Chariton was that my cohort needed to visit with his family.    So he dropped me off in the town square, and I did a little exploring to kill the time.

With the square fully explored, it was time to settle in at one of the three downtown bars and wait for my friend to return.   After studying the traffic patterns, I chose the spot that would give us the most natural flow around the square…

#1 (#736): Hurribak Club

217 North Main Street
Chariton, IA 50049
(641) 774-5049

[map]

I settled in here at the MegaTouch machine as I needed to kill about an hour of time.

The interior was dark, with racing curtains covering the windows. There were two pool tables, a juke box, and video slots.

The bartender was an older man who mostly kept to himself except when talking to the occasional regular who would pass through. He was a nice guy, though.

The beer was slightly higher than I expected to pay, $2.25 for a 12oz domestic draw.

My friend arrived as I was finishing my second beer.   We stayed for 1 more quick round, then began the rest of our journey.

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#2 (#737): The Office

109 N Main St
Chariton, IA 50049
(641) 774-4231

[map]

The Office was closed when I checked on it earlier and I worried it might not open before we had to leave.   But later, while sitting on a park bench, I saw the bartender arrive and start setting up.  Crisis averted. :)

This place was brightly lit from natural lighting and very proudly showed off its Iowa Hawkeyes heritage. There was a pool table, a shuffleboard, and video slots. The bartop resembled a kitchen counter, and posters of Budweiser hotties surrounded the fridge.

At $2 for a 10oz domestic draw, this was also slightly more expensive than I normally expect in a place like this.

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#3 (#738): Sportsman’s Bar

918 Court Avenue
Chariton, IA 50049
(641) 774-8451
[map]

This was a pretty big venue, though the actual bar was fairly small. Nothing on tap. There were pool tables, a juke box, and tiny bathrooms in the back of the main room. Booths lined the west wall. There was also a side room but I didn’t venture over to it.

Our bartender looked a bit intimidating and was missing some teeth but he was a nice guy.   (Note my friend attempting to get a better picture.)

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There was one more bar in Chariton we could have gone to, but it was pretty far out of our way.   We decided to head up up the highway to our next destination…