A Drink and a Look Around at Sheridan’s Mint Bar

The wooden bar at Sheridan’s Mint Bar gives you plenty to study before a drink has even arrived. It anchors a compact room filled with the accumulated visual language of the West: dark wood, old photographs, mounted animals, branding irons and the steady evidence that this has been a local drinking place for well over a century.

This is not a polished cowboy concept built around a few carefully chosen props. The Mint Bar has the layered, slightly crowded look of a place that has collected stories for a long time. A quick stop can turn into a slow circuit of the room, with another photograph, antler rack or odd detail waiting a few feet away.

For travelers moving through Sheridan or continuing on through Wyoming, it makes an easy pause: order a beer, a cocktail or a Wyoming whiskey, settle in, and have a look around. Regulars and visitors share the same room, which gives the bar a sociable, lived-in character.

The bar itself is the centerpiece, with distinctive handcrafted wood fixtures that give the room its weight and warmth. Wooden booths add another reason to look closely, especially toward the rear, where their construction and detailing stand out from the usual bar seating.

There is seating at the bar for those who want to talk with the bartender, along with booths for a more settled drink with friends. The space is compact, so even a booth does not remove you from the activity of the room.

Toward the back, the pool-room area shifts the setting a bit with stone walls, more woodwork and a pool table. It is a natural place to linger after one round becomes two, or to step away from the front bar without leaving the atmosphere behind.

Hundreds of old photographs cover the walls, creating a running visual record of Sheridan and the bar’s long life. Some visitors come in for a short drink and find themselves spending much of the stop simply scanning the images.

The pictures keep the Mint Bar from becoming a generic Western room. They give the décor a sense of place, connecting the mounted animals, wood fixtures and cowboy imagery to a community with its own past.

A bartender’s stories can add useful context to the objects and faces around the room. That conversation is a good reason not to rush straight through; the display becomes more interesting when someone can point out a local connection or tell you why a particular piece is hanging there.

Taxidermy is a major part of the interior, and the collection is not limited to a token deer head over a doorway. Mounted bear, wolf, moose, deer and elk contribute to the room’s mountain-and-plains character.

The effect is unapologetically Western. The animals, old photos and branding irons make the interior visually busy, so this is a stop for people who enjoy looking at a room as much as using it.

The décor is substantial rather than subtle, and it dominates the experience in the best possible old-bar way. You do not need a guided tour to enjoy it, though a few minutes of unhurried looking will reveal much more than a glance from the doorway.

Drinks are the focus here: cold beer, spirits and cocktails, with Wyoming whiskey fitting the setting especially well. Moscow Mules are also on the list, and nonalcoholic beer is available for anyone who wants the barroom visit without an alcoholic drink.

Prices have a reputation for being fair, which helps make the Mint Bar a comfortable place for a casual round rather than a special-occasion splurge. Friendly bartenders are a meaningful part of the appeal, particularly for visitors who want a little local conversation with their drink.

This is primarily a bar, not a restaurant. There is no regular food menu, although frozen pizza has been available; plan on drinks rather than a full meal.

The Mint Bar works at different speeds. At quieter times, it can be an easy place to sit at the bar and talk without competing with a crowd. On livelier visits, the room becomes moderately noisy, with the energy of regulars, travelers and people making an evening of it.

That range suits a place with a road-trip role as well as a local one. Some people stop in after a long drive or on the way through nearby Wyoming communities; others come for a birthday drink, a game of pool or a familiar seat at the bar.

The neon sign outside provides a colorful marker on arrival, while inside the appeal is less about spectacle than about conversation and accumulation. A drink gives you an excuse to stay awhile, and the room provides plenty to talk about.

The Mint Bar is a walk-in sort of place, with bar seats and booths rather than a reservation-driven setup. It is for patrons 21 and older.

Free street parking is available, though finding an open space can sometimes take a little searching. Once inside, the compact, heavily decorated room makes clear that the main program is simple: choose a seat, order a drink, inspect the walls, and let the evening unfold.

For a small souvenir, hats and shirts may be available on site. They are a modest reminder of a bar where the artifacts on the walls remain far more memorable than anything on a rack.