America's Oldest Taverns Still Operate as Inns and Restaurants

When people think about old restaurants, it is often famous ones in big cities that first come to mind. Some of the oldest restaurants, however, are located in taverns and inns.

The first restaurant of the type we know today was Delmonico's, which opened in New York City in the 1830s. Prior to that, people ate at home or ate whatever they were making in the kitchen at the inn when traveling.

Dining rooms in taverns and inns were much less glamorous than restaurants, catering more to weary travelers than wealthy social type people.

This list of taverns was compiled by Fox News, and they are all still open for a meal today.

Old Yarmouth Inn, Cape Cod, Massachusetts

1696

This inn was established in 1696 at the halfway point between Plymouth and Provincetown, where it provided food and lodging to travelers. It no longer offers lodging, but it is still a functioning restaurant.

Robert Morris Inn, Oxford, Maryland

1710

Oxford was once Maryland's largest port, and today it is a major center for boat building and fishing. The inn is at the center of the town, and it has gone back and forth from being an inn and a private residence. Today it has three dining rooms on the ground floor and 14 bedrooms on the second and third floors.

Longfellow's Wayside Inn, Sudbury, Massachusetts

1716

This is the oldest operating inn in the U.S. and was originally built as a two-room house in 1707. In 1716, one of those rooms was converted into a tavern. The building was expanded in 1750, when it became an inn. It continues to operate as a hotel and restaurant today. Henry Ford purchased it in 1923 and turned it into a living museum, which it still is today.

Dan'l Webster Inn, Cape Cod, Massachusetts

1746

This inn was originally constructed as a parsonage, and was converted into an inn and tavern in 1746. It was called the Fessenden Tavern, and Daniel Webster had a room there from 1815 to 1851. It was renamed in his honor after his death. Today there is a tavern in the same room where Webster would hold meetings during the Revolution.

Fraunces Tavern, New York City

1762

This building is the oldest standing structure in New York City and was built in 1719. It has had a tavern on the ground floor since 1762, when it was called the King's Head. It is one of the few surviving colonial-era buildings downtown, and suffered a cannonball being shot through the roof in 1775. George Washington say goodbye to his officers in the tavern in 1783. Today, the upper floors have a museum, and the ground floor contains several bars and restaurants, including the Tallmadge Room in the location of the original tavern.

The Publick House Sturbridge, Massachusetts

1771

Today called the Tap Room, this landmark building has a full-service inn, reception hall and two restaurants. The original dining room dates back to 1771 and contains a six-foot open hearth as a centerpiece. The building also still has the original post-and-beam ceiling.

The Dorset Inn, Dorset, Vermont

1796

This inn was located on the road between Boston and Albany, New York. "For the first 100 years, the chef relied on the Inn's backyard population of chickens, cows and the vegetable garden for the ingredients in each day's meal," reads the website. The building was refurbished and restored in 1985 and today is a bed-and-breakfast, a tavern and a restaurant.