Rustic Charm or Just Rust? The Midwest’s Most Notorious Dive Bar [PHOTOS]

Ahh, the dive bar! What is more Americana than a good, erm, crummy dive bar? Filled with regulars, run by bartenders who know every regular's name, order, and life history. That is what some, dare I say most of us want in a bar. Sure, upscale establishments have their place, but give me a dive bar with cheap beer, and cheaper mixers.

But when you've worked a long day, and you want a cheap drink from a questionably clean bartop, you go where you know everyone knows your name. And no, I don't mean Cheers.

The Plywood Palace is the coolest-looking dive bar on planet Earth

I guess there's logic to the sentence: the coolest dive bar in the world is in Wisconsin. It checks out, right? Sconnie's are known for their love of beer, cheese, and taxidermy. Since this is a dive bar, the lack of cheddar and taxidermy is excusable.

The Plywood Palace, located in the far northern Wisconsin town of Moquah has got to be the coolest, weirdest, and diviest dive bar on Earth. Now, this is no quick road trip. From Cedar Rapids, it's about 7 hours to Moquah. Shave an hour off of that if you're in Waterloo.

So, if you choose to make a pilgrimage to this... unique establishment, plan ahead. I say this with urgency after reading some Facebook comments about how the bar is sometimes randomly closed during what should be regular business hours.

Let's take a closer look

Now that you have a sense of location and a dive-y mindset, behold the Plywood Palace:

As seen from Google Maps' most recent visit less than a year ago, you can see the Plywood Palace, or "Moquah Bar", is certainly not where most of us would go on a first date. Well, unless your date has amazing taste.

From the side, you have to respect the plethora of outdoor seating. A charm not found at most dive bars. Usually, you're stuck inside with dim lighting and a layer of dust adorning the bartop. Here, you can find a series of picnic tables that have no doubt seen better days, and a fair amount of cold ones and likely heard some amazing antidotes.

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Now, thanks to a Facebook post from a recent patron, let's have a closer look inside and outside...

She holds up in the winter, too.

And if you look at the inside of those Facebook photos, you can see it's a sight to behold! A true dive bar in all its glory. Who needs modern plumbing when there's an outhouse?

If you plan to head to Wisconsin to visit the Plywood Palace in Moquah, here are some scenic drives you can enjoy as you zigzag through Wisconsin. I have no doubt you'll find other mediocre bars to visit along the way.