BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — After a few years in the making, a new bar with a blast-from-the-past theme in Mid City opens its doors to serve drinks to people and their pets.

Pelican to Mars, a brightly painted teal building on Government Street, has been in the works since 2019, according to owner Scott Paddock.

“We just needed to get it open because we’ve been in this spot for many years,” said Paddock.

The Baton Rouge bar had a successful grand opening in February with 300 people in attendance.

“Finally, we just needed to open. Let’s get these doors open, and get the community involved. It’s been great, it’s been overwhelming with support,” said Paddock.

He describes the concept as a mid-century living room with an at-home garage bar “you wish you could have.” Paddock, with partners Lance Paddock and Remi DeMatteo, runs Hayride Scandal, a Baton Rouge prohibition-era themed bar, and New Orleans live music venue Gasa Gasa.

Pelican to Mars offers rum-based cocktails transporting you back to the height of the tiki bar craze of the late 1950s and early 1960s. Specialty Polynesian-inspired drinks include Smoked Rum Old Fashioned, Mid City Mai Tai, Navy Grog and Pelican Painkiller, to name a few. There are also plenty of beers and wine on tap.

Furry four-legged visitors aren’t forgotten. There are dog treats and canine-friendly drinks coming soon. DeMatteo said “pup-tails” will be made with bone broth and other ingredients safe for dogs.

The Mid City bar welcomes more than just dogs. Paddock said if a pet is socialized and trained, then they’re welcome to the bar.

“I’ve had a snake, a lizard, definitely some cats,” said Paddock.

The one type of pet they haven’t seen yet since opening is a bird.

Pelican to Mars is a place where locals can come to catch an LSU football game or listen to live music on the patio. Various food trucks occasionally make pit stops in the parking lot to serve customers. Future plans include a park in the back for kids to play and patrons to picnic.

Click here to find the latest events at Pelican to Mars.