Road Trip: Tennessee Sweet Spots

{LISTEN: Happy Days are Here Again, by Ben Selvin and his Orchestra}

It was one of those mornings. Bored with our surroundings, and itching to get out of the house. So, we hit the road, Jack. And we found ourselves on a mini-roadtrip, headed north. 

We followed the curving two-lane roads through the rolling hills of Southern Tennessee, driving through spotty rain showers that wet the windshield just enough to turn on the wipers. Our destination was the tiny town of Lynnville, Tennessee. We were in search of a little taste of Roadside Kitsch, in the form of a real, live, retro soda shop. 

Soda Pop Junction, located right in the middle of Lynnville's sleepy downtown in a brick building that appears to have changed little since it was built in the 1880's, was featured on The Food Network show Unwrapped. Not only is it an authentic soda fountain, but it was also voted as having Tennessee's #1 burger. As foodies, we couldn't pass up the short 60 mile drive to check out the place to grab a bite, and simultaneously introduce Hudson to a blast from the past.  

Upon entering Soda Pop Junction, it quickly became clear that the Mayberry-esque lifestyle is still alive and well. Families sat in mismatched chairs, eating BLT sandwiches and slurping down milkshakes. Three elderly men squeezed around the closest table to the tiny television, to talk weather and watch Tennessee basketball. We found our way to our own little spot, close to the back, wedged between a vintage player piano and a wall full of Elvis memorabilia, and perused the menu which featured lots of ice cream, and some Southern favorites.....fried bologna sandwiches, anyone? Will, of course, decided to try out the famous burger, while Hudson and I opted for the grilled cheese.

 It was a neat place, and after a friendly goodbye from the young waitress, we went on our way. As we drove back towards home, we couldn't help but pull off the main road, onto a gravel entryway, under a massive iron sign reading: Milky Way Farms. While in Lynnville, we realized from the memorabilia, that the little town possessed one other claim to fame....

Milky Way Farms was built in the swingin' 1920's, by Frank Mars. A king of confections, Mars was the founder of The Mars Candy Company and creator of Milky Way and Snickers bar among others. In addition to the beautiful property, there sits atop the hill a magnificent, 25,000 sq. foot manor house. There is no one currently living there, so we found our way up the gravel path to take a look around at the massive home. Huge and beautiful, it's a perfect Tudor Revival-style mansion. Mr. Mars died shortly after the estate was established, in 1934, but his wife went on living there, raising thoroughbred horses....one of them was Gallahadion, the winner of the 1940 Kentucky Derby. 

Soda Pop Junction was great, and Milky Way Farms was grand. We had a wonderful day, visiting two of Tennessee's sweetest spots.