If you ever find yourself winding through the Ozark Mountains, there's one stop you should plan your whole route around - a weathered old general store that's now a cafe, serving the best burgers and pies west of the Mississippi. You'll see a row of motorcycles out front and inside, locals and road trippers chowing down on down-home comfort food.
Since then, Wayside has kept its very first operating license. Decor remains focused on Colonial-era details with low ceilings, exposed beams, a fireplace, and objects dating to the early 1600s on display. Even candlelights cast shadows throughout the tavern as guests sip pints of an English-style amber ale named Wayside Inn Draft, a Revolutionary War tipple made with gin and Applejack, or the rum and ginger brandy based Coow Woow - what Wayside calls America's first mixed drink.
Originally constructed as a home by a merchant named Casparus Mabie, '76 House was later operated as a tavern. One of the country's oldest operating restaurants, it functioned as a key social and political hub that drew locals and soldiers alike during the Revolutionary War. Plenty of history has been made in the restaurant in the past two and a half centuries.
They also mean these businesses have been perfecting their crowd-pleasing recipes for decades. Tennessee is already known for its barbecue and comfort food, so it stands to reason that the state's oldest restaurant would be one that thrives on simple American classics. And that's just the case: The oldest operating restaurant in Tennessee is Varallo's Restaurant, and it's a chili parlor and southern grill.
The United States might be relatively young as countries go, but it offers some seriously fascinating history. Few eras have captured our imaginations like the Wild West, with its rugged frontiers, stark and sweeping landscapes, and notorious lawlessness. Who hasn't dreamed of trading monthly bills, tedious appointments, and everyday responsibilities for a horse, a hat, and the wide open plains?
