how do I find local cafes, bars, restaurants, hotels while on a roadtrip?

May 16, 2007 2:05 PM

how do I find local cafes, bars, restaurants, hotels while on a roadtrip?

I'm going on vacation. camera and rental car in tow, I'm basically going to cut south from chicago and see where the road takes me. I've done these kinds of trips before and I like frequenting local places as opposed to the ubiquitous national franchises but they are tough to find. a surprising number of small towns -even far away from interstates and major highways- seem to have nothing other than wal-mart, mc donald's and the other usual suspects.

so how do I find the local spots? do you know of websites I can search when I'm in one or another particular state? asking locals, for the record, works a lot less than one might think.

I'm generally browsing flickr for interesting places in the area and have had some luck using chowhound for restaurants. but there has to be more, especially for restaurants, cafe's and small hotels.

posted by krautland to Travel & Transportation (17 answers total)

Response by poster: oh yeah: states I may or may not pass through: IA, MO, AR, LA, MS, AL, GA, TN, KY, WV, OH, IN, MI ... any direct tips highly welcome.
posted by krautland at 2:10 PM on May 16, 2007

delocator
posted by LobsterMitten at 2:20 PM on May 16, 2007 [1 favorite]

If you're going through Louisville, go to Lynn's Paradise Cafe. It's not exactly a well-kept secret, but it's great.
posted by LobsterMitten at 2:21 PM on May 16, 2007

seem to have nothing other than wal-mart, mc donald's and the other usual suspects.

This is usually true, as local food sucks. I don't know where the idea that small town food being a hidden treasure comes from, but I have had bad experience with hometown cooking.

I have tips for larger cities, but for smaller towns, what you see is what you get.
posted by geoff. at 2:24 PM on May 16, 2007

Roadfood.
posted by essexjan at 2:36 PM on May 16, 2007

Response by poster: I don't know where the idea that small town food being a hidden treasure comes from, but I have had bad experience with hometown cooking.

me, too. but running into the people there is beyond intriguing for a photographer like me. they tend to point you towards the most interesting sites.
posted by krautland at 2:37 PM on May 16, 2007

Well, it may be obvious, but stay off the interstates. You need to be on the smaller state highways, specifically intended to go through the downtown areas of small towns. Interstates and many highways by-pass the old downtowns and that's where all the action is. Roadfood is a good resource and their books are good, too.
posted by otherwordlyglow at 2:39 PM on May 16, 2007 [1 favorite]

Now, of course, I see that you've tried my off-the-interstate approach. Still, I think a map-based approach is a good one. Look around waterfronts (if they're not already tourist traps) and at logical crossroads where the roadhouses usually are. Also, read the local papers. If you see anything that mentions an upcoming Fish Fry or BBQ, or pancake breakfast, or really any church or high school fund-raiser, go there. It'll be awesome.
posted by otherwordlyglow at 2:44 PM on May 16, 2007

I'd suggest Yelp
posted by sweetmarie at 2:46 PM on May 16, 2007

We swear by Chowhound for this sort of thing; there are great local restaurants but it's not always obvious which ones there are. Oh, on preview I see you already know about that. Then let me recommend eGullet, on a similar theme.

In the states you listed, a few memorable places for us were Nick's Barbeque and Catfish in Carlisle, AR (this place made me understand at long last what the point of fried green tomatoes were), the Elite Diner in Jackson, MS, Peachtree and of course Arthur Bryant's in Kansas City. In Iowa, it's kind of fun to eat at the Amana Colonies though I don't remember the food being mindblowingly great.
posted by escabeche at 2:47 PM on May 16, 2007

A hunt for accommodation turned up these two sites if you're looking for a funkier, not-the-Motel-6 experience.

bedandbreakfast.com
Classic Inns of the South

Also, what about camping?
posted by mdonley at 2:50 PM on May 16, 2007

I did a CT - UT trip where the leader of the trip (a laid-back but religious Mormon) refused to eat at chain restaurants because his old roommate was addicted to them. His technique was just to ask people at gas stations along the way.

The little places aren't going to be online - they're going to be in small, possibly free papers, like otherworldlyglow suggests (which I never thought of, but I'm sure is a great idea.)

We ended up at the Amana Colonies for breakfast, which was fantastic, if just for the sheer quantity of food that showed up. Unfortunately, I don't have the names of any other place in the log books.
posted by cobaltnine at 2:58 PM on May 16, 2007

I was going to say just what cobaltnine said. You're not going to find what you're looking for on the Internet. Small places are much more likely to advertise in the local paper if they advertise at all. Stop someplace for a pack of gum and ask whoever's behind the counter about where to find the best piece of pie/cup of coffee in town.
posted by MsMolly at 3:17 PM on May 16, 2007

Wikitravel often lists good local places for mid-sized or larger cities, though the extent of the listings varies widely from city to city, as one might expect from a Wiki.

If you come through Indianapolis, Shapiro's Deli, Yat's, and Bazbeaux Pizza top the "cheap local restaurants" list. If you're looking for something a little more upscale, or have a specific type of establishment you're looking for, let me know.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 3:21 PM on May 16, 2007

We ended up at the Amana Colonies for breakfast, which was fantastic, if just for the sheer quantity of food that showed up.

Oh. Yeah.

Went there for breakfast, myself. Some of the tastiest morning fare I've *ever* had.

You know that scene in the old animated Charlotte's Web where Templeton *rolls* off because he's stuffed himself at the veritable smorgasbord?

This was just such a time. And so, so worth it.

Des Moines has an old burger joint where they'll have a waitress pour a milkshake from a mixer into a glass on your forhead, but I can't remember the name. Maybe someone else can name it.

Iowa City has some good spots. I seem to remember enjoying The Mill and an Indian Restaurant downtown off the ped mall. You'll probably have luck if you just wander around the ped mall in general.

I just spent a few weeks in Georgia. I really enjoyed Eddie's Attic in Decatur, both for the fine music and for some of the best Hummus I've ever had. In Athens there are also dozens of interesting little places across from UGA on Broad Street.

There was a world deli just a block away from the Blue Moon Hostel in Lafayette LA where I had one of the best falafeel sandwiches ever.
posted by weston at 3:42 PM on May 16, 2007

You get to MS, follow Highway 62. You get to GA, you head to Old MacDonalds Real Pit BBQ in Buford, GA (north of Atlanta, on Holiday Road off Buford Highway, on the east side of Lake Lanier) for the best rack of baby back ribs on the planet. What a magnificent dump!

Stay the hell out of Tennessee, if you're just goin' for vacation.
posted by paulsc at 11:54 PM on May 16, 2007

Des Moines has an old burger joint where they'll have a waitress pour a milkshake from a mixer into a glass on your forhead, but I can't remember the name. Maybe someone else can name it.


This was called "Stella's Blue Sky Diner". The original was downtown, accessible by skywalk, but it closed within the last few years. I'm not sure if the location out in the burbs is still open or not. ...they did have great food....
posted by achmorrison at 4:06 PM on May 20, 2007