Horne's Restaurant
Port Royal, VA Photo courtesy Tait Hilliard
This Horne's Restaurant is found in Port Royal VA. Horne’s was originally set up in 1960 as competition for the Stuckey’s business which was prominent in the south. This is the only Horne’s left in existence. Great breakfast!. Many thanks to Tait Hilliard for info. 08-08
For years, Horne's was a welcome sight for families traveling the old highways. The bright roof and roadside sign let motorists know a meal and a chance to stretch their legs were just ahead. While the rest of the chain has disappeared, this location continues to give travelers a taste of what highway travel was like before the interstate era changed everything.
UPDATE: Horne's Restaurant is still serving customers today, and the familiar yellow roof and roadside sign continue greeting travelers along Route 301. 08-26
Jarret, VA is the home to this abandoned restaurant. The picture doesn't’t do it justice but there is a tree growing through the middle of the Jarret Restaurant now. There is a sign for a hotel across from it but it is in an overgrown lot. Many thanks to Tait Hilliard for info. 08-08
Back when U.S. 301 was one of the South's busiest highways, this stretch of road was filled with restaurants, motels, and service stations welcoming vacationers headed north and south. The Jarratt Restaurant was part of that busy roadside scene, serving travelers before they continued on their journey. Then Interstate 95 opened nearby, traffic shifted to the new highway, and places like this were gradually left behind.
The old restaurant still has a way of catching your eye. Broken windows, fading walls, and the growing trees all make you wonder what it must have looked like when the parking lot was full instead of overgrown. It's the sort of place that invites you to slow down for a closer look, even if all that's left are memories and a few weathered walls.
Across the road, an old motel sign still stands in another overgrown lot, a reminder that this wasn't the only roadside business here. Together they paint a picture of what this highway must have looked like before the interstate changed everything. Sometimes the abandoned places tell the road's story just as well as the ones that are still open.
UPDATE: The restaurant remains abandoned, and the building continues to deteriorate as nature slowly takes over. The old roadside sign is still standing. 08-26
R.O.'s Bar-B-Q (Gone)
Gastonia, NC Photo courtesy Richard Weiss
Those little neon pigs running around the edge of the sign are what first catch your eye at R.O.'s Bar-B-Q in Gastonia. It's one of those roadside signs that's almost impossible to drive past without taking another look, especially after dark when the neon is glowing. 07-08
R.O.'s opened in 1946 and became a Gastonia tradition, serving generations of customers with Carolina-style barbecue and its famous orange barbecue slaw. The family recipe became so well known that people often made a point of stopping whenever they were passing through town. For many locals, it was more than just a restaurant. It was where family dinners, after-game meals, and even marriage proposals became lasting memories.
UPDATE: After nearly 80 years in business, R.O.'s Bar-B-Q closed on December 27, 2025, citing rising operating costs and other economic challenges. The restaurant is gone and it now looks like the sign is gone too. 08-26
McClard's Bar-B-Q
Hot Springs, AR Photo courtesy Scott McClard
McClard's Bar-B-Q Restaurant is a family owned business that's been in operation for over 75 years. McClard's has been in the present location since 1942 and originally provided car hop service. Although the drive-in service has now gone, the same fine bar-b-que continues on by the present generations of McClard's See more information at the McClard's Bar-B-Q Restaurant site. Many thanks to Scott McClard for info. 12-08
The neon alone is enough to make you tap the brakes. McClard's Bar-B-Q Restaurant has been welcoming hungry travelers along Albert Pike Road for generations with a classic roadside sign that's every bit as inviting as the smell of barbecue drifting from the kitchen. It's the kind of place that looks like it belongs on every road trip through Hot Springs.
McClard's got its start in 1928 and moved to this location in 1942, where it quickly became a favorite stop for locals and travelers alike. In those days, motorists could pull up outside, honk the horn or flash their headlights, and a carhop would bring their order right to the window. While the drive-in service is gone today, the restaurant still has much of the same welcoming character that made it famous.
McClard's Bar-B-Q
Hot Springs, AR Photo courtesy Scott McClard
One of the restaurant's best stories dates back to its earliest days, when a traveler who couldn't pay his bill reportedly handed over a barbecue sauce recipe instead. Whether customers came for the ribs, chopped pork, or famous tamales, that sauce became part of the restaurant's identity and helped turn McClard's into an Arkansas institution.
The white stucco building, rooftop sign, and glowing roadside marquee all look right at home together. It's easy to imagine families pulling in after a day at the nearby bathhouses, station wagons lined up outside on summer vacations, and the parking lot filling with the smell of hickory smoke. Even today, the place still feels like an authentic roadside barbecue stop rather than something recreated for nostalgia.
UPDATE: McClard's Bar-B-Q is still serving customers today, and the classic neon sign continues welcoming hungry travelers to Hot Springs. 08-26
Pell City Steak House
Pell City, AL Photo courtesy Alan Culley
Now there's a sign that gets your attention. Pell City Steak House doesn't just advertise steaks, it shaped its marquee like one. Complete with a big juicy cut of beef, it's the kind of roadside sign that makes you hungry before you even pull into the parking lot. If you're traveling through Pell City on Highway 231, it's pretty hard to miss. 01-09
The restaurant has been serving customers since 1948, becoming a longtime favorite for both locals and travelers passing through town. It has the comfortable look of an old-fashioned highway restaurant where you can settle in for a hearty meal before getting back on the road. Places like this have a way of becoming traditions, with families stopping every time they're headed through the area.
The giant steak marquee is what really steals the show. It comes from an era when restaurants competed for attention with oversized signs instead of oversized billboards. One quick look tells you exactly what's on the menu, and that's all the invitation most hungry motorists need. The bright colors and playful design give the place plenty of personality, making it every bit as memorable as the building itself.
Pell City Steak House
Pell City, AL Photo courtesy Alan Culley
It's easy to imagine this sign welcoming generations of travelers, from families on summer vacations to truck drivers making their way across Alabama. Long before GPS pointed out every restaurant along the highway, signs like this did all the work. They were landmarks as much as advertisements, letting motorists know a good meal was just ahead.
UPDATE: Pell City Steak House is still serving customers today, and the famous steak-shaped roadside sign continues greeting hungry travelers along Highway 231. 08-26
Horne's Restaurant
Jarratt Restaurant (Closed)
Jarratt Restaurant (Closed)
R.O.'s Bar-B-Q (Gone)
McClard's Bar-B-Q
McClard's Bar-B-Q
Pell City Steak House
Pell City Steak House
