PORT ROYAL, VIRGINIA – When you think roadside, you think Stuckey’s and Horne’s.
Both were the roadside rest stops; before the government got in the bathroom business with so many Interstates, places like Stuckey’s and Horne’s served up bathrooms, souvenirs, gas, food and whopee cushions to the American masses.
Stuckey’s was first; Horne’s followed. Horne apparently sold to Stuckey’s but decided to open his own chain. We don’t know if Horne’s had a pecan log, because frankly Stuckey’s sort of owns the Pecan Log brand, don’t you think?
There are still Horne’s buildings around, though the ones in Florida are all orange shops; the distinctive roof-line and car portico remains. They all have glass walls, so you can see the luscious merchandise inside.
An original Horne’s is at the corner of Route 301 and Route 17 in the historic city of Port Royal, Virginia just southeast of Fredericksburg. It’s worth a stop. It’s glorious.
There was also a Horne’s motel that I recall in Hampton, Virginia. Not sure how the hotel fit in, but it was as much a part of Hampton as NASA Langley.
