35 General Stores In The South You Should Visit

Get your fill of old-fashioned candies, malts, and preserves from these storied shelves.

Whether you’re looking for local produce, jars of jams and jellies, or an old-fashioned root beer float, you can bet you’ll find what you’re searching for at a general store. So named because throughout the years they’ve provided a variety of goods and sundries, general stores can be counted on to have a hodgepodge of offerings. Many of the ones you’ll find in the South today have long histories and still provide their own unique spins on one-stop shopping. Don’t be surprised if you find bait and tackle next to shelves stacked with bottles of hot pepper relish. One thing that’s for sure? It’s easy to while away an afternoon browsing in these story-filled shops. You never know what you’ll find inside.

Boyce General Store

Alvaton, Kentucky
Brie and Brad Golliher purchased Boyce General Store in 2012, and these days it’s home to The Pie Queen, a newer venture that has set up shop inside and turns out scratch-made pies–like Kentucky, pecan, and fudge–for locals and passersby. Visit for a taste.

Bradley’s Country Store

Tallahassee, Florida
North Florida knows that if you want a sausage dog, you have to head to Bradley’s. It’s been an institution since 1927, and new generations are keeping the spirit alive. You can still find their famous smoked sausage, country milled grits, and local honey on offer. Grab a patch of shade and rest awhile under the mossy oaks.

Callaway Gardens Country Store

Pine Mountain, Georgia
Beloved for its breakfast menu, the Callaway Gardens Country Store is both a shop and restaurant, offering grits and preserves, gifts, and gardens merchandise on the shelves as well as a sit-down menu with tables looking out over the forest. The stone building dates to the 1950s.

Castell General Store

Castell, Texas
Located in the Texas Hill Country near the Llano River, Castell General Store makes its home in a building that dates to 1927. You can find burgers, beer, and bait (because of the proximity to the river) here, as well as a new event space called The Roost. Don’t miss live music on Saturdays.

Crane's Country Store

Williamsburg, Missouri
For 134 years and counting, Crane’s Country Store has been Williamsburg, Missouri’s go-to place for tools, apparel, and boots. Nowadays, you’ll find big-name brands inside with plenty of variety to keep you browsing all day long.

Dahlonega General Store

Dahlonega, Georgia
There’s plenty of old-timey charm to discover in Dahlonega, especially in its general store, where you can find foodstuffs like jams, relishes, and old-fashioned candy as well as marbles and wooden toys. You can get your fill of freshly roasted peanuts and the five-cent coffee that's brewing too.

Dick’s 5 & 10

Branson, Missouri
With a history spanning more than 50 years, Dick’s 5 & 10 has been a downtown Branson institution for decades and is still a destination for shelves full of shoppable curiosities and collections–including a soda pop shoppe and a candy emporium. Here, every aisle is the “fun aisle.”

Edge General Store

Hearne, Texas
You can find lunch and dinner at Edge General Store, which was built in 1907 and served as both a post office and general store. It closed for almost forty years before opening again in 2007. Dig into the burgers, sandwiches, and salads that are on the menu as well as the retro malts, shakes, and homemade pies.

The Floyd Country Store

Floyd, Virginia
The Floyd Country Store is a place with a long history and a reputation for a good time. It’s tucked in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia and is a store, a cafe, and a soda fountain reminiscent of yesteryear. There’s also a schedule of Americana and mountain music (with dancing!) year-round. The sign on the porch says, “Loitering allowed.” You don’t have to tell us twice.

Fred's General Mercantile

Beech Mountain, North Carolina
Fred’s has a few claims to fame, one being its elevation. It has the distinction of being the highest general mercantile in the U.S. and stands at an elevation of 5049 feet. Plenty of hometown charm, as well as a deli where you can enjoy your lunch inside or out, keep folks coming back to Fred’s.

Fulmer’s Farmstead

Beaumont, Mississippi
Situated in Southern Mississippi, Fulmer’s Farmstead is a farm, bakery, cafe, and general store. Homemade jams, jellies, and cane syrup as well as canned produce from the farm is available to shop in the store. That’s in addition to freshly baked breads and the cakes and pies you can order for pickup.

General Store 30474

Vidalia, Georgia
Located in downtown Vidalia, this fun shop has a focus on local and organic items. There is a variety of items on offer, from gourmet foodstuffs to specialty teas, candles, and cookbooks. It's located on Church Street and has exposed brick walls and corners filled with neat things.

Huck’s General Store

Blue Ridge, Georgia
They say, “There’s something for everyone at Huck’s,” and when you visit, you just might see that slogan proven true. Bulk candies in buckets, shelves of gifts, rows of apothecary goods–you can browse to your heart’s content.

Jefferson General Store

Jefferson, Texas
A hardware store and general store since the late 1800s, Jefferson General Store has lots to browse, including pralines, jams, jellies, relishes, honey butters, pickled vegetables, much of which is Texas made. There’s also 5-cent coffee and a retro soda fountain.

Luckenbach General Store

Luckenbach, Texas
Just a stone’s throw from Fredericksburg, Texas, you can pay a visit to Luckenbach and its historic general store, bar, and dance hall. Browse all of your small-town souvenirs here, and be sure to hear some live music while you’re in the area too.

Mast General Store

Valle Crucis, North Carolina
The original Mast General Store (established in 1883) is located in this North Carolina mountain valley. Pay a visit, and you’ll find a bustling destination that’s home to both the local post office and a general store (where you can still find a cup of coffee for a nickel). Bygone toys and cast-iron cookware are just some of the treasures you’ll find inside. Other Mast stores can be found around the South.

Mentone Market

Mentone, Alabama
Mentone, a tiny town atop Lookout Mountain, has views, local artists' galleries, and a great little general store known as Mentone Market. You can order lunch and sit on one side of the building to enjoy your meal, or you can browse the grocery on the other side, which is stocked with foods and sundries as well as Alabama-made gifts and souvenirs.

Oark General Store

Oark, Arkansas
Nestled in the Ozark National Forest, Oark General store opened its doors in 1890, making it the oldest continually-operated store in Arkansas. These days, people stop in during hiking and biking trips for a meal at the cafe.

The Old Mill and General Store

Pigeon Forge, Tennessee
As the name would suggest, this spot got its start grinding grains, and today it’s still a working grist mill. You can shop in the general store, which greets you with a door covered in old nails that once held notices of community happenings. Today, visitors take home bags of stone-ground yellow grits, spring water taffy, and pecan pies.

Old Sautee Store

Sautee Nacoochee, Georgia
You can bet that a business established in 1872 is a local legend. When you visit Old Sautee Store, you can order sandwiches and salads at The Market, and you can also shop the store, which has food gifts like cherry butter, vidalia onion and Georgia peach hot sauce, and sweet fire pickles.

Old Village Mercantile

Caledonia, Missouri
Established in 1909, Missouri’s Old Village Mercantile, is a destination for hundreds of varieties of old-fashioned candy, decadent fudge, and gifts. It’s also a creamery with handmade ice cream and smoothies. Not one to be outdone, the beautiful, two-story interior also serves as a coffee house and antiques gallery.

Paint Bank General Store

Paint Bank, Virginia
A small-town spot with a lot of charm, Paint Bank General Store has a red-brick facade and a two-tier porch outside and old wood floors and tin ceilings inside. Find your fill of groceries, gifts, and cuts of meat. Don’t forget to visit The Swinging Bridge Restaurant before you go.

Pawleys Island General Store

Pawleys Island, South Carolina 
You can find an array of local wares at Pawleys Island General Store, which carries handmade jewelry, artful housewares, and apparel as well as plenty of grocery items like jarred molasses, rice, and grits.

Philomont General Store

Philomont, Virginia 
Located in the picturesque piedmont of northern Virginia, Philomont General Store is a lovely road trip stop. Here, in a building dating to 1913, you can browse wines, foods, and gifts. It’s a local staple–the post office still makes its home in the back.

Rabbit Hash General Store

Rabbit Hash, Kentucky
The sign on the front of the building where Rabbit Hash General Store makes its home says “sundries, potions, and notions,” and the shop still offers lots of those local favorites–hot sauces, pulled cream candy, and general store merchandise (such as pins, patches, and t-shirts) among them.

Richloam General Store

Webster, Florida
This shop was founded in the 1920s as a post office and general store. These days, you can find produce, dry goods, and sundry items for sale. You can even fill up a cotton bag with your dry goods, just as you would have in days past. Be sure to visit during the holidays when it dresses up in its Christmas finery and Santa pays a visit.

Scotsman General Store & Woodshop

Laurel, Mississippi
Those who watch Home Town will likely be familiar with Scotsman General Store & Woodshop, a business from Erin & Ben Napier, where you can find flannel shirts, candies, gifts, and lots of glass-bottle sodas to sip on. You can also peek in on the Scotsman Co. woodworking teams who are hard at work in the shop.

Sunrise Grocery

Blairsville, Georgia 
This family-owned general store is tucked in the mountains of North Georgia. Owned by the Clemmons family since the 1980s, it’s a roadside stop for sourwood honey, berry preserves, locally made soaps, and Choestoe Valley bumper stickers.

Stripling’s General Store

Moultrie, Georgia 
With seven locations across Georgia, you’re never far from a Stripling’s General Store. It’s where you’ll find custom-cut meats (don’t miss the famous Stripling’s sausage), as well as jerkies, cheeses, marinades, and all manner of gifts in the market.

T. B. Sutton General Store

Granville, Tennessee
This storied business was built in the 1800s and has served the area since then. Nowadays, it’s a reliable spot for shopping–cookbooks, pocket knives, old-fashioned candies, etc.–and you can also catch live bluegrass music on the corner stage during the Sutton Ole Time Music Hour.

Troutt Old Time General Store and Market

Paducah, Kentucky
This business is a newer addition to the general store scene. Located in Paducah, Kentucky, you can find lots of locally made and handcrafted items inside, as well as freshly baked goods, single slices of decadent cakes, and lunch-ready sandwiches.

U.G. White Mercantile

Athens, Alabama
Provisions, dry goods, gear–U.G. White Mercantile has it all. Browse their website, and you’ll see a glimpse of what’s inside: pocket knives, vintage-style toys, cast iron, green tomato relish, and much more. As a business with a history spanning over a century on the square in Athens, Alabama, it’s still a beacon for locals and travelers passing through.

Williams Brothers General Store

Philadelphia, Mississippi
This small-town general store has been in business for over one hundred years. It got its start in 1907, and the family-owned-and-operated spot is still supplying Philadelphia, Mississippi, with everything from apparel to butter beans.

Williamsburg General Store

Williamsburg, Virginia 
When you’re looking for a souvenir to commemorate your visit to Williamsburg, look to the general store. Filled with all sorts of things, from hats and mugs to Virginia produce and boxes of Cheerwine, you can find something for everyone on your shopping list.

Wilson Store

Clear Spring, Maryland 
The front of the red building where this general store operates is painted with the words “Old Country Store” and “R.H. Wilson & Son.” Inside, the walls are lined with wooden shelves that are stacked with candies in glass jars, jams of all kinds, jewelry, and handmade soaps.

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