“Nothing behind me, everything ahead of me, as is ever so on the road.”
― Jack Kerouac, On the Road
COLUMBIA, TN – It was a cold and dreary Friday morning when we left Florence and headed north on Highway 43 to Loretto to pick up our friends Bobby & Carol Hicks. Our road trip destination for the day’s adventure was Marcy Jo’s Mealhouse, a quaint little Mom & Pop style restaurant that Debra and I had visited a few years ago.
Marcy Jo’s Mealhouse is located three miles east of I-65, approximately 11 miles east of the intersection of US Highway 43 & 31, at 4205 Highway 431, at the intersection of US Highway 431 and 412. Housed in a refurbished old mercantile store, a.k.a. old country store, that was built in the 1890’s. The old store building was once the center of a thriving community known as Pottsville and was a gathering place for the farmers and their families. According to their website, Marcy Jo’s is a combination of the names of the co-owners, Joey Martin Feek, wife of Rory Lee Feek and half of the Country Music singers Joey + Rory duet, along with her sister-in-law, Marcy, who is Rory’s younger sister. Marcy is responsible for the day-to-day operations and Joey works there when she’s not on the road performing. The eatery opened in January of 2007 and soon became a destination event, not just because of their association with the Country Music scene but because of the gourmet country food and to die for bake goods.
Then add to the mix, that whenever Joey + Rory are in town that a guitar may start up and a song breakout, you just never know what will happen. But even when Joey + Rory are on the road, local musicians fill the void.
On the day we went, it was a slow lunch due to the weather, so we didn’t have a problem getting in and finding a table. Due to the limited seating if you going during peak time or when there is scheduled musical entertainment you may have to wait a bit before getting a table.
We had just gotten sat down, when Marcy came out of the kitchen with two pans of freshly baked cinnamon rolls. Marcy had been busy baking them fresh right in the Mealhouse kitchen ovens. As the aroma of these gourmet rolls begins to waft through the air, our noses began to tingle and we immediately knew there was a taste treat in our future. As we were oohing and aweing, Marcy returned with a pan full of homemade frosting to drizzle and spread on the top to complete the warm, gooey treasure awaiting our freaked out taste buds. When Marcy came to take our lunch order, she asked if we wanted one of the cinnamon rolls and like Pavlov’s dog we could only ring the bell and said “Yes Please, one for each of us.”
Bobby & Carol decided to have breakfast for lunch and ordered eggs, gravy, angel biscuits and bacon. Another feast for the eyes and a delight to the taste senses. Debra and I ordered sandwiches and as expected they were too delicious for words.
After we finished lunch, Bobby and I took some pictures of the inside of the Mealhouse. It is eclectic assortment of collectables. Through the last few years, Marcy Jo’s has collected some unique items.
As we headed to home, Bobby and I just had to stop and take pictures of a barn we had spotted on the way to Marcy Jo’s. There’s just something about a rusty top old barn or house that makes us slam on the brakes and start looking for a place to pull off the road to park. So many of the wonderful old barns and houses that were built many years ago are falling into disrepair and succumbing to Mother Nature. We often comment that a structure is only one windstorm or a couple of good snows away from collapse. Day by day, more are vanishing never to rise again. When we explore a site where a structure is located we never take anything but an image and leave only our footprints.
It was a day filled good friends, with good food, and some great photography. Rolling along the back roads of middle Tennessee is always a pleasurable experience. For there you will see sites that have been missed by those that hurry from one place to the other via the busy four lane high-speed roads. I guess that’s one of life’s pleasures now that we’re retired. We now have the time to live life one day at a time. We have the time to see interesting things and capture images of things for others to see. I’ve ridden these roads before but only with a blind eye, never seeing the treasure that awaits me when I look about.
So, till the next installment of On the Road and Under the Skies, I bid you adieu. Your comments and questions are always appreciated.
Marcy Jo’s Mealhouse: Menu
- Recommendations: Special of the Day, Cinnamon Rolls, Coca-Cola cake
- Suggestions: Be sure and try the Cinnamon Rolls
- Alcohol: No
- Ambience: Housed in a re-purposed building, family friendly
- Service: Excellent
- Reservations: Call
- Walk-Ins: Welcome
- Catering: Call
- Vegetarian-friendly Call
- Facebook: Marcy Jo’s Mealhouse
- Credit Cards: NO, Cash or Good Check only
- Smoking: No
- · Tuesdays – Saturdays 7 am – 2 pm
- Bakery: 7 AM – 2 PM
- Breakfast: 7 AM – 11 AM
- Lunch: 11 AM – 2 PM
- Dinner: (Fridays Only) 5 PM – 8 PM
- (Breakfast served all day on Saturdays)
- Be sure to call and ask about our Marcy Jo’s Songwriters Night we hold on the third Saturday of every month!
- Business Hours:
- Location: 4205 Highway 431, Columbia, TN 38401
- Telephone: 931.380.0968
