Roadside ice cream stands of the 1940s and 1950s were simple by today's standards: a small one story cube with a flat or slanted roof, painted white, with outside service windows. A rooftop sign adorned with neon with a cone tilted toward the road attracted attention. This simple yet successful formula was used by major chains Dairy Queen and Tastee Freez, as well as scores of independent operators.

Over the years, Dairy Queen's buildings grew larger, adding food items and inside dining, and neon signs gave way to back-lit plastic. But here and there, a holdover from the earlier era remains.

The Dairy Queen in New Smyrna Beach is totally vintage, including their original neon Dairy Queen sign, but it's also extremely well maintained. The parking lot, the landscaping, and the outdoor tables are so attractive that you can tell whoever runs the place really loves it. The prices are reasonable too- my medium sundae was $2, less than a cone at many places. -GW

RoadsideFans Favorite Places are chosen after unannounced visits, taking food and ambiance into consideration. They are merely places that I have enjoyed and think you will too.

Find out all the latest happenings on America's Main Streets and scenic drives.
Click here to visit one of the largest and most active groups of roadside enthusiasts on the Internet.

Online diner tours   You can't order food, but enjoy the sights:
Hudson Valley, NY     Troy / Albany, NY     Merrimack Valley, MA     Syracuse, NY     Queens, NY

Diner FAQs  Builders, tags, environmental diners, and what Birdseye Diner(SC) means.

Howard Johnson's RoadsideFans chronicles the rise and fall of a roadside icon.

The man behind the Lake George Ho Jo's  Newspaper interview with Carl DeSantis.

Thanks for the Memories A sad farewell to the last HoJo's in the state where it all began.

Pleasant Journeys and Good Eats Along the Way  An exhibition of paintings by John Baeder July 11 Through October 26, 2008
Asheville Art Museum,  2 South Pack Square, Asheville, North Carolina  Phone (828) 253-3227
This traveling exhibition, organized by the Morris Museum of Art, includes oils and watercolors by John Baeder from the past thirty years, with emphasis on his affectionate documentation of roadside architecture.

Diners: Still Cookin' in the 21st Century  Through June 2008
Culinary Archives & Museum, Johnson & Wales University, 315 Harborside Boulevard, Providence, RI  Directions and admission information
Richard J. S. Gutman, diner historian and author of American Diner Then and Now has assembled an impressive collection recounting the history of the American diner.

Howard Johnson's: The Flavor of America   Exhibit at Quincy Historical Society
Adams Academy Building, 8 Adams St, Quincy, MA  Phone (617) 773-1144 
(Museum hours are 9 AM to 4 PM weekdays; please call for weekend hours)
As part of a larger exhibit on Quincy history, Quincy pays tribute to native son Howard Johnson, founder of the classic orange-roofed restaurant and lodging chain. Exhibit features videos of old Ho Jo commercials.

About RoadsideFans: RoadsideFans was founded on May 26, 2001 as an e-mail group for fans of the great American roadside. The RoadsideFans web site went online in the fall of that year. RoadsideFans has always been an independent entity with no connection to any other business, group, organization, or web site, including those with "Roadside" as part of their name. For more information about RoadsideFans and the various influences that shaped it, read The Story of RoadsideFan Number 5501

RoadsideFans content is geared primarily for enthusiasts and is not intended as information on purchasing or operating diners or other roadside businesses. RoadsideFans has no involvement in the sale or transfer of roadside properties. Any mention of places for sale on this web site is made in the hopes that good places find good owners.

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Last updated 7/12/2008. All contents of this site copyright 2001 - 2008 by Glenn Wells. Web page started in 2001 by Ray Milstrey.