Kelly Kazek’s Odd Travels: 10 of the South’s oldest soda fountains

Our fascination with soda fountains stems from many things: They are uniquely American, they recall a simpler, bygone time and they provide the good, old-fashioned fun of enjoying ice cream treats with friends. There’s just something about watching ice cream scooped out and piled high – and topped with nuts or whipped cream or malt – that is more exciting than buying it in a carton in a store.

A unique feature of soda fountains is that they were typically paired with pharmacies – at least in their earliest years. Why is that? Ellison Place Soda Shop in Nashville offers this piece of history: “Soda fountains originated in corner pharmacies, where pharmacists – with knowledge of science – would dispense soothing tonics that became tasty treats. Over time, the servers became known as soda jerks for the dramatic flair in the way they pulled on the soda handles and flipped scoops of ice cream.”

Many “sodas” themselves, including Coca-Cola, Dr Pepper and Pepsi, were developed by pharmacists who were experimenting with ways to help soothe stomach and other ailments. Adding ice cream was, well, just ice cream on the float.

A number of old-timey soda fountains still exist – the kind with marble bar tops and sundae glasses that serve thick shakes, malteds and, in some cases, even egg creams.

We found some across the South, most more than 100 years old, that are definitely worth a visit.

Borroum’s Drug Store and Soda Fountain

604 E Waldron Street, Corinth MS

In 1865, Dr. Jack Borroum, a Civil War veteran, opened a drug store for both wholesale and retail sales in Corinth. It is now Mississippi’s oldest continuously operating pharmacy and soda fountain.

Today, Borroum’s is still operated by the family, the website says. “The old soda fountain is still very much in the center of things and is kept in perfect operation …. It has everything from real malted milk to their famous ice cream sodas. Of course, there are the cherry phosphates and genuine old-fashioned cokes.”

Brent’s Drugs

655 Duling Avenue, Jackson MS

Brent’s Drugs in Jackson opened in 1946 and still features the same soda fountain. The website says: “The large dining space was renovated in 2014 but has kept its charm with stainless steel accents and bright teal banquettes, stools and chairs. Large windows let people see everything going on inside under an orange neon sign.”

These days, Brent’s serves up “ice cream favorites and diner comfort foods.”

Elliston Place Soda Shop

2105 Elliston Place, Nashville TN

“We’re one part soda shop, one part meat-and-three, and one hundred percent bona fide Southern eatery. In the 85 years since, we’ve made a name for ourselves by treating people like family, and treating them to the best stick-to-your-ribs comfort food around” — so says the Elliston Place website. In 1939, 23-year-old Lynn Chandler opened the soda fountain business in Elliston Pharmacy and it continues to be a popular eatery today.

Fort Davis Drug Store & Hotel

111 North State St, Fort Davis TX

The Fort Davis Drug Store & Hotel is unique among soda fountains. The store opened in 1913 inside the Hotel Limpia. “In 1950, the business was moved across the street to where it is today,” its website says. “It’s still got a red-topped 22-foot-long soda fountain and still operates as a hotel. A wooden exterior facade and Mission-style dark wood booths inside give it a Western feel.”

Inside, visitors can get homestyle cooking, vintage soda and ice cream treats, or book one of six hotel rooms for a stay in historic Fort Davis.

La King’s Confectionary and Ice Cream Parlour

2323 The Strand, Galveston TX

In 1927, Jimmy King began making candy in Houston; his eldest son, Jack, moved the operation to Galveston in 1976. Using the 19th-century formulas and methods handed down to him, Jack still uses “traditional equipment and procedures to make confections,” the website says, adding, “La King’s features a working 1920’s soda fountain serving malts, shakes, ice cream sodas, sundaes, splits, floats and your favorite fountain treats.” It serves Purity ice cream, which was the first ice cream maker in Texas, founded in 1889 on Galveston Island.

Leopold’s Ice Cream Shop

212 East Broughton Street, Savannah GA

Leopold’s Ice Cream Shop was founded in 1919 by three brothers from Greece: George, Peter and Basil Leopold. The brothers brought their secret formulas with them and created their beloved ice cream.

“Generations of Savannahians have loved Leopold’s Ice Cream…Locals still talk about the malts, milkshakes, black and white sodas, and banana splits served by the soda jerks who worked at Leopold’s. Leopold’s ice cream and sherbet molds were a holiday highlight in Savannah’s finest clubs and the shop was always a popular destination after concerts, dances, and high school sporting events,” the website said.

Savannah’s own Johnny Mercer, a well-known songwriter, grew up a block away from Leopold’s and worked at the shop as a boy, according to the website.

Payne’s Sandwich Shop & Soda Fountain

101 East Laurel Street, Scottsboro AL

Payne’s is Alabama’s oldest soda fountain, opening in 1869 when pharmacist W.H. Payne near the railroad tracks. According to AL.com’s Bob Carlton, “Payne’s settled into its current spot across from the Jackson County Courthouse in 1891.” In 1939, an addition made it “the largest soda fountain ever in this county,” the local newspaper said at the time. The pharmacy closed more than 30 years ago, but “the soda fountain lives on in all its retro glory – from the vintage advertising signs to the black-and-white checkerboard floor,” Carlton said. It is now operated by the mother-daughter team, Lisa Garrett and Jessica Walton.

The Pickwick Pharmacy Soda Fountain

3219 Augusta Street, Greenville, SC

The Pickwick has been run by the Odom family for three generations and is celebrating more than 75 years in the business. The soda shop inside, which seats about 50, is currently operated by Pink Mama’s Ice Cream. The shop serves “sandwiches, shakes and malts, fresh-squeezed orangeade and lemonade, hotdogs and chili dogs, 20 flavors of ice cream, and cherry and vanilla cokes served from a 1949 soda fountain,” the website says.

Timberlake’s Drug Store and Soda Fountain

322 E Main Street, Charlottesville VA

Timberlake’s, a pharmacy and soda fountain, says on its Facebook page: “The menu of ‘Mr.’ Sandwiches (Mr. Tom, Mr. George, and Mr. Ham, among others) includes egg, tuna, and chicken salad, but you’ll also find old-fashioned malted milkshakes and ice cream sundaes. You really can’t lose when perched on a red leather stool in an establishment that’s been a local favorite since 1917.”

Trowbridge’s Ice Cream and Sandwich Shop

316 North Court Street, Florence AL

Trowbridge’s Creamery was opened in 1918 by dairy farmer Paul Trowbridge on North Court Street. “The shop is not only still in the same location, but it also remains in the same family,” says Bob Carlton of AL.com. It is currently owned by Pam Trowbridge, the great-granddaughter of Paul Trowbridge. Trowbridge’s signature flavor is orange-pineapple, which the Alabama Tourism Department has featured on its list of100 Dishes to Eat in Alabama.

BONUS: Goolrick’s Pharmacy & Soda Fountain

901 Caroline Street, Fredericksburg VA

UNDER RENOVATION

Goolrick’s Pharmacy & Soda Fountain opened in 1897 in Fredericksburg, Va. This well-known store, known as “America’s Longest Continuously Operated Soda Fountain,” is expected to reopen in 2025 for “125+ more years of egg salad and bacon sandwiches and magnificent milkshakes!”

You can follow along with the renovation with video episodes on the website.