8 Old-Time Tennessee Country Stores Where You Fill A Cooler And Eat Lunch For Under $8
The screen door slapped shut behind me somewhere on a two-lane Tennessee highway, and twenty minutes later I walked out with a fried bologna sandwich, a glass bottle of soda, and change still in my pocket. Country stores like that one are still scattered across the state, most of them on roads you would only find by taking the long way home.
They feed you cheap at a deli counter, then let you load a cooler with lunch meat, cheese, homemade chips, and pie for the drive. Here are eight of them worth planning a Saturday around, each one different from the last.
1. Sutton General Store, Granville, TN
Pinto beans, turnip greens, and a wedge of cornbread for about $7. That plate is the reason a lot of folks make the turn off the highway into Granville, a tiny Cumberland River village in Jackson County roughly an hour and a half east of Nashville.
Inside, the shelves lean hard into nostalgia: Bazooka bubble gum, Tootsie Rolls, root beer barrels, Moon Pies, and old-fashioned bottled sodas lined up next to memorabilia and everyday country-store necessities. Breakfast and lunch both come out of the same kitchen, and the room manages to feel current and vintage at once.
There is a small museum attached, plus town tour tickets sold for around $7 if you want to stretch the visit into a half-day. Everything in Granville sits within walking distance, so parking once is enough.
Hours matter here. Wednesday through Friday it opens 8:30 AM to 4 PM, and Saturday runs long, 8:30 AM to 8:30 PM.
Saturday midday is the crowd; weekday mornings are calm. Closed Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, so call ahead at 931-653-4151 before you drive.
2. Forbus General Store, Pall Mall, TN
Red and white checkered tablecloths, a wood-burning fireplace, and shelves of old-fashioned toys. Forbus sits on North York Highway in Pall Mall, deep in Fentress County near the Wolf River, and it has the unhurried feel of a place where everyone walking through the door already knows everyone sitting down.
Lunch is straightforward and cheap: fresh hamburgers, sandwiches with a side, and the fried bologna sandwich that keeps regulars loyal. Milkshakes, sundaes, banana splits, banana pudding, and pecan pie handle dessert.
Daily menus rotate, so what came out of the kitchen last Tuesday may not be there this Tuesday.
For the cooler, this is fudge country. Homemade fudge in several flavors sits alongside old-time snacks, candies, drinks, and a wall of gift and home goods you can browse while your burger cooks.
Doors open early, 6 AM to 5 PM Monday through Saturday, closed Sunday. Parking is free in the lot and on the street, and there is free wi-fi.
Saturdays draw the biggest crowd; Tuesday and Thursday mornings are the quietest windows.
3. Shore’s Country Store, Blountville, TN
Small building, short menu, long memory. Shore’s sits right on Route 75 in Blountville, one of the oldest communities in Northeast Tennessee, and it does exactly one thing: honest deli lunch at prices that have not caught up with the rest of the world.
Ask around the Tri-Cities and the fried bologna sandwich here gets named first. Hot dogs and ham sandwiches hold up just as well, and the homemade macaroni salad tends to sell out before closing, which tells you plenty.
Because it is a country store with a deli rather than a restaurant, you can grab cold drinks and takeaway sides on the same trip. A tub of that macaroni salad plus sandwiches wrapped to go turns a $6 lunch into a full cooler for a day at Bays Mountain or Warriors’ Path.
Plan carefully, though: it opens 10 AM to 5 PM Monday through Wednesday, 10 AM to 4 PM Thursday, 10 AM to 3 PM Saturday, and stays closed Friday and Sunday. Parking is free in the lot and along the street.
Seating is limited, so many people order and go.
4. Country View Market, Charlotte, TN
If your goal is a cooler packed properly, start here. Country View Market stands along Highway 48 North in rural Dickson County outside Charlotte, about 45 minutes west of Nashville, and it is built for exactly this kind of errand.
The deli counter slices quality lunch meats and cheeses at prices that make packing your own lunch feel smart again. Sandwiches are made to order and come out fresh, soups round out cold-weather visits, and there is outdoor seating if you would rather eat on-site than in the car.
Beyond the counter, bins of bulk dried foods and bulk snack items line the aisles. Add dips, jerky, fried pies, bakery goods, and good produce, and you have breakfast, lunch, and road snacks handled in one stop.
Practical notes: open 8:30 AM to 7 PM Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM Saturday, closed Sunday. There is a restroom and on-site parking.
Saturday midday brings the rush, while Wednesday evening is about as quiet as it gets. Prices on bulk goods can shift with season and supply.
5. The Country Cupboard, Crossville, TN
Milk in glass bottles with the cream still on top. Small detail, but it tells you what kind of store The Country Cupboard is, sitting on West Avenue in Crossville up on the Cumberland Plateau, halfway between Nashville and Knoxville off I-40.
The sandwich counter turns out fresh, homemade sandwiches, including a fried bologna version that regulars order without looking at the board. Soft serve handles dessert duty in warm months.
Deli meats and cheeses come in a large, reasonably priced selection, and much of the stock leans toward Amish-made food items.
For the cooler: artisan cheese dips, fresh dairy of all kinds, homemade pies, breads, baked goods, jerky, chocolate, and a wide assortment of jams and preserves. Spices and baking ingredients fill another corner, along with some homewares.
Hours run 9 AM to 4:30 PM Tuesday through Friday and 9 AM to 4 PM Saturday, closed Sunday and Monday. Takeout, dine-in, and in-store pickup are all available, parking is free, and Tuesday or Wednesday morning is the calmest time to browse without elbowing anyone.
6. Yoder’s Country Market, Bulls Gap, TN
Homemade potato chips, bagged fresh, sold beside a deli counter that moves fast at noon. Yoder’s sits on West Andrew Johnson Highway in Bulls Gap, an old railroad town in Hawkins County about 45 minutes northeast of Knoxville.
The ham sandwich lunch special is the standard order, and country ham sandwiches, bologna salad, and pimento cheese round out the counter. Mini wheat loaves, a bag of those chips, a fried turnover, and a soft drink make a full lunch that stays comfortably in single digits.
Cooler duty is where the store really earns its place on the list. Bulk deli meats and cheeses, bakery goods, locally sourced items, prepared foods, and ready-to-go desserts fill the aisles, so you can shop for the week and for the afternoon at the same time.
Open 8:30 AM to 5 PM Monday through Wednesday and Saturday, 8:30 AM to 6 PM Thursday and Friday, closed Sunday. Restroom on-site, free lot parking.
Afternoons on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday get busy, so aim for a Thursday or Friday evening if you want room to browse.
7. The Country Porch, Monterey, TN
Getting there is half of it. The Country Porch sits on Muddy Pond Road in the farming hills above Monterey, and the drive out winds through some of the prettiest ridge country on the Plateau, especially in October when the hardwoods turn.
Inside, the deli slices meat fresh and builds sandwiches to order, hot or cold, at prices that stay inexpensive by any standard. Breakfast sandwiches and donuts come out in the morning, pizza and bakery goods fill the rest of the day, and the whole operation runs clean and friendly.
Families get a real advantage here: there is an outdoor eating pavilion and a playground, so kids can burn energy while the adults finish lunch. That combination is rare at a country store.
Shopping covers bulk pantry items, baked goods, and takeaway picnic supplies, which makes cooler-loading easy before heading toward Cumberland Mountain State Park or Muddy Pond’s other farm stops.
Hours are 8 AM to 5 PM Monday through Saturday, closed Sunday. Weekday mornings are quiet; Saturday midday is not.
Call 931-445-7370 if you are driving far.
8. Depot Bottom Old Country Store, McMinnville, TN
A posted price range of $1 to $10 per person is not something you see often anymore. Depot Bottom Old Country Store keeps that promise on Bridge Street in McMinnville’s historic depot district, an easy 80-minute run from Nashville or Chattanooga.
Old-fashioned southern cooking is the whole idea. The club sandwich pairs with homemade sweet and spicy coleslaw, the chicken salad has a following, and the Reuben gets ordered by people who drove in specifically for it.
Coffee is strong, the tea selection is broad, and dessert is taken seriously.
Cooler shoppers can carry out tubs of that chicken salad and coleslaw plus cold drinks, which travel well to Rock Island State Park or Cumberland Caverns nearby.
Atmosphere is casual, cozy, and genuinely historic, with table service, indoor seating, and outdoor seating. It is good for kids and works fine for groups or a solo lunch at the counter.
The catch is the schedule: 7 AM to 2 PM Monday through Friday only, closed both Saturday and Sunday. Free lot and street parking, restroom on-site, and service moves quickly.