Gene’s Country Store

Gene’s Country Store is great.
Before reading this review, there’s something you should know about me. I love taking the back roads when traveling and I love stopping at small country stores. When I took my kids to Global Wildlife recently this store was right by a turn and I knew I had to stop. Since we were in a hurry to make a certain tour, I executed a verbal contract with my children and had them agree to allow me to stop after our tour.
Gene’s is a typical country gas station. Outside are two old style pumps. If you have only pumped fuel in an urban environment, you may not know how to use that type of pump. Just remember that the handle is on the side, and the piece that holds it in place must be rotated towards you to activate the pump.
Inside the store is small, but has a large variety of goods. Since it is probably the nearest store to many people, there was a good selection of household items as well as traditional convenience store products. But none of that interested me when I saw what was in the coolers.
Along the far side wall were coolers stocked with smoked sausage, hogs head cheese, tasso and stuffed chickens. I was woefully unprepared since I didn’t have a cooler, but lucked out when I saw a Styrofoam cooler for sale. IO picked up sausage, tasso and a block of hogs head cheese and the cashier through in the ice for free. The sausage and tasso became part of a spectacular chicken, sausage and tasso gumbo and I haven’t yet tried the head cheese.
The lady working the counter was very friendly and helpful. She was also very observant since despite our best efforts to blend in, she knew we weren’t locals. At some country stores that would have been a negative, but not here. She treated us like we were members of her family.
If you happen to be in the area, I highly recommend this country store.