the cracker barrel tradition.

As I child, I remember walking into Cracker Barrel and being completely awestruck. I wanted every single thing the gift shop had to offer. The candy section sent me into a bout of sweet euphoria and it was music to my ears when my parents told me I could pick out a handful of candy sticks for the impending ride. We have always stopped at Cracker Barrel on the first leg of a road trip. As a matter of fact, we have met family members at Cracker Barrels around the state for various occasions for years and years. The thing about Cracker Barrel is that there's nothing really special about it, but that's what makes it so great. The rocking chairs. The giant checkers. The pegboard game. The biscuits. The hodge podge of gifts packed into the entrance. The smell. It always smells the same.

We haven't gone on a true family vacation since the summer of 2007, so we were all giddy when this impromptu opportunity came up. And you better believe that Cracker Barrel was one of our very first stops along the way! There are no surprises with Cracker Barrel. You know exactly what you're going to get as you walk up to porch and see the line of rocking chairs. It was almost as if our road trip didn't truly start until we pulled up to Cracker Barrel and ate a hot breakfast.