Stripling’s General Store

About halfway between Cordele and Albany on GA 300 sits Stripling’s Country Store.  While returning from Atlanta we stopped to fuel up and grab a snack.  People swarmed the gas pumps and the parking spaces out front were packed with cars from Georgia, Florida, Alabama and Mississippi.

The large brick building proudly declared “You never sausage such a place,” and due to love of puns Stripling’s was quickly in my good graces.  Entering the front door we were greeted by a smiling cashier as she rung up a customer purchasing several t-shirts.

The sausages at Stripling’s are located on a revolving electric cooker to the right of the front doors.  The racks were full of glistening meat sleeves dripping orange grease onto several paper towels spread underneath.  A small sign indicated the sausages would be ready at 1:50 p.m. and we wandered around the store to fill the seven minute wait.

Stripling’s sells a wide variety of meats at the full service butcher counter, hoop cheese, jams, jellies, other jarred goodies, and desserts. The sausage stuffed pork chops, steaks, and thick cut country-style bacon all looked delicious. Stripling’s also sells  t-shirts, groceries, frozen items and other convenience store staples.

We arrived back at the sausage machine just as the last seconds ticked off the clock. I grabbed the set of metal tongs, deftly plucked four sausage dogs from the carousel and slid them into fresh hot dog buns. Condiments were limited to either ketchup or mustard.  I topped mine and Becky’s with mustard while the kids opted for ketchup. Instead of putting the mustard/ketchup on top of the sausage I put it directly onto the bread to cut down on leakage. Several drinks from their coolers completed our haul and we were back on the road within minutes.

As we pulled out of the parking lot our car experienced a phenomenon not often experienced while traveling with two small children, silence. Mason and Miss Julia happily ate their sausages without a peep.  Becky and I were just as quiet as we savored some South Georgia road food.  The sausage was juicy with a little bit of a kick and cooked perfectly.  While there are other places to stop and top off your tank, the sausage dogs at Stripling’s are delicious and well worth a stop.

Stripling’s is open seven days a week from 7:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.  The store can be found online striplings.com and can be contacted by telephone at (229) 535-6561.

Sweet Tea & Bourbon’s Rating:
Atmosphere: A
Taste: A
Presentation: A
Service: A
Cleanliness: A
Price: $