Brooks Shaw’s Old Country Store and Casey Jones Village Is a Must-See in Jackson

On your road trip across Tennessee, Brooks Shaw’s Old Country Store in Jackson is the perfect place to stop for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Nestled in the heart of Casey Jones Village, you’ll experience the best of Southern soul food in a warm and inviting turn-of-the century-style general store. The bell of railroad Engine 382 echoes across time and history abounds at every turn in this village that honors the real-life hero of railroad engineer Casey Jones.

Old Country Store Features Tasty Meal Options

The Old Country Store is a three-generation, family-owned business filled with Southern hospitality and charm. The restaurant is legendary for its buffet featuring 14 to 15 vegetables daily, along with eight meats for lunch and 10 meats for dinner. Savor those Southern favorites like collard greens and white beans, beef liver and onions, mac and cheese, fried chicken and catfish, pulled pork, ribs and smoked barbecue bologna. Their ancestor’s famous cracklin’ cornbread is cooked on the griddle right in the middle of the buffet. You’ll be tempted to go back for more! Homemade soups, desserts like blackberry and peach cobbler, and an extensive salad bar complete the buffet. The cooks and staff are as dedicated as family, many serving the restaurant for 20+ years.

The Delta Room, for additional dining, highlights music from the region, and showcases art by a local Memphis artist. In perfect planning, the buffets exit through Miss Anne’s Ice Cream Shoppe, named after Brooks’ grandmother. Sit up at the long counter for a scoop of Blue Bell ice cream and admire the crown jewel of the Ice Cream Shoppe – the antique 1880s ice-cream soda fountain, one of only three of its kind in existence. The ice cream shop is flanked by an old-time nostalgic candy section and a dedicated toy section. Kids are invited to play with the toys, and grandparents may find that perfect gift reminiscent of their childhood, like older model die cast cars, trains, Raggedy Ann dolls, Tiddlywinks and jacks.

Adjacent to the ice cream shoppe is the Dixie Café, offering the same food, but serving plate lunches instead of a buffet menu. Exemplifying the giving spirit of the family, the Dixie Café mainly employs people who need a second chance, recovering from sex trafficking, addiction and homelessness. A drive-through section will be added soon. Enjoy breakfast served Monday through Thursday in the Dixie Café, or the mouthwatering breakfast buffet Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Gifts Galore at Brooks Shaw’s Old Country Store Shop

The 3,000 square-foot gift store is a labor of love to store owner and CEO, Juanita Shaw, Brooks’ mother. Filled with jams, jellies, jewelry, T-shirts, sweatshirts, branded memorabilia and Tennessee products, there are also plans to add more interactive museum history displays, preserving the past and showing what life was like. A moonshine still autographed by Popcorn Sutton hangs from the ceiling, and other antiques and collectibles decorate the store.

Brooks Shaw, grandson and namesake of the founder, is passionate about their role as local landmark and purveyor of memories and experiences. What began as a place to store a few antiques back in 1965, grew into a lunch counter, then a restaurant, and is now the anchor of an historic village.

Casey Jones Museum in Jackson Is Full of History

Saving the Casey Jones Museum from financial ruin, Brooks’ father, Clark Shaw, partnered with the City of Jackson in 1978 to move the museum and Engine 382 replica from downtown to the site surrounding his relocated Old General Store, and established Casey Jones Village. Over the years, the family has relocated about a dozen historic buildings and train cars to their village site, turning Casey Jones Village into a true destination. Browse through the museum, art gallery, Airbnbs, pre-Civil War event venue, 100-year-old chapel, a small farm, and a Tesla charging station. There is something new to experience for tourists and locals alike.

Plan a stop in Jackson on your next trip between Memphis and Nashville, whether to experience the region’s best buffet, an ice cream soda or a nostalgic step back in time.