Daniel Mercer

Plenty of roadside stops promise charm, but this Amish grocery store in Wisconsin offers the kind that feels…

By Daniel Mercer · Jun 30

If you are serious about seafood, Las Vegas is the place you’ll fall in love with. There are…

By Daniel Mercer · Jun 30

Mornings can be difficult but not when you have something to look forward to. Arkansas has a charming…

By Daniel Mercer · Jun 29

Maybe making a drive across the state for a steak might sound like a ridiculous idea at first.…

By Daniel Mercer · Jun 29

Certain meals do not need a fancy setup to make a point. They just need a hot grill,…

By Daniel Mercer · Jun 28

It seems like the only thing that gets us through the week are those plans we have on…

By Daniel Mercer · Jun 28

Before the question of “to be or not to be?”, there was another, slightly more pressing one. What…

By Daniel Mercer · Jun 27

What makes a restaurant stick in your head long after the plate is cleared? The biscuit, the smoke,…

By Daniel Mercer · Jun 27

What kind of pizza shop makes you pause and ask if pasta just stole the spotlight? That question…

By Daniel Mercer · Jun 26

In Texas, stake is a serious business. So if a local points you to a steakhouse, don’t ask…

By Daniel Mercer · Jun 26

You know that feeling when a humble sandwich suddenly turns into the only thing you can think about…

By Daniel Mercer · Jun 25

Georgia has always understood that a good meal is not just fuel. It is a reason to slow…

By Daniel Mercer · Jun 25

There are places you visit for a quick meal, and then there are places that pull you in…

By Daniel Mercer · Jun 24

What happens when a 600-pound ceramic smoker, a Vietnamese mother’s pho recipe, and two brothers with no formal…

By Daniel Mercer · Jun 24

Free children’s books wait near the entrance. The ice cream is made in-house. A Kentucky dessert shop sits…

By Daniel Mercer · Jun 23

A 110-foot waterfall sits less than five minutes from an interstate exit in Tennessee and most people drive…

By Daniel Mercer · Jun 23

Alaska has been running this riverside spot seasonally for years and the visitors who find it during a…

By Daniel Mercer · Jun 23

A California strawberry farm right off the coastal highway has been certified organic since 1983 and the berries…

By Daniel Mercer · Jun 22

The secret batter recipe at this Tennessee fried chicken spot has never been written down for anyone outside…

By Daniel Mercer · Jun 22

A family-owned Mexican restaurant in Colorado has been making its green chile from scratch every single day since…

By Daniel Mercer · Jun 22

Kentucky’s largest indoor flea market opens every Saturday and Sunday and the parking lot fills up before most…

By Daniel Mercer · Jun 21

A steakhouse on a Colorado main street has been feeding hungry people since 2005 and the elk burger…

By Daniel Mercer · Jun 21

The food here tastes homemade because it is. Illinois keeps this one on a roadside stretch and most…

By Daniel Mercer · Jun 20

Finding a great Italian meal in a strip mall is not something most people expect. This Washington State…

By Daniel Mercer · Jun 20

Oregon puts good seafood everywhere along the coast. This waterfront restaurant on the Historic Bayfront takes it somewhere…

By Daniel Mercer · Jun 20

A neon parrot has been glowing along an Indiana highway since 1952 and it has never once stopped…

By Daniel Mercer · Jun 19

A crabhouse in North Carolina puts brown paper on the tables and hands you a mallet before you…

By Daniel Mercer · Jun 19

Wood smoke hits you before you even reach the front door. That is the first sign this is…

By Daniel Mercer · Jun 19

A North Carolina burger spot that opened in late 2024 already has locals acting like it belongs only…

By Daniel Mercer · Jun 18

Pennsylvania does not advertise itself very loudly, which is exactly why it keeps catching people off guard. The…

By Daniel Mercer · Jun 18

A pizza restaurant in Indiana sends your order to the table by toy train. It has been doing…

By Daniel Mercer · Jun 18

A small bakery in rural Kansas has been quietly earning one of the most devoted followings in the…

By Daniel Mercer · Jun 17

After a full day hiking through one of Ohio’s most dramatic landscapes, the last thing anyone wants is…

By Daniel Mercer · Jun 17

This Virginia buffet is the kind of place that makes people skip meal prep for the entire week.…

By Daniel Mercer · Jun 17

Pennsylvania summer has a ritual that people in Lancaster County do not miss, and visitors who discover it…

By Daniel Mercer · Jun 16

Two ferry rides, no cars, no bikes, and a stretch of white sand beach that most people in…

By Daniel Mercer · Jun 16

Not every historic village in New England has actually survived. This one in New Hampshire has, and it…

By Daniel Mercer · Jun 16

Oklahoma does not always get credit for its extraordinary finds, and this one in the heart of a…

By Daniel Mercer · Jun 15

Real home cooking is harder to find than it should be. North Carolina has a place that still…

By Daniel Mercer · Jun 15