Family Roadtrip - Day 7 - Rails To Wails in Foley, Alabama

Day 7 of our family roadtrip took us to Foley, Alabama, home of the Foley Railroad Museum. The brochure suggested it was "Fun For All Ages" and they were right. It can also be described with my favorite f-word: FREE!


Outside, our grandkids loved the free miniature train ride around the block. Inside, they were fascinated by the 60 'x 24' "O" gauge train layout. Multiple trains traversed the quarter-mile of track that meandered through a 1950's era city (including a building that has been on fire for 4 1/2 years) and surrounding countryside (including drive-in theater, circus and a hobo camp). The entire museum, with the exception of the gift shop lady, is run by the Caboose Club - old guys with a love for trains who volunteer their time. Per the brochure, it took 6000 hours of volunteer labor to construct the 1440 square foot indoor train layout. You can check it out at:

http://www.foleyrailroadmuseum.com/

As we were waiting for the miniature train to come back around the block so my grandkids could get on, I struck up a conversation with the conductor. From him I learned that the Railroad Museum is not the only nostalgic attraction in Foley. Barely a block away, said the conductor, was Stacey Rexall Drugs & Old Tyme Soda Fountain. Since it was time for lunch, why not grab something at the Rexall and show the kids and grandkids a part of my childhood? I thought to myself.

We got to the Rexall early and ordered lunch. Burgers & cokes for the adults and peanut butter & jelly sandwiches & lemonade for my grandson and granddaughter, ages 4 & 2. As we waited for our food, I noticed that the Caboose Club was not the only club in town. Stacy Rexall Drug was home to the Curmudgeon Club. As near as I could tell, members of the Curmudgeon Club shared 4 characteristics:

1. They were old

2. They were male

3. They liked coffee, and

4. They all had a white ball cap that said “Curmudgeon Club” on the front which entitled them to 10 cent coffee at Stacy Rexall Drug.

When members of the Curmudgeon Club pass on to the Old Tyme Soda Fountain in the sky, their hats are hung along the wall with their name, date of birth and the date they quit drinking coffee for good.

As I was savoring the nostalgia that oozed from every pore of the old business, our food order arrived. That was when things went down hill.   When advised he would be sharing a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and lemonade with his two-year-old sister, my four-year-old grandson said something to the effect of “I don’t LIKE sharing!” For effect, he flipped the plate holding the PB & J sandwich upside down. Shortly thereafter he was escorted, wailing, to the van for a serious conversation about merits of sharing.

Truth be known, I’m not a big fan of sharing my lemonade with a two-year-old either. I think it has something to do with the fact that they can drink for 2 minutes and the glass has more in it when they finish than when they started.

If you make it to L.A. (lower Alabama), I highly recommend the Foley Railroad Museum and Stacy Rexall Drug as budget-friendly, family-friendly stops.   Jerry Seinfeld once said “there is no such thing as fun for the whole family”.  Foley, Alabama might have a legitimate beef with that statement.