Tylar Sutton
When Jennifer McCrae was a teenager, she began working at the Woody’s Root Beer Stand in Canton, owned by Marcia Stinson since 1979. Over 30 years later, Jennifer is back at Woody’s — she became an owner this April and has kept the recipes the same to preserve the stand’s legacy.
“When I came back, it was kind of like no time has passed,” says Jennifer, who owns Woody’s with her husband, Gary. “She maintained the integrity of everything all those years.”
Stinson started selling ice cream within 10 years of the stand’s opening, and now, about half of the ice cream sold makes up an integral part of one of the most popular items — a root beer float.
The age-old root beer recipe has more sugar than most other root beers. It is made on-site, where Gary stirs a vat filled with sugar and the same syrup that has always been used. That mixes with Wallace Foods premium vanilla ice cream, which is creamier than your standard store-bought cartons and complements the root beer poured over it so well that some customers come several times a week for the 14-ounce one-scoop ($3.75) or 20-ounce two-scoop ($4.50) floats.
“Having the extra buttercream inside your ice cream kind of gives it that nice, smooth taste,” Gary says, “with a touch of carbonation and that sweet root beer. It’s buttery and sweet.”
“It’s just so refreshing, especially when it’s hot out,” Jennifer adds. “You get a little sugar rush.”
Savor that classic taste in one of the 24 parking spaces, as a carhop delivers your food and a nostalgic experience at the spot that’s been a drive-in since the beginning and is open through September.
“It’s definitely a landmark in Canton,” Jennifer says. “People who grew up in Canton, when they think about coming back home, it’s one of those places that they have to come and visit.” 2303 Fulton Road NW, Canton, facebook.com/woodystherootbeerstand
Another Drinkable Delight
Milk & Honey Ice Cream
Try This: Phosphate, ($2.68). Milk & Honey has made this classic soda-style drink in flavors like cherry, lime and chocolate since 1962. “We have an old-fashioned soda fountain,” says owner Dwayne Cornell. “It’s unique.” 3400 Cleveland Ave. NW, Canton, milkandhoneyshoppes.com
