I am lucky enough (or maybe just old) to remember eating at soda fountains when I was younger. Between the soda fountain in a local drug store and the lunch counter/fountain in a discount store where my grandmother had worked, I have wonderful memories of sitting on a stool eating ice cream or drinking a soda pop.
Although old-fashioned soda fountains are not as plentiful as they once were, they can still be found today. Yes, there are large chain restaurants that play on the soda shop theme, but there are also small, locally owned soda fountains and ice cream shops. Some of them even use original soda fountain equipment from the soda fountains past…
One of these soda shops is Rockin’ Robin’s Soda Shoppe & Catering in Ripley, Ohio. The shop faces the Ohio River in the small town along Route 52 in southwestern Ohio between Portsmouth and Cincinnati. It is easy to get to from Route 32, the Appalachian Highway, between Williamsburg and Peeples.
They have traditional ice cream sodas, sandwiches, fries, phosphates, ice cream, and flavored colas among the many offerings. One of the more unusual (and tastiest) colas is their marshmallow cola.
Atlhough they do not have a website, they do have a Facebook page. Their address is Rockin’ Robin’s Soda Shoppe and Catering 8 N Front St, Ripley, OH 45167-1109.
The views and treats are worth a drive out of the way.
