Whistle Stop at The American Cafe

About

Full service Restaurant by SRT & Main St. A DESTINATION POINT since 1945! Rennovated in 2014 with OUTDOOR ROOFTOP DINING! CABOOSE! FIREPLACES & LIVE MUSIC!

Story

The Whistle Stop at The American Cafe-- now known to most as The Whistle Stop Café, is the oldest Café in Travelers Rest. Owned by the same family for almost 70 years, it was totally restored and remodeled in 2013, and reopened in Jan. 2014. The original Café still stands, with the counter and barstools that were built in 1932! An adjoining building that was originally a grocery store, and then a body shop, had been used for storage for 40 years. One of the walls that had once been the exterior wall of the Café, still boasts the original "Pepsi" advertisement! Now transformed into a more upscale dining room with a fireplace, the Whistle Stop Cafe has once again become a destination spot for travelers going north and south, wanting to pause to enjoy delicious food, and a walk down memory lane; of course, it remains a landmark which still welcomes the locals! There is a new "Caboose Express," where bicyclists and other trail users can order their food and take it up to "Victoria Station,"-- the outdoor rooftop dining area which sports another rock fireplace and overlooks both the trail below, and the quaint little Methodist Church, built in the late 1800's! The overall theme of the Café is, "The Three Modes of Travel that made Travelers Rest Famous": the covered wagon in the 1700's; the steam train in the 1800's; and the bicycle today! Relics from all three eras will greet all who enter! However, most memorabilia and décor represent the steam train era for which this café, as an ORIGINAL WHISTLE STOP, was named! Five generations have sat at these same stools, spinning and eating the hotdogs which made the Café famous! We at The Whistle Stop Café cheered Travelers Rest on in its quest for the title of 'The Coolest Small Town in America"---for which we FINISHED IN FOURTH PLACE!!! Congratulations, Travelers Rest! Come join us for a unique experience! A steam engine and steam train smoker will greet you in the parking lot! All aboard for a trip down memory lane!!! Thanks, Y'all!!

Impressum

The Whistle Stop at the American Cafe (DBA) "The Whistle Stop Cafe" is owned by Vickie Vernon Hawkins, representing the third generation of the Styles family. Purchased by her grandfather, Troy, Sr., in 1945, it is celebrating its 70th birthday this year (2015)! Troy, Sr., ran it until forced into semi-retirement by a heart attack in the mid-1960's, when he and his wife, Lillian, continued to make their homemade pies! Troy, Jr., then ran it for 45 years until his retirement in 2009. Upon his death in 2013, this oldest cafe in the upstate was purchased by Vickie Hawkins, and restored to its present day state by Vickie, and Craig Sikkelee, owner of Signature, llc.