Barns Brews & Back Roads

I know.. the title is a bit bawdy, but it’s an accurate description – read on!

To be completely honest, this was two separate trips but could have easily been one, and both trips were completed before I decided to start this blog.

Hot Dogs

In March I convinced Dave to drive to Anderson for the sole purpose of getting cans of root beer from Gene’s Root Beer and Hot Dogs (640 Scatterfield Rd., Anderson, IN). Nope, not for the actual root beer but for the cans. Why? Because Gene’s Root Beer and Hot Dogs is famous for the “Spanish Dog” and their logo is a dachshund in a hot dog outfit wearing a sombrero. And the bright orange root beer cans have the logo on them.

I might be slightly obsessed with all things dachshund ever since Mr. Pickles joined our family. BUT… this time my obsession turned out to be a great place to eat. Gene’s is a drive-in restaurant that has been in business since 1964, but instead of a typical drive-in “coney-dog” their specialty is a “Spanish-dog.” We pulled in to the American Graffiti era drive-in and were lucky because a car had just pulled out leaving ONE open parking space. The menu is mostly hot dogs with your choice of Spanish sauce, cheese, sauerkraut and/or bacon, but they also have cheeseburgers, polish sausages, chicken sandwiches and (of course) breaded tenderloin sandwiches. I’m not even sure if you’re a legitimate restaurant in Indiana if you don’t serve a breaded tenderloin sandwich.

The car hop came and took our order: 2 Spanish dogs, 1 French fry, 1 onion ring and two mugs of root beer. We drove just over an hour, I wasn’t about to get anything but the famous Spanish-dog. Let me start with the root beer – it is exceptional! I never know how to describe the taste of root beer, but Gene’s is creamy and maybe the flavor I’m trying to describe is actually just vanilla. Root beer is an interesting drink that is hard to describe because it has a wide variety of spices like sassafras, vanilla, wintergreen, anise, licorice and ginger as flavor options. The fries and onion rings were top notch – just like you’d expect from a true 60’s era drive-in. And finally the Spanish Dog – is it just coney sauce with a fancier name? No. It definitely has a different taste than you’re average coney sauce, but I also can’t explain why it’s different.

Was it worth the drive – 100% yes. Is the canned root beer as good as the frosty mug version? Sadly, no – but I’ve also heard people say to pour the canned root beer into a frozen mug and you regain the original taste. It was too chilly for ice cream in March, but they also have soft serve vanilla and chocolate and also root beer floats. Let me rephrase that, it was too cold in March for ME to get ice cream because the car across from us totally got 3 cones before we left.

Total Cost: Spanish Dog ($2.59/each) Fries ($2.75) Onion Rings ($3.25) Root Beer mug ($1.75) and 6-pack root beer cans ($10.49).

A short 12 minute trip south west will lead you to Uranus Fudge Factory (1423 W. 53rd, Anderson, IN). I’m going to need everyone to revert back to your 10 year old, back of the school bus jokes about poop to appreciate this unique candy store and “attraction.” I’ve stopped by 3-4 times while on the road, because it’s just off of I69 at exit 222.

When you walk in you are greeted by the entire staff shouting “Welcome to Uranus!” While they have just about every type of candy you can imagine, they are famous for their fudge. There are 18 different types of fudge and they even have sugar free fudge options. I have only sampled the chocolate fudge, which is their best seller, but it is top notch fudge! When you are purchasing fudge you will be asked “Do you want your fudge packed tight in a box, or loose in a bag?”

Besides tons of candy options, they also have novelty gifts and t-shirts. The gifts are themed around both Uranus and Route 66. The t-shirts are hilarious. They have just about every “occupation” with a cheeky (no butt pun intended – seriously) saying. For instance, the Uranus Fire Department shirt boasts “When Uranus is hot we come real quick!” As well as Uranus Trucking “Dropping big loads in Uranus since 2015!” Don’t worry they also have Uranus Police Department “to protect and serve Uranus.” Then the shirts start to get a little more – adult. Like Uranus Union Local #2 Plumbing Company, “laying quality pipe in Uranus since 2015.” Yeah…..

They have a lot of space and alien stuff too. I bought my favorite coffee mug there – a unicorn holding a rainbow saying “Shuh Duh Fuh Cup.” They also have a bearded cowboy mascot named Rex Uranus. As you’re checking out, if you’ve spent enough money they give you a free copy of Uranus News and ask you “Did you have fun exploring Uranus?”

That’s an old picture, from our first visit. There are several similar signs to take pictures with. Our last visit, just a few weeks ago, their ice cream shop was open. Uranus Ice Cream Company “One lick of Uranus and you’ll go nuts!” Okay let’s talk about the ice cream – it’s worth the trip alone if you don’t want fudge. I got raspberry chocolate chip in a waffle cone (because who eats ice cream in anything but a waffle cone?!?!?) and it was 5 out of 5 for sure! Dave got cherry chocolate chip (in a cup 🙄), which he let me sneak a bite and it was tasty too. I have a hard time picking ice cream because I love so many flavors and they had a lot of my favorites like birthday cake, mint chocolate chip, cookie dough, cookie monster… the list is long. They also have shakes, sundaes and some flavor combination specials.

And last but not least, they have a putt putt course – Putt Pirates Mini Golf “Sink your balls into our putt holes.” We skipped the putt putt, but it does look like a fun course.

There are two other Uranus Fudge Factories, the original in St. Robert, Missouri and the third one which just opened in December 2024 in Richmond, Indiana. I didn’t know about the one in Richmond until I started writing this blog – annnnnd now I’m going to have to go because it is now the largest Uranus Fudge Factory (15,000 square feet) and has a Uranus vortex tunnel, massive animated dinosaurs, 18 fudge flavors and 32 ice cream flavors. And, it actually straddles the state line between Indiana and Ohio. I’m not sure what the building used to be, but there is one of the giant, side of the interstate crosses on the property. Uranus restored the cross and re-lit it, interesting combo – a giant cross and Uranus.

https://www.uranusgeneralstore.com/

Circling back to the Spanish-dog – I accidentally found out a little more about the history of the Spanish-dog thanks to Dan Woeller – The Food Etymologist (https://dannwoellertthefoodetymologist.wordpress.com/2018/11/02/the-spanish-hot-dog-the-ohio-and-indiana-post-war-treat/#:~:text=The%20Ohio%20Spanish%20Dog%20is,of%20chili%20dog%20or%20coney.) Apparently it’s unique to Indiana and Ohio and only north of I-70. OK, if you’re not from Indiana and reading this I-70 acts as a barrier dividing the north and south – it’s almost an internal Civil War type barrier. Everything in Indiana, including weather, is described as happening either north or south of I-70. The Spanish-dog originated from a drive in called B&K which still has multiple locations in Indiana including Alexandria, Muncie, Gas City, Kokomo, Logansport, Peru and Mentone. Yes, I’m adding those to my list of “places to eat” while I’m driving through the state.

Well…. all bawdy-ness and butt jokes aside, I hope you enjoyed the fun. Other attractions in Anderson include Harrah’s Hoosier Park Racing and Casino, Anderson Speedway and Mounds State Park which features 10 unique earthworks built by prehistoric Indians known as the Adena-Hopewell people. Mounds also is known as a famous location for cryptids. What is a cryptid? An animal (think Big Foot or Loch Ness Monster) that has been claimed to exist but never proven to exist. The ones in Mounds State Park are specifically known as Pukwudgies and have long been legends of the Lenape (Delaware) people. They are described as small troll like creatures who are best left alone – if you leave them alone they will leave you alone.

That a wrap on hot dogs and Uranus 😏. Next blog will be from the most famous 2-mile oval in motorsports – the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Stay tuned….