The Root Beer Stand

A cold, dreary day in April is a perfect time to go do something special with family.  My mother-in-law suggested The Root Beer Stand in Sharonville, Ohio.  Root Beer Stand?  Count me in!

This place was so likable and inviting!  We had the option to sit at the indoor bar or an outside eating area.  We found a cozy corner inside because it was really​ cold out and ordered a gallon of root beer.  The waitress brought out a bunch of frosted mugs and poured plenty for everyone.  ​

Reed even got his own little glass!  Awww!  These pictures are making me thirsty again!

It was pretty busy inside, but it was an exciting kind of busy.  The ceiling was covered in hanging baseball hats, old photos covered the walls, and the bar was full of people enjoying hot dogs and root beer. Kids, especially, arrived super-excited.  There were rows and rows of toys above the bar, and kids could play while they waited for their food.  It seemed like everyone knew the drill, too.  The waitresses had the toys on the bar before the kids could sit down, and everyone was just happy and buzzing around.  There was a tic-tac-toe board that looked really fun, but I decided to leave it alone.  Ugh- adulthood!

Reed was immediately swept away by his grandparents and aunt (lucky kid).  We are so blessed to be surrounded (like 10 minutes away surrounded) by both my family and Jacob's family.  It is a rare thing these days, right?  So you will hear A LOT about all of my family members. But let me take a moment to introduce you to Cha-cha (Jacob's mom), Poppy (Jacob's step-dad), and Aunt B (Jacob's sister).  The love and excitement they show at any chance to see Reed (or his parents, I guess- wink- parents, you know what I'm sayin') is breathtaking.  I mean, Aunt B traveled like 40 minutes across town at 8 1/2 months pregnant just to see her nephew for an hour.  That's love!

Poppy and Cha-Cha

Aunt B

Anyway, back to hot dogs and root beer.   Jacob and I took advantage of this blessed moment of freedom to look at the menu.  ​

The menu was simple and affordable.  As soon as I saw chili-cheese foot-long, I didn't even look over anything else.  But here it is for ya!

Look at this chili dog!  Yum-O!  I ate the entire foot-long quickly and with no shame.  If anyone watched in awe, I didn't notice. While I was in chili-cheese-dog heaven, the Little Outdoorsman sneakily convinced his grandparents (or maybe they convinced him?) that he NEEDED a root beer float.  He can be very persuasive.  His technique: he looks at them.  Amazing!  And Cha-cha and Poppy begin suggesting a variety of taboo treats (before lunch!! gasp!): "suckers? root beer float? chips?  What do you need?"  He thought seriously and carefully over his options and said, "Ok".  Within moments a HUGE root beer float was placed in front of him.  I wish I had those skills!  
He dove in to the float too quickly and got a major brain freeze.  It was so cute.  He just opened his eyes and mouth really wide for a couple of seconds and then smiled and took another big drink.

There was a playground behind the stand that was most definitely the brilliant idea of a parent of a root-beer-float-eating kid.  After watching Reed eat like half of a root beer float in under two minutes, we resolved to visit the playground regardless of weather conditions. We played for about 15 minutes, or until all of us except Reed were freezing.

It was a perfect family outing to end Spring Break.  It's back to work next week for me.  I feel like Spring Break always fills me back up and helps me return to work feeling fulfilled and energized.  If you are in the area, stop in and enjoy some fun food with friends or family.  It is a seasonal place, so be sure to check out their website before you go!
www.therootbeerstand.com/