The Tuscumbia landmark is one of the coolest places to eat, drink and hear music.
Visiting Rattlesnake Saloon in Tuscumbia is an adventure from the moment you pull into the parking lot to the minute you leave. This destination, currently ranked at number four on Food Network’s list of “Craziest Restaurants in Americaâ€, is off the beaten path of the Shoals community, but well worth the visit.
When you arrive, you’re welcomed aboard the saloon taxi, a pickup truck marked, “ride at your own risk.†The ride down the hollow, to the underside of a natural rock shelter gives visitors a key part of the Rattlesnake experience before they ever get the chance to order food.
“We have children ride up, ride back, just for the thrill of coming back and forth,†said the founder of the saloon, Danny Foster.Â
“I’ll have older people who’ll ride in the back of the truck and they’ll be screaming on the way down, because it’s just going downhill, so it’s just like an amusement ride to them,†said general manager Nick Howard. “There’s only one way in and out of this holler and that’s the best we can do, alright?â€
The saloon is inside a natural rock shelter that geologists estimate to be about six million years old.
The restaurant is quite literally inside a rock, which has always surprised everyone…except for the Foster family. Danny Foster and his father bought the land in 1968 and became the owners of 3,000 acres of land, complete with seven natural springs. Geologists estimate the rock is over six million years old. On top of the rock, the family manages the Seven Springs Lodge, where visitors hunt, ride horses and spend the night in cabins.
In the late 2000s, Foster got a call from his youngest son, William, a horticulturist who was working at a large nursery in Montgomery. He said, “Dad,Ìý I’m coming home to help you.†Foster says it was like a dream come true for him, and soon, they came up with the idea of making the underside of the rock into a Texas-style saloon.
The interior of the Rattlesnake Saloon took only 48 days to build.
The restaurant only took 48 days to build. They didn’t change the rock structure, only removed dirt from underneath it to make more room. A carpenter and two additional workers took on the job of crafting the small interior building and wooden fence.
“I said, ‘Yep, won’t be no rain-out days on this job. You’ve got a roof over you!†Foster said.
No changes were made to the rock formation when the saloon was built in the early 2000s.
The saloon swung open its doors for business on Labor Day in 2009 and saw instant success.Â
“I said “Son, if we get 300 people on the weekend, I think we’ve done well,†Foster said. "It’s out in a rural area, hard to find. You have to really want to come.â€Â
They quickly surpassed 300 visitors a weekend, and saw even more success when Chef Graham Elliot featured the saloon on his limited series, “Craziest Restaurants in America†on Food Network in 2015. Foster recalls that nearly 5,000 people showed up on a Friday after their story aired, and they had to turn people away due to their limited capacity.Â
He says meeting the people who visit the Saloon from all over the world is the best part. Recently, they’ve welcomed visitors from Venezuela, the North Pole and Australia. In fact, earlier this year, two groups from Australia were visiting at the same time. After talking, the guests realized they’d always lived about 30 miles apart from each other, but met for the first time roughly 10,000 miles away from home in Tuscumbia, Alabama.
It’s really amazing to meet and to see so many people, and not only that, but to introduce our southern hospitality here in the South, because you don’t get that anywhere else in the world,†Howard said. “We like to just let people meet, eat and conquer and just talk.â€
Occasionally, they have live entertainment. Foster’s favorite is when the University of North Alabama’s symphony orchestra visits. They don’t use microphones, just the natural acoustics of the rock shelter.
Danny Foster's son, a horticulturist, co-founded the Saloon.
After 14 years, some things about the saloon remain classic, but Foster is always looking to make improvements. He says he even looked into installing a three-story elevator to bring visitors down to the saloon, but it would be too costly and deprive visitors of part of the experience. Foster himself says he likes sitting in the gift shop, located next to where people get off the taxi, so he can hear their uncut feedback after they’ve completed their adventure.
“I told my children if I hit 75, I’d retire, well I hit 75 a long time ago! I told them, I said ‘I was 74 yesterday, 75 today. I don’t feel a bit better or different. I’m gonna stay with y’all until I die!’†Foster said. “To see something we created, and to do it well and [be] enjoyed by so many people, it’s a fulfillment.â€
Rattlesnake Saloon and Seven Springs Lodge are located at 1292 Mt Mills Road, Tuscumbia, AL 35674
When you visit, make sure to snap a picture and post it to your social media using #AmbersAlabama.
