Rattlesnake Saloon; The Best Restaurant in a Cave You'll Ever Find

Photo byTRV Tourism

The Rattlesnake Saloon, located in a massive natural rock shelter in northwest Alabama's Appalachian foothills, combines old-fashioned Western character with a breathtaking natural setting. While the cave is now filled with burger-slinging, beer-drinking, and line dancing, its proximity to one of Alabama's most important archaeological sites suggests it may have once housed some of the state's first inhabitants: Paleolithic Native Americans.

The Rattlesnake Saloon is now part of the Foster family's Seven Springs Lodge resort complex, which spans 20,000 acres. The resort provides everything from basic campsites to equipped cabins and grain silos transformed into guest rooms. Visitors can also hire stalls for their horses, or if they do not have any, they can rent those as well. During the day, people ride horses or ATVs across the countryside. By night, they can take a converted pickup truck, known as the Rattlesnake Taxi, to the saloon. During the bar's construction, workers discovered a nearby rattlesnake nest.

Aside from its potential Paleolithic setting, the tavern has an interesting contemporary history. Willian Owen Foster, a family progenitor, first felt that the natural rock shelter would be ideal for a hog enclosure. According to the saloon's website, Foster built a 33-foot hole through the cliff to slip feed the hogs without having to walk around the rock barrier. When the family chose to transition from farming and forestry to hospitality, they converted the hog pen into a bar, which opened in 2009 after only 49 days of construction. (That 33-foot hole came extremely helpful for running contemporary electrical wire.)

Photo by@sczarn | Medium.com

Locals and tourists now visit the Rattlesnake Saloon for cornily named (but delicious) bar foods like Bronco Bits ("tangy breaded and fried dill pickles") and the Prairie Salad Sandwich ("chicken salad with craisins and pecans on a roll"). Brave visitors can order the Gigantor, a two-pound beef burger that is free if finished in less than 45 minutes. That, a cold drink, and an apple fritter, and you're set for the night—at least until the pub closes promptly at 10 p.m.

Booze (beer, cider, and wine) is only served between 5 and 10 p.m. Hours vary seasonally, so check ahead. You cannot drive all the way to the saloon. You can park in the parking lot and walk down or wait for the trailer to transport you down. It's a steep trek to the saloon, so if you're going on foot, have excellent shoes.

Rattlesnake Saloon's MenuPhoto byRattlesnake Saloon Official Website