I stopped here on a little road trip on a Saturday afternoon. Talk about a quirky and rustic place! I didn't stay long enough to take in the weekly meat raffle, but I did sit at the bar, surrounded by mucho antiques and an assortment of bras hanging from the ceiling. The latter just might have something to do with a major target market of the joint: bikers. Bikers love to travel these fun back roads, and there are many taverns and restaurants who cater to them, and proudly hang big "Welcome Bikers" signs outside. No bikers, however, on this late January afternoon.
The owners, Kelly and Lou, are very friendly and hospitable people. The fact that there's an Inn with rooms in a town of less than a couple hundred people is very "Gunsmoke" in my opinion. And the building looks as if it's survived from that era. If memory serves me correctly, either the town or the building date back to 1826. New Diggings itself would make a good movie set for cowboys. I don't think there are girls you can take upstairs, but I'm guessing from the bra collection, it HAS happened! :-)
I had a couple of beers here. There's a nice selection of bottled beers. I don't recall if there were any on draught, but I don't believe so. Prices are great. A Heineken was $3.25, and no beers were much more than that. Also, there's a great bar menu of sandwiches (you can even get a Cubano here,) and sour cream 'n onion fries, salads, burgers or pizza, as well. And prices are about half of what you'd see in nearby Galena. Where Council Hill Station, which is down the road a piece caters to a folk music crowd, The General Store offers Blue, Zydeco and other music most Sunday afternoons, 3:30PM-7:30PM. You gotta love a musical matinee-this old coot does. I hope to come back and take in the music and the pub fare. read more
