Nostalgic for Nickerson Farms
July 16th, 2003
Anyone else remember these great roadside spinoffs of Stuckey's? They had giant red roofs, a sit down restaurant, and huge gift shop, and a big bee hive. I particular remember the one in Emma, Missouri – east of Kansas City. Also one on I-35 between KC and Iowa. The whole thing started in Eldon, Missouri when a Stuckey's franchisee struck out on his own.
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There is an old Nickerson Farms building just north of New Braunfels, TX on IH-35 which sat vacant for years until it was opened as an antiques shop a few years ago. Also, on IH 10 just west of Seguin TX there is a road called ‘Nickerson Farms’ where a location used to sit but the building was torn down a long time ago. I’m glad that other people still remember this great old chain. My family used to love to stop there and eat when I was a kid.
I just saw the empty building on IH 10 near Seguin the other day and it got me thinking about my childhood and trips in our station wagon. We were a Nickerson Farms kind of family — not Stuckey’s. We would always stop at Nickerson Farms whenever we were taking trips and have lunch or dinner there. I was fascinated by the beehives. I guess all of them are closed now?
There is a Nickerson Farm building sitting in Picacho Peak, Arizona, along I-10. Passed it today. Peeked in the
windows about a year ago and it brought back a lot of memoires. Looks the same,
only out of business. What a shame. The beehive was great. Nothing comes close to it today.
My wife makes fun of me everytime I call out an old Nickerson Farms and get nostalgic. She doesn’t remember the place so the old barns don’t mean anything to her. But they’ll always have a fond place in my heart. We just passed the location west of Seguin today which prompted a GOOGLE search. Glad to see I’m not alone.
Just sitting here and hit NF and came up with a tub full of memories. It was the
Methodist Road NF that I was witness to a robbery! And in St. James, Missouri, a
swarm of bees got loose and cleared the store. I always enjoyed stopping, and the
trinkets were always interesting.
There is also an old Nickerson Farms building between New Braunfels and San Antonio on the east side of I-35 as you’re traveling southbound. It’s now an antique shop, but the design of the building is definitely Nickerson Farms.
THERE IS AN OLD NICKERSON FARMS RESTURANT NEAR THE WEST SIDE OF SALINA ON 1-70 THT HAS BEEN CLOSED 4 EVER
I CANT REMEMBER WHEN IT CLOSED BUT IT TURNED INTO
AN OGY RESTURANT AND THEN SHUT DOWN SHORTLY AFTER
THAT. THERE WAS ONE IN RUSSELL KANSAS TOO BUT THEY
TORE IT DOWN A FEW YEARS AGO. THERE IS ALSO ONE
NEAR JUNCTION CITY KANSAS THAT BECAME A WINERY. (FIELDS
OF FAIR) BUT IT IS NOW CLOSED TOO. I HAVE REAL FOND MEMORIES OF NICKERSONS
THE GREAT FOOD AND THERE WAS JUST SOMETHING ABOUT THE BUILDING THAT
U WILL NEVER FOREGET. I WISH SOMEONE WOULD BUY THE OLD ONES AND RE-OPEN THEM!
In Springfield Illinois there still stands the building that was built as
“The Farmer’s Table Restauant”. It was part of the TAE (Travel America Enterprises)
Group. They owned the Nickerson Farms and Farmer’s Table Restaurants.
I worked for the local restaurant and actually locked the doors
on the final day it was open. (We never did get the 2 weeks severence pay
that was promised)
The Farmer’s Tables had the big canopy above the gas pumps, that resembled a
large table with a big coffee pot on it.
I have been having thoughts of reopening the restaurant under the same
name, but don’t know if I want to spend that kind of money to relive the past.
I still have a lot of things from the restaurant and gift shop to remind me of it.
We closed the restaurant back in the early 1980′s and it is still part of me.
Addendum to last post: I went down to my basement and found a red Nickerson Farms
and Farmers Table breakfast menu. If my memory is correct, the date code is 12/77
(using the “HASON LEMPY” code that was used in the gift shops. The prices on this
menu are hard to believe. coffee was only $.35 (from the never empty pot) I wish we could go back to those days
I’d love to see a scan of those menus…
There is also an old Nickerson Farms building in High Hill, Missouri. I drive by there a lot and I often wonder what remains on the inside. Is it totally empty inside or are there remnants of the
past. And where or who is the owner. I find it so hard to believe that no one has ever bought that
building. It seems like such a good prime spot to have a business and it’s so very sad that it
just sits there deteriorating.
I stopped at High Hill about 18 months ago to take pictures of the Nickerson Farms and the Stuckey’s that are there. Just for nostalgia purposes, it would be interesting to find out who owns the NF and ask to take a look inside…
I stopped and took a picture of the High Hill Nickerson Farms building as well, I couldn’t remember the name of the franchise, so I posted the picture on my blog and got many responses from people with fond memories.
I would love to tour the old place sometime. I remember stopping as a child, also.
My first job was at the Nickerson Farms in New Lisbon, IN along interstate 70. It was 1984, and I was 16 years old. Originally, the store was a franchise owned by a man named John Claytor. Around August, ’84, he sold out to the parent company, and my paychecks read “Nickerson and Nickerson,” Omaha, Neb. One year to the month, the company closed it, and a few years later, someone burned the building to the ground. Now, there is just the cement slab and the remnants of the sewage treatment plant that was around back. Memories, memories.
There is an old Nickerson Farms building 10 miles west of Salina, Kansas on Interstate 70. Nickerson Farms opened in December of 1967 and closed in 1987. This location was owned by Nickerson & Nickerson, Eldon, MO. The stored was owned by CMRO Marketing when it closed. The building is in good shape and has the exact color scheme Nickerson Farms had. The OutPost Family Fun Center closed in 2002. The building was auctioned for $117,000.00 in 2004. Rolling Hills Refuge is the current owner, although nothing operates in the building.
My Dad was a manager in several Nickerson Farms. He was transfered from one to another to better the stores. We finaly ended up in Seymour, IN in 80 that is where we were when it was deceided to close them down. I always loved going there to eat and remember spending a lot of time in the gift shop. On my birthday my dad let me pick whatever I wanted from the gift shop I picked out a stuffed bald eagle that I slept with every night. So many of the workers were like family to us. Some of them are still close to my parents. Going into a resturant today just does not feel the same as it did then.
I worked at Nickerson Farms at Phillipsburg MO as a young man and love seeing the remains of these great places along the highways. I collect post cards and have about 25 from different Nickersons around the country. I am always on the lookout for Nickersons stuff and grab it when I can. I would love to open one, it would be a blast.
There is a barn on the North side of I-70 between Kansas City and St. Louis. I remember being fascinated by the live bee hive they had to make honey that they had in a glass case inside so you could see inside the hive as a kid, until I wondered off and stumbled upon where they got in from the outside! That is when travel with the family was a journey and not a destination.
[...] One that we saw a few examples of across I-70 was abandoned shells of the Nickerson Farms restaurant franchise. I remember as a kid the great memories of stopping at Nickerson Farms while on family vacation, seeing the honey bees working busily in the beehive that was at each location, and getting to buy cheap trinkets in the gift shop. A small canteen in a faux “buckskin” carry case is one that popped up from the depths of my memory. [...]
Before Nickerson Farms, I was a Stuckey’s junkie. I only vaguely remember a beehive inside the store, and I don’t remember the food there, but I remember going inside with my parents and feeling so excited to be there: I would finish eating earlier than my parents, and then race over to the end of the rainbow (the gift shop), where I would pick out one or two cheap souvenirs. I have ALWAYS been attracted to those cheap, souvenir-type places… and, in fact, the last time I visited Las Vegas, I spent MOST of my time going through cheap souvenir shops. I miss Nickerson Farms terribly.
I worked at the Nickerson Farms in Columbia Missouri doing college in the late 70′s. Loved the gift shop,
think one year everyone in my family got a Christmas gift from the gift shop. Oh to be a poor college
student again.
What a great place to eat at. At one time there was a Nickerson Farms in Colby Ks. I was stuck in a blizzard for 3 days and was only place in town. I pass the old building in Picacho Peak AZ every time I trave between Phoenix and Tucson AZ.
Oh yeah!!! Nickerson’s Farms _ that big red barn roof.
The big, wide-open dinning room. Tables dressed country style.
And that long, rounded case that held the bee hives.
A roadside attraction right there!!! It felt close to home,
off that long highway. Real country feel. We’d stop off at one between St. Louis
and Columbia, Mo., if I remember that right. Best grilled ham and cheese
sandwiches ever!!!!! I remember Mom loved it. Nickerson Farms,
in a Spanish accent. Big fat sandwiches, ham stacked high.
Thick gooey American cheese. Melted right in your mouth.
Walking out, Dad pointed at the bees outside the door.
That’s a memory I can still taste. Whatever happened to it.
I didn’t see anyone mentioning the one along hwy 71 at 7 just south of Harrisonville, MO. its been a convenience store/fireworks stand for a long time now.
I found a jumbo postcard from Nickerson Farms with the beehive that my mother had. I’ll be listing it on Ebay if anyone is interested.
I remember Nickerson Farms very well, and have many pictures. My parents use to take family road trips
out to Missouri, and Oklahoma from Jersey, just about every year back in the late 60′s, and early
70′s. They took I-70 all the way out to St. Louis, and we eat at Nickerson Farms many, many times.
I remember the first time we stopped at a Nickerson’s, we were surprised to find a close parking
spot. Turned out, the entrance to the inside bee hive was right on the outside wall next to
that (great) parking spot. We did wonder at time, why there were so many bees outside. Found
out once we saw the bee hive inside.
I also remember the gift shop that everyone had to walk through, in order to reach the dining
area. We always spend time in there after eating, and bought many items over the years.
If I ever get the chance to travel accross the country, I will certainly look for, and take
pictures of any remaining Nickerson Farms buildings.
Nickerson Farms reminds me of my youth, and the great trips my parents took us on each year.
I will be 40 years old this year and was raised in Kansas. In my doll collection,
I have a stuffed Nickerson Farms Bee. I don’t have a clue where it was bought
but it has always been a favorite of mine.
The first one I enjoyed was in Texas on a family vacation headed for Colorado. The beehive was awesome, but I remember the huge pancakes. The couple in the Dallas area is heartbreaking, one is an adult video shop and the other an old mechanic shop, but I still have the great memories.
I just wondered if anyone knows who holds the properties now vacant? The old buildings may make a great church building or meeting place.
Hello! Good Site! Thanks you! umlsoclexdwywx
I have a complete spreadsheet with all Nickerson Farms listed. Some still exist while others are gone. I would love to hear from anyone who has seen the remains of these great places. If you come across one in your travels would you please list the exact location. I am trying to build a list and file of pictures of every one. Yup it is a strange hobby.
I couldn’t understand some parts of this article Nostalgic for Nickerson Farms, but I guess I just need to check some more resources regarding this, because it sounds interesting.
An old Nickerson Farms restaurant is setting in the NW corner of I65 and S.R. 114 in Rensselaer Indiana. It has been a “Grandma’s” for a few years but I hear it is targeted for demolition soon to make room for a Cracker Barrel. On the west side of the building you can still see the entrance of the honey bees.
I live in New Braunfels, and pass that old Nickerson Farms location on my way to work in San Marcos every day. I’ve always wanted to stop in and see what it looks like now as an antiques place, but never have.
Growing up, we used to drive past one on I-10 just a couple miles east of Schulenburg, TX. My folks wouldn’t ever stop, but that high pitched roof always fascinated me. It was a succession of different restaurants after Nickerson shut it down, and if memory serves, it too was an antiques shop last I saw of it.
There is an old Nickerson Farms restaurant in Dexter MN. This is about 40? miles east on I-90 from I-35. The restaurant is operating quite successfully as the windmill and has fantastic food, truck stop style. Patty melts are great and the breakfasts super. They painted the roof blue and the beehive is gone but the layout is basically the same as when I was a kid. There is still a gift shop and gas station. Another one in Owatonna MN was torn down years ago after serving as a furniture barn. There’s a Kwik Trip there now by a Cabella’s store.
There was one in MO on I-44 between Joplin and Springfield at the Pierce City exit. I remember stopping there as a kid in the early 90s. I think it may have been one of the last ones to remain open.
I have great memories of Nickerson Farms. A free box of candy was given with a gas fill-up of 10 gallons or more!! (gas was 39 cents per gallon in 1967) The gift shop was filled with jams and jellies, fresh honey, country cured bacon and ham from Alewells meats. Cashiers offering free samples of candy (snow coated pretzels, honey brittle, cashew brittle). Nickerson’s had its own line of delicious candy displayed on the inner wall of the gift shop. Unique gifts including Imperial pottery, Smith Glass, Ozark Walnut bowls, Daken plush toys, and of course the swirling “crazy ducks” in a glass pie dish of water located at the end of the cashier’s counter. And of course how can you forget the overstocked tables and shelves of souvenirs. In it’s heyday arguably the best restaurant chain on the interstates. Home of the never empty individual pot of coffee (15 cents), Individual fresh baked loaves of bread served with fresh honey butter. Country breakfasts, fresh cooked deep fried chicken, charbroiled steaks, hot roast beef sandwiches served open face!! Anyone remember the Rail Splitter?? I can almost taste it right now!!!! I first worked at the Joplin store while attending college. Worked into management having the opportunity to work at many of the locations around the country and ended up working at the home office in Omaha until 1980. Would not trade the experience for anything!! Met and worked with many, many wonderful people.
Steve Says:
August 7th, 2007 at 10:09 am
I have a complete spreadsheet with all Nickerson Farms listed. Some still exist while others are gone. I would love to hear from anyone who has seen the remains of these great places. If you come across one in your travels would you please list the exact location. I am trying to build a list and file of pictures of every one. Yup it is a strange hobby.
One I know of was on I-55 in Benton, Mo. (Scott County) at Mo. 77 Benton/Diehlstadt exit. I think the place stayed open through at least the mid ’80s. It’s still standing, though long empty and rotting. I took pictures of the building during a trip I made up there in 2006.
Steve, I’d love to see that spreadsheet. Nickerson Farms was always a neat place to see, memories of my brief time living in Southeast Missouri (late ’70s/early ’80s). Go to the “Contact” page on the website link above to send me an e-mail. I’d love to see some pictures of NF properties during their heyday, scans from menus, etc. NF truly was the Cracker Barrel of its day, only more Midwest in feel (read: very sedate, not over-the-top ‘folksiness’ which too often defines CB.)
I used to frequent the one close to Mt. Olive, Illinois on Highway 55. I believe the building is still there. Many early morning hours spent there after a good night of fun. Used to eat the “All You Can Eat Spaghetti” at 4 am. How could you not love that?
[...] Weblog Comment on Nostalgic for Nickerson Farms by Marty T I have great memories of Nickerson Farms. A free box of candy was given with a gas fill-up of 10 [...]
Charlie,
I do not see one on my list at Mt. Olive could it be one of these?
Pocahontas I-70 and old US-40 and Hwy 9
Galesburg I-74 and US bypass
Marine I-70 and IL 4
Worden I-55 and IL 4
Braidwood 1-55 and Reed Road
Ottawa I-80 and IL 71
St Joseph I-74 and St Rt 12
Ashkum I-57 and Rt 116
Dix I-57 and City Road 12A
Ullin I-57
Marseilles I-70 and Marseilles Rd
gratis huisvrouwen…
Geile huisvrouwen…