There is something special about pulling off a Pennsylvania road on a hot day and finding a little stand you have never heard of before. You grab a mug so cold it fogs up in your hand, take a sip, and suddenly the whole trip feels worth it.
Root beer made the old-fashioned way tastes different, sweeter and spicier and somehow more alive. Here are eight spots across the state where the frosty mugs still come ice cold and the memories come free.
1. The Franklin Fountain
Step through the door and you feel like you have wandered into a hundred years ago. The Franklin Fountain sits in Philadelphia’s Old City, and folks call it a time machine dressed up as an ice cream shop.
Their root beer is made right in the house, with layers of sassafras, vanilla, and a cool hint of wintergreen. Order it as a Black Cow float and watch the fizzy soda meet dense, small-batch vanilla ice cream in a tall glass…