The expansive terrain of California makes for a road tripper’s dream, with multiple routes traversing coastal, mountain, and desert landscapes. One of the state’s most underrated road trips through iconic mountain and desert scenery dotted with hot springs is Highway 395. For those traveling from the Los Angeles area to Mammoth Lakes, a low-key, affordable California mountain resort town void of Tahoe crowds, the open road of 395 is lined with small towns, unique roadside attractions, and ghost towns. One of those towns, Randsburg, is home to the hidden gem Randsburg General Store, which serves old-fashioned phosphate sodas and more to visitors.
Randsburg, a living ghost town with a population of approximately 81 people, is known as “the town that time forgot,” characterized by buildings with Wild West facades. Built in 1896 following the discovery of gold in the area, the general store’s original name was the Randsburg Drug Store. It was rebuilt in 1904 following two store fires and one town fire, and the owner brought in the historic soda fountain from Boston. It survived another town fire in 1929 and has stayed in operation ever since. The store’s ownership changed hands many times, with the 1949 owner renaming it the Randsburg General Store.
If you’re wondering, a phosphate soda contains acid phosphate (a solution of phosphoric acid with salts from calcium, magnesium, and potassium), which makes for a unique, tingling feeling on the tongue when tasting it. The flavor is described as tart and tangy, unlike the sour flavor from citric acid commonly used in soda. Popular in the early 1900s, it’s hard to find a true phosphate soda today, which is why visiting Randsburg’s soda fountain is a must.
How to visit the Randsburg General Store
In addition to sodas, the store’s offerings have expanded to include sit-down dining, groceries and other supplies to tourists traveling through the Eastern Sierras. While you can’t visit the former mines themselves, the general store, city park, museum, and other stores offer a peek at what life was like during the town’s boom. It’s a must-stop destination for Wild West nostalgia and mining history.
If you’re planning to road trip this route and want to ensure a visit to the Randsburg General Store, you’ll need to plan carefully. According to the website, calling the store for hours is recommended, but in general, seasonal hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. Given the Mojave Desert location, summer months can be unbearable, and busy seasons are fall and winter. While this part of Highway 395 is generally passable year-round, other sections won’t be during extreme winter weather.
The menu of old-fashioned phosphate sodas includes classics such as Coke, Diet Coke, root beer, and sarsaparilla. Order a house specialty such as the “Green River”, a lime soda phosphate, or the “Muddy River,” a chocolate soda phosphate, or an old-fashioned ice cream soda. Sweet treats such as malts and shakes, ice cream sundaes, and banana splits are also available. Try an Aunt Ernie’s Freeze, a milkshake made with soda water in several flavors, which can include whipped cream, bananas, or Oreo cookies, and named after the store’s infamous soda jerk, Ernestine DeNeil. For food options, you can order breakfast classics until 11 a.m., and lunch varieties the rest of the day, including a kids’ menu. For Western flavor, the general store is known for its Western Bar-B-Que beef sandwich, the Randsburger (an old-fashioned hamburger), and homemade chili.
Bonus things to see and do in Randsburg
