Cass is home to Cass Scenic Railroad State Park. This park features an 11-mile long heritage railroad and authentic company town. It also features an artisans co-op and the Cass Historical Theater and Historical Museum, one of America’s only authentic lumber railroading museums, according to its website.



My favorite part, though, is the Company Store, which houses a gift shop full of local products and also Shays Restaurant and Soda Fountain. My friend Beth and I stayed at a company house then headed to Shays the next morning before boarding our excursion train ride.



Named after the shiny black “Shay” steam locomotives that continue to go into deep forests, the restaurant offers breakfast, lunch and dinner. We arrived during the transition from breakfast to lunch, so I opted for the lunch menu. I also noticed some train-themed decor here and there, but the space was mostly filled with highly lacquered tables and chairs.



Corn dog bites & a pork BBQ with slaw sandwich. What a combo, eh? The mini corn dog bites were crisp enough but would've been perfect with some sort of tangy sauce.



The sandwich was tender and had a nice tomato-based flavored sauce. I think I would get the slaw on the side, because it kinda overtook the flavor a bit. But, still really enjoyable.



Grade: B