In the nearly 17 years we’ve been making the drive from Indianapolis to Evansville, we’ve driven through Terre Haute hundreds of times. About 10 years ago, my father-in-law told us of a short-cut that would shave about 15 or 20 minutes off our trip.
Instead of driving through Terre Haute, we get off I-70 West at Exit 11, the Riley/Terre Haute exit and head east on Indiana 46. At that exit, there is a McDonald’s, Burger King and Arby’s. But sometimes, a mom’s gotta put her foot down and say “no more fast food.”
Enter the Riley Snack Shack.
The independently owned restaurant offers an extensive menu of diner-type food. The kids meals were nothing to write home about, but the onion rings were quite tasty. (Please don’t tell my personal trainer I said that.)
For me the real appeal of the Riley Snack Shack is the diversion from a menu where you order by number, tables with chairs that are not bolted to the ground, and the chance to support a mom-and-pop operation. For the kids, it’s the chance to hang out with the gorilla.