Carroll's Sausage and Country Store

If you're traveling on Interstate 75 in central Georgia, you won't be able to miss Carroll's- not that you'd want to. The 14-acre location manages to be both quaint and massive at the same time- rows of local products from jams to peanuts to veggies to countless varieties of fresh meat at the deli counter, and made-to-order sausage dogs at the hot food counter. Owner Hugh Hardy, Jr. purchased the family recipe and the company in 2001 and expanded the menu of sausage flavors from nine to over fifty. All the sausage is made in the store, along with their bacon, stuffed pork chops, country ham, and much more. "We’re a full-service country butcher shop," Hugh explains. "If you come in and want five steaks cut a certain way, we're happy to do that as well."

But sausage remains their specialty, and it's no wonder why. Carroll's main mission is to provide customers with the top-quality, best-tasting sausage they can find. Hugh's Vidalia Onion and Cheese Smoked Sausage won the Meats & Seafood category and the People's Choice at the Flavor of Georgia awards this year, and it one of the company's top sellers. (Full disclosure – we tried some ourselves and fully agree with this award – it is incredible.)

You'll find more than delectable specialty meats in these sturdy wooden walls- some other Georgia Grown products include Lauri Jo’s famous preserves, honey from Weeks Honey Farm, award winning Wisham’s pepper jellies, and pork skins from Nether’s Skins. Hugh himself is also Georgia-grown. "I was born right over here in the local hospital- you can probably throw a rock at it," he laughs. "I grew up on a farm and I love being a part of the Georgia agriculture industry. We're known for peanuts but there's so much more going on in our state, and we're proud of that." Hugh is enjoying sharing his talent not only with the countless travelers who visit the store daily and his local regulars, but with a wider audience via his local television show, Cooking with Hugh.