 |
| The Tally-Ho restaurant in Selma, Ala. |
The Tally-Ho restaurant in Selma is considered one of the
most unique restaurants in the entire state of Alabama, and it’s also reportedly
haunted. I put a trip to this restaurant on my “bucket list” several years ago,
and finally got the chance to officially visit it the other day. Not only was
it a fine place to eat, but it was also a little spooky.
If memory serves me correctly, the first time I ever heard
of the Tally-Ho was a few years ago when I saw it listed on the Alabama Tourism
Department’s list of “100 Dishes to Eat in Alabama Before You Die.” In the most
recent version of that list, the Tally-Ho’s New York Strip steak is listed
among the best dishes in the state. However, when I visited the Tally-Ho on
March 18 with my wife and daughter, I didn’t actually see that dish on the
menu. (It’s possible that I overlooked it, and I could have asked the waiter
about it, but I didn’t.)
My interest in this restaurant was also sparked thanks to
2013 book, “Haunted Alabama Black Belt” by David Higdon and Brett Talley.
According to this book, the Tally-Ho is haunted by the ghost of a woman called “Betty,”
a ghost that supposedly gives off the “sweet fragrances of lilac” perfume.
Guests also claim to have seen the chandelier in the main dining room “swing
wildly” for no apparent reason.
Before actually going to this restaurant, I always kind of
pictured it as being in downtown Selma, but it’s actually located at 509 Mangum
Avenue, which is in more of a residential part of town. My wife, daughter and I
drove there for supper on March 18, and had a nice meal. Instead of the New
York Strip, I got the fried oysters and even tried escargot for the first time
ever. The food was great.
Interestingly, the restaurant’s menu included information
about the restaurant’s unique history, saying that it had been in business as a
restaurant for over 70 years, but the exact date that the Tally Ho was built
remains a mystery. It is known that the building started out as a summer cabin
in the woods for the Thrash family, but it was eventually turned into a “tea
room.” The story goes that they picked the name “Tally Ho” after pulling it out
of a hat.
If you’ve never been to the Tally-Ho, I highly recommend it.
They’re open Monday through Thursday from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. and Friday and
Saturday from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. They’re closed on Sunday. For more information
about the restaurant, visit its Web site at www.tallyhoselma.com.
Also, if you haven’t read “Haunted Alabama Black Belt,” I
highly recommend it as well. Not only does it provide more information about
the Tally-Ho, but it’s also filled with cool information about other haunted
locations in Selma and elsewhere in Alabama’s Black Belt Region.
In the end, how many of you have eaten at the Tally-Ho
restaurant in Selma? What did you think about it? Did you have any spooky
experiences while visiting the restaurant? Let us know in the comments section
below.
No comments:
Post a Comment