Goolrick's Soda Fountain: A 157-Year-Old Fredericksburg Landmark, Restored

Goolrick's, the historic soda fountain at 901 Caroline Street in downtown Fredericksburg, is billed as America's longest-running soda fountain, with roots that trace back to 1869, more than 157 years on the same corner. After a roughly four-year restoration, it reopened on August 7, 2026 as a classic luncheonette and soda fountain, serving hand-mixed sodas, milkshakes and malts, and old-fashioned sandwiches in a lovingly restored 1808 building. If you are exploring Fredericksburg with a home search in mind, Goolrick's is the kind of downtown landmark that tells you everything about how much a community treasures its own history.

What Goolrick's Offers

The heart of Goolrick's is the soda fountain: hand-mixed sodas like the real cherry Coke, old-fashioned egg creams, fresh-squeezed lemonade and limeade, and thick milkshakes and malts made the way the fountain has made them for more than a century. Alongside it runs a classic lunch counter serving chicken salad, egg salad, and grilled cheese sandwiches, deviled eggs, pies, and seasonal soup and chili, prepared by an executive chef and served in house or to go. Seating was expanded to about 50 guests across the counter, high-tops, and banquettes, and a retail area sells Goolrick's merchandise and goods from local artisans, so a visit doubles as a way to support the wider Fredericksburg maker community.

There is a reason the menu has barely changed since the fountain's earliest days: it does not need to. You walk in, sit at the counter or a high-top, and order a hand-mixed soda or a malt the same way people have for generations. The plan also includes Section 7, a Prohibition-inspired concept slated for the building's basement, which will give the historic space another layer of personality in the months ahead.

A Family Business With Deep Local Roots

The story begins in 1869, when Confederate veteran William Barber Goolrick and Dr. C. A. Jones purchased the drugstore on the site, and the Goolrick name has been tied to that Caroline Street corner ever since. The building itself is older still: its first documented iteration was built in 1808 as a residence, and it was extensively remodeled in 1927. W. B. Goolrick passed the business to his son K. Nelson Goolrick in 1897, a local newspaper was advertising the store's "Coldest Soda" by 1898, and the soda fountain opened around 1903. The pharmacy was sold to pharmacist Stephen May in 1997 and later leased to pharmacist Christopher Conder, keeping the fountain pouring through it all.

In May 2022, Jarrell Properties Inc., a family-owned local development company, bought the building and vowed to preserve the famous soda fountain while repairing a structure worn by decades of use, multiple fires, and a 20th-century flood. The result was a four-year restoration documented in a 31-episode video series called "Reviving Goolrick's": original pressed-tin ceilings were restored, hand-laid tile flooring was recreated, the barstools were rebuilt, and the classic counter was brought back to life. When Goolrick's reopened on Friday, August 7, 2026, it did so with a ribbon-cutting, a packed counter, and the same corner, the same fountain, and the same welcome that downtown Fredericksburg has known for more than 150 years.

What Makes It Special

Three things set Goolrick's apart. First, the lineage: a business that traces to 1869 and is promoted as America's longest-running soda fountain, which means the hand-mixed sodas and malts you order today come from a recipe and a ritual that predate the automobile age. Second, the building: an 1808 structure in the heart of downtown, restored with its tin ceilings, tile floor, and counter stools intact, so the room itself is as much the attraction as the food. Third, the comeback: after the pharmacy closed in 2022 and the fountain went dark, a local family-owned company spent four years bringing it back rather than tearing it down, and its reopening was covered by the Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star, the Washingtonian, and regional outlets alike. That is what it looks like when a community decides a landmark matters.

How to Visit or Contact Goolrick's

Goolrick's is at 901 Caroline Street, Fredericksburg, VA 22401, in the heart of historic downtown. Hours are Monday through Saturday 11 AM to 7 PM and Sunday 11 AM to 4 PM, serving lunch, dinner, and dessert with dine-in and take-out. Call (540) 373-3411 for questions, and visit goolricksfxbg.com for the menu, hours, and news about the reopening and the Section 7 plans.

Why Local Businesses Matter to the Market

As a Fredericksburg real estate advisor, I hear from buyers all the time that a town's character is what closes the deal. A downtown that saves its 1808 soda fountain, restores it over four years, and reopens it to a packed counter is a downtown people want to live near. When you are comparing neighborhoods across Fredericksburg, Stafford, Spotsylvania, and the surrounding counties, the strength of the local business community is one of the things I look at with every client.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long has Goolrick's been in Fredericksburg?

Goolrick's traces its roots to 1869, when W. B. Goolrick and Dr. C. A. Jones purchased the drugstore at 901 Caroline Street, making it more than 157 years on the same corner. It is promoted as America's longest-running soda fountain, with the fountain itself opening around 1903.

What is Goolrick's known for?

Old-fashioned hand-mixed sodas, including the real cherry Coke, egg creams, fresh-squeezed lemonade and limeade, and milkshakes and malts, plus a classic lunch counter with chicken and egg salad, grilled cheese, deviled eggs, and pie. After a four-year restoration by Jarrell Properties, it reopened on August 7, 2026 in its restored 1808 building.

Where is Goolrick's located and how do I reach it?

Goolrick's is at 901 Caroline Street in downtown Fredericksburg, VA 22401, phone (540) 373-3411. Hours are Monday through Saturday 11 AM to 7 PM and Sunday 11 AM to 4 PM, and the website is goolricksfxbg.com.

Moving to the Fredericksburg Area?

If a downtown with this kind of history is part of your vision for your next home, start with the Fredericksburg living guide, explore current property search, or request a free home valuation. Newcomers can also use the relocation guide to get oriented, and the regional market report covers every service area.

Questions about buying or selling in the Fredericksburg area? Call Barbara at 540-840-1133 or email Yourexpertadvisors@gmail.com. For home sellers, the selling guide walks through the full process from pricing to closing.