If you’ve never done a soda tasting, you might be surprised to know that it’s oddly similar to a beer or wine tasting. You drink way more of a beverage than you should, but it doesn’t feel that way at the time since the portions are so small. You keep going even though you know you should stop, because you want to try all the varieties. You feel high and silly for a little while… and then you crash and try not to get sick.

So it was a few weeks ago when some friends and I traveled to Pops 66 in Arcadia, OK. The iconic diner is a great day trip (about a 2.5-hour drive) for any Wichitan who loves soda, diners and/or ’50s nostalgia. You can’t miss Pops once you exit I-35 onto Route 66; you’ll know you’re there when you see the giant soda bottle sculpture and futuristic gas station design. The slanted glass walls are covered in shelves of real pop bottles (but don’t try to grab one – they’re glued in place).

Pops is a diner, “soda ranch” and gift shop/convenience store all in one. You can dine in, grab sodas and snacks to go, or even fill up on gas. We arrived on a crowded Saturday afternoon, but still only waited about 20 minutes for a table for five. In the meantime, we checked out the coolers and brought our soda selections to the table with us when it was ready.

There’s a drink for just about every taste at Pops: dozens of varieties of root beer, cream soda, cola, citrus soda, fruit-flavored drinks, and the list goes on. (If you can’t swing a trip to Pops in the near future, I’ve also found some of the same unique sodas at The Donut Whole in Wichita.) From a citrusy drink called Kickapoo Joy Juice to a pink Leninade featuring Communist imagery on the bottle to a crisp, bubbly Grown Up Soda, there was more than enough liquid sugar to go around. Our server was more than happy to give us extra cups and ice as we all shared tastes of each bottle.

The menu is standard diner fare and includes fountain sodas to which you can add flavor syrups, Jimmie’s Diner-style, if none of the bottled sodas attract your attention. I had the grilled PB&J, which was surprisingly savory and paired well with the sodas. My dining companions had great things to say about the grilled cheese and the Pops Burger. Pops also serves breakfast on the weekends, as well as dessert and milkshakes if you feel your teeth are not yet coated in quite enough fructose.

After our meal and with hundreds of grams of carbs coursing through our veins, we wandered through the well-maintained grounds and checked out the gift shop before heading for home and a well-deserved teeth brushing. And much like after a night at the bar, I swore off drinking soda ever again, only to be tempted by its sugary goodness again later on.

Have you been to Pops? Where do you go to get your soda fix?

(Image Credit)

Related posts:

1. [win] it! Two tickets to the Wichita Symphony Orchestra’s Spring Pops Concert
2. [drink] What to Drink When You’re Not Drinking
3. [think] The Restaurant Experience
4. [go] Surviving Holiday Travel
5. [eat] Kanai