It’s the most exciting week in Lynchburg. On Friday and mainly Saturday, the 34th annual Jack Daniel’s World Championship Invitational Barbecue will return to historic downtown Lynchburg and Wiseman Park. As the week progresses, more and more teams, judges, and barbecue fans from around the state and around the globe will descend on our tiny town.

So what kinds of foods should they try when they aren’t eating barbecue? The Times staff came up with a list of five Lynchburg foodie finds you can try while in town:

1 | Enjoy a Slush Puppie at Velma’s Candy. Back in the day, there existed a quaint little southern grocery store named Ed’s Bi-Rite and it served what every kid in the county craved, a Slush Puppie. Founded in 1970, Slush Puppie was the original non-carbonated frozen beverage treat. The ICEE company purchased them in 2006, and they are now served all over the world including Velma’s Candy on the Lynchburg Square. If you want to taste a bit of Lynchburg nostalgia, go grab yourself one. If you want to learn more, check out this Mental Floss article.

2 | Cool off with a frozen Jack & Coke on the tour. The Jack Daniel’s Visitor’s Center will be a popular place this weekend with tens of thousands of folks opting to tour the distillery. If you can’t get into one of the popular tasting tours, all is not lost. Folks who take the Dry County Tour can also purchase a frozen Jack & Coke to sip along the way. Ask your tour guide for more details. For a full list of available tours, click here.

3| Try a Grilled Cheese on Crack at Barrel House BBQ. It just might be Lynchburg’s most famous sandwich and it’s developed a reputation around the world. It’s also been named the #1 Grilled Cheese in Tennessee by Yelp. It’s two pieces of Texas toast piled high with their pulled pork, pulled chicken, or smoked sausage and topped with their house-made Habanero sauce and butter then they grill it. You can order one at their Lynchburg location located just off the Square. For more information, click here.

4| Grab some Woodard’s White Pimento Cheese. For those who plan to spend several days in Lynchburg, you’re going to need supplies. We suggest you head on down to Woodard’s Market located at 1415 Fayetteville Highway. Not only do they have the best regionally-sourced cut steaks and ground beef around but they also boast a full deli that serves some yummy items by the quart and by the pint like chicken salad, banana pudding, and their white pimento cheese. It’s delicious.

5| Try a Wood-Fired Neapolitan-Style Pizza at the Lynchburg Cigar Company. Okay, we get it. You would not expect to experience that #2 Wood-Fired Neapolitan-Style pizza in the state at a cigar shop in tiny Lynchburg but it is what it is. The Washington Post reviewed hundreds of Yelp reviews from pizza joints all across the state and determined that the Lynchburg Cigar Company rated. We love their Little Greek Pizza made with white garlic sauce, mozzarella, rosemary-thyme-garlic chicken, olives, red onions, mushrooms, and topped with feta cheese crumbles. Learn more about them by clicking here.

{The Lynchburg Times is a nonpartisan, independent community newspaper serving Lynchburg, Tennessee and the surrounding counties. We are dedicated to public service journalism for the greater good of our community. You can support us, by clicking here.}