Williamson's Bar-B-Q (Closed)
Florence, SC
Photo courtesy Tony Craig

If you're heading toward the South Carolina coast, a roadside barbecue sign like this is awfully hard to pass up. Williamson's Bar-B-Q & Seafood welcomed hungry travelers with a simple marquee that promised two Southern favorites under one roof. Sometimes that's all it took to fill the parking lot. 11-10

Located along busy Highway 76, the restaurant was a popular stop for folks traveling between the Florence area and the Grand Strand. Barbecue and seafood made an unusual but tempting combination, giving travelers plenty of choices before continuing down the road. It had the kind of comfortable, no-frills look that seemed to fit right in along the highway.

The marquee may not have been flashy, but it did exactly what a good roadside sign was supposed to do. It caught your eye, let you know what was waiting inside, and made you think twice about driving on by.

UPDATE: Williamson's Bar-B-Q & Seafood has closed. Whether the old roadside sign still remains is unknown. 08-26

Sammy's Seafood (Gone)
New Orleans, LA
Photo courtesy Rod Holcomb

With so many bright lights along Bourbon Street, a sign has to work hard to stand out. The neon for Sammy's Seafooddid just that, glowing above the sidewalk and inviting passersby to stop in for another taste of New Orleans seafood. Like many of the signs in the French Quarter, it became part of the street as much as the business itself. 12-10

The sign fit right in with the colorful nightlife of Bourbon Street. Whether you were looking for oysters, a seafood platter, or just taking in the sights after dark, the glowing neon helped make this stretch of the French Quarter one of the most memorable walks in the city. Sometimes it's the signs as much as the restaurants that people remember years later.

UPDATE: Sammy's Seafood has closed, and the familiar Bourbon Street neon sign has been removed. 08-26

Boss Hog BBQ (Gone)
Terrell, NC
Photo courtesy Richard Weiss

Cruising along Highway 150, Boss Hog BBQ was the kind of place that made barbecue lovers think about pulling over. The roadside sign didn't need a lot of fancy tricks. It simply let passing motorists know there was smoked barbecue waiting just ahead. 11-10

For years, the restaurant welcomed locals and travelers alike with hickory-smoked barbecue and the kind of hometown atmosphere that's become harder to find. It looked like the sort of place where the smell from the smokers did almost as much advertising as the sign itself.

UPDATE: Boss Hog BBQ permanently closed on July 4, 2026. The roadside sign has since been removed. 08-26