Cracker Barrel Rocking Chair Review

If you have ever stepped onto the front porch of a Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, you have met its rocking chairs. Lined up in neat rows, they are as much a part of the brand as the pegboard game and the country store. And yes, you can buy one and take it home. But are Cracker Barrel rocking chairs actually worth it, who really makes them, and what will you pay? Here is an honest, detailed look.

Quick verdict: Cracker Barrel sells genuinely good rocking chairs with real heritage behind them. The classic wooden porch rockers are handcrafted in Tennessee by the Hinkle Chair Company, and the all weather models are made exclusively for Cracker Barrel by POLYWOOD from recycled HDPE with a 20 year warranty. Both are well built and built to last. The catch is price: you pay a premium for the name and quality, with chairs running roughly $190 to $290 each. If you love the heritage and want a durable, American made rocker, they are worth it. If you only want the look for less, cheaper lookalikes exist.

The Story Behind the Chairs

Cracker Barrel has been putting rocking chairs on its porches since it opened in 1969, and they have become one of the most recognizable pieces of furniture in America. What many people do not realize is that Cracker Barrel does not make them. It sells chairs from established American manufacturers, and two names matter most.

The classic wooden ladder back rockers, the ones you picture on the porch, have long been handcrafted by the Hinkle Chair Company of Springfield, Tennessee, a family run business that has been making chairs since the 1830s. That is close to two centuries of chair making, and Hinkle has produced these rockers for Cracker Barrel for decades, finishing them with durable coatings. Buying one means buying a genuinely American made, Southern made heirloom rocker.

The all weather rockers, meanwhile, are made exclusively for Cracker Barrel by POLYWOOD, a company that builds outdoor furniture from recycled high density polyethylene. These are the modern, weatherproof versions of the classic look, sold under the All Weather Heritage name and not available anywhere else.

What Cracker Barrel Offers

The range is wider than most people expect. Alongside the two headline lines, Cracker Barrel’s shop carries wooden, log, wicker, and all weather rockers from several makers, plus indoor rockers and child sized rockers. In short, you can find:

• Classic wooden porch rockers, the traditional ladder back style.
• All weather POLYWOOD rockers in several colors, built to survive sun, rain, and snow.
• Rustic log and char log rockers for a cabin look.
• Resin wicker rockers for a softer, decorative style.
• Indoor rockers and children’s rockers, including styles you can personalize.

Materials and Build Quality

This is where Cracker Barrel earns its reputation. The Hinkle wooden rockers are solid hardwood, hand assembled, and finished to hold up to years of porch use, which is exactly why they survive heavy daily use at the restaurants themselves. The POLYWOOD all weather rockers are made from a proprietary recycled HDPE lumber with the color running all the way through, so they resist fading, cracking, chipping, splintering, peeling, and rot, and they never need painting or sealing. POLYWOOD manufactures them in the United States and even runs a recycling program for them at the end of their life. Both lines are built to last, which is the whole point of a rocker you intend to keep for years.

Size, Comfort, and Warranty

The POLYWOOD Heritage rockers are full size and roomy, measuring around 45 inches tall, 27 inches wide, and 34 inches deep, which gives generous arm to arm space and a deep seat. They feature a contoured seat and gently sloped runners for a smooth rocking rhythm, and they carry a strong 20 year limited residential warranty, with a 3 year commercial warranty. The wooden Hinkle rockers offer the classic firm, supportive feel of a traditional ladder back chair, which many people find nostalgic and comfortable, especially with a cushion added. If you want to soften any hard wooden seat, our guide to the best outdoor rocking chair cushions can help.

What They Cost

Cracker Barrel rockers are a premium buy. The classic wooden rocker has long sold for around $190 to $220, including versions with the Cracker Barrel logo. The POLYWOOD All Weather Heritage rocker runs about $290 for a single chair, $580 for a set of two, and around $650 for a three piece set with a matching side table. Shipping adds to that, since a fully assembled rocker ships by freight for a significant fee, while ready to assemble versions carry a smaller handling charge. Prices change over time, so check the Cracker Barrel rocking chairs page for current pricing.

Are They Worth It?

It depends on what you value. You are paying for genuine quality, American manufacturing, real heritage, and in the case of POLYWOOD a 20 year warranty and near zero maintenance. For many buyers, that combination justifies the price, and these are chairs you can reasonably expect to hand down. On the other hand, you can find similar HDPE all weather rockers from other retailers for noticeably less, sometimes close to half the price for a pair, if the brand and heritage do not matter to you. The POLYWOOD blend is proprietary, so a cheaper lookalike will not be identical, but it may be close enough for your needs. It comes down to whether you are buying the chair or buying the story, and with Cracker Barrel a lot of people happily buy both.

Pros and Cons

What is good:

• Genuine quality from established American makers, Hinkle and POLYWOOD
• Weatherproof, low maintenance POLYWOOD models with a 20 year warranty
• Classic, timeless porch style with real heritage
• Roomy, comfortable full size proportions
• Options across wood, all weather, log, and wicker, plus children’s rockers

What to consider:

• Premium pricing, with cheaper lookalikes available elsewhere
• Significant shipping costs on assembled rockers
• The exact chairs are mostly exclusive to Cracker Barrel, so no comparison shopping on the identical model

Frequently Asked Questions

Who makes Cracker Barrel’s rocking chairs?
The classic wooden rockers are made by the Hinkle Chair Company in Springfield, Tennessee, and the all weather rockers are made exclusively for Cracker Barrel by POLYWOOD from recycled HDPE.

How much is a Cracker Barrel rocking chair?
Roughly $190 to $220 for the classic wooden rocker and about $290 for a single POLYWOOD all weather rocker, with sets and side tables costing more, plus shipping.

Can you buy Cracker Barrel rocking chairs online?
Yes. They are sold both in the Old Country Stores and on the Cracker Barrel website, and many can be personalized.

Are Cracker Barrel rocking chairs good quality?
Yes. Both the Hinkle wooden rockers and the POLYWOOD all weather rockers are well built and durable, which is why they hold up to constant use on the restaurant porches.

Final Thoughts

Cracker Barrel rocking chairs are the rare gift shop item that genuinely lives up to the nostalgia. Behind the porch charm are two serious manufacturers making durable, American made chairs, whether you want the traditional wooden ladder back from Hinkle or the weatherproof POLYWOOD all weather model with its long warranty. The price is high, and you can find cheaper lookalikes, but you would be giving up the heritage and, with POLYWOOD, the proprietary lumber and warranty. If a classic porch rocker that lasts for years sounds like your idea of a good buy, this is a strong one. For another premium outdoor rocker worth comparing, see our Frontera rocking chair review, and to keep any outdoor rocker in top shape, read our guide on how to protect and maintain outdoor rocking chairs.

This review is based on the manufacturers’ and retailer’s published information and available details rather than independent hands on testing. Prices and availability were accurate at the time of writing and may change.