On The Road - Georgia To Memphis

Slept in a little and headed out of Atlanta a little after 8. We'll gain an extra hour heading west anyway, so that's OK. We stopped at a Quik Trip for big coffees after we got out of town, and Jo started looking for a unique place for breakfast further down the road. 

After a short while, we were crossing the state line. 

Suddenly, we were in Talladega county and right at the speedway. I realized we were at another movie location and Jo insisted we stop. I did my best Ricky Bobby pose out front ("I'm not sure what to do with my hands..."). 

Just down the road from the speedway is this nice little stop for race fans. 

Perfect if you need that hot shower, water, or firewood!

THAT is a community shower!

Jo searched Yelp and found a place in Birmingham for breakfast. I had mentioned that I wanted a place with good cured country ham like I had when I was in the south with my parents back in '84. She assured me this place had it. 

Yes, it's called "Big Bad Breakfast". 

Gotta love a breakfast & lunch place that has a well-stocked bar! 

We sat at a table. Jo ordered the Big Bad Breakfast skillet, a mix of eggs, cheese, ham, sausage, onions, peppers, and diced potatoes. It came with a huge biscuit. 

I got a slice of country ham and I was not disappointed. It was great, and just like I remembered...salty, like bacon. 

They also make their own preserves for the biscuits. We both liked the blueberry. 

After we got the check, our waitress asked if we needed anything else. After saying no, she asked if we'd like a couple ice waters to go. We happily accepted!

It happened last night at dinner at Pappadeax in Atlanta, too. I don't know if that's just a southern thing or what! 

Maybe they just wanna make sure we stay hydrated?

Jo saw this shirt as we left and had to have it. 

With ice waters keeping us refreshed, we enter another state. 

We arrive in Tupelo and find the tiny house where Elvis was born. His dad, Vernon, built it. And it is REALLY tiny!

This is the same model car that the Presley family drove when they moved from Tupelo to Memphis. 

We checked out the gift shop, but didn't pay for the tour. Just did the free stuff here, then headed on to Tunica. 

Staying at the Horseshoe, which is a short drive into Memphis for more stuff tomorrow. Ate at a place called "8-oz Burger". That's a half-pound burger patty in that fresh-baked bun!

It was cooked medium-rare and came topped with lettuce, pickles, onion, tomato, and their special sauce. It was a really good burger, and too big to finish. 

We should have shared! Ready for a good nights sleep and more adventures tomorrow. 

On The Road - Gone With The Wind

Gone With The Wind is my favorite movie. I've wanted to visit Atlanta for years to see where it all came to life. 

We started with hotel breakfast. I finally got my grits and they were delicious. 

We took the subway to Margaret Mitchell's house. On the elevator there was a sign advising that public urination is against the law. But apparently pooping on the elevator isn't. It was not pleasant. 

We'll spare you any pictures!

After learning you have to move quick to get on the train, we walked the short distance to the house. 

In our (mostly mine) excitement, we were about an hour early. We sat on a bench and did some people watching. 

A man sang to us and we struck up a conversation with a local. She gave us great food recommendations. So many nice people!

This is the house, although Margaret Mitchell only rented an apartment. It houses a gift shop and other exhibits. 

It had two fires in the nineties but the original apartment was intact after both. 

The furniture isn't original to Mitchell, but there were no ropes. I made coffee. 

The apartment was a good size. 

They did have a sign that we couldn't use the toilet. But there were bathrooms upstairs. So I peed at Margaret Mitchell's house. 

Across the courtyard they had the giant painting that hung on Rhett's wall. 

There was also the door from Tara. 

For lunch we took a trolley to Sweet Auburn Market. It's an indoor farmers market. 

We walked around to see what was available. There was a huge variety. 

We settled on an Ecuadoran place. 

 

We got shredded beef and cheese empanadas. It came with three great sauces...one like a very hot enchilada sauce, one an almost sour cream sauce, and a great avocado cilantro sauce. They mixed together very well! 

  

After lunch we had time to drive to Marietta for another museum. This was started by a collector who loved the book and movie. 

It's signature item was Scarlett's honeymoon outfit. 

Our local recommended Pappadeaux for seafood. 

I got a Captain's Hurricane. It was very rummy!!

We shared a delicious seafood platter. There was a stuffed crab, two kinds of fish and more. 

A catfish filet, a talapia  filet, stuffed crab, stuffed shrimp, fried shrimp, and a crab cake. Tons of French fries, too!   It all came out fast and hot, and very tasty. Excellent Cajun spices!. 

Now for a little relaxation before we hit the road heading west tomorrow. 

Gonna try to find a good breakfast place between Atlanta & Birmingham, then do lunch in Tupelo. Looking forward to what we find on the road!

On The Road - Eating Fried Green Tomatoes With My Cousin Vinny

Today we made it to Georgia. 

After our night in Charlotte, we hit the road early. 

The visitors center had rocking chairs that John took advantage of while I went to the restroom. 

  

Our first stop was the square in Monticello, Georgia where the filmed My Cousin Vinny. We are standing right where Vinny and Lisa were!

Next we stopped at the Sac-O-Suds. We got what we needed and left in great haste. 

As it was lunch time, and on the way, we went to the Whistle Stop Cafe in Juliette, Georgia.  

It really was like stepping into the movie. We ordered our fried green tomatoes right away.  

They were served very hot. There was also a spicy dipping sauce. They reminded me of fried eggplant. It got better the more I ate. 

For lunch we shared a chicken dinner. The menu is odd. They only offer a fried chicken breast or tenders. No other chicken pieces. Also there was no gravy on the potatoes. They were good on their own.

The greens weren't as good as MidWood's but still tasty. The corn bread had good flavor but needed butter. Overall it was good but didn't feel homemade. 

We had to try the pecan cobbler here as well. It was different but equally good. 

The waitress took our picture and I insisted that John call me girly girl. But I didn't eat any of Frank Bennet's Barbeque. 

We hit torrential rain going into Atlanta. 

Then an accident slowed us a bit, but the other drivers let us change lanes without any problem. 

We met a friend of John's for a Braves game. It had cleared up and cooled down a bit.  

John got ID'd buying a beer. 

We got an order of Parmesan garlic fries that rocked. 

The Braves played the Indians. 

John got a dog and a beer. 

We took a selfie cause the guy behind us looked like William H. Macy. 

We left before the Braves lost to beat traffic. Now time to rest up for our big day tomorrow.