Prior to my retirement from the North Carolina Department of Correction on March 1, 2012, I started a Things To Do List and some folks call it a "Bucket List" meaning things you want to do before you kick the bucket.........grin if you must.

One of the many things on my To Do List was a trip to the Whistle Stop Cafe in Juliette, Georgia with my bride of 44 years.  Fannie Flagg's very successful novel Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe which was later made into a movie, "Fried Green Tomatoes" featuring award winning actresses Kathy Bates, Jessica Tandy, Mary Stuart Masterson and Mary-Louise Parker;  Chris O'Donnell and many others of which both my bride and myself fell in love with the movie which sparked an interest in visiting the Cafe and little town that was given new life by the filming of the movie.  Prior to the filming of the movie "Fried Green Tomatoes", Juliette, Ga. was literally a Ghost Town and it took a couple months or more to get the little one road main street town safe enough to begin filming the movie.  They filmed the last part of the movie first showing the run down condition of the town before the renovation began.  Juliette, Georgia has to be "The Most Famous Town Saved By Hollywood".

After the movie "Fried Green Tomatoes", Fannie Flagg received thousands of letters from people all over the world asking if there was a Whistle Stop Cafe and did she have one in mind when writing the book and the answer was "Yes".  There was such a cafe.  The Irondale Cafe was purchased by her great Aunt Bess in 1932 and she ran it for over 50 years.  It is located in Irondale, Alabama, a small town just outside of her hometown of Birmingham, Alabama.  Obtain Fannie Flagg's Original Whistle Stop Cafe Cookbook featuring FRIED GREEN TOMATOES and more than 150 other great recipes for additional information.  Ok,  the background/history lesson is over.....grin again if you must! 

We got our clothes and personal hygiene items prepared the evening before and started our two day short trip on June 4, 2012 and departed Wadesboro, NC around 0715.  Prior to leaving,  I made a short run to our local BoJangles Restaurant and picked up a couple Bacon, Egg and Cheese biscuits and deposited some outgoing mail at the Post Office.  We topped off our gas tank near Chesterfield, SC about 15 miles down highway 742S where the regular gas was at $ 3.14 per gallon; about .30 less per gallon than our NC gasoline.  I map quested the route earlier and decided to take the scenic route as much as possible with the majority of the road trip on Interstate 20W for 186 miles out of the 296 miles to Juliette, Ga.  We made one "pit stop" around 1030 at McDonald's to use their restroom facilities and purchased some coffee and a quick snack to hold us over until lunch at the Whistle Stop Cafe.

The weather was a little on the rainy misty side after a couple hours into our trip but not bad enough to inhibit safe driving.  The posted speed limit on Interstate 20 was mostly 70 miles per hour and many vehicles passed by us like we were in reverse although I had the cruise control set to 70 mph.  The scenery was beautiful along the Interstate with plenty of Mimosa trees with their pink flowering blooms dotting the highway road frontage ever so often.  The mild rain/mist subsided before we reached Juliette, Georgia with the sky a little overcast at times but the sun did get a chance to come through displaying her golden majestic rays of sunlight which brightens the inner spirit and soul as well.

We arrived in the little town of Juliette, Georgia around 1:30 P.M. and it was as if we had gone back into the 1930s.  We received a big welcome from the Whistle Stop Cafe waitresses as we entered the front door it was like being in the movie set itself.  It is amazing how the large format movie camera lens had captured the depth of field and details of the Cafe for the movie of which depends on the skill and experience of the camera operator and director.  I could just about see the food fight that Idgie and Ruth had in the little kitchen and Sipsey saying, "The Secret's In The Sauce".  Pictures and narrative comments follows with the bulk of the pictures in thumbnails, so click on the thumbnails for a larger view:

The facade of the Whistle Stop Cafe is pretty close to the actual movie set except there were a couple hand cranked gas pumps on either side of the steps and of course the entire street and area in front of the cafe leading across the railroad tracks and out of town where the filming took place was covered  with red clay dirt for the authentic 1930s period look aka The Great Depression Era.

Victoria Wallace our lovely waitress was fantastic and very knowledgeable about the history of the town of Juliette, Ga. and the making of the movie although she might not have been born when the movie was made.   She gave us excellent service and a pleasure to be around........just check that beautiful smile out!

I ordered Cubed Steak n Gravy, Mashed Potatoes and Gravy, Green Beans, Yeast Roll and we both shared an appetizer of Fried Green Tomatoes of which the food was seasoned in the Southern Style and the portions were gigantic!  My bride aka Joyce ordered the same things except substituted the green beans for collard greens.  A big tall glass of cold Sweet Tea served in a pint Mason jar of which didn't run dry with Victoria Wallace keeping it filled.

An appetizer of Fried Green Tomatoes.  Fannie Flagg authored a cookbook titled, Whistle Stop Cafe Cookbook which has a couple recipes for fried green tomatoes.  Our recipes for Fried Green Tomatoes is here:  Fried Green Tomatoes.

Debbie Cheatham, another outstanding waitress took the above pix of my bride and myself with Victoria Wallace in the back ground. 

Following thumbnails of the decor inside the Whistle Stop Cafe and some original movie set pixs that was taken on display:

Pix of my bride and myself on the porch entrance to the Whistle Stop Cafe after that outstanding meal.  I was "Tight as a Georgia Tick on the back of a coonhound in the month of July" from the meal consumed!

They actually got a grin out of the "ole boy" on this pix.........grin if you must!

The below thumbnail pixs taken of one of the outside windows at the Whistle Stop Cafe and the surrounding gift shops, BBQ area and railroad tracks with a train coming through.  The train caught my bride off guard and she gave a little "holler" out when the train sounded its whistle at the railroad crossing..........I grinned for sure!

Pix of the rock BBQ used in the set.  I can visualize Big George cooking the meat over the hot live orange colored embers as I type this narrative.

A few souvenirs purchased at the Whistle Stop Cafe Gift Shop.  All items will definitely get a workout. 

We spent the night at the Day's Inn in Forsyth, Georgia which was reserved earlier and for the price the accommodations were excellent.  We got a handicap room on the first level for my bride since she has some mobility issues and the staff called us later to ascertain if everything was fine of which it was.  The room had pretty much standard amenities; microwave, refrigerator, coffee maker with coffee supplied, ice bucket, bathroom accessories, flat screen TV, plenty of disposable cups, etc.  and a King size bed and adequate storage space.  The shower was wheel chair accessible and had a hand held shower head, safety rails and a chair/stool with a back.  There was a Continental breakfast offered but we decided to have a full course breakfast up the road the following morning.

We departed around 0830 on June 5, 2012 and got back onto highway 83N and had breakfast/brunch at a Waffle House before getting onto Interstate 20 East which was about 47 miles from Forsyth and enjoyed a waffle with syrup, eggs, bacon, grits and/or hash browns,  toast and black coffee.  Again, we ran into rain while on Interstate 20 most of the way and the rain stopped right before we got into Chesterfield, SC.  We arrived home in the mid to late afternoon; don't remember the exact time....grin if you must! 

In Summation, this was an outstanding short road trip for my bride and myself and if you enjoyed the movie "Fried Green Tomatoes", you will love the visit to the Whistle Stop Cafe in Juliette, Georgia.  Every person there was extremely friendly and interested in you enjoying a great meal and visit.  I highly recommend this tourist attraction if you like going back in time to the 1930s era and/or enjoy Southern cuisine food.  You will not be disappointed!

Web posted on 06-06-12 by Bill aka Mickey Porter.