Fried Green Tomatoes

 ......................ever been to Whistle Stop, Alabama? How about Juliette, Georgia? 

No?

..........that's what I figured.

One of these places is a real town, the other, a work of fiction but interestingly enough both towns are one and the same. If any of you had ever seen the movie "Fried Green Tomatoes." you'd recognize Whistle Stop as the homely little country town where the story was based. Of course Whistle Stop doesn't exist, well not in the way you'd expect anyway. In real life, Whistle Stop is actually a small town south of Atlanta, Georgia called Juliette.

Presumably Juliette wasn't much of anything, but a small town lost to time, until sometime in 1991 when movie producers came scouting for somewhere to film their movie; the rest is history. I'm not into chick flicks, but having been to the place, I couldn't help but watch the movie, if not for the novelty of saying "I'd been there."

Juliette is one of those small towns that I thoroughly enjoy visiting, steeped in history but relevant and alive even today. Fiddling around the little antique and craft stores that lined the main street, I started to get a sense of what the place must have been like back in the twenties. The little candle shop may have been a bank or a saloon, the little antique shop on the right, a blacksmiths maybe, who knows.

The focal point of the movie was a little place called the Whistle Stop Cafe, brainchild of the main characters Ruth and Idgie. The cafe itself still operates today in exactly the same format as it was in the movie, and still pumping out plates of those fried green tomatoes.

The Whistle Stop Cafe

I also had the pleasure of sampling a plate of country fried steak with creamed corn paired with a hefty slice of cornbread. Dessert was a slice of warm pecan pie topped with vanilla ice cream and a dusting of cinnamon.....basically heaven on a plate. Even if you weren't interested in the movie, I'd recommend you seriously consider the 75 mile drive down there just for this.

But seriously though, don't leave the Cafe without trying at least a slice of their fried green tomatoes, you'll regret it if you do.

better than sex.............

Where Smokey Lonesome stayed....seriously, watch the flick

There really isn't much to the place honestly but it's a nice spot to visit if you happen to be out camping at the nearby Lake Juliette. I'm not into antiques but practically all the stores in town sells them but there is also a shop selling hand-made scented candles as well as another store selling honey (watch the movie to understand the honey reference). 

Located nearby is the Jarrell Plantation, a Civil War era plantation with most of it's buildings and original machinery still intact. I'll definitely be returning in a couple weeks to check the place out......and possibly snag some more of dem damn tomatoes while I'm passing through. 

Until then.....peace.

DTJ

The Whistle Stop Cafe

443 McCrackin Street

Juliette, GA 31046

478-992-8886

Hours: Open Monday - Sunday 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.