Some days we get as close to our Georgia cultural roots as we ever can, and Saturday was one of those days.
Whenever we visit Dames Ferry Campground in Juliette, Georgia, we like to have lunch at The Whistle Stop Cafe. There is always a wait, and today’s wait exceeded an hour.
The long wait is worth it, though, even without air conditioning when temperatures are scorching in the upper 90s in Georgia. They turn on all the fans and it feels like we’re back in the 1930s.
The Whistle Stop Cafe is based on the novel by Fannie Flagg, entitled Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe. You can even order the actual fried green tomato batter mix from Amazon! They made a movie, too, and we love watching it before we visit the restaurant each time we come.
They serve their drinks in ice-filled Mason jars with lemon rinds garnishing the rims, and the servers take time to show diners the window with the bullet hole and the booth where most of the movie scenes in the restaurant were filmed. Outside, you might see the train – or trains – whistle past the Whistle Stop and think of the touching scene at the end of the movie when you think there’s been a train accident death – and realize the truth. And sigh with great relief.
If you’re feeling especially brave, you might try the Bennet’s Barbecue, but we weren’t feeling all that courageous in this sweltering heat.
The front porch ceilings are painted haint blue, a tradition in southern towns that originated on the islands of the South Carolina Lowcountry. One paint company actually has a color named “haint blue,” to ward off spirits from coming into homes or businesses.
There’s plenty good reason for a coat of ghost paint here.
If you’re ever just a few miles north of Macon and want a down-home Georgia experience, visit the small town of Juliette, Georgia. The southern culture doesn’t get more authentic than right here in the very heart of Georgia.
Common Threads 