Birmingham/Atlanta/Knoxville (Days 16-19)

Day 16: Birmingham to Atlanta

As a queer person who LOVES Fried Green Tomatoes (the book, film, and food), I was NOT allowed to leave Birmingham without stopping at the place that inspired the Whistle Stop Cafe - the Irondale Cafe! Which is, in fact, right by a train stop that is VERY loud. It is a hopping historical spot on its own even without FGT fame (opened in 1928), and had to take several slices of pie to sample, of course. We then made our way to Atlanta, where my sister Hannah lives, to spend a few days hanging out with her and her boyfriend Connor and recharging before tackling the Big Ears festival. Our first night in town, we had a lovely dinner at Argosy in East Atlanta Village; again, I am not into food pics, but rest assured the Coca-Cola braised french dip rivaled Cole's in Los Angeles, which you should know I would not throw around lightly. We then had the pleasure of attending a fantastic Kraftwerk concert at a very cool venue called The Eastern. The visual elements of the show were spectacular, and finally being able to see this friggin' electronic music PIONEERS was a very special experience. 

​Days 17-18: Atlanta

We had a restful morning, and decided to devote our first full day in Atlanta to some sight-seeing after a hearty lunch at Manuel's Tavern. Dating back to 1956, it has been a longstanding hub for the Democratic party in Georgia, and was one of Jimmy Carter's favorite restaurants (he launched his gubernatorial campaign there in 1970).  Our next stop was the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library, which we both thoroughly enjoyed. In light of our current nightmare regime, it was refreshing to revisit the legacy of a President who valued Democracy, understood the job and who (most of the time) prioritized human rights above all else. Rosalynn Carter's legacy is also quite remarkable - she was almost certainly the most active First Lady in pursuit of humanitarian causes in our history. I left feeling a deep sadness, though, for the Carters' humanitarian legacy is rapidly being demolished daily by the Orange N*zi's USAID cuts. I have to hold on to the faintest glimmer of hope that the adults in Congress will stand up to fascism and find a way to restore these vital programs. 

As one must while in Atlanta, we also toured the World of Coca-Cola (which I had done before, but it was Alex's first time). A bit silly, but you do get to try different Coke products from around the world (sorry I failed at pics, here). We had some great Mexican food for dinner from Elmyriachi, as well!

The next day I was pretty tired, so I decided to devote the day to rest and doing laundry. Alex does not like to waste a single day while traveling, so he opted to check out the Atlanta Botanical Gardens, which is highly recommended. We all met up for dinner at Apres Diem (great bistro) and saw Black Bag at the theater next door, the new Soderbergh spy thriller, which was excellent. 

​Day 19: Atlanta to Knoxville

We sadly had to say goodbye to Atlanta, but not without grabbing some delicious pastries from Galette, first (thank you Hannah for the rec!). Our first stop of the day was a MAJOR road trip highlight so far - the American Museum of the House Cat. This place is absolutely crazy and full of a WILD array of cat-related items (with 3 resident house cats, as well). We loved every minute and could have stayed much longer, if we'd had time. You can also check them out on Instagram if you're curious to know more. 

We were luckily also able to stop by the Museum of the Cherokee People in Cherokee, NC. This was a fascinating stop, because you get to experience an older exhibit (from the 90's) curated by non-Cherokee 'experts,' alongside more current commentary from the actual Cherokee community. It is difficult to fathom how the museum functioned for decades without input from the Cherokee community....but glad they are finally course-correcting. The whole drive on this day was lovely, but the highlight for sure was the scenic highway through Great Smoky Mountains National Park. We didn't have time for hiking, but were grateful to see the Mountain Farm Museum at the visitors center, some wildlife, and a few epic scenic overlooks! Our last stop of the day before reaching our final destination for the next few days (Knoxville, TN) was Pigeon Forge, TN, where we stopped for dinner at The Old Mill Restaurant. Pigeon Forge is perhaps best known as the home of Dollywood, which we were originally going to visit on this day, but sadly timing was not in our favor...so we opted to return another time to give Dolly the time she truly deserves. The Old Mill was super popular for their very delicious Southern home cooking.

We are now officially at the half-way point of our trip, and parked in Knoxville for the next few days while attending the Big Ears Festival! I'll post again as soon as I can, but may be a few days given our (perpetually busy) schedule. Thanks for reading!