Ruby Falls

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From Ruby Falls

Tucked into the Northwestern Corner of our state is Lookout Mountain. On one side of Lookout Mountain, you have the pretty and pristine park known as Cloudland Canyon. On the other side of the Mountain, you have one of the most well-known tourist attractions in all of the Southeastern United States: a place that has attracted and is still attracting millions of visitors for better than 75 years. To be honest the entrance to this particular place is in Tennessee, just a stone’s throw outside of Chattanooga, and just over two hours away from Atlanta. Considering its reputation, its awesome photographical potential, and the fact it involves a waterfall, it amazes me that I waited until this year to visit Ruby Falls.

There are three tactics I use to beat the miserable heat during the dog days of summer. The most interesting method is to get underground, and it was exactly this motivation that brought my little group to Ruby Falls just a few weeks ago. I had read that the temperature at the Falls is a consistent 60 degrees. There is an Admission Fee of $17.95 ($9.95 children 12 and under) but discount Coupons are not hard to find. What you get is a 200-ft ride down in an elevator, a walk of about .4 mile to the falls, and then a nice view of a 145-ft underground waterfall. It is a very popular destination, so your time with the fall is limit to about 10 minutes to facilitate the number of visitors, but you do get to spend over an hour underground and out of the heat, in spite of the crowds.

This attraction was discovered in 1928 by Leo Lambert. Mr. Lambert had played and explored in the Lookout Mountain Cavern as a Youth, but the cave’s entrance had been closed out of necessity when the Southern Railroad Company built a tunnel nearby in 1905. Mr. Lambert received permission to drill from the top of the mountain into the earth to create and access point to the caverns. After drilling about 250 feet, still 100 feet from the intended cavern below, a gush of air came out. Mr. Lambert went down to investigate, crawling for 17 hours through a crevice 5 feet wide and only 18 inches high, he stumbled on the majestic Ruby Falls. He named the falls after his wife. Originally, the tour included the Lookout Mountain Cavern and the Ruby Falls Cavern, but has since been limited to simply the Falls tour.

The tour is a little strange. It is set up to wow its visitors the way you would expect a tourist attraction would, rather than the manner of a natural wonder. The place is filled with colored artificial light that in some ways enhances the experience, but at times makes you think that it would be pretty in its own right without it. At the end point, where the falls actually sits, it’s a full on roadside spectacular, complete with color-changing lights and majestic classic music to remind us that this is tremendous. In some ways, it creates a marvel to behold, but you still think the falls would be pretty neat on its own, regardless.

The primary criticism of the place is its touristyness. And they would be right. The waterfall is magnificent, but not so much more than others I’ve seen in the area. And the trappings create an aura of goofiness. To their credit, however, the place is well maintained and beautiful. The marketing doesn’t prepare you for just how beautiful the areas surrounding the falls are. I would even say the surrounding cavern, with its gorgeous terrains filled with stalagmites and stalactites, is better than the falls itself. And the fall is very nice on its own merits.

So if you are looking for a neat way to beat the heat, and don’t mind a medium length drive and a mid-range admission fee, Ruby Falls may be the place for you. I would actually go so far as to say, considering the omnipresent nature of the advertising for this place along the Southeastern highways and byways, it is something everyone in the area ought to see at least once in their life.

Whistle Stop Cafe

"That frying pan did more than fry chicken that night" Map

From Whistle Stop Cafe

I have said that I was going to talk a little about food (among other things) on this site. But the food has to be a little more than just a cute little restaurant down the road, of which we in Atlanta have plenty. A short while back I was asked a question about my East Juliette Dam post, which I couldn’t answer until I rewatched (at least the first 15 minutes) of the movie Fried Green Tomatoes. During which I remembered that I intended to post about the restaurant about an hour and a half from Atlanta, where the film was made, but never got around to it. Until now, so I bring you the Whistle Stop Cafe in Juliette, Georgia.


Now the film Fried Green Tomatoes seems to be one of those Southern Chick Films (using the film term with absolutely no additional connotation), which I’ve never met a Southern Girl who doesn’t love. So if you decide to go here, you get a two for one as a guy, you make her day a special outing and you get to eat some good fried country cooking without any real questions about your eating choices. A free pass to Fried Chicken, as it were. She’ll love the story and you’ll like the food.


It’s not the restaurant that inspired the book. No, that place is a little café in Irondale, Alabama just this side of Birmingham, Alabama called the Irondale Cafe (I’ve stopped there too and its pretty good). This is the place they chose to shoot the film. You see prior to Fried Green Tomatoes, Juliette was a bit of a ghost town, with packed up and shuttered buildings which made for a good cheap place for a Hollywood set. But when they left, they left some of the film stuff intact, including the café, which some industrious locals decided to reopen in tribute to the restaurant that played such an important part in the film. The building itself was built in 1927 and was primarily used as a general store, but its new function is much more visit friendly.


We ate a big pile of Southern Fried Goodness. We had to order the Fried Green Tomatoes, and I doubt you could make the trek without doing the same. I had a plate full of Fried Chicken Livers, while the missus had a mighty fine country fried steak (I was looking at the menu and I don’t think they sell livers no more). We got them with a bunch of sides, sweet potato soufflé, mac and cheese, and fried okra (though the sides rotate). We also split some peach cobbler, which rounded out a nice traditional Georgia meal. And the setting takes one back to a much less hectic time.


The city itself has undergone a mild rejuvenation because of the Whistle Stop and the Fried Green Tomatoes movie. We stopped for a spell at a kind of opry house with some folks fiddling and strumming on the porch. They run the occasional music fest there, but check for schedules. Out back of the restaurant is the brick oven, they cooked old Frank Bennett in. Also, is the small shack that was the movie home of Smokey Lonesome. If you walk around the little town, there are some neat old buildings, a nice train track view, and across the way in an old mill factory.


So if you are out Southeast of the city, and the timing is right (due to their limited hours), you can get a special treat of good food with a nifty backdrop by visiting the Whistlestop Café in Juliette. I’m sure it’ll be easy to talk your woman into making this stop. I apologize for writing this in a tone which might imply I am a true Southerner.



Restaurant Fundamentals
Address: 443 McCracken Street, Juliette, Georgia (Monroe County)
Hours: Sun-Fri 11-4 Sat 11-8
Phone: 478.992.8886
Website: The Whistle Stop Cafe

Cultural Significance: B
Food Quality: B+
Healthiness: C
Price: A
Value: B+

Overall Rating: B+

Recommendations: You go to a place like this for “Southern Food” so check your diet at the door and stick with the southern stuff: BBQ, Fried Chicken, Country Fried Steak and, of course, the Fried Green Tomatoes and southern sides.
Significance: The location for the movie, Fried Green Tomatoes.

Mercier Orchards

Pickin’ N Grinnin’ Map

From Mercier Orchards

Some experiences in Georgia aren’t of the Natural Wonder or Historical Variety. But they are just as important to our culture. We can forget, living in the concrete confines of the big city, how important agriculture is to our lives. Heck, you can’t speak about our most famous President without out mentioning the Peanut. In the North of Georgia, there is some really good local purveyors of produce. The weekend before last, I had the good fortune to spend some time at one of our most famous public farms, Mercier Orchards , about 2 hours North of Atlanta in Blue Ridge, Georgia


Now they are most famous for, like most of the Georgia Hwy 5 area, Apples . And having sampled the apples, which are often available at local markets like Whole Foods, I know they are quite good. But with Apple Season not coming for months, the good folks at Mercier have other produce you can pick and eat. We went up for their Cherries Jubilee, but at different times they also do blueberries and strawberries. They got great produce and they’ve been doing this up there in North Georgia since the 30’s.


What you get when you get there is this: you buy a bag for your pickings (a half peck of Cherries--about 5 lbs--cost $15--I'm sure different crops have different prices), you walk around the side of the building and ride a tractor pulled carriage up to the ripest part of the orchard, and then you get to picking. The red of the cherries against the green of the trees and field shines majestically in the Georgia Sun. So how do you know if you got good ones? Well, you could look for the darkest color as the field hands pointed out or you could simply taste them, and tasting is encouraged. It was like a fun game trying to find the best possible cherries. We spent about 40 minutes there, having fun, filling our bags, and filling our faces before a very pleasant walk back to the store.


Now the store has everything related to Georgia Produce you could possibly want: Apples, Corn, Ciders, Jam, & the like. You could order from their online store here . But it is really famous for its pie. We sat in the café and split a fried pie and an apple fritter and took a whole Dutch Apple pie home. Now, I’m not a big pie eater, but I believe in the “when in Rome” adage. I thought they were about as good as I have tasted. The five friends we shared the Dutch Apple pie with on Memorial Day concurred.


Now the reason I am writing this is because Cherry Season is short, with Blueberries becoming the pick of the litter in just a couple of weeks. I’d love to get back there in Apple Season (Mid August through October), and it just might happen. The bigger reason is that I spent a few hours pitting cherries for a little homemade cherry pie, which is in the oven as I write. So if you have an hour to kill in the vicinity of Blue Ridge, a stop by Mercier orchard may just give you much more than 60 minutes of happiness.

 Here is our home cooked Cherry Lattice Pie,


Restaurant Fundamentals
Address: 8660 Blue Ridge Drive (Highway 5) Blue Ridge, Georgia 30513
Phone: 1-800-361-7731
Website: http://www.mercier-orchards.com/

Cultural Significance: A-
Food Quality: A+
Healthiness: C+ (basically deserts, but at least its fresh local fruit)
Price: A
Value: A

Overall Rating: A-

Recommendations: Fried Pie, Apple Pie, basically any Pies
Significance: Southern Magazines favorite Roadside Apple Market, A true taste of Georgia

Westville, an 1850's town

STEP BACK INTO GEORGIA IN THE 1850’s MAP

From Westville

When I tried to explain to my friends my desire to go to Westville, in Lumpkin, Georgia [Stewart County], I told them it seems like it is a place that, much like Helen, Georgia is to Germany, it is to our state 150 years ago. That description is only mostly accurate, Helen is much more touristy with restaurants, shopping centers, and its ilk. Westville is simply what it claims to be a working pre-civil war Georgia town, you be hard pressed to find a fine dining experience in the vicinity, but there’s some nearby good BBQ.



I hesitate to call it a hike, but you should wear comfortable shoes because you’ll walk along dirt roads for about two miles during your visit. What you see is quite interesting, you walk along and see over thirty pioneer Georgia buildings. From Churches to a General Store to a Doctor’s office; from the rich Singer’s home to poor farmers Cabins; from blacksmiths to potters to bootmakers shops; its all there in this well thought out open Air Museum.



When you arrive you have to pay admission at the gift shop, which is $10 for adults, $8 for college students, and $4 dollars for K-12 ($1 off coupon here), and exchange your money for scrip which is used throughout the venue. In case you want some lemonade or some cornbread (50 Cents each), or take a tour of the land in a mule drawn wagon ($1 a person), you need a little scrip (2 bucks each should suffice). There is a restaurant serving simple food in one of the houses and I believe that group takes cash.



Inside you see a town at work. Workers in period gear ply their trades and educate you about what Georgia once was like. Unlike other reproductions I’ve seen, they let the characters be themselves, there's no pre planned script. We met a blacksmith who was complaining about the youths they hired not paying attention as he was trying to teach one how to make a nail. We met a very authentic heavy set black man making “sweetnin” and telling us it was good (making good a two syllable word). This sugar cane syrup was pretty disgusting to my palate, but as he explained it was all they had in the day. There was also a nice older lady who showed us how the loom worked, and as she pointed out all the drapes and linens on the site were made by that loom.



The highlight of the trip was watching a cotton gin actually at work. They had two field hands working the gin. One would run the gin and speak to the visitors, the other tended to the mules which served as its engine. I’ve seen cotton before, and I’ve seen gins before, but I never saw one at work. It was truly fascinating, Most gins of the time used bulls, and they explained that the last bull died some twenty years before, and they switched to mules. There was a giant bailing machine next to the gin, but unfortunately (for me not them) they weren’t bailing that day.



We went during the harvest festival, and they have several festivals and events throughout the year. On that day, there were singers and musicians in the courthouse, and you could sit a spell and enjoy some tunes. The Courthouse was from Cherokee County and I believe it is the oldest courthouse still standing in this state.



The whole concept is a monument to Colonel John West, a former professor from North Georgia College in Dahlonega. The idea was to save old historic buildings and put them all in one place for future generations to see. All the buildings are real and have come from all corners of the state. I’m glad some folks have the foresight to preserve that which would otherwise fall by the wayside.



If you have kids, I’d say its worth a special trip, seeing it’s a clear two and a half hours outside of Atlanta. For adults, I would say you would be remiss if you were in the area and didn’t stop by. Or could be easily combined with a gorgeous nature walk at Providence Canyon State Park 5 miles away. If you like photography, they actually encourage you to take pictures, unlike most other museums. This is a gem of a place in Southwest Georgia and a pleasant gateway to a world that has passed us by.

Atlanta History Center

REMEMBRANCES OF THINGS PAST map




One of my favorite spots in Atlanta to get out of the heat or to get away from the approaching cold is the Atlanta History Center. It comprises 10 or so exhibits at any given time, some temporary, some permanent. The three cornerstones of the museum complex are the History Center with its collection of Civil War Artifacts and Local History, along with the Tullie Smith Farm and the Swan House.



The History Center’s beginnings date back to the 1820’s, but its current majestic location in Buckhead began in 1989. The permanent exhibits include Atlanta History, a tribute to Atlanta Native and master golfer Bobby Jones, an Olympics exhibition, the Civil War collection, a local Folk Art retrospective, and a presentation on the Architecture of Phillip Shutze.



I don’t want to drone on and on about the site, but it merit’s a visit and revisit. I took my 14 year old godson to the site and he enjoyed it. The Olympic stuff is very interactive. The civil war exhibit had guns, and swords, and cannonballs, along with uniforms and much information. The Bobby Jones exhibit included golf clubs and Masters jackets and trophies. The Folk art exhibition’s highlights were a listening room for Uncle Remus Tales and Southern Preaching/Song Traditions.



I always try to keep the financial aspect in mind, so I want to remind ever body that AtlanTix can get you tickets for $10.72, saving 4 bucks of the $15 admission. But mostly I post this because this is the most interesting museum in town and should be appreciated.

The Swan House

OLD ALTANTA CRIBS - SWAN HOUSE EDITIONmap

From Swan Coach House

Attached to Atlanta History Center as kind of a centerpiece (the other two are the History Museum and the Tullie Smith Farm) to the whole experience is the Swan House. Built by Master Architect Phillip Shutze in 1826, it stands as one of the more majestic of the many majestic old Buckhead homes. It is included in the price of admission to the Atlanta History Center (discounts on AtlanTix)



The home was owned and donated by the Inman Family, so it is completely open to the public with guided tours and its interior has been decorated, with no expense spared, by fellow Atlantans who actually live there.



The tour includes the famous one piece staircase, the dining hall, several bedrooms, the bathrooms, and kitchen area. There is also a very detailed audio tour available giving real breadth to the realities of what makes the house special and significant.



My godson enjoyed the tour immensely, making it seems to me it was like MTV Cribs, for the generation that made their money not by dribbling a basketball or speaking over a Earth, Wind and Fire sample, but by folks who built our great city.



Additionally there house is available for receptions and weddings, though I shudder to think of the cost. Places like this sometimes confuse my sensibilities. I often rail at the decadence of the rich, but I do appreciate the beauty of decadence done well.

Tullie Smith House

THIS OLD HOUSE - ATLANTA map

From Tullie Smith ...

In my never ending quest to see all the old houses in the Area, I ran down to the Atlanta History Center in Buckhead to visit the city’s oldest house, the Tullie Smith House. It is attached to the center and included in the price of admission (discount admission at AtlanTix).



The house was built in 1826 and was moved to this site from its original spot in Druid Hills, on the site of the current Executive Park complex. I hear this location is in line for a Atlantic Station type renovation, but who knows



The house is a simple Georgia Farm, built by Robert Smith. The house is named for its last resident Tullie, who left the home in the early seventies.



There is an included tour, with guides often in period outfits. Unfortunately, there is no photography allowed inside the home itself. The guides are fairly knowledgeable and happy to answer questions about how things were done during the heyday of homesteads like this one.



Also on the premises are a working farm with sheep and chickens, as wells a foodstuffs. And external but very necessary structure like an outhouse, storage, and tenants quarters.



As part of the multifaceted Atlanta History Center (which includes the Swan House and the History Museum), the Tullie Smith house is one of the more interesting of all the oldest houses in the area. And its West Paces Ferry location means its very easy to get to.

ZooAtlanta

IF I COULD TALK TO THE ANIMALS...Map

From Atlanta Zoo -...

I try to keep the things I point out in the city on the cheap side. Its not that I can't afford things, It simply that I'm frugal and I understand that many of the folks in the city need to stretch the dollar. But on occasion, I feel compelled to speak about great things in the city that cost a little bit of money. I wanted to speak about ZooAtlanta. I took far more photos on this one than I can easily place in a blog format, so I would remind you that you can click any photo and get through to my complete Zoo photo gallery with 80 pics.



Now, I've been to Zoo's in big cities like Chicago. I've been to Zoo's that are really famous like San Diego. I've been to the National Zoo in DC. All that being said, I had one of my most enjoyable times at the ZooAtlanta in Grant Park. They had all the standards, cool monkeys (my favorites), snakes, birds, and elephants. They had a pretty little petting zoo. They had a good amount of Kangaroos. What was really neat is that I went in the middle of the day during the heat and the animal were not just sleeping. The curators plan events to keep the animals active to make it a more pleasurable experience. I really appreciated it.


Probably the highlight of the day is the Panda exhibit with Mei Lan, the baby Panda . Mei Lan turns one year old in early September. And will probably be shipped to China after she turns two. So if you want to see the baby Panda, you had better go see the baby Panda sooner than later.



As for the cost, save yourself some money by visiting Atlantix at Lenox Square or Underground Atlanta. You can normally get a ticket for $12.66 [Aug 07] (Normal prices are $18 for adults and $13 for kids). The Atlantix Email listing I will place at the bottom of this post. Or if you are planning a series of visits, there is always the Citypass for $64.



Its fun. Its educational. Its not too expensive. Its well executed. Its located in beautiful Grant Park next to the Cyclorama and very near Historic Oakland Cemetary. This Baboon recommends our Zoo.



Zoo Atlanta ~ Grant Park [ Lenox Square or Underground Atlanta]
A wild time awaits you! Zoo Atlanta is home to nearly 700 individual animals from around the world and provides them with naturalistic environments that simulate their native land. Don't miss the fun and excitement of the Orkin Children's Zoo and KIDZone area. This is the perfect place for kids to gain hands-on experience with our animals. Check out the new Wild Like Me exhibit. For more info go to www.zooatlanta.org
Hours: Daily 9:30am-5:30pm - $12.66 **Available daily for same day and next day admission**