It’s fair to say that I was not in the best mood that I’ve ever been on this trip to the Upstate and back. We were just getting ready to flex some legal muscle over some unpleasantness – since resolved, to about our 95% satisfaction – and Marie was about to go interview for a position in Ohio – stay tuned – and so I had some cobwebs and stress in my attic that needed a long drive and lots of barbecue to clear. And sometimes, you need the company of strangers more than friends. So when Matt phoned while I was in Clemson and invited me to swing back through Gainesville on my way home and get some barbecue with him, I was a little reluctant, because I knew that I wasn’t going to be good company, but I had been cheered up enough by Saturday morning’s drive to make my way his direction. Continue reading “Sweet House BBQ at Jaemor Farm, Alto GA (CLOSED)”
Mutt’s BBQ, Greer SC
I never realized how difficult it would be to find new barbecue in South Carolina’s Upstate! On Friday evening, I told the girl at the register at Brioso in Clemson that I would be going to Greenville the next day. She told me that she had gone to school at Furman, and I asked her whether she could recommend a place to get some barbecue. She said that she always went to Henry’s Smokehouse, which Marie and I had visited in February. Since I knew that one, could she recommend another? She thought for a moment and shook her head. She honestly couldn’t think of another barbecue place besides Henry’s. Continue reading “Mutt’s BBQ, Greer SC”
Clock Drive-In, Greenville SC
Hello, my name is Grant, and I’m addicted to Urbanspoon.
See, I had this bright idea when I set out on this road trip. After the first three stops, I would just end up where the road took me. I would not plan ahead, and I would not look at Google Maps or my Urbanspoon wish list. I would just end up in Clemson, ask how to get to Greenville, drive around, stop at whatever looked interesting, maybe mosey up to Spartanburg, possibly detour through Anderson, and come home. I’d take pictures of neat signs or bridges, I would pull into any bookstores that caught my eye, and I wouldn’t be enslaved to a schedule or a timetable. And pigs would fly. Continue reading “Clock Drive-In, Greenville SC”
Leopold’s Ice Cream, Savannah GA
This is Marie, contributing an article about ice cream. Because of an unfortunate scheduling snafu, the baby and I went to visit my folks without Grant or the girlchild, so they got no time at the beach. Well, I didn’t either, but the more important part of the visit was grandparent fun time with baby. One of the activities for that was a trip to the opening day of the first phase of the Savannah Children’s Museum. They are associated with the Savannah Railroad Musum and the children’s area is among some of the historic buildings so the place has a lot of character and considerable charm. They’re going to have problems with the grass being trampled by babies pretty soon, and the toys are so portable my son tried to escape with a Lincoln Log and I had to go back to return it. Continue reading “Leopold’s Ice Cream, Savannah GA”
Up and Down Tiger Town
The road took me north, as hoped, to Clemson, which, as college towns go, is a little underappreciated if you ask me. Sure, it’s no Athens, Chapel Hill, Morgantown or Oxford, but it’s a darn sight more impressive than Starkville. Plus, the campus is a real beauty. Continue reading “Up and Down Tiger Town”
Hot Dog Depot, Westminster SC
No kidding, this is what happened. I saw a sign in Toccoa pointing me toward the town of Westminster and decided that would be the road that I would take. In a few minutes, I crossed the Tugaloo River into South Carolina and immediately U-turned – safely – and, as though I just remembered that this state elected a moron like Nikki Haley to be their governor, sped back into Georgia. Continue reading “Hot Dog Depot, Westminster SC”
This land is Billy Dilworth’s land.
Last month, one of our readers, Cheryl Kitchens, sent a recommendation that we stop by Bar-H Barbeque near the neat little town of Royston. I agreed that was a terrific idea; I had not been anywhere around these great towns in northeast Georgia that I enjoy so much in a really long time. Bar-H was, therefore, the last restaurant that I deliberately looked up and planned to visit before I set out on my trip. I noticed that I could get there from Athens via one of two roads. I’d driven US-29 through the area many times in the past, but I’d never seen GA-281 before, so that was the one that I took. I also thought about where I might go after Royston. I glanced very briefly around Google Maps and figured that Toccoa and Clemson would be eventual destinations, but I backed away after making that conclusion. I was resolved not to print out directions or use Urbanspoon to lock myself into a schedule. After I left Bar-H, I would be on my own. Continue reading “This land is Billy Dilworth’s land.”
Marie, Let's Eat! 