Revisiting Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe

A Day Away by Mike Steely

My wife and I have been revisiting our memories of the Whistle Stop Cafe in Juliette, Georgia. The popular movie "Fried Green Tomatoes," based on Fannie Flagg's 1987 novel, was filmed there and the little Georgia town has embraced the movie, preserving the film's cafe which is still serving fried green tomatoes and other dishes.

Juliette is a very small town, east of Forsyth, and not that far off Interstate 75. We've been there a couple of times on our way to and from Florida. Little side trips when you are headed somewhere else can be a highlight of any trip.  The little city is located on the banks of the Ocmulgee River and appropriately along a railroad track.

The book is based on the friendship between two women and was set in Irondale, Alabama. The movie company chose Juliette to double as the restaurant site. The Irondale Cafe claims to be the original Whistle Stop Cafe and offers fried green tomatoes on its menu.

The population of Juliette is about 300 souls. The small downtown welcomes thousands of visitors each year. The Whistle Stop Cafe is at McCrackin Street downtown and is open Thursday through Monday from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. You can call the cafe at (478) 992-8886 or find the restaurant on the internet. A visit any day is worthwhile for the photos and the experience.

If you're traveling south on I-75 you should take Highway 83 east at Forsyth to Highway 23 and turn south to Juliette.

While in Georgia you may also want to check out the various "Walking Dead" sites from the long-running series. A little side trip outside Juliette along Highway 23 can take you to the Jerrell Plantation, 10 miles away, a historic site on the U.S. National Registry.

Also near Juliette is the Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge. You can follow Highway 23 down to Macon to rejoin the interstate.

In our visits we dined at the cafe and walked around the town, taking many photos and discovering the notorious barbeque pit behind the restaurant. If you know the movie, you will recognize the site.

Several other movies used Juliette as a filming location but "Fried Green Tomatoes" is the most memorable and the restaurant, town and railroad tracks are favorites to visitors.

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