If you know me, you know I like to talk to people. There was a young man who pulled up at Nan's about the same time we did. He browsed a bit and found something to buy. While we were both waiting at the counter to pay, I struck up a conversation with him. He's from the same area we are from, does substitute teaching at a school for children with special needs, and is getting married in 80 days! He was on his way to visit his fiance' in Birmingham, and it was his first time stopping at Nan's Country Store.
For all my planning, I didn't make plans for lunch, so as we were leaving Dothan, we decided to find something in Troy. DH's sister and brother-in-law spend a night in Troy every now and then and we thought we remembered they had a place they liked to eat, so we tried to reach them to find out where it was, but didn't hear back. As we were coming into Troy, we saw a billboard for a place that was next to Publix. Publix! That sounded like a good solution for lunch.
After lunch we headed up to and around Montgomery. We're using Google Maps as our main GPS, but we've been around Montgomery before so we knew the way. The GPS had us make a weird turn but it was a good decision because it re-routed us around some road construction that was causing a traffic build-up and probably delay. I guess it knew something was up?!
I was still driving until we were outside of Montgomery and on the main highway to Tuscaloosa. We stopped at a Dollar General for a restroom break and to change drivers. While there, I found my favorite flavored water (Bai, Molokai Coconut - although my most favorite is the Andes Lime but I can never, ever find it any more) and I went ahead and got a Mother's Day card to have for next month.
Gary drove the rest of the way into Tuscaloosa with just one more stop at a rest area. We found the hotel without any difficulty, and our room was ready and waiting for us. I had checked in on the app yesterday. We unloaded the car, talked to our son, and then checked a few options for dinner. We had asked the front desk clerk for recommendations for something locally owned, so she had given us a few ideas.
One of the ideas was for Archibald & Woodrow's BBQ which was just two blocks from the hotel and also a place I had identified in a previous blog post. It's a run-down looking place on the outside, and you wouldn't even notice it as you drove by (we didn't see it when we were driving to the hotel even though we went right by it). Inside is pretty much what you might expect from an old BBQ joint. You order at the counter and pay (cheaper with cash), get your drink, then sit at the table to wait for your food to be delivered in a carry-out box. You can eat there (we did) but I imagine most of their business is carry out and catering. DH had the catfish with a side of green beans and mashed potatoes with gravy. I had the pulled pork sandwich (sans bread, stupid gluten allergy) with green beans and mashed potatoes no gravy. The catfish wasn't greasy and DH said the breading was good. The pork was tender, and the green beans were definitely "country cookin'" good!
After dinner we enjoyed sitting outside at the hotel before getting some exercise and prepping for the next day.. And marveling at being on Central Time instead of Eastern!
One of the ideas was for Archibald & Woodrow's BBQ which was just two blocks from the hotel and also a place I had identified in a previous blog post. It's a run-down looking place on the outside, and you wouldn't even notice it as you drove by (we didn't see it when we were driving to the hotel even though we went right by it). Inside is pretty much what you might expect from an old BBQ joint. You order at the counter and pay (cheaper with cash), get your drink, then sit at the table to wait for your food to be delivered in a carry-out box. You can eat there (we did) but I imagine most of their business is carry out and catering. DH had the catfish with a side of green beans and mashed potatoes with gravy. I had the pulled pork sandwich (sans bread, stupid gluten allergy) with green beans and mashed potatoes no gravy. The catfish wasn't greasy and DH said the breading was good. The pork was tender, and the green beans were definitely "country cookin'" good!
After dinner we enjoyed sitting outside at the hotel before getting some exercise and prepping for the next day.. And marveling at being on Central Time instead of Eastern!
~ Cindy D.
I've been through Alabama many, many times and even lived there for several years when my father was stationed at Fort Rucker (Dothan area). When I read, "you must live in Florida" I could HEAR the slow, easy drawl of the woman's voice. (Incidentally, I had a similar experience in Nashville last week when my friends were amazed to learn that in Florida we have to buy BOTH!) One little hidden gem you may want to visit on your way home (assuming you take the same route, but if you're like us, you may not) is Helen Keller's birthplace in Tuscumbia, AL. You are so close if you traveled from Tuscaloosa to Tupelo. It's tucked up in that NW corner. The home is almost (if not completely) authentic, with all furnishings being from the Keller family. It's a beautiful place.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tip. We're making a big circle, but while we won't get to Tuscumbia this trip, we're looking at making a trip along the Natchez Trace Parkway which would have room for some side-visits.
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