If you're ever near Brewton, Alabama

[trof]

Have a meal at the Down South Garden Restaurant.
Maybe it was Deep South, or Old South...it was something South.

This morning I got a bad case of the ants.
In the pants.
Cabin fever.
Somethin'.
Road Trip.

We are retired, and no longer have pets, so we are free as the breeze.
Ridin' high wide, and handsome.

We took back roads all the way.
Browsed around a couple of little towns we went through.
Found a couple of fantastic farmer's markets.

Brewton was the end point.
98 miles from home.
Figured there would be a good barbecue spot.
Every Alabama town has a barbecue spot.

Well it turns out Brewton has a smallish downtown historic district.
Interesting place to snoop around.
And we found the Deep/Old/Down South Garden Restaurant.
Delightful.
In an old Bank building.
White linen tablecloths.
And a menu you definitely wouldn't associate with smallville Alabama.

Miz t. DID have the pulled pork barbecue.
I had the Reuben.
The fries were made from FRESH spuds, NOT frozen sticks.
Yum.
But the first course was a 5" hot roll, fresh from the oven, with a side of herbed butter.
Everybody gets one for starters.
Melt-in-your-mouth.

We just had an all-round great day and wanted to share it with you.
If you're ever around Brewton...
;-)

[Maddy McCall]

1. Thanks for the advice!

Sounds like a wonderful day trip. Might have to make a detour on my next trip through bama.

:hi:

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

2. Cool! We'll all have to take a roadtrip there next time MisU and I

pull through...of course we'll have to stay overnight cause now I gotta eat at Ed's the first day :)

[Maddy McCall]

3. Next time you two come through, I'm going to meet you both...

If y'all come through New Orleans, I'll be there! :D

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

4. I wanna go back soon

I just love the Hilton in Kinnear..it's cheap...nice rooms..and they have the best gumbo...no shit! In a hotel!

[Maddy McCall]

6. We stayed at the Inn on Bourbon last weekend.

Really, it was a very nice, clean hotel, BUT...and this is the big BUT (why I won't ever stay there again) the front desk employees treated us like dirt. I was supposed to check in at 4:00. At 5:30, still no room. When I asked WHY we had not been placed in a room yet, the asshole told me to "be patient!" Yes, with the exclamation point.

I had reserved a nonsmoking room two weeks prior to our stay. They put me in a SMOKING room, against my wishes, but they gave me a $20 discount.

Nope, we won't stay there again.

There is a really nice Hilton in Canal Place, downtown. That's probably where we'll stay next time.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

9. Bourbon Street's a zoo...nice to go hang at

but I'd rather stay somewhere else

[Maddy McCall]

10. Parking is sooo difficult downtown...

that's why we stayed downtown. Park the car and forget it until we leave, you know.

But, next time, I'll follow your advice...we'll look out Kenner way instead of staying downtown.

So, when are y'all thinking about coming back?

[trof]

5. The latchstring is on the outside for all of y'all.

If you're not familiar with the term, I will explain.
:-)

[Maddy McCall]

7. Explain. I've not heard that one.

[Maddy McCall]

11. Ok...I get it.

:D

[trof]

12. Here ya go:

In the olden, frontier days, the cabin door was latched by a sturdy stick pinned to the inner side of the door by a peg, or (if you had them) a nail. The peg acted as a pivot point.

The stick fit into a latch (bracket) on the wall next to the door.
So when the stick was in the latch, the door was "locked", from intruders, from the inside.

Of course when anyone inside wanted out, they just flipped up the stick and unlatched the door.

The latch served not only as a means of security, but also kept the door from blowing open. If the door blew open, you might come home to all manner of critters inside, making a banquet out of your foodstuffs.

Now...you wanted to keep the door from blowing open when you were out clearing fields, or planting, or whatever.

So, you bored a hole in the door above the stick. You tied a string to it, and fed it through the hole. Whe you left home, you could pull on the string, pulling the stick up. Then close the door and let the string lower the stick into the latch.

Thus the latchstring was on the outside so you could get back in.
When you were safely inside, the latchstring was pulled back through the hole so no one could get in.

If you really trusted a visitor you expected, you'd tell them "the latchstring will be on the outside".

Viola.

[Maddy McCall]

16. I love this little bit of history!

Thanks for it!

It's how I get outside my guinea cage. The latchwire is on the inside. :D

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

8. Don't worry..I can break in if it's not :)

[trof]

13. Amazon!

[Bossy Monkey]

14. Heck, you could buy it according to these guys

http://www.commercialpropertydirectory.com/ShowDetails.asp?PropertyID=6120
(about 1/3 way down the page.) Of course, there's no date on the listings except for 2005, so maybe the property already changed hands before you got there. Sounds like ownership's doing a good job, regardless.
Here's a tiny listing for them, with email address in case you want to tell them how much you enjoyed it: http://www.travelingusa.com/business/downsouth/index.html?from_cat=Places%20to%20Stay

[Sgent]

15. There are a lot of great hotels in NOLA

In the downtown area. I usually just get expedia a day or two before and book one. This works for day/weekend trips, not for actual travel, as NOLA can be sold out.

Had a great stay at the Whitney Wyndam (the old Whitney Bank HQ) accross from shell plaza on Poydras.

A lot of boutique hotels on St. Charles between Poydras and Canal are good buys, and a few in the quarter as well.

On rare occassions, I've gotten the Ibberville Suites -- the "upscale" suite run by Ritz Carlton, for less than $150/night. Great location (corner of Canal and Ibberville), and unbelievable rooms.

[Maddy McCall]

17. I'm bookmarking this page.

Will certainly look up the Ritz next time we stay. :hi: