Southern road trip help

[cyalexa]

I'll be traveling from Oklahoma to Atlanta by car and am looking for food-related experiences along the way. I am currently looking through old posts and so far, all are about restaurants. I'm interested in current recommendations for restaurants but am more interested in other food-related venues; markets, kitchen supply stores, etc.

 

I'll take slightly different routes down and back and the cities I'll be passing through are:

Fort Smith and Little Rock Arkansas

Memphis, Nashville, Chattanooga Tennessee

Birmingham Alabama

My actual destination is Marietta so to avoid traffic I will probably gravitate toward locations on the northeast side of Atlanta.   

Edited September 3, 2014 by cyalexa (log)

[ChefPip]

If you can find a copy of this book and have time enough to read it before you have to leave, it may be a treasure of insights for you.

Tony Horwitz traveled the South extensively in order to write it and speaks of so many things including causine and events one could partake of.   The title can be a bit misleading as it could be a great tour book as well. 

 

067975833X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=067975833X&linkCode=as2&tag=egulletcom-20">"Confederates in the Attic" by Tony Horwitz  

Edited September 4, 2014 by lesliec
Added eG-friendly Amazon link (log)

[cyalexa]

I'll look for the book, thanks.

[janeer]

In Nashville, there is the Nashville Farmers Market, rather large, lots of Southern pork, beans and peas of all sorts, sorghum, full fat milk (from Kentucky), local products, some shops and restaurants around a kind of food court. I used to like to go on Saturday. There is good barbecue to be had between Memphis and Nashville--some of the best of it outside city limits of both towns (although Martin's in Nashville is good). I used to like the biscuits at Loveless Cafe in Nashville, but since their famous biscuit baker died a few years ago, not sure they are the same. Hot chicken (Prince's) another local specialty, and Nashville's "meat and threes" are a real throwback (Arnold's the most famous, but there are several).

[cyalexa]

Jane, I'm planning on spending 2-3 days in Nashville and will definitely check out the farmer's market. 

 

I think my first night will be in Memphis. I'm leaving OKC on a Sunday morning and have to arrive in Marietta by Tuesday around 4pm. I think I'll try to get to Memphis for my first night. As I am traveling alone I usually try to have an early dinner and be safely locked in my hotel room before dark. Can you recommend a restaurant on the east side of Memphis?  I'll probably spend my second night in Birmingham and will try to go to HIghland's.

 

My trip back home will be more leisurely - Nashville and Little Rock will be on the agenda.  

[basquecook]

Check out Hollyeats.com .. Holly is a contributor here and is a great place to start. 

Edited September 5, 2014 by basquecook (log)

[janeer]

I am not as familiar with Memphis, but do recommend asking/ searching on Chowhound too

[cyalexa]

I'll check out Hollyeats and Chowhound - thanks.