BAMA! -- Part 3, the Middle

The Original Whistle Stop Cafe!

On Saturday, we got up lazily (as normal) and made our way towards Birmingham. We headed first to the Irondale Café, known as the Original Whistle Stop Café depicted in the movie Fried Green Tomatoes. In fact the book from which the movie was adapted was written by a local Birminghamian named Fannie Flagg.

Irondale Train Depot

We enjoyed the restaurant from the moment we pulled up. It’s nestled next to the train tracks and has taken over two adjacent store fronts over the years, especially following its success after the movie was released in 1991. The namesake, fried green tomatoes, did not disappoint. We also had fried catfish (easily the biggest pieces of fried fish either of us has seen since our trip to Uncle Frank’s in North Collins, NY last July). The waitress offered homemade remoulade sauce as well and it was spectacular…spicy, full of flavor, truly perfect for the fish and the tomatoes. Yum.  We also devoured a sinfully good piece of chocolate pie and a fabulous lump of blackberry cobbler. We almost made fools ourselves eating them so fast. Almost.

Vulcan Park

After lunch we strolled to a couple of nearby antique stores and then drove around Irondale a bit. From there, we headed to Vulcan Park in Birmingham…a park whose central figure is a giant 56 foot cast iron statue of the Roman god of forge, a tribute to the city’s iron and steel industries. The statue was created for the 1903 World’s Fair in St. Louis and now sits atop a tall stone structure overlooking all of Birmingham. It’s quite a view. 

Ken working the fire

Next we decided to return to the campground to inaugurate…<<wait for it>>…Marshmallow Season!!  We began with a stroll to the Sweets Shop, an ice cream and candy store inside of a historic log home on the Tannehill Ironworks Park. We ate our ice cream while walking around the park in the beautiful 70 degree weather. Wow. It’s March 10^th…nice. 

Notice our unexpected dinner guest...

After buying some logs at the camp store and then making dinner, Ken lit a nice fire for us to roast our marshmallows. If a few too many were roasted and eaten, well, I accept no responsibility. I was simply caught up in the spirit of the season.