Gatlinburg here we come..........

Except for that 5 minutes into the trip we decided to stop for breakfast. We aren't exactly the world's most efficient travelers, but hey, we were hungry. We pulled into everyone's favorite southern fried restaurant, Cracker Barrel where they serve gravy as a beverage for breakfast, lunch and dinner. (They don't really, but it is a family joke so I had to throw it out there.) I have spent my fair share of time in the "South", but I never managed to be near a Cracker Barrel during eatin' time so I was pretty intrigued by "ye old homestead" ambiance that was rocking on the front porch. Just the smell of the place makes you want to live on a farm, raise your own chickens, churn your own butter, and milk your own cows.......okay, maybe not quite that bad, but it did give me a warm fuzzy feeling inside. The menu offered a lot of everything including eggs, bacon, sausage, assorted potatoes, oatmeal, biscuits and gravy, flapjacks (that's pancake to the rest of the world) and you know it......grits!!!! Now I know all you Californians out there think breakfast consists of granola and yogurt and some fancy named decaf latte, but let me tell you that you haven't lived until you have had real southern biscuits and gravy with some grits and flapjacks on the side. The coffee wouldn't be right either if it didn't come with the usual dose of good ol' southern hospitality, which loosely translated means that as soon as you get it fixed just right with equal amounts of cream and sugar, the waitress tops it off for you and you have to start all over.

After stuffing ourselves like Thanksgiving turkeys, we ventured into the gift shop. That's right, your meal is so memorable you need to pick up a souvenir to commemorate the experience. There are jellies and jams, country crafts, and homemade quilts. I could've spent all day in there, but like I mentioned before, we had bigger fish to fry and need to get out of Nashville and on our way to Gatlinburg. I am so glad we stopped though because who knows when I will see another Cracker Barrel.........

Comments

[Fred]

Hey thar Miss Annie! Now, ain't that some good eatin?!!! Y'all come back, ya hear!

[gina]

My husband's favorite meal is breakfast, so we are well acquainted with Cracker Barrel! There is one dangerously close to our house...it's a good thing I love to cook, or we'd be there every weekend! The food is great for lunch and dinner too. It's nice to know that wherever we travel around the country, there is usually a Cracker Barrel nearby serving some familiar, good quality and affordable food to fill our traveling bellies!

You haven't lived until you've had their chicken fried steak!

[gina]

Hi, Annie, it's me, gina again. I wanted to let you know this post inspired me today! I told the world my Cracker Barrel story!

Thanks for the inspiration!

[Laura]

Yum Cracker Barrel! Sean and I have eaten our share...

My favorite things, consistently good food, great service, EVERYWHERE, and cheap. There was room for our MCI bus when we had one too.

:)

[Annie]

Laura-Thanks so much for commenting. Do they have these Cracker Barrels in Alaska? I haven't seen any in California. I thought it was just a "southern" thing.

[Cromely]

I've never been to a Cracker Barrell, but last summer on a business trip I finally went to my first Waffle House. It was after midnight in Richmond, VA, and it was awesome.

[That Bitchy Chick]

Unfortunately for me, there is a Cracker Barrel that is 5 minutes from my house. It's way too easy to call ahead for carry-out orders. The country-fried steak is my all-time favorite however when I try to do the "healthy" thing, they have fantastic salads!