The can’t-be-missed Green Tomato Festival is right around the corner, folks. It is time to plan your trip to Juliette!
In its heyday, Juliette was a bustling mill town with a busy rail station. But after industries began to decline in the 50s, the community followed suit. McCrackin Street slept for many years, but as luck would have it, in 1991, the nearly deserted Juliette caught the eye of Jon Avnet and his scouting crew as the perfect location for his adaptation of Fannie Flagg’s Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe. Mr. Robert Williams, who had inherited the building they used for the cafe from his family, saw an opportunity in all the new interest to bring Juliette back to its former glory, to preserve its memories through the lens of Fried Green Tomatoes. He turned the cafe building into a real cafe and, together with other locals, turned the town into an experience that folks come from all over the world to see to this day!
The Honeycomb
Your first stop after you park will likely be The Honeycomb, run by longtime locals Joann and Tommy Moon. Here you’ll find locally made honey, honey-filled candies (Mr. Tommy is famous for these!), and other honey products like soaps and candles as well as FGT memorabilia.
The Green Frog
Across the street from The Honeycomb, this cute little red building sells gifts and other fun finds!
General Threadgoode’s Mercantile
Beside The Honeycomb, you’ll find the cutest gift shop with candles, soaps, wax melts, jams, and jellies. It’s a great place to pick up unique items for gift-giving.
Juliette Opry House
Originally built in 1884 as a general store with a masonic lodge upstairs and still owned by the Williams family, the “Opry House” as it was renamed for the movie occasionally opens for front porch jams and is always a great photo spot!
Kennington’s Pillar to Post
Across from the Opry House, you’ll find Kennington’s, a small shop known for its Georgia Grown specialty food items, like cane syrup, pecans, and handcrafted, antique, and vintage furniture. Open only on Saturdays and Sundays.
Outdoor Theater
An extension of the Juliette Opry House, there is a small outdoor stage surrounded by lush grass behind the buildings across from the Opry House. It lies alongside the riverside park, and from here you can hear the rush of the Ocmulgee’s waters.
The Grave of Buddy’s Arm
In the movie, Buddy loses his arm in a railroad accident. Family and friends come together to bury his arm and the gravestone marks the place where his arm was buried.
The Courthouse
The little white courthouse from the movie is now a Monroe County Sheriff’s Office substation.
The Whistle Stop Cafe Gift Shop
(Old Liberty Bank)
The red brick bank building, built as simply a facade for the movie, was enclosed to become a gift shop. Like the other shops in town, you’ll find tons of unique movie memorabilia, souvenirs, and gifts.
The Whistle Stop Cafe
From grocery store to hardware store to movie set to cafe, this building has a lot of stories to tell. On display, you’ll find both movie props and items from the original store, like the old cash register and meat block. Come meet and chat with Ms. Liz Bryant, the cafe’s owner and longtime champion, at the horseshoe counter over a plate of their famous BBQ and fried green tomatoes from “Ruth and Idgie’s” kitchen.
The Whistle Stop Train Depot & Gift Shop
(Simple Home Goodness)
The original Juliette depot used to be next to the railroad tracks. It houses a shop filled with unique gifts, movie memorabilia, home decor, and other items.
BBQ Pit from Fried Green Tomatoes
Big George’s infamous BBQ pit is located behind the Whistle Stop Cafe. You won’t want to miss the chance to caption a selfie with one of the movie’s most quoted lines, “The secret’s in the sauce.”
The Grave of Frank Bennett
Near the pit, you’ll see a gravestone placed to memorialize the above scene, inscribed: “Here Lies Frank Bennett of Valdosta — The Secret Was in the Sauce and here!”
Frank Bennett’s Truck
Fished from the river, the discovery of Frank’s truck in the movie poses a question that will never (officially) be answered: What happened to Frank Bennett?! Come snap a selfie with this movie mystery.
Smokey Lonesome’s Shack
To the left of the BBQ pit and behind some of the other shops in Juliette, Smokey Lonesome’s shack can still be seen. Take a peek for yourself in this small one-room log cabin.
Verna Cora’s
A treasure trove of antiques and vintage items awaits you at Verna Cora’s, one of the last shops along McCrackin Street. From movie memorabilia to books, housewares, collectibles, and more, you never know what surprises you’ll find at Verna Cora’s.
Juliette Methodist Church Cemetery
(Site of Buddy & Ruth’s Graves)
While not in town, true fans won’t want to miss the graves of Buddy Threadgoode and Ruth Jamison, set within the cemetery of nearby Juliette Methodist Church, about a five-minute drive (hint: look for the honey). It’s also home to the plots of many prominent local families, like the Williams Family, the longtime owners of the buildings on McCrackin Street.
Juliette Dam & Park
A small quaint park tucked behind Juliette with riverfront views, enjoy a picnic at one of the available tables and take in the scenery, fish, or skip rocks from the shore.
Southern Grace Gifts & Wine Shop
The words “best for last” have never been truer about Juliette—the last shop along McCrackin Street is a wine shop, which you definitely won’t want to miss!
