a road trip...

a road trip...

                                                             

  It is doubtful if Ben and Erin Napier have membership dues or require name tags to bring their HGTV  show, Home-Town, into our family room, but, if they did, Regina would be a card carrying member. 

  HUH?  What's up with that?

  The show takes place in Laurel, Mississippi, a small southern town of about 13 thousand people a couple hours north of New Orleans.  Each week of the season, the Napiers remodel a dilapidated home or business in an effort to make their community a better place to live.  

  Ben is a skilled artisan adept at building furniture from scratch or any other task having to do with wood, while his wife is the decorator, designer and imagination.  They are both very talented people who are a multi-million dollar enterprise.

  Erin got her start by being featured in Southern Weddings Magazine and on the magazine's Instagram feed.  She was then contacted by HGTV.  Fame and riches followed. 

  The show went on the air in 2016.  I don't know how many episodes have aired, but, I am sure Regina has seen a good percentage of them.  That is Reason #1 we took a trip last March to the land of Ben and Erin. 

  We decided to drive to Laurel and discover some heretofore unknown (to us) places along the way. 

  The national Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky is right off I-65 and is visible from the highway.  We had never forked over the bucks to see what was inside the building, so it became the first stop in our adventure.

  At the first exhibit, I was on Memory Lane as I gazed at the first Corvette produced; a white convertible with red interior.  I realized my deja vu moment was because I remembered an identical car when it debuted.  I was 10 years old and for as long as those throw back moments last, it was 1953 all over again.

   Before either of us could say, Ho hum, just a bunch of old cars, we were swept up in Corvette Mania as we saw the style, grace and beauty of almost every model and year of the legendary sports car.  I felt like we had walked through an art museum.

 The Americana lore and history were well worth the price of admission.  I also thought it was pretty cool that there is a separate parking lot for visitors who arrive at the museum driving a Corvette.  

  One of our favorite stops was Columbia, Tennessee, where we discovered the Southern Tre Steakhouse, The Needle and Grain General Store, and, Mule Town Coffee Roasters. 

  We walked the bustling town square with very few if any empty store fronts.  The sidewalks were busy.

  Our hotel desk agent told us a great restaurant for dinner was Mama Mila's.  She gave me directions.

  Columbia is a small town and we drove right to the restaurant.  A couple right turns, a left, another right, follow the curve to the left, look for the tallest building in town and across the street is our destination.  We found it without the benefit of GPS. I love old school stuff.

  The Italian eatery had people lined out the door waiting to be seated.  We waited 10 minutes and when no one in front of us had moved, we decided to go to Southern Tre which proved to be an excellent choice too.

  Next stop?  The town that a Choo Choo made famous.

   We have been to Chattanooga before, but, it is always an interesting time, if for no other reason than to take a break and stretch.  Downtown Chattanooga may also have the world's greatest names for bars. 

  We passed a saloon on Broad Street called, No Hard Feelings, and, in a corner of the Dwell Hotel is a bar called, Matilda Midnight.  Aloft Hamilton Hotel houses a rooftop bar named, WXYZ, and we saw the Whiskey Thief in the Edwin Hotel. 

  Our next goal was Muscle Shoals, Alabama, the home of Fame Recording Studio.  The building reminded me of Sun Records in Memphis.  The history of the studio parallels its Tennessee counterpart too. Aretha Franklin, the Rolling Stones, Little Richard, Mac Davis, and Duane Allman among others, came to Muscle Shoals to record.  

  We arrived in Laurel early Saturday and the two-lane streets were crowded .  Since it was close to lunch time, we decided to find a place to eat.  We chose a cafe called, Buzzard's Roost, and, found out later there were much better places. 

  Our first official visit was to Ben and Erin's General Store, which was easy to find because Ben's 1962 Chevy pickup truck used on the show is parked out front and Regina spotted it right away.  Inside, the store was filled with jams, jellies, soups, candles, cutting boards, aprons, and other kinds of kitchen stuff.

   A large picture window on one end of the store looks into Ben's workspace which is a huge woodworking shop.  A lighted sign above the window reads, Quiet please, filming in progress. People were lined up to take photos of their fellow travelers looking into the workshop beneath the brightly lit sign. 

  The couple's original store before they became famous, Laurel Mercantile, is on Front Street and is housed in an early 20th Century building that was redesigned by Ben and Erin.  

  Similar to the General Store, it was crowded with tourists.  We found Erin's paintings to be interesting and creative as we leafed through the unframed prints.  Regina purchased one.

  As we walked through both of these stores, I was reminded of similar type shops in Brown County, Indiana. 

   Other tourists told us we missed a great food experience at The Smokehouse Cafe.  As we walked by, it was overflowing with late lunch patrons waiting for a table.  

  One of the highlights of our Laurel visit came Sunday when we stopped at a Farmer's Market a block from downtown Laurel. 

   We walked around the booths looking at fruits, vegetables, tee shirts, University of Mississippi sweatshirts, and jewelry, when I spotted a Homemade Fudge sign.  That was enough to attract my attention, but, Regina was drawn to the  booth next door.  

  A young girl who had Downs Syndrome was sitting on a folding chair at a table under a canvas covering with her mom selling note cards she had hand painted.  

  Regina bought a package that was wrapped with gold twine.  The painter's business card said, Taylor Made by Taylor Ann.  Find us on Facebook.  The young artist never stopped smiling before or after the purchase.  She was amazing.

  Part of the Laurel Experience is to tour some of the remodeled homes, but, we didn't do that.  We left Laurel early Sunday afternoon.  Besides, Regina had already seen the remodels. 

  Coming up:  a conversation with a motorcycle outlaw turned minister; an oddities, observations, & ?'s;  another POS; lunch with the George Brothers, and; an examination of expiration dates.  

  And finally.  As much as we like to travel, there is something comforting about returning to the normal and familiar routine of home.  Yet, in a short time, we will be ready to explore something new.  

  In fact, I found a map of Virginia in our travel bag and a scenic trip through the mountains to Virginia Beach looks doable this summer.  I think I will bounce that idea off Regina and see what she has to say.  

  HUH?  What's up with that?