Travel – Page 16 – TORsAdventures

Covington, GA – Food

November 29, 2015December 9, 2015

I have visited Covington, GA twice now. Both times I have been to this delightful town it makes me want to keep going back. Along with the southern charm they have a host of local restaurants all located inside the town square. I have eaten at Bradley’s Bar-B-Que and the Mystic Grill. Both were great but in their own ways. I heard about Bradley’s while I was on the Vampire Stalkers tour and the Mystic Grill is famous all on its own thanks to The Vampire Diaries. Bradley’s was exactly what I was looking for when I thought about getting some Bar-B-Que for lunch. Little did I know that they were also fans of the show The Vampire Diaries. If you ask they will Vamp your sandwich for you complete with fangs and blood. – www.bradleysbbq.com

I learned on my tour that the Mystic Grill was something that was created by the show and then years later after the building suffered a fire the town Mayor took it upon himself to build what all the fans of the show wanted, a place to actually eat. “Inspired by two communities: the family and fans of The Vampire Diaries and the small town community we call home. The television series, filmed here in Covington, inspired partners John & Angi Beszborn and Ronnie & Kelley Johnston to bring the on screen restaurant to life.” – www.mysticgrill.restaurant

The Vampire Diaries is the reason I heard of the quaint little town called Covington, GA the people and the food are the reasons why I will be back.

All Aboard with Amtrak

November 13, 2015November 13, 2015

In a last minute decision I decided to take an Amtrak train from my parents house in Joliet, IL to St. Louis. I had already planned on going to St. Louis this weekend for the Chicago Blackhawks game on Saturday night and the Chicago Bears game on Sunday. One of my best friends lives in St. Louis so I decided to take the train down a day early so I could hang out with her. I can’t remember the last time I was on a train like this. I have to say that I am actually impressed. My ticket was only $27.00 for an unreserved Coach seat.

They have free WIFI while on-board and also power outlets in every seat. These are things that I would like to have when I fly somewhere and usually you are paying for the WIFI and the power outlets are only in First Class. All of the seats are large and plush, what you could typically once again find in First Class on an airplane. The Café Car is also a very convenient option since I will be on here for about 4.5 hours. If you look up the travel time it’s about the same time and I am able to relax, write a blog, read a book and have a Bloody Mary …. Shhhhh don’t tell anyone it was before 12!

As I watch the small farm towns pass by I just want to drift off into a nice relaxing sleep until we make it to our destination. This experience will be even better once they have a whole fleet of high speed trains and the commute will be even shorter than driving.

Mystic Falls

November 10, 2015November 9, 2015

I have been a fan of The Vampire Diaries since the beginning of the series. Mystic Falls, / Covington Georgia has been on my list to visit for quite some time!

I stopped by the town once before on a road trip and thought it was delightful. I knew I needed to spend more time there so when I decided to move from Key West to Chicago with a route that took me past Atlanta it was a no brainer. Covington, Georgia was where I needed to make my first stop.

After driving all day I checked into my hotel, got a good nights sleep and woke up bright and early ready to explore. Before going to the town square I went to the local Waffle House to grab a quick bite to eat. To my surprise this really is a wonderful small town. Almost everyone who walked in was greeted by name. If I were looking for a quaint small town to visit or spend the rest of my life in this could be it. They have the best of both worlds. Small and friendly and close to Atlanta for any big city needs.

To my surprise as I drove into the town square I started to see a lot of film equipment and signs saying that they were filming in the area today. BONUS! YEA! I asked the first person I saw and they confirmed that they were in fact filming scenes for The Vampire Diaries, Season 7!

I had already signed up to take the Vampire Stalkers tour around town to various filming locations. We met at the local visitors center and got some info and instructions for our tour. I wish they would have told me that’s where we were meeting for the tour. I didn’t know this when I was trying to park my car. Had I known I would not have spent so much time with the early morning parking. I understand they have some limitations when it comes to crowd size but I wish they had a bigger van – bus so that more people could travel together. It would cut down on travel time and also give the people on the tour more face time with the guide. With that said Angie was wonderful and was always asking if we had any other questions. The tour was $55 and lasted a little over 3 hours. If you want more information about the tour please visit their website here. www.mysticfallstours.com

One of the coolest things was that we were able to visit the Lockwood Mansion which is a privately owned property and this tour is the only one that has access. The grounds and house are one of a kind. The owner was there and happy to answer any questions we had about the property. The house was built back in the 1840’s and still has that old world charm.

Along with the old world charm they have a wonderful property. The owners bought the property at 1.5 acres and now have over 5 acres. The small old stable house overlooking the backyard was my favorite place.

The visitors center is a great place to stop even without the tour. Did you know that the Dukes of Hazzard and Sweet Home Alabama were also filmed in Covington and the surrounding Newton County. It was very interesting to see how this city promotes the use of the town and the surrounding areas for filming.

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