Recently, in our virtual culinary tour of the Hollywood of the South®, we’ve brought you some refreshing Hollywood cocktails and libations, and places to sink your sweet tooth for Vampire Diaries branded sweet treats. For this stop on our Tour de Hollywood South, we’re going to tell you how to eat like an entertainer and dine on truly delectable new menu items at select Covington Square merchants.
After an arduous day of walking and sight-seeing with on-location film tours, your stomach will be growling as loud as a werewolf. You can take your pick of many square restaurants and grab a bite branded for local Hollywood productions, like In the Heat of the Night, Dukes of Hazzard, The Vampire Diaries, The Originals, and Gone with the Wind! [Okay, so Gone with the Wind wasn’t really filmed here, but Margaret Mitchell found her inspiration for Ashley Wilkes’ home from our very own Twelve Oaks Bed and Breakfast— so that kind of counts, right?]
1. Bread & Butter Bakery: Bubba’s Buns & Chief Gillespie’s Chicken Salad
It’s no secret that Sgt. V.L. Bubba Skinner had a way with the ladies. You can finally get your hands on Bubba's Buns at Bread and Butter Bakery with this newest menu item! Try their delicious, savory sausage egg & cheese rolls that they have branded Bubba’s Bun’s. It’s the perfect breakfast fuel before you take a self-guided square tour of our many In the Heat of the Night home locations.
“Old crimes never die. They just move to Sparta Mississippi.” Wise words spoken by Chief William O. ‘Bill’ Gillespie. If you make a pit stop in the original Sparta, make a move to Bread and Butter to try Chief Gillespie’s Chicken Salad. It’s a very special house recipe that is like no other! And the bakery has a wide selection of daily breads to use as the perfect vessel for this chiefly Chicken Salad recipe. These two new menu items are sure to be a local lunch favorite!
2. YourPie: Vampire Slayer Pizza
If you’re worried about the potential of vampires on the loose in Mystic Falls, then grab your meal at YourPie on the square with a custom pizza pie to suit your palette! During special square events, they offer a Vampire Slayer Pizza Pie including ricotta, feta, olive oil, mushrooms, chicken, and loads of garlic— topped with a spicy sriracha ranch aoli. But the best part about this restaurant is the ability to customize your pie to whatever you want! So for those trying to ward off the undead, we suggest a custom pie with lots of garlic, and have them throw in some onions just to be safe. The pizzas here are to die for…
3. Bradley's BBQ: Vampire Bitten Sandwiches & Burgers
Your visit to a small, southern town like Covington wouldn’t be complete without trying authentic, southern BBQ. Bradley’s BBQ just off the beaten path on the square will not disappoint! The BBQ establishment has an amazing menu full of various items to hit the spot for any barbecue fanatic. And for the film fanatic, Bradley’s will give your sandwich or burger their special “vampire bite” with dripping sauce for added effect. And the Hollywood fun doesn’t end there. Did you know that Will Ferrell stopped in for a bite of southern BBQ earlier last year? Read all about this special appearance here.
4. Mystic Grill: A Mystic Menagerie of Menu Items
The Mystic Grill is a huge tour attraction as it’s a near-exact recreation of the set of the Mystic Grill featured on The Vampire Diaries. Fans wander from all over the world to see a replica of the bar and restaurant that their favorite characters enjoyed so many memorable moments in. But the best part about having a full bar and restaurant inside the Mystic Grill is the ability to enjoy your own memorable nights in the real Mystic Falls.
For vampire fans, the most famous menu item is the Mystic Grill Clocktower Burger. This sandwich features a delicious caramelized onion, farmhouse egg, smoked bacon, cheddar cheese, and an onion ring atop this giant stack of a burger. Bring your appetite for this local favorite!
Mystic Grill: Clocktower Burger
Our next burger comes all the way from fictional Tara, where Atlanta native, Maraget Mitchell, set her world-famous novel Gone with the Wind. For something with a more unique flavor, try the O'Hara Buger, adorned with southern specialties—tomato jam, pimento cheese, and a crispy fried green tomato. And after you’ve fallen into a burger-coma, you can crash for the night in the Frankly Scarlett Junior Suite, located in the very home that gave Mitchell so much inspiration. Visit the Twelve Oaks B&B website for more.
If a spicy creole flavor is more your preference, the Mystic Grill has you covered! Take a tasty trip to to N’awlins, the setting of The Originals, for a bowl of delicious Cajun Shrimp Pasta. This dish features crawfish, Andouille sausage, peppers, and onion on top of a bed of linguine. It’s perfect for any Cajun lover with a monstrous appetite! And for those who want something more original, the Mystic Grill also offers a wonderful helping of Shrimp & Grits on the menu with juicy Gulf shrimp, and stone-ground grits.
Mystic Grill: Shrimp & Grits
For a truly southern delight, order the famous Southern Sweet Tea Fried Chicken with Red Eye Gravy at the Mystic Grill. Bo and Luke Duke would be proud to hear that your visit to the original Hazzard County ended with this country-inspired specialty. Bring some of your favorite good ol’ boys for a Mystic Grill Hollywood dinner!
Mystic Grill: Southern Sweet Tea Fried Chicken
If all this talk of tasty local entrees isn’t enough to spark your appetite, we don’t know what will! We encourage film fanatics of all types to visit Covington, GA, where we have a multitude of film attractions and activities for everyone. Enjoy a real taste of the original Hollywood of the South®, and experience history, hauntings, Hollywood, and happiness.
