US East Coast 2018: Of Chili Dogs & a Game of Darts

Hurricane Florence flung a spanner in the works and we were forced to deviate from our planned route. We were originally scheduled to view a pirates museum in Florida's historic St Augustine, to spend a night at the romantic Moon River in Savannah, Georgia, to watch the nursing of sea turtles at the South Carolina Aquarium, and ultimately to enjoy the beautiful coastlines along the sun-kissed Surfside Beach. (Read about how the hurricane affected our travel plans here.)

Alas all these plans were shelved and we found ourselves in southern Georgia, in a small town called Thomasville.

Described by USA Today in 2016 as the 2nd Best Historic Small Town in America, Thomasville is beautiful as it is charming. We enjoyed a lovely lunch at the historic Billiards Academy, which was a traditional gentleman's joint when it first opened in 1949. The place is known for its chili dogs, said to be the best in the world. I concur with this assessment - we were served with succulent sausages nestled in a soft hotdog bun. But what blew us away was the sauce; not your ordinary tomato-based sauce, but one with finely minced meat and a pleasant bite. It was truly out of this world! And when washed down with a delightful IPA beer, that really made the meal!

But what we were surprised about was the warmth of the patrons, who welcomed us into their fold, and invited our two boys to play a game of darts. We exchanged lovely conversations with them about our life back in Singapore, what it was likely to travel in America etc. In return, we learnt that life in small town America is just the same as it was decades ago. While there have been changes, but these tend to have a bigger impact in the big cities, and traditions remain strong in small towns like Thomasville.

Ending a peaceful Sunday afternoon with a treat at Dairy Queen.

The Previous Page - The Wind Blew Us - Hurricane Florence & Its Impact. Read here.
What's Next? Good 'Ol Fashion Southern Hospitality. Read here.

From the Beginning - Start reading the record pages of our US East Coast Travel Adventure here.

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