Foster Falls in Marion County, Tennessee is all about showing off. Obviously. The beautiful fall colors and the actual fall pair nicely. Kind of like pumpkin pie and another piece of pumpkin pie.

This post is a Wordless Wednesday entry. I wrote it on Tuesday, and words snuck in.

Photo: somegeekintn via Flickr

Before our visit, I asked my friends on Twitter and Facebook for suggestions about what we should do while we were in Memphis. Apparently they thought I was underfed, because over and over again the response I got was a list of places to eat rather than things to do. Specifically, I was told repeatedly where to go to get “the best barbecue in Memphis.”

After spending two weeks elbow-deep in barbecue sauce, I won’t tell you where to get the best barbecue in town, but I can tell you what to order if you find yourself at one of these favorite places.

The Rendezvous – famous for inventing dry ribs, you need to order the dry ribs here and nowhere else. Only at The Rendezvous will you get dry ribs that are just as flavorful as any sauce-soaked rack you’ve ever eaten. Also worth trying: the sausage and cheese appetizer plate.

Blues City Cafe – while Rendezvous gets a bad name for being too “touristy”, this Beale Street restaurant is much more worthy of that criticism. That being said, the tamales are both unique and delicious. Skip the barbecue here.

A&R BBQ - there are multiple locations around town, all of which serve up pulled pork sandwiches topped with coleslaw. It sounds a little crazy, but it’s a whole lot of flavor and texture between two white buns.

Interstate BBQ – this is where you go for the best wet ribs. The sauce is available in mild or spicy and both varieties are worth licking a few fingers. The ribs themselves are thick and tender. The dry version, however, is exactly that – dry and bland. Pass on the famous BBQ spaghetti.

Central BBQ - do not look at anything on the menu but the BBQ pork nachos. Nothing else compares to this powerhouse of flavor and textural perfection. Get the large size – not because you’ll need it, but because you’ll be craving another bite as soon as you’ve finished.

Photo:Britt Reints

House on the Rock in Wisconsin.

Sometimes vacationers want to visit an attraction just to be able to say that they’ve been there. Some destinations are whimsical, silly, or downright odd. Others are firmly tied to the nostalgia and history of the area in which they reside. Here’s a list of the top ten(*) “novelty” destinations to visit in the United States. Consider checking them out if you’re ever in the area!

10 -The House on the Rock in Spring Green, Wisconsin. Unruly architecture that engages all of the senses, complete with exhibits, gardens, and displays that flow into one another with no rhyme or reason. Schedule at least three hours to do the self-tour, because the more you look the more you’ll see.

9 – The Mitchell Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota. This is the Mecca for corn enthusiasts (if there is such a thing). There is an annual festival, murals made of corn that are eaten by the local birds and replaced annually, and decor consisting of over 275,000 ears of corn. The Mitchell Corn Palace is home to area stage shows and sporting events with a year-round calendar of events.

8 – The World’s Largest Yard Sale headquartered in Jamestown, Tennessee. Also known as the “127 Corridor Sale”, this yard sale extends 675 miles from Hudson, Michigan to Gadsden, Alabama. The Sale always starts on the first Thursday in August and continues through the following Sunday.

7 – America’s Stonehenge in North Salem, New Hampshire. No one knows who built the ceremonial chambers, walls, and meeting places of this 4,000 year old complex. Oddly enough, the location also boasts a growing herd of privately owned Alpacas. Visit Stonehenge, buy an Alpaca. Makes perfect sense to me!

6 – Dog Bark Park Inn in Cottonwood, Idaho. The inn… is shaped like a dog. A beagle, to be exact. It’s a full-service bed-and-breakfast, and pets are welcome (of course). And if you’re a fan of chainsaw art, this place will supply you with more wooden dogs than you can shake a stick at (har).

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The Family Band

You’ve probably heard that bluegrass music (and music influenced by it) is all the rage these days. These young ladies, all from one family, know it. They rocked bluegrassed the crowd at the Williamson County Fair in Tennessee.

For more family-friendly travel photos visit DeliciousBaby’s Photo Fridays

Photo by SeeMidTN.com (aka Brent) via Flickr.