We recently packed up the car and took the scenic route from Chicago to the Outer Banks, North Carolina via Kentucky and the Smoky Mountains. Along the way, we stopped by the Four Roses Distillery for some quick breakfast bourbon, took in an unexpected night at a horse ranch after a power outage and wrestled back a stolen pair of glasses from the Atlantic.

Oh, and we ate. A lot.

The Tail of the Dragon drive is mostly a wooded cruise through the Smoky Mountains, but it has a couple lovely scenic overlooks like this one

Here’s a rundown of a few of our stops.

Fireside Brewhouse (Greenwood, IN)
Indiana had one chance to shine and it blew it. This suburban Indianapolis stop had shaky service, a relatively unadventurous tap list (“Brewhouse?” Pssssh!) and undercooked (read: RAW) chicken. You can probably see why we skipped the alligator on this menu.

Miss Lily’s Cafe (Townsend, TN)
This recommendation from our Smoky Mountain bed & breakfast hosts is probably among the top spots in the area (except for Blackberry Farm which had no reservation spots left when we called two week prior), but overall it was forgettable. Great fried green tomatoes, but at the end of the day, not a whole lot else to rave about.

This little fellow barely moved from his prayerful position on the back porch during our stay at Chilhowee Mountain Retreat

Chilhowee Mountain Retreat (Maryville, TN)
Easily the best breakfast of our trip, this place has got to be the best B&B in the whole Smoky region; it’s beautiful, quiet, romantic, secluded and on top of a mountain. Our bed & breakfast hosts were ex-Chicagoans and brought a piece of Ina’s (in the West Loop) with them when they moved to the mountains. Lemon rosemary water, a fresh fruit spread with crème fraiche, and a tasty egg and pasta quiche/lasagna (a la Ina) with vodka sauce and bacon filled us up before we set off through the Smokies toward the sea. If you ever find yourself in this neck of Tennessee, you shouldn’t even think twice about booking your stay here. It’s absolutely worth the windy drive up to the mountain top.

Bojangles’ (all over North Carolina)
We’d never heard of this place, and its name was too enticing to pass up. Fast food chicken and biscuits, but the grits are available at breakfast only? How sad. NO-jangles.

Outer Banks Brewing Station (Kill Devil Hills, NC)
We found this great little wind-powered brewery as a lunch spot one afternoon; who knew there would be one in the Outer Banks? They boasted original craft beer (very good) and beer battered chicken (very, very good), but disappointed us on the dry hush puppies that didn’t come with any dipping sauce.

Blue skies with fluffy clouds lingered overhead as we strolled along the battered beach outside our rental house in Duck, NC

Kill Devil Frozen Custard and Beach Fries (Kill Devil Hills, NC)
Just seeing these two words — beach fries — on a sign made us want to stop at this little roadside shack. What the heck are beach fries? Well… ends up they’re just regular hand cut fries, but delicious fries. The custard did not let us down either, calling us back for more later in the week.

Kill Devil Grill (Kill Devil Hills, NC)
Don’t let the old school diner car exterior fool you; this place is seriously good. Fresh as fresh gets, this spot has a vibe that matches how you should feel on the beach: simple, unpretentious and indulged. We had the crab cakes and the halibut in a saffron gravy, and had to hold ourselves back from licking the plate clean. Best dinner of our trip.

Stack ‘Em High Pancake House (Kitty Hawk, NC)
Though strangely branded in a slew of Dr. Seuss copyright infringement, this quick, tasty and simple breakfast spot fills you up for cheap. Get the pancakes (Duh!) but skip the smothered hash browns; they were a bit much.