One of our stops on the way home was the Harvest Host Junavelli Winery in Brewton, Alabama. All of their wines are made from different fruits. We were told that winemaking started as a hobby for them and has developed into a business. “Junavelli was officially founded in May of 2018, but our winemaking actually started back in 2004, when Roger first experimented as a hobby in our garage. He started with blueberry, and after a few hits (and plenty of misses), it was perfected to become the Sweet Blueberry that is in our lineup today. With the help of the rest of the family, he ventured out from the blueberries (and also out of the garage and into the living room) to experiment with blackberries, strawberries, pears, raspberries, cherry, peaches, persimmons, muscadines, and scuppernong grapes.” – Junavelli Winery
The wine tasting was free. And, surprisingly, the wines were not all sweet. We enjoyed them and bought a bottle.
Across the street from Junavelli Winery is a small shop and a couple of cottages. We spoke to the owner, he said the cottages were available for rent (link here). His hobby is woodworking and his wife is a painter. Together they have created most of the items for sale in the store.
After a quiet night at the winery, we headed to Abita Springs, Louisiana to stay at another Harvest Host, Abita Brewing Company. Before the brewery, we stopped by a roadside attaction Joel found online that was nearby – Abita Mystery House.
This was one of the quirkier places we’ve been to in a long time. “Using 1000’s of found objects and home made inventions, artist John Preble created an incredible “mini town” that pokes fun at Southern life: Mardi Gras parades, UFO landings, voodoo fortune tellers, oil refinery plantations, alligator wrestlers and Cajun chefs. Walk through a maze of buildings and enjoy pushing buttons that activate the funny animated displays.” – Abita Mystery House
Here is a look at some of what we saw inside this interesting stop.
After about an hour at the Mystery House we drove over to the brewery. We had some great food from the Fusion Eatz by Shon food truck out front. Shon and her two culinary students were so nice. And her bayou fries were amazing.
We also met some really nice folks who joined us at the bar. Matt works for Abita Brewery but was hanging out on his off day. And when Laura came by to join him she brought donuts for all of us. Mmmm….donuts…
Our last stop in Louisiana was at Camp Margaritaville in Breaux Bridge. This is one of the many resort locations that make up Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville. We knew he had restaurants and hotels but only just learned about the RV resorts. We were there mid-February, clearly off-off-season. It was quiet but we could tell this place would be a great place to bring kids during the warmer weather. It felt very much like a cruise ship on land. Lots of activities, a water park, restaurants and bars.
This last stop in the South was a good place for us to take a breath as we head home.
Hello Lovebirds!
Yes, thank you for that tour of the Abita Mystery House…quirky and out of the ordinary…however, interesting in many ways!!
Have a safe trip and soon you’ll be back home!!