Jacks Bar-B-Que (Gone)
Nashville, TN Photo courtesy Paul Bauke
If there was one sign that could compete with all the neon on Lower Broadway, it was the one at Jack's Bar-B-Que. Those three flying pigs wearing little tuxedo hats floated high above the sidewalk, glowing against the Nashville night and daring you to keep walking. Between the music pouring out of the honky-tonks and the smell of barbecue drifting onto the street, this was one stop that always seemed to have a crowd gathered outside. 09-08
Jack Cawthon opened the restaurant in 1989 before moving it to Broadway in 1994. At the time, Lower Broadway wasn't yet the neon canyon it would eventually become. In fact, Jack's famous pig sign helped shape the look of the street. Before long, more and more businesses began adding elaborate neon of their own, creating the colorful "NashVegas" skyline that's now recognized around the world.
Jacks Bar-B-Que
Nashville, TN Photo courtesy Paul Bauke
The restaurant fit right in with the neighborhood. Downstairs was usually packed with hungry visitors ordering barbecue sandwiches, ribs, and pulled pork, while upstairs offered a great place to sit for a while and watch the crowds stream up and down Broadway. Across the street sat the Ryman Auditorium, and just about every walk through downtown seemed to include passing beneath those flying pigs.
Jacks Bar-B-Que
Nashville, TN Photo courtesy Don Gardner
The sign itself became every bit as famous as the restaurant. It wasn't sleek or elegant, but it didn't need to be. It was fun, unmistakable, and impossible to confuse with anything else. For many visitors, spotting those pigs meant they'd made it to the heart of Nashville.
Unfortunately, the end came rather quickly. In 2025 the Broadway building was sold, bringing more than thirty years of memories at that location to a close. Before shutting the doors for the last time, Jack's thanked the community the best way it knew how, by handing out free pork sandwiches to the long line of loyal customers who came by to say goodbye. A few weeks later, the famous pig sign was carefully taken down, ending one of the most recognizable pieces of Lower Broadway's neon skyline.
UPDATE: The Broadway Jack's Bar-B-Que closed in 2025 after the building was sold. The famous flying pig sign has been removed, but Jack's continues serving barbecue at its other Nashville locations. 08-26
Piggie Park BBQ
Thomaston, GA Photo courtesy Kevin Powers
That smiling pig on the neon sign is enough to make just about anyone hungry. Piggie Park Drive-In has been serving barbecue in Thomaston since 1950, and the animated roadside sign is still one of the town's best-known landmarks.
The restaurant moved from its original downtown location to busy U.S. 19 years ago, where passing motorists couldn't help but notice it. Pull into one of the parking stalls, press the call button, and a carhop still comes to your window, just like the old days. It's a nice reminder of what made drive-ins so much fun.
Barbecue is the main attraction, but the scrambled burger has earned plenty of fans over the years, too. If you're passing through Thomaston, this is one roadside stop that's well worth making.
UPDATE: Piggie Park Drive-In is still going strong today, complete with carhop service and its famous neon pig welcoming motorists from the highway. 08-26
Elvis Presley's Memphis (Closed)
Memphis, TN Photo courtesy Jay Lin
A walk down Beale Street always turns up something interesting, and this place was hard to miss. Elvis Presley's Memphis brought together two things the city is famous for: great music and great barbecue. Housed inside the historic Lansky building, where Elvis bought many of his flashy stage clothes, it seemed like the perfect spot for an Elvis-themed restaurant.
The menu leaned into the King's favorite foods, serving barbecue, Southern classics, and of course the famous grilled peanut butter and banana sandwich. Whether you were an Elvis fan or just looking for a bite to eat after exploring Beale Street, it was a fun stop that fit right in with the neighborhood.
The restaurant opened in 1997 but only lasted until 2003. After it closed, the neon sign came down and the building welcomed a series of new tenants. Today it's another reminder of how quickly things can change, even on one of America's most famous entertainment streets.
UPDATE: This Beale Street restaurant closed in 2003. It should not be confused with the Elvis Presley's Memphis attraction that opened at Graceland in 2017, which uses the same name but is an entirely different destination. 08-26
Rum Boogie Cafe Memphis, TN Photo courtesy Jay Lin
If you're walking down Beale Street, chances are you'll hear the music from Rum Boogie Cafe before you even reach the front door. The flashing neon guitar out front lets you know you're in the right place, and once inside you'll find live blues, barbecue, and enough signed guitars hanging from the ceiling to keep you looking up between songs.
Rum Boogie Cafe opened in 1985 and quickly became one of the cornerstones of Beale Street's revival. Over the years it has welcomed countless blues musicians and visitors from around the world, earning a reputation as one of the best places in Memphis to catch live music. It's also home to the annual International Blues Challenge, bringing performers from far beyond Tennessee to the city's most famous street.
Whether you're stopping in for a plate of ribs, a bowl of gumbo, or just a cold drink while the band plays, Rum Boogie captures the spirit of Beale Street about as well as any place can. It's loud, colorful, and exactly the kind of spot that makes you want to stay for one more song.
UPDATE: Rum Boogie Cafe remains one of Beale Street's most popular live music clubs, with its famous neon guitar still welcoming visitors day and night. 08-26
Ezell's Catfish Cabin
Columbus, GA Photo courtesy Kevin Powers
That giant catfish out front is hard to miss, especially after dark when its blinking neon fins come to life. Ezell's Catfish Cabin has been welcoming hungry travelers along Warm Springs Road since the early 1980s, and the sign alone is worth slowing down for.
The restaurant traces its roots back to the Ezell family's old fish camp in Alabama, bringing that same Southern tradition to Columbus. Inside, it's all about farm-raised catfish, hushpuppies, coleslaw, and the kind of hearty meal that leaves you wondering if you really needed dessert.
While plenty of roadside restaurants have modernized over the years, Ezell's still feels like a classic highway stop. The animated catfish sign continues to greet passing motorists just as it has for decades, making it one of the more memorable pieces of roadside neon in Georgia.
UPDATE: Ezell's Catfish Cabin remains a popular family-owned restaurant, and the famous blinking catfish sign is still lighting up Warm Springs Road. 08-26
Ezell's Catfish Cabin (Gone)
Tuscaloosa, AL Photo courtesy Tony Craig
That blinking neon catfish was one of the best roadside sights in Tuscaloosa. Ezell's Catfish Cabin stood along McFarland Boulevard for years, and it was hard to drive by without noticing the animated sign calling hungry motorists inside.
The restaurant's story actually began in the late 1960s on Jug Factory Road before moving to its larger McFarland Boulevard location in the late 1980s. It traced its roots back even further to C.A. Ezell, who started serving fried catfish from his own recipe in Alabama in 1932. For generations, Ezell's became the place to go for catfish, endless hushpuppies, and all the Southern fixings.
In August 2004, the restaurant quietly closed after serving the community for decades. Customers arriving that week found a simple note on the door thanking everyone for their support. The parking lot sat empty, and inside, beneath a "Please Wait, Gone Fishin'" sign, a chalkboard simply read, "Good luck!" It was a quiet ending for one of Tuscaloosa's longtime roadside landmarks.
The building is gone now, and so is the famous blinking catfish sign. For those who remember it, though, it's still one of the classic highway sights that made McFarland Boulevard just a little more interesting.
UPDATE: The Tuscaloosa location closed in 2004, but the Ezell family tradition lives on through other Catfish Cabin restaurants in Alabama and Georgia. 08-26
Jacks Bar-B-Que (Gone)
Jacks Bar-B-Que
Jacks Bar-B-Que
Elvis Presley's Memphis (Closed)
Ezell's Catfish Cabin
Ezell's Catfish Cabin (Gone)
