'Corner cafes' are the spots only the locals know that offer everything from coffee to catfish, but always a sense of community.
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Our first spot is a family-owned restaurant on the lake in Wilkinson County -- Thompson's Cove.
“It’s so good, they have got to come back! It is good cooking," said co-owner Mary Thompson.
They specialize in fried fish. Co-owner Ronnie Thompson said, “We have catfish, seafood, shrimp. Oysters, scallops, crab, trout, and a perfect filet."
Many patrons have been eating at Thompson’s Cove for many years, and some for a long as the restaurant has been in business since opening up in 1982.
Food has been a claim to fame for the restaurant, but the atmosphere is also inviting.
“We have good food, good recipes, good cooks [and] good servers," said Mary Thompson. “I love people and I love to talk to them, don’t I? And they love to see me. They do.”
Customers equally enjoy speaking with Mary Thompson. One guest describes her as "a character, she’s a good lady. She’s easy to get along with.”
Mary’s late husband came up with the idea to open the restaurant.
PHOTOS: Thompson's Cove
“My husband really loved it," she said. "And he loved to visit with people, too. I might have out talked him, but he really loved it.”
The restaurant is nearly 37 years old and still doing business three days a week.
Mary Thompson has no plans of slowing down and she says she still makes the hush puppy mix. It’s a mix that even attracts the fish below to the surface when guests throw bites into the lake.
“People are amazed at the turtles and fish that come up," said Ronnie Thompson. It’s open Thursday through Saturday from 5-9 p.m.