Two local restaurants, the Rusty Pig and Margie’s Southern Cooking, are  featured in the 2017 Georgia culinary guide, Georgia Eats, according to the Liberty County Convention and Visitors Bureau.

The guide features “100 Plates Locals Love,” 10 flavor tours, recipes of Georgia chefs and more. The guide is for travelers looking for places to eat.  

The Rusty Pig was chosen for the guide’s “100 Plates Locals Love” for it’s Loaded BBQ Fries, a plate of fries loaded with pulled pork, jalapeños and cheese with a dollop of sour cream. The Rusty Pig opened in Hinesville in March 2015. The family-owned business was created when Greg Woolard and Neal Anderson decided to open a barbecue restaurant in Glennville in 2009, it has since expanded to three locations.

Margie’s Southern Cooking made the culinary guide’s Food Truck section. The restaurant opened on Shaw Road in Walthourville in 2015. The business was established when Margie Richardson decided to follow her dreams as she realized retirement was drawing near. A veteran of the restaurateur, Richardson says she has seen her dream come true. Some menu favorites of Margie’s are ox tail, collard greens, candied yams, cornbread, rice and gravy.

The guide also lists Hinesville Area Arts Council’s Blues, Brews and BBQ Festival in the “Peach State Pig Outs” section. This section focuses on festivals around the state. HAAC will host the 14th annual Blues, Brews and BBQ on Sept. 23. Competitors from all over coastal Georgia compete for best BBQ pork butt, chicken thighs, ribs and people’s choice.  

The 2017 culinary guides are available at welcome centers across the state.