Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for georgia
Georgia’s Golden Isles
By Linda Tancs
The Golden Isles are a group of islands in Georgia between Savannah and Jacksonville, Florida. The area comprises the port city of Brunswick and the barrier islands St. Simons, Little St. Simons, Jekyll Island and Sea Island. They’re known for their marshes and beaches, a favorite not only with tourists but also with the area’s mascot, the sea turtle. You can learn all about them at Jekyll Island’s Georgia Sea Turtle Center. You can spot them from May through August, when bales of sea turtles flock to the shores of the Golden Isles for nesting season. During the day, it’s very common to see sea turtle tracks leading from the ocean to the dry patch of sand where their nest has been constructed. If you want to get close to their nests safely, then take a guided evening tour offered in June or July by sea turtle experts from the Turtle Center.
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The Canyon Lands of Georgia
By Linda Tancs
Water-carved canyons and caves are part of the rugged geology of the Cumberland Plateau found in Georgia’s Cloudland Canyon State Park. The canyons may not measure up in size to those in the West, but the park’s thousand-foot-deep canyons, sandstone cliffs, caves, waterfalls, creeks, dense woodland and abundant wildlife make it one of the most scenic state parks in the South. Enjoy the vistas from popular trails like the Overlook Trail, Waterfalls Trail and West Rim Loop Trail. Located on the western edge of Lookout Mountain, the park is about a two-hour drive from Atlanta.
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Where History is Written in Stone
By Linda Tancs
In Georgia’s Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests, history is written in stone. Literally. Tucked away in the gap between Thunderstruck Mountain and Buzzard Roost Ridge, Track Rock Gap is a petroglyph site created by Creek and Cherokee people beginning more than 1,000 years ago. Boasting more than 100 carvings on soapstone boulders, it’s one of the most significant rock art sites in the southeastern United States and the only such site located on public land in Georgia. The Forest Service offers a fact sheet with drawings of the rock art so that you can identify the figures. The best time to visit is early or late in the day when the light is at a low angle and the figures are more discernible.
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To limit the spread of COVID-19, attractions may be closed or have partial closures. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
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Buggy Capital of the South
By Linda Tancs
Barnesville, Georgia, was once known as the “Buggy Capital of the South.” And, no, that has nothing to do with those pesky mosquitoes arriving around now. The buggy in this case refers to the horse and buggy, and Barnesville produced more buggies than any other location south of Cincinnati, Ohio. By 1900, nearly 9,000 were produced there annually. The locals celebrate their commercial heritage with a festival in September. The city is about 50 miles from Atlanta.
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To limit the spread of COVID-19, attractions may be closed or have partial closures. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
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A Gem in Savannah
By Linda Tancs
Wormsloe Historic Site is a gem to behold in Savannah, Georgia. The site was once the colonial estate of carpenter Noble Jones, who came to Georgia with James Oglethorpe and the first group of settlers in 1733. The ruins of Jones’s tabby house (built in 1745) represent the oldest standing structure in Savannah, but even more breathtaking are the mile-long rows of oaks with sweeping branches lining the avenue to the estate, covering the driveway like a giant arch. Along with costumed interpretation on the nature trails, the locale offers a short film on the founding of Georgia and great views over the Skidaway Narrows, where the house was built to defend the strategic section of the Skidaway River from Spanish invasion.
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Georgia’s Civil War Capital
By Linda Tancs
The city of Milledgeville, Georgia, takes its name from John Milledge, governor of Georgia from 1802 to 1806. It’s one of five capitals in the history of the state, the others being Savannah, Augusta, Louisville and the present capital, Atlanta. Besides Washington, D.C., it’s the only city actually designed to be a capital city, a decision that was made in 1804. Beginning in 1839 and ending in 1868, the Old Governor’s Mansion served as home to 10 governors and their families, including during the tumultuous Civil War period. Other attractions include the Old Capital Museum, located in the building where Georgia legislators voted to secede from the Union, and Andalusia Farm, a former cotton plantation and the home of celebrated author Flannery O’Connor.
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Garden City of the South
By Linda Tancs
Augusta, Georgia, is affectionately known as “the Garden City of the South.” It may be best known as the home of golf’s illustrious tournament, The Masters, but Georgia’s second oldest city is a recreational haven for lovers of sports, nature, art and culture. Nestled along the banks of the Savannah River, the city’s Riverwalk offers pedestrian access to the river from a public plaza. That’s where you’ll find the Morris Museum of Art, the first museum dedicated to the art and artists of the American South. Its heritage as Garden City is evident in the number of large private gardens, a fact that no doubt would’ve pleased Princess Augusta of Saxe Gotha (mother of King George III of Great Britain), the city’s namesake. The Museum of History documents the evolution of—what else—golf, as well as soul singer and native son James Brown, among other things. Enjoy a nature ride through Phinizy Swamp Nature Park or explore the Augusta Canal National Heritage area during one of their daily boat tours offered year-round.
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Miracle Water in Georgia
By Linda Tancs
Aptly named, Providence Spring in Andersonville, Georgia, is a matter of divine providence in Civil War lore. The story goes that thousands of Union soldiers were dying of thirst in the summer of 1864 at a prison camp in Andersonville, one of the largest Confederate military prisons during the war. The cries of thirst ended when a spring mysteriously erupted in the stockade. The site is covered with a memorial house and is accessible via a road behind the National POW Museum, part of Andersonville National Historic Site.
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The Debatable Land
By Linda Tancs
In the early 18th century, Europeans called the land lying between British South Carolina and Spanish Florida the “Debatable Land,” referring to a conflict of control of colonial Georgia arising between Spain and Britain. The dispute came to a head in 1742 when the British defeated the Spanish at Fort Frederica on St. Simons Island. Fort Frederica National Monument is the site of the archeological remnants of the fort built by James Oglethorpe (the colony’s founder). The island is accessible by car via the F.J. Torras Causeway and is the largest of what are now known as Georgia’s Golden Isles, a premier destination along its southern Atlantic coast.
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A Master Builder in Savannah
By Linda Tancs
Isaiah Davenport was a self-made man from New England who settled in Savannah, Georgia. A master builder, he built for himself a stately, Federal-style home (circa 1820) and is credited with the building of other surviving homes in the city. Now the Davenport House Museum, his historic home initiated Savannah’s preservation movement when disrepair threatened its demolition in 1955. That movement is credited with preserving the historical identity of the city that visitors enjoy today. The house is one of the oldest brick structures in the city, with wood being more commonly used during the town’s earliest history. Located on Columbia Square in Savannah’s Historic Landmark District, the home is stop #9 on the Old Town Trolley route.
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