Georgia Travel Adventures

Georgia Adventure Guide

Blair Howard

HUNTER PUBLISHING, INC.

Web site: www.hunterpublishing.com

E-mail: comments@hunterpublishing.com

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Ulysses Travel Publications

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© Hunter Publishing, Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher.

This guide focuses on recreational activities.  As all such activities contain elements of risk, the publisher, author, affiliated individuals and companies disclaim any responsibility for any injury, harm or illness that may occur to anyone through, or by use of, the information in this book. Every effort has been made to ensure that the information in this book is correct, but the publisher and authors do not assume, and hereby disclaim, any liability to any party for any loss or damage caused by errors, omissions, misleading information or any potential problem caused by information in this guide, even if these are a result of negligence, accident or any other cause. All opinions expressed in this book stem from the authors' personal experience only or from those of their contributors; consequently, neither they nor the contributors can be held accountable for a reader's personal experience while traveling.

Contents

Introduction

The Nature Of Adventure

How To Use This Book

GETTING AROUND

ACCOMMODATIONS

CAMPING

FOOD & DRINK

WHEN YOU ARE THERE

About Georgia

Geography

THE COASTAL PLAIN

THE PIEDMONT PLATEAU

THE BLUE RIDGE

THE VALLEY & RIDGE

THE CUMBERLAND PLATEAU

Climate

People

Recreation

History

Getting Around

Safety

The Adventures

Sightseeing

Camping

Spring Wildflowers

Birdwatching

Photography

Boating

Shell Collecting

Hiking

Horseback Riding

Northern Georgia

How To Get There

When You Get There

Touring

Amicalola Falls State Park

Black Rock Mountain State Park

Blairsville

Blue Ridge

Carters Lake

Chatsworth

Chattahoochee National Forest

Chickamauga National Military Park

Clarksville

Cleveland

Clayton

Cloudland Canyon State Park

Dahlonega Gold Museum & Historic Site

Dalton

Dillard

Ellijay

Hart State Park

Helen

Hiawassee

James H. Sloppy Floyd State Park

Moccasin Creek State Park

New Echota State Historic Site

Ringgold

Rossville

Traveler's Rest State Historic Site

Trenton

Tugaloo State Park

Unicoi State Park

Victoria Bryant State Park

Vogel State Park

The Piedmont Region

Touring

Atlanta

HISTORY

HOW TO GET THERE

WHEN YOU GET THERE

DINING OUT

WHERE TO STAY

SIGHTSEEING IN TOWN

SIGHTSEEING OUT OF TOWN

SHOPPING

NIGHTLIFE

ANNUAL EVENTS

Allatoona Lake

BIRDWATCHING & WILDLIFE

BOATING & WATERSPORTS

CAMPING

FISHING

HIKING

HOW TO GET THERE

WHERE TO STAY

DINING OUT

Athens

WHERE TO STAY

DINING OUT

SIGHTSEEING

ANNUAL EVENTS

Augusta

HOW TO GET THERE

WHEN YOU ARE THERE

DINING OUT

WHERE TO STAY

SIGHTSEEING

SHOPPING

CAMPING

John Tanner State Park

Cartersville

SIGHTSEEING

Clarks Hill/J. Strom Thurmond Lake

HOW TO GET THERE

CAMPING

FISHING

HIKING

BOATING

Watson Mill Bridge State Park

A.H. Stephens State Historic Park

Elberton

Fort Yargo State Park

Lake Sidney Lanier

Hamburg State Park

Hard Labor Creek State Park

Marietta

WHERE TO STAY

DINING OUT

SIGHTSEEING & ATTRACTIONS

Oconee National Forest

ACTIVITIES

RECREATION AREAS

Panola Mountain State Conservation Park

Pickett's Mill State Historic Site

Sweetwater Creek Conservation Park

Washington

SIGHTSEEING

The Coastal Plain

Touring

Savannah

HISTORY

HOW TO GET THERE

WHEN YOU ARE THERE

DINING OUT

WHERE TO STAY

SHOPPING

SIGHTSEEING IN TOWN

TOURS

SIGHTSEEING OUT OF TOWN

Darien

SIGHTSEEING

GOLF

Brunswick & The Golden Isles

HOW TO GET THERE

WHEN YOU ARE THERE

DINING OUT

BRUNSWICK

SEA ISLAND

LITTLE ST. SIMONS ISLAND

ST. SIMONS ISLAND

JEKYLL ISLAND

CUMBERLAND ISLAND

WATER ADVENTURES

Crooked River State Park

Douglas

Little Ocmulgee State Park

George L. Smith State Park

Gordonia-Alatamaha State Park

Magnolia Springs State Park

St. Mary's

Okefenokee Swamp

SIGHTSEEING

Satilla River

The Plains Region

How To Get There

Climate

Where To Stay

Dining Out

Touring

Reed Bingham State Park

Albany

WHERE TO STAY

DINING OUT

Andersonville National Historic Site

Bainbridge

WHERE TO STAY

DINING OUT

Lake Seminole

Kolomoki Mounds State Historic Park

Georgia Veterans Memorial State Park

Fort Gaines

Lakes Walter F. George & George W. Andrews

RECREATION & CAMPING AREAS

Jackson

SIGHTSEEING

Juliette

NEARBY SIGHTSEEING

Lumpkin

SIGHTSEEING

Jimmy Carter National Historic Site

Thomasville

SIGHTSEEING

Warm Springs

SIGHTSEEING

About the Author

Blair Howard was bitten by the travel bug more than 30 years ago when, during a stint in the Royal Air Force, he spent a year in paradise on a tiny island in the middle of the Indian Ocean. From there, his travels have taken him to the Far East, North Africa, across most of Europe, to the islands of the West Indies, the Bahamas, Bermuda and to almost every state in the Union.

With camera in hand, he wandered from one location to another, finally settling in a small rural town in Tennessee. But there's no cure for wanderlust. So, taking advantage of his new-found home, he set out once again, this time to write about the lands that surrounded him closer to home.

Today, after many miles on the road – and some 260 magazine articles and nine books – he's still at it, visiting and revisiting his favorite spots.

Other titles by Blair Howard for Hunter Publishing:

Adventure Guide to the GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS

(1-55650-720-8/$13.95/340pp)

Adventure Guide to the BAHAMAS

(1-55650-705-4/$12.95/176pp)

Adventure Guide to BERMUDA

(1-55650-706-2/$12.95/176pp)

Adventure Guide to the GEORGIA & CAROLINA COASTS

(1-55650-747-x/$13.95/280pp)

Adventure Guide to TENNESSEE

(1-55650-743-7/$13.95/320pp)

BATTLEFIELDS OF THE CIVIL WAR Volume I

(1-55650-603-1/$11.95/310pp)

BATTLEFIELDS OF THE CIVIL WAR Volume II

(1-55650-685-6/$12.95/288pp)

We'd Love to Hear from You!

Hunter Publishing makes every effort to ensure that its travel guides are the most current sources of information available to travelers. If you have information that you feel should be included in the next edition of this guide, please write Blair Howard, c/o Hunter Publishing, Inc., 130 Campus Drive, Edison, NJ 08818. Feel free to include price updates, your personal experiences while traveling, and ways in which you feel this book could be improved.

Introduction

The Nature Of Adventure

Adventure, for most people, means an excursion into the great outdoors: hiking, fishing and boating. And certainly the major portion of this book is devoted to that type of experience. But here in Georgia, adventure can mean much more than outdoor recreation. This is an area rich in history and culture, and the location of some of the most delightful, intriguing and exciting towns and cities in the nation. With many interesting places to see and historic sites to visit, adventure can also mean sightseeing; Atlanta is an adventure all its own.

But adventure means different things to different people. While to some it means hiking over snow-covered trails in Alaska, mountain climbing in Nepal, or a safari through the far-off jungles of the Amazon, to many it means a spin of the roulette wheel, shopping in a suburban mall, or a gourmet dinner in a fine restaurant. Most of the above, and more, can be enjoyed within the bounds of Georgia. The peaks are not as high as they are in the Himalayas, the snows not as deep as they are in Nome, but the jungles of the Chattahoochee National Forest, the swamps of the Okefenokee, and the great wildlife refuges can be just as dense and mysterious as those in Central America.

Here in Georgia adventure can mean driving the backcountry roads in search of some exciting new experience. It can mean shopping: antique stores, gift shops and craft fairs abound throughout the state, not to mention some of the finest shopping malls. And, for the gourmet adventurer, it can also mean great new experiences in fine dining and opulent hotels. And gambling? Yes, you can do that, too.

So, while this book is a guide to the outdoor adventures, it's also a guide for those of you who would rather spend your time in relative comfort, within the bounds of civilization, close to the shops, stores, restaurants and fun-time attractions that have made places like Atlanta, Savannah and Augusta famous.

How To Use This Book

With so many adventures to choose from, and so many attractions to see and experience, deciding which will be the most enjoyable for you and yours might be a problem. You could settle down and read the whole book from cover to cover and mark the most appealing spots; you could use it to plan your trip; or you could carry it along with you.

Georgia's rural areas can be a bit mundane, but much of its countryside, especially in the north and east, is very beautiful, often wild and dramatic. Some of the adventures listed in the index as scenic drives are designed for the pure pleasure of driving, with just enough attractions and stops along the way to keep things lively; maybe you'd like to take time out for a picnic. So, let the top down, the wind blow through your hair, leave all the anxieties of the busy world far behind and enjoy!

To make things as simple as possible, we have taken the following approach to the order of this book. First, each type of adventure is briefly covered in the section called The Adventures. There, you will find out what's available and where. Second, each geographical region is described in some depth. This is followed by practical information under the headings that follow.

GETTING AROUND

The driving directions for each trip assume that you're approaching a given destination via an interstate or major highway.

Route maps scattered throughout the book show you approximately where the sites are, and which main roads provide the most direct route to them. In many cases, however, you'll still need a good, up-to-date road map. The Official Georgia Road Map is available at any in-bound welcome center. It is quite good and will provide adequate main road information, along with the locations of some of the more popular sites, parks and attractions. If you want to really get off the beaten path, you'll need something more detailed.

The majority of destinations in this book are best reached by car; with a few notable exceptions, they do not lend themselves to public transportation. If you've arrived at your base destination without wheels, you can rent a car at the airport or at any of the downtown rental company offices; if not, you'll have to limit yourself to those trips that can be done easily by metrobus, cab, or on foot. There are plenty of excursions organized by local companies, and, in some cases, you can get where you want to go via Amtrak or Greyhound. Schedules are often inconvenient, though.

Some of the trips to outlying areas, especially the beaches, can be done by bicycle. Rentals are available almost everywhere; ask at your hotel.

ACCOMMODATIONS

For each base city or area you'll find several hotel listings. These are not recommendations, merely hotels where we have had good experiences. Rates are indicated by multiple $ signs.

$ indicates a daily in-season rate of $50 to $75

$$ means $76 to $100

$$$ designates a rate over $100

Hotel Reservation Terms

When it comes to making reservations, hotel people talk a different language than the rest of us, and some of the terms they use might have different meanings from what you would expect. The following might help make things a little clearer.

Oceanviewmeans exactly what it implies, a view of the ocean, not a room on the oceanfront. Your room might be at the top of a hill and the ocean a tiny blue spot several miles away in the distance. If being near the water is important is important to you, ask when making your reservation.

Oceanfrontmeans the room or property faces directly onto the ocean and is located on the ocean side of the street.

An efficiencyis minimally equipped to prepare and serve meals, The minimum includes, but is not limited to, a stove, refrigerator, sink, and appropriate cooking and serving utensils.

American Planmeans with meals.

European Planmeans without meals.

CAMPING

Here you'll find listed campgrounds large and small, those run by state and national park services, and even by commercial operations. These are not the only campgrounds to be found in Georgia, just the ones we know and can recommend.

FOOD & DRINK

Always the high spot of any vacation, dining must be an important consideration when choosing a destination or day out. Several choice restaurants where the atmosphere is inviting, the service always good, and the food even better, are listed for each base city and destination. Many are the long-time favorites of experienced travelers. Some are not quite so well known and offer a culinary experience that's decidedly different. Seafood and Low Country cooking are the ultimate experience in coastal Georgia, and you'll find many of the restaurants listed here offer interesting and tasty variations on the theme. Many more throughout the state feature regional specialties not generally found elsewhere. The approximate price range is shown as:

$ – inexpensive

$$ – reasonable

$$$ – luxurious and expensive

Fast food outlets are, of course, scattered around almost everywhere and don't take up much of your sightseeing time. An even better alternative is to picnic. Georgia must be the picnic capital of the world; there are picnic areas everywhere, some beside the ocean and others in places where you'd least expect them. They offer the opportunity to take time out and enjoy a quiet lunch in the sunshine. Aaaah.

WHEN YOU ARE THERE

Weather

This can range from almost temperate in the north to subtropical in the south. Rainfall can sometimes be a problem – expect afternoon showers in coastal areas – but on the whole, Georgia is very much a sunshine state. You'll find the local climate described for you in the When You Are There section.

Opening Times & Fees

When planning a day out or a tour, be sure to note the opening times of the various sites – these can often be a bit erratic, especially on weekends. Anything unusual that you should know before starting out, such as don't make this trip on a Monday, is summarized in the When You Are There section.

Entrance fees listed in the text are, naturally, subject to change – and they rarely go down. On the whole, though, considering the cost of maintaining the sites, admissions are quite reasonable.

Facilities available at each site are listed, along with the address and phone number. These often include restaurants or cafeterias, cafés, information counters, gift shops, tours, shows, picnic facilities, and so on. Useful telephone numbers and relevant area codes are given at the end of each listing.

Handicapped travelers: Access varies with each individual's needs and abilities, so no firm statement can be made about any site. It's always best to phone ahead.

Group Travel

If you're planning a group outing, always call ahead. Most sites require advance reservations and offer special discounts for groups, often at a substantial saving over the regular admission fee. Some sites will open specially or remain open beyond their scheduled hours to accommodate groups.

Suggested Tours

Two different methods of organizing days out are used in this book, depending upon local circumstances. Some are based on structured itineraries, such as walking tours and scenic drives that follow a suggested route, while others just describe the local attractions for you to choose from.

Major attractions are described, some in extensive detail, some in only one or more paragraphs, beginning with practical information for a visit.

About Georgia

The largest state east of the Mississippi River, Georgia plays a major role in the economy of the southeastern United States. Atlanta, the state capital and largest city, is the commercial, transportation, and financial center of the entire region. Thousands of national concerns have their corporate headquarters in Atlanta, and one of the city's downtown intersections is known locally as the Wall Street of the South. Although many think of Georgia as a rural state – small towns and agriculture – the urban manufacturing centers are more truly representative of the modern state.

Georgia is the only state named for an English king. King George II granted the original charter for the land lying between the Savannah and Altamaha Rivers in 1732. Over the years it has had such nicknames as the Buzzard State, Cracker State, Goober State and Peach State.

Geography

Georgia has an area of more than 59,000 square miles, nearly as large as all New England. Of that, more than 854 are covered with water. It ranks 21st in the nation in size. This is a state of contrasts, of mountains, lakes, rivers and ocean. From Rabun Gap to Tybee Light, it slopes from almost a mile high down to sea level. Brasstown Bald Mountain, near Rabun Gap in the northeastern corner of the state, is the highest point. Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, it rises to a height of 4,784 feet. The original 18th-century Tybee Lighthouse, which was one of the first public structures in the state, still guides vessels into the port of Savannah.

Georgia extends over five natural regions: the low Coastal Plain; the central Piedmont Plateau; and, in the extreme north, the Blue Ridge, the Valley and Ridge, and the Cumberland Plateau regions of the Appalachian Highlands.

THE COASTAL PLAIN

It was here, along its Atlantic coast, that Georgia was first settled in 1733. The new colony was established as a haven for England's poor and as a buffer between the Northern colonies and Spanish Florida. The waterpower of Georgia's rivers first attracted industry. Following the rivers, the early Georgians spread inland. They crossed the Coastal Plain and the rolling uplands, venturing as far as the Blue Ridge Mountains in the north.

Georgia's Coastal Plain occupies about 60% of the land area of the state. It lies south of a line running from Augusta through Milledgeville and Macon to Columbus. This dividing line between the Coastal Plain and the Piedmont Plateau to the north is called the fall line. It is marked by a belt of hills, where the hard rocks of the plateau meet the softer rocks of the plain. Rivers and streams flow rapidly over the fall line on their swift descent to the plain.

The Coastal Plain is divided into two sections along a watershed between the Ocmulgee and the Flint rivers. East from the Ocmulgee is the Sea Island region, which drains into the Atlantic Ocean. From the Flint River west is the East Gulf Coastal Plain, which slopes southward to the Gulf of Mexico.

The East Gulf Coastal region is largely a flat limestone plain, deeply cut by narrow valleys. The Flint and Chattahoochee rivers flow south and join on the Florida border to form the Apalachicola River.

The Sea Island section of the Coastal Plain is so named because a chain of islands parallels the coastline. They are the exposed tops of a submerged ridge. The so-called valley between the islands and the mainland is part of the Intracoastal Waterway.

Salt marshes and freshwater swamps border the coastal mainland, broken by the mouths of the Savannah, Ogeechee, Altamaha, Satilla, and St. Mary's rivers. In the extreme southeast, extending into Florida, is the great wetland wilderness called the Okefenokee Swamp.

Inland from the coast, the land rises in a series of terraces to an upland district of rolling hills with rounded summits 50 to 100 feet high. Here are sandy areas known as pine barrens, where longleaf pine grows in abundance.

THE PIEDMONT PLATEAU

The Piedmont Plateau lies to the north of the Coastal Plain and occupies about 30% of the state's total area. This is Georgia's most densely populated section. Here, among the rolling uplands that slope northward from the fall line toward the mountains, most of the state's important cities are located. Altitudes range from 500 to nearly 2,000 feet. Four great rivers, the Chattahoochee, Flint, Ocmulgee and Oconee, cut deep, narrow valleys through the woodlands and forest. To the north, a series of isolated hills rise sharply against the skyline, great masses of rock that resisted erosion while the surrounding land was worn down. These include Stone Mountain, near Atlanta, and Kennesaw Mountain, near Marietta. In the northeast section of the Piedmont lies the Dahlonega Plateau, a deeply eroded region of steep, forested hills and narrow valleys where the peaks rise some 1,800 feet above sea level near the Blue Ridge Mountains. Here, through a deep gorge, the Tallulah River falls 360 feet over a distance of four miles.

THE BLUE RIDGE

The Blue Ridge is to the north. These mountains, together with the Valley and Ridge and the Cumberland Plateau regions, are all a part of the Appalachian Highlands. The mountains here rise an average of 3,000 feet above sea level; the peak of Brasstown Bald Mountain, the highest point in the state, is 4,784 feet high.

THE VALLEY & RIDGE

The Valley and Ridge sits to the west of the Blue Ridge. This is a region of folded mountains where the old rocks, resistant to erosion, stand out as long, narrow ridges. It's a heavily forested area where rivers, streams and hiking trails meander through rifts and valleys. Spring and fall are special seasons here.

THE CUMBERLAND PLATEAU