Things to Do & See in Georgia Pt. 5

Whether or not you are an avid follower of my blog or just visiting for the first time from the April A-Z Blogging Challenge, welcome! You should know that today I'm skipping ahead to the letter G for Georgia. I've been working on my list of Georgia/Atlanta A-Z for over a month now, and it only seems fitting that I continue posting on the list for travel Tuesday. :) Tomorrow I will return to the letter F and resume the regularly scheduled A-Z program … at least until next Tuesday!

If you have missed any of my previous A-Z posts, be sure to check them out here:

A-D • E-G • H-K • L-O

Basically I started putting together a list of A-Z locations while reminiscing over a project I did in middle school wherein I had my family retrieve informational packets and contact businesses from all over the state to put together a booklet of places in Georgia listed from A-Z. Unfortunately I have since lost the booklet (otherwise this blog series would have been far easier!), but I have decided to try again and recreate (a similar) list focusing mostly on Atlanta. If you have a vacation to Georgia coming up, or if you are a long time resident, I'd love to hear your thoughts on my recommendations. Are some of these places locations you intend to visit someday? Have you visited any of them in the past? Is there someplace vital that I've missed?

P. Piedmont Park

Where can you go to get the best view of Atlanta? … Especially if you are afraid of heights? …

Here! :)

A 189 acre urban park northeast of Atlanta and the "athletic center" of the city (as indicated by Wikipedia) that was originally owned by a doctor, the land was given to a prominent city head to use for fairs and expositions in the late 1800s and was not officially obtained by Atlanta until 1904 with Ansley Park being added to it shortly thereafter. Up until 1973, people took leisure at the park swimming in the lake, enjoying picnics, and seeing entertainers at the bandstand before retiring to the Piedmont Park Apartment complex that was home to many middle class and prominent Atlantans at the time. While many of these activities are still available, the apartment complex now houses the elite and swimming in the lake has been prohibited. (You can use the local pool instead.) The park has been set to expand in the next few years adding approximately 50 acres to the northwest portion, which had remained as woodlands until recently; the expansion would add a new parking deck, open green space, biking and walking trails, children's playgrounds, a skate park, athletic fields, and community gardens to the park.

While Piedmont Park is most well-known for it's view, it also provides the city with plenty of green space for special events including (among others) the Atlanta Pride Festival, the Atlanta Jazz Festival, the Atlanta Dogwood Festival, Music Midtown, and Screen on the Green. The park has provided a fantastic venue for well-known artists (such as the Allman Brothers, the Dave Matthews Band, Paul McCartney, The Eagles, Coldplay, and The Black Keys) to sing at.

Basically, if you are looking for something to do on a warm spring or summer day, this is the place to be. Atlantans enjoy the park as a place to relax and unwind, a scenic location for engagement or wedding pictures, a fantastic spot for athleticism, and the perfect area to take in and enjoy festivals and entertainment.

Q. Quitman County

Separated from Alabama by the Chattahoochee River, this county was named after General John A. Quitman, a governor of Mississippi in the 1800s who persuasively spoke "in defense of states' rights and was instrumental in shaping Georgia's decision to secede from the Union" (Georgia Encyclopedia). There is only one incorporated town within the county: Georgetown. The rest mainly consists of rural farms and timberland. While the Creek Indians were the first to settle here, the area became essential for progression soon afterward, in the seventeenth century, with the invention of the steamboat. Due to growth in the cotton industry, growth in the county swelled to nearly 5,000 in 1900, the largest number of people the county has ever seen, even in the time since. That population growth, however, did not last. In 1920, the Cotton Exchange owner disappeared taking the entire cotton crop and all of it's cash with him resulting in a lack of banking in the town and a rapid decrease in population size over the next century. Today the population remains fairly low and the county derives most of it's income from rural producing of mostly corn and peanuts. While the area is rather small without a lot to do, the county itself is rich in history and natural beauty.

R. Southeastern Railway Museum

Located in the city of Duluth just north of Atlanta, the museum was founded in 1970 by the Atlanta chapter of the National Railway Historical Society (Wikipedia). One of the most well-known exhibits at the museum is that of the restored 1871 Duluth passenger train depot. While at the museum, you can ride in a restored caboose on a track that goes around the property as well as stand on the platform of a train car that was once used by President Warren G. Harding.

While I've only been to this museum once with a very unhappy 4 year old who really didn't want to be there, the museum looks like a fun and enchanting place for young and old train lovers alike. The history will intrigue older individuals and kids will love the hands on experience and train ride. :)

S. Stone Mountain Park

Mainly a tourist attraction, Stone Mountain as Georgians know it today was not complete until the 1970s. The "mountain" itself is the largest amount of exposed granite in the world (according to Georgia Encyclopedia). One of the most historic and well-known places in Georgia, Stone Mountain was originally a meeting place for indians. After Europeans moved in and the Indians moved out, Stone Mountain took on quarrying for a time destroying many beautiful features the natural granite provided. By the early 1900s, the Ku Klux Klan had begun meeting at the base of the mountain and even burned a flaming cross on top of the mountain. The leader of this second KKK, William Simmons, desired to put a memorial on the front face of the mountain honoring past members of the KKK. Luckily, this never went through. The state officially bought the area in 1958 at which point segregation was a huge topic among Americans and the south. With only the head of Robert E. Lee carved on the side of the mountain at the time, the state agreed to continue adding to the carving by including the faces of Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson and Jefferson Davis. Shortly after the memorial unveiling in 1970, the tourist attraction added a summer laser show in the 1980s, and became known for hosting special events and festivals including the Yellow Daisy Festival, the Highland Games, and a sunrise Easter service on top of the mountain every year.

If you intend on visiting Stone Mountain, I recommend taking a walk around the mountain to see the Carillon, the Grist Mill (my personal favorite), the covered bridge, and the quarry exhibit, all of which are free to visitors with paid parking. Of course you can climb the mountain or ride the Skylift to the top, but there are plenty of other things to do on the property as well. Take a tour of the confederate museum, visit the Songbird Habitat and Trail, take a ride on the train, putt-putt, see the Antebellum Plantation, or explore the SkyHike. Seasonal activities such as the summer evening laser show or the winter "Snow Mountain" also provide opportunities for visitors and guests to take advantage of. While there are certainly a lot of tourist "traps" within the area (including silly rides and expensive eats), there are also plenty of fun things to do that allow you to take in the beauty of nature and explore. The park opens early and closes late giving you plenty of time to do and see everything. If you'd like, the grounds even have a hotel as well as places to camp for relatively cheap. You really can't go wrong with a visit to the park. :)

What do you think about the locations I've chosen for this week? Will you be visiting any of them in the near future?

** Participate in the A-Z blogging challenge with me! You know you want to! :)