Outdoors Georgia July 1978 $125 r George Busbee Governor Joe D. Tanner Commissioner BOARD OF NATURAL RESOURCES Lloyd L. Summer, Jr. Chairman Rome-- 7th District J. Wimbric Walker Vice Chairman McRae-- 8th District Sam Cofer Secretary St. Simons Island Coastal District Dolan E. Brown Twin City-- 1 st District Leo T. Barber, Jr. Moultrie-- 2nd District Alton Draughon Pinehurst-- 3rd District George P. Dillard Decatur-- 4th District Mary Bailey Izard Atlanta-- 5th District James A. Mankin Griffin-- 6th District Donald J. Carter -- Gainesville 9th District Walter W. Eaves Elberton-- 10th District Leonard E. Foote Waleska-- State-at- Large James D. Cone Decatur-- State-at-Large A. Leo Lanman, Jr. Ros well-- State-at-Large Wade H. Coleman Valdosta-- State-at-Large DIVISION DIRECTORS Parks and Historic Sites Division Henry D. Struble, Director Game and Fish Division Leon Kirkland, Director Environmental Protection Division J. Leonard ledbetter, Director Geologic and Water Resources Division Sam M. Pickering, Jr., Director Office of Information and Education David Cranshaw, Director Office of Planning and Research David Sherman, Director Office of Administrative Services James H. Pittman, Director -\ Outdoors \ty Georgia Volume 8 July 1978 Number 7 FEATURES Legacies of the Past Lucy Justus 2 Elegance Bill Bryant 8 Waterfalls Teressa Moen 1 1 .... The Great Escape Rebecca N. Marshall 14 Strolling the Squares of Savannah Susan K. Wood 17 Discovering Nature .... at Panola Mountain Susan K. Wood 23 The Plumleaf Azalea David Ettman 26 Okefenokee Georgia: This Way to Fun Robert Lochmiller 29 31 The Plains Visitor Center 34 Scarlett's Atlanta Racing with the Wind . . 36 See Rock City 38 .... "There's Gold in Them Thar Hills" 40 Madison--Treasure Chest for Cherished Memories 42 The Macon Heritage Tour 44 Georgia's Golden Coast 46 Summer Events 48 COVER: This is what Georgia is all abouj. Montage by Mike Nunn. Phone-656-5660 MAGAZINE STAFF David Cranshaw Aaron Pass Editor-in-Chief Editor Susan K. Wood . . Brenda Lauth . Rebecca N. Marshall Dick Davis Bill Hammock Lucy Justus . Managing Editor Circulation Manager Writer Writer Writer Writer Liz Carmichael Jones Michael Nunn Bob Busby Edward Brock Bill Bryant Jim Couch Art Director Illustrator Photo Editor Photographer Photographer Photographer Outdoors in Georgia is the official monthly magazine of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, published at the Department's offices, Room 714, 270 Washington Street, Atlanta, Georgia 30334. Publication Number 217140. No advertising accepted. Subscriptions are $5 for one year or $9 for three years. Printed by Williams Printing Company, Atlanta, Georgia. Copyright 1978, Outdoors in Georgia Magazine. Contributions are welcome, but the editors assume no responsibility or liability for loss or damage of articles, photographs, or illustrations. Second-class postage paid at Atlanta, Georgia. 31,000 copies printed at an approximate cost of $16,500. The Department of Natural Resources is an Equal Opportunity employer, and makes employment decisions without regard to race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, physical or mental handicap or other non-merit factors. Change of address: Please allow 8 weeks for address changes to become effective. Send old address as well as new address (old mailing label is preferred). ISSN0147-720X Outdoor Corpnjeptary A Travel Edition? July and vacations are almost synonymous to most folks, and as many of you plan summer excursions we would like to invite you to "See Georgia First." From the wilderness of the Oke- fenokee to historic Savannah with its deep cultural traditions, our state offers an incredible diversity of things to see and do. In this issue of Outdoors in Georgia, we have tried to highlight this diversity of resources by picking features that emphasize the broad range of attractions that await those who travel in Georgia. Points as distant as the rugged waterfalls in the northern mountains and the gentle dunes of our Golden Isles are covered, as are vistas so near as Atlanta's skyline and the granite crown of Panola Mountain. We hope that through this issue you will find some fresh travel ideas. Since this was our first effort in the travel issue business, we asked the experts to help us. The Department of Industry and Trade's Tourist Division pitched in to help produce this 48-page issue which includes Georgia magazine, Tourist Division's quarterly publication. That section, introduced by "Georgia: This Way to Fun," (p. 31) explains for you the new seven region tourism system and features an outstanding ex- ample of each. Of course there are many other places of interest in each of the seven regions, and anyone who is interested can get more information by writing: P.O. Box 1776, Atlanta, Georgia 30301. Likewise, more information on the parks and historic sites mentioned in "The Great Escape" can be obtained from: Department of Natural Resources, Information and Education, 270 Washington Street, Atlanta, Georgia 30334. We hope this special expanded issue is a help to you and that you will enjoy it and use it for planning your vacation this summer and all year long. This rounds out our special issue program which has included fishing (April) and hunting (October) . Whether or not we will have another is up to you, our subscribers. Let us know how you like it. f aur>^ 7k^^ July 1978 acies of the Rist Georgia's National Historic Landmarks by Lucy Justus Wi,hen Joel Chandler Harris moved from Savannah to Atlanta in 1876, he signed himself and his companions into an Atlanta hotel as "J. C. Harris, one wife, two bow-legged children and a bilious nurse." The modest, mildly humorous introduction was typical of the young newspaperman whose tales of Uncle Remus, Br'er Rabbit, Br'er Fox, the Tar Baby and other characters would later be translated into more than two dozen languages, making him Georgia's first worldfamous author. Harris was a shy, self-effacing person who avoided the limelight and disclaimed any personal creativity or originality in the production of the Uncle Remus stories. He claimed he was simply a recorder of folklore. The Wren's Nest, Harris' home in west Atlanta, is a fanciful Victorian structure with arches, decorative gables and gingerbread frills. It might have been de- signed as the home of a dreamer, a writer of fantasy. In fact, although the house was not built for him, Harris did have a hand in the way it looks now. When he bought it in 18X1, it had six rooms and was badly dilapi- dated, necessitating a hurried refurbishing before the family could move in. The Harrises expanded it the following year, enlarg- ing several rooms and adding two rooms and a large porch on the front, a kitchen and porch at the rear and a small study over the entrance hall. The house was The Wren's Nest in Atlanta was the home of author Joel Chandler Harris. The displays there introduce visitors to the man who gave us Uncle Remus and Br'er Rabbit. (Photos by Rob Busby.) Harris' home until his death in 1908 and has been open to visitors since 1913. It contains many original furnish- ings and personal belongings including the table at which he wrote, his rocking chair, umbrella, glasses and typewriter, one of the black hats he frequently wore (even in the house), cases of his books, a bronze basrelief of Harris and photographs of him with Theodore Roosevelt, James Whitcomb Riley, Andrew Carnegie and others who visited him at the Wren's Nest. The house was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1962, the first of 34 in the state. The National Park Service established the Historic Landmark program in 1960 to give official recognition to places of exceptional value to American history, architecture, archaeology and culture. The National Park Service no longer administers the program, however. Early this year it became the responsibility of what was formerly the Bureau of Outdoor Recreation, an agency which has been reorganized and renamed the Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service. The selection of National Historic Landmarks is a cooperative effort of the federal and state governments and local agencies. Each year, the federal government sets a broad general theme for the year. In the past, themes have included Original Inhabitants, Major American Wars, European Explorations and Western Expansion. When a theme is announced, the Historic Preservation Section of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources reviews sites in the state which fit into that category and submits them as suggestions to the federal agency. In 1974, the state's best year so far, 13 sites were designated National Historic Landmarks. Georgia's 34 landmarks range from rustic cottages to mines, mansions and Indian mounds and are located in every geographic section. Of the houses, the humblest is the John Ross home, a two-story antebellum log structure at Rossville. The most elegant may be the Johnston-Hay house, a 24room Italian Renaissance villa in Macon. Interestingly, the two have a common feature. Each has a secret room. The door to the one in the Johnston-Hay villa is a panel which swings aside from a stairway landing. The original entry to the one in the Ross house was never found. Workmen cut a door into the secret room when the house was restored in the 1960s. Ross was Principal Chief of the Cherokees and made the trasedy-ridden trek to Oklahoma via the Trail of July 1978 Tears in 1837, a trip on which his wife died of pneu- monia after giving her only blanket to a sick child. By the standards of the day, area and culture, the Ross home was impressive. Today, it is furnished with pieces typical of the period, the most notable being the bed Ross gave his daughter Annie when she married. Four other sites reflecting the state's Indian heritage are also National Historic Landmarks. They are The Chieftans at Rome which was the home of Major Ridge, speaker of the National Council of Cherokees; New Echota, the Cherokee capital, now a state historic site; and the Etowah and Kolomoki Mounds, also state historic sites. The Kolomoki museum is now open again after a burglary of many of its valuable artifacts forced its closure. Most of the Historic Landmarks, of course, are houses, and they include some of Georgia's most beau- tiful ones. The elegance of the Johnston-Hay mansion begins with 12 long marble steps leading to a Corinthiancolumned portico and a silver-hinged front door. The dining room and ballroom are decorated with white marble, carved and molded wood and intricate stucco work enlivened by loops, whorls, quirks and latticing. The house has 19 marble mantels surmounted by mirrors framed in gold leaf. The villa was built in the mid-1 850s for Mr. and Mrs. William B. Johnston, a young couple who had just returned from an Italian honeymoon. It has three floors and a full basement and is considered one of the nation's finest examples of Italianate architecture. In 1925, the Johnston family sold the mansion to Mr. and Mrs. P. L. Hay who were devoted to art and are responsible for most of the exquisite furnishings and art objects in the house. Typical examples are a pair of Louis XVI crystal chandeliers which hang from the 30-foot high ceiling of the ballroom and the large Savonnerie rug in the drawing room. The rug was woven in the royal factory at Vienna, Austria and is a copy of one owned by Empress Eugenia. When Mr. Hay died in 1957, the house was appraised at $187,000 and the furnishings at $141,500. The house, designated a National Landmark in 1974, has been given to the Georgia Trust for Historic Preserva- tion. Like the Hay house, the old Governor's mansion in Milledgeville has an Italian tie. It was patterned after Palladio's Villa Rotunda in Vicenza, Italy. Built in 1 838 at a cost of $50,000, it was the first house designed spe- cifically as* a residence for Georgia governors. Charles Cluskey, the architect, was apparently deter- mined to keep Georgia's Chief Executive from being bored by his house. The mansion has a centrally located rotunda encircled by a cantilevered balcony and round, square, octagonal and rectangular rooms. The drawing room has matching Italian marble mantels with flat pilasters and anthemion capitals. Three medallions, four feet in diameter, are recessed into the ceiling. There are identical medallions in the entrance hall and parlor. Ed Brock The mansion is stucco-covered brick with a granite foundation and granite exterior trim, and has four Ionic columns equally spaced across the front. The color has been compared to "a pink-tinged sunset just deepening into crimson." The front door opens and closes on the original silver-plated hardware, and the furnishings, as varied as the shape of the rooms, include English Regency, French Empire and American Federal. The rugs were woven in France, and except for the one in the entrance hall, each was specifically designed for the room in which it was placed. The hall rug is a copy of an Aubusson. The window hangings and furniture coverings are silk, brocade, damask, velvet and linen and are exem- plary of the types used in the 1830s. Nine governors lived in the mansion before the capi- tal was moved to Atlanta in 1868. During the 1870s and 1 880s, the house was rented to local people or used as a dormitory for college students. In 1891, it was designated as a dorm and the home of the president of Georgia Normal and Industrial College. The first and ground floors are open to the public; the second floor serves as an apartment for the president of Georgia College, as the school is now called. Savannah has seven National Historic Landmarks, more than any other city in the state. One is the GreenMeldrim house which was completed in 1854 and is said to have been the most expensive home in Savannah Outdoors it? Georgia The John Ross House (left) in Rossville and Etowah Mounds (below), a state historic site in Cartersville, are two of Georgia's 34 National Historic Landmarks. Ed Brock up to that time. Designed by New York architect John S. Norris, it cost $93,000 and included such luxuries as a bathroom with running water. The house is brick and was originally covered with stucco which was later removed. It has oriel, or medieval bay, windows on the second floor and a low roof surrounded by a crenellated parapet. On the first floor, there are a wide hall, double draw- ing rooms, a library and dining room. The second floor has five bedrooms and the bath. There are marble mantels and rococo mirrors in all the first floor rooms and in the bedrooms. In The Early Architecture of Georgia, Frederick D. Nichols said of the house: "An unusual portico of the period marks the en- trance. It has two arches supported by two octagonal columns, a pendant and a parapet treated in the manner July 1978 of the English perpendicular or Gothic style of the 15th century. "The double doors are framed with clustered colonettes supported on a double arch with a pendant, a motif which repeats the design of the portico. "The graceful, free-standing stair is set in an exedra off the long entrance lobby with arches for sculpture. It is enriched with a superb wrought iron stair with S-shaped balusters which are typical Georgian design." The house was built for Charles Green, a wealthy cotton merchant and shipper. Green, an Englishman who was supposedly neutral during the Civil War, invited Gen. William Sherman to use the house as his Savannah headquarters. Sherman was Green's guest from December 22, 1864 to February 1. 1865. Judge Peter Meldrim bought the house in 1892 and his family owned it until St. John's Episcopal Church Bob Busby A look inside the Juliette Gordon Low home (above) in Savannah, that city's first National Historic Site. At right, "Daddy" King, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Sr., inside the Ebenezer Baptist Church, located in the Martin Luther King Jr. Historic District. Bill Bryant Outdoors ip Georgia bought it in 1943. It is used for church meetings and A functions and is open to the public four days a week. wing on the west side of the house which once contained the stable, carriage house, kitchens and pantry has been converted into an attractive house used as the rectory of St. John's. Both the Telfair house and the Owens-Thomas house were designed by William Jay, the young Englishman who introduced the English Regency style of architec- ture to Savannah in the early 1800s. The Telfair mansion, built in 1818 for Alexander Telfair, son of a former governor, was opened as a free art museum in 1886 and is the oldest museum in the Southeast. The Owens-Thomas house, built the following year for a wealthy banker, is considered one of the most ele- gant English Regency homes in America. Both houses are owned by the Telfair Academy of Arts and Sciences and both were dedicated as National Historic Landr marks on October 8, 1977. Savannah's first National Historic Landmark was Juliette Gordon Low's birthplace, a three-story Classi- cal Revival house on Oglethorpe. It was built in 1818 for James Moore Wayne, then the mayor of Savannah, and bought by William Washington Gordon in 1831. Gordon's daughter, Juliette Gordon Low, was the founder of the Girl Scouts. It has beautifully proportioned rooms with elaborately decorated plaster cornices and carved woodwork, and the front garden is one of only three in the city retaining its original design. Savannah and Atlanta are the only two Georgia cities which have districts designated as National Historic Landmarks. Savannah's is a two-square mile area bounded by the Savannah River, East Broad Street, Gwinnett Street and West Broad. It contains about 1,100 noteworthy buildings, public and private, in at least six architectural styles. Atlanta has two Historic Districts: the Martin Luther King Jr. Historic District and Sweet Auburn. The Martin Luther King Jr. District is on Auburn Avenue between Jackson and Howell Streets and in- cludes Dr. King's birthplace at 501 Auburn, Ebenezer Baptist Church and Dr. King's grave site. Sweet Auburn includes the Atlanta Life Insurance Company complex at 148 Auburn, a company founded AME by former slave Alonzo Herndon; Big Bethel Church at the corner of Butler Street and Auburn; the YMCA Butler Street at 22 Butler; the Odd Fellows Building and Auditorium, 250 Auburn; Herndon Build- ing, 351 Auburn; and the Municipal Market at 209 Edgewood. The market, constructed in the 1920s, is one of the few city-owned markets remaining in the country. Auburn Avenue was once known as "the richest Negro street in the world" and the historic district en- compasses the remains of the business section, the thriv- ing hub of black free enterprise and social activity in segregated Atlanta from the 1890s until the 1930s. Designation as a National Historic Landmark does July 1978 not affect the ownership or use of property and several Landmarks are open only on special occasions. Among those rarely, if ever, open to the public are: the Carmichael house in Macon, Stallings Island near Augusta, St. Catherines Island on the coast, Octagon House in Columbus, College Hill in Augusta, Commandant's House in Augusta, Tupper-Barnett House in Washington, the Calhoun Mine near Dahlonega, and the Thomas E. Watson house at Thompson. Those which are open on a regular basis, but at vary- ing hours, are: Atlanta The Wren's Nest, 1050 Gordon Street State Capitol, Capitol Square Stone Hall, on the main campus of Morris Brown College Fox Theatre, 660 Peachtree Street Martin Luther King Jr. Historic District Sweet Auburn Historic District Savannah Savannah Historic District Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace, 10 Oglethorpe Avenue William Scarbrough House, 14 West Broad Street Central of Georgia Depot, 227 West Broad Street Green-Meldrim House, 1 West Macon Street Owens-Thomas House, 124 Abercorn Street Telfair Academy, 121 Barnard Street Athens Taylor-Grady House, 634 Prince Avenue, the only known existing home of Henry Grady Blakely Kolomoki Mounds, eight miles north of Blakely on U.S. Highway 27 (state park) Cartersville Etowah Mounds, three miles southwest of Cartersville (state historic site) Calhoun New Echota (state historic site) LaGrange Bellevue, 204 Ben Hill Street, Home of Senator Benjamin Harvey Hill Macon Johnston-Hay House, 934 Georgia Avenue Milledgeville Governor's Mansion, 120 South Clark Street Rome The Chieftains, 80 Chatillion Road Rossville John Ross House, Rossville Boulevard Thomasville Lapham-Patterson House, 626 North Dawson Street (state historic site) Toccoa Travelers Rest (state historic site) Washington Robert Toombs House. E. Robert Toombs Avenue (state historic site). Open by appointment until restoration is complete. ^ H Tip tJo^t1-lW ouse> Photography by Bill Bryant The Hay House, at 934 Georgia Avenue in Macon, is open 10:30-1:00 and 2:30-4:30 Tuesday through Friday, 11:00-4:00 on Saturday and 2:00-4:00 on Sunday. A small admission fee is charged. Outdoors ip Georgia July 1978 * ,V WakTfalLs "... rushing from rocky precipices under the shade of (he pensive hills, the unparallcd cascade of Falling Creek, rolling and leaping off the rocks...** by Teressa Moen Thus did a native Philadelphian, William Bartram, describe an obscure waterfall in northeast Georgia over 200 years ago. Much of the southern wilderness that fascinated Bartram then would be unrecognizable to that famous naturalist and explorer today. But the falls he described then still faithfully adhere to his -- description except, perhaps, for being "unparalleled." From the sheer 350 foot drop of Dukes Creek Falls to small, unnamed cascades shoaling and rippling over water-smoothed boulders, the mountains of north Georgia offer a veritable smorgasbord of waterfalls. Over forty have been catalogued in the 750,000 acres of the Chattahoochee National Forest in addition to those found on private land and in state-owned parks. People have long held a fascination for waterfalls perhaps because they are so delightful to the senses. Each sense responds to the waterfall's stimuli: glittering droplets shattering on rocks like brittle diamonds, the gurgle of plunging water, refreshing mists thrown out as from a natural air conditioner, startlingly frigid water, better than any out of a fountain. In their experience with visitors to the Chattahoochee National Forest, U.S. Forest Service personnel have found that waterfalls are often the most popular of destination points whether the visitor aims to hike, camp, fish, hunt, or merely drive around in the woods. This is sometimes most obvious at Anna Ruby Falls Recreation Area above Unicoi State Park. There York and Curtis creeks plunge over 150 foot cliffs to form Smith Creek at the base of the twin falls. (The falls themselves were named for a beautiful young woman, Anna Ruby Nichols, whose father owned them. A large parking lot and gently sloping paved path to the waterfalls make Anna Ruby one of the most easily accessible falls in the Chattahoochee National Forest and also one of the most popular. Observation decks at both the bottom and top of the falls and a picnic area along Smith Creek add to the visitor's enjoyment. Last fall, over seven thousand people visited Anna Ruby Falls during one weekend at the height of the autumn color season. Anna Ruby is easily reached by taking Georgia 75 north from Helen and following the signs from Robertstown. The recreation area is open year-round. At almost the other extreme of accessibility are High Shoals Falls, a series of five waterfalls that drop a total of about 300 vertical feet. One cascade at High Shoals is known as Blue Hole; here a pool 10 to 30 feet deep has been carved into solid granite by the force of the plunging water. These falls are in the 170-acre High Shoals Scenic Area and can be reached by going east on A Forest Service Highway 283 from Georgia 75. foot trail from FSH 283 leads down to the waterfalls on High Shoals Creek. An observation deck has been constructed at one of the falls. Both the foot trail and the observation deck were constructed by the 1975 and 1976 Youth Conservation Corps camps at Young Harris. In the extreme northwestern portion of the Chattahoochee National Forest is Keown Falls. These rushing waterfalls are a rare sight in the dry A northwestern part of the state. one-mile trail from Keown Falls picnic area leads to an observation deck overlooking a pair of waterfalls. Large boulders and a small cave through which the stream flows add to the attraction of this area. To get there, take Georgia 143 to Sugar Valley and then go west on County Road 207 past Lake Marvin. (This is a twisting drive with beautiful views of this ridge and valley country.) Take a sharp "Y" turn to the north on Forest Service Highway 203 at a sign directing you to the Pocket Recreation Area. Continue on FSH 203 where another sign will direct you west to Keown Falls. Keown Falls is open from spring through early fall. Another small, but attractive, waterfall, Barnes -- Creek Falls, is found close by east of Chatsworth off U.S. 76. Driving to this waterfall, you will pass Fort Mountain State Park and the Cohutta Overlook, which gives a breathtaking view of the Cohutta's distant peaks and a quiet mountain valley. Past the overlook, head north on Forest Service Highway 17, then northeast on FSH 68 to Barnes Creek Picnic Area. Picnic tables, July 1978 I 1 Bill Bryant (Previous page) Dukes Creek near Helen. Here, a view of DeSoto Falls and (opposite page) Anna Ruby Falls. grills and a short trail leading to the top of Barnes Creek Falls make the spot ideal for a scenic day's trip into the Blue Ridge. An observation deck has been constructed at the top of these falls. Barnes Creek is open year long. DeSoto Falls, off U.S. 129 north of Turners Corner, is a series of three beautiful falls on Frogtown Creek. A trail leads to the two lower falls where observation decks have been constructed by the Youth Conservation Corps' Camp Merrill. To reach the upper falls requires an arduous trek; however, in the wintertime, these falls can be easily seen from U.S. 129 at a point about two miles north of DeSoto Falls Recreation Area. A piece of Spanish armor reportedly found near the falls led early inhabitants to believe Hernando DeSoto had visited the area; hence, the waterfall was named for him. The DeSoto Falls Recreation Area below the three waterfalls offers 27 campsites and is open from mid-spring through early fall. In the northeast corner of Georgia are found the falls thought to have been described by William Bartram. Now known as Martin Creek Falls, they are readily visible to hikers from the recently completed Bartram Trail which follows Bartram's route through this section of Georgia. This series of three falls can be reached by hiking the Bartram Trail north of Warwoman Dell Picnic Area across Warwoman Road and up the ridge a short distance. 12 Two waterfalls are located close to Rabun Beach Recreation Area. One, Angel Falls, is on Joe Branch A above Rabun Beach. mile-long trail leads from Area Two of Rabun Beach Campground to these falls. The other, Minnehaha Falls, is on the opposite shore of Lake Rabun from Rabun Beach. To reach the falls, cross a bridge about one mile west of Rabun Beach over the Tallulah River. Follow the southern lakeshore from the bridge about one mile east to the trail, about one-half mile long, which leads to the 100-foot Minnehaha Falls. Rabun Beach Recreation Area is open year-round. One of the most spectacular falls in north Georgia is also one of the most difficult to reach. Located where Dick's Creek plunges 60 feet into the Chattooga River, these falls are a spectacular sight to those canoeing the A river. link in the National Wild and Scenic River system, the Chattooga River corridor is managed similarly to a wilderness allowing no vehicular access. Visitors can hike in on the Bartram Trail to view the falls. At Dick's Creek, Bartram Trail hikers should follow a side trail about 200 yards east to the waterfall. Dukes Creek Falls, off the Richard Russell Scenic Highway, is reached by a one mile heavily switchbacked trail down into Dukes Creek Gorge. Reaching the floor of the canyon, visitors look up to see Davis Creek drop straight down about 150 feet into Dukes Creek. The Outdoors in Georgia whole creek drops about 400 feet within a horizontal distance of 500 feet giving a spectacular show of several cascades and falls. Those who don't wish to brave the steep climb back up will find acceptable views on the upper end of the trail. Another lovely and relatively isolated falls is on Panther Creek about halfway between Panther Creek Picnic Area on U.S. 441 and the creek's confluence A with the Tugaloo River. newly completed trail leads from the recreation area through the rolling piedmont country of the Lake Russell section of the Chattahoochee National Forest. Hugh white pines and sheer cliffs above the creek make for a beautiful hike to the point where the creek drops sharply and rushes through solid granite outcroppings. Many other waterfalls can be found throughout the Chattahoochee National Forest. Most cannot be reached by trail or road but offer a surprising reward to those hikers who like to strike off on their own. Reliable maps, a good compass and an ample supply of common sense are recommended for such outings, though. Orienteering courses taught by the Department of Natural Resources and by private schools such as Outward Bound would be excellent prerequisites for such a trip. Several other waterfalls are located on the less rugged, rolling country of the Oconee National Forest. They offer an alternative to those who don't wish to tackle the long climbs and steep descents of the July 1978 mountainous Chattahoochee National Forest. These range from the small Stanford Falls in Putnam County to a 20-foot unnamed waterfall in Jasper County west of Hillsboro. Waterfalls in Georgia are a pleasure to visit in every season. What could be prettier than the blooming mountain laurel and rhododendron which in spring adorn the tranquil pools below the falls? Maybe the ice palaces formed by frozen droplets of leaping water are more to your taste. In mid-July, a waterfall shaded by the dense forest canopy offers a cool, and sometimes even chill, retreat from Georgia's stifling summer My heat. personal favorite is when the autumn foliage is reflected in clear mountain streams and quiet pools below the waterfalls. Whatever your taste, whether you prefer overnight hikes or trips by car, a waterfall in Georgia is waiting to serenade you with song and soothe you with beauty. When you're here in Georgia, who needs Niagara?^ Whal A Lovely Way To Die In addition to inspiring man, and woman, to beautiful reflections, waterfalls often also inspire dreams of mountaineering. Inviting crevices and stairstep footholds in the rocks of Georgia waterfalls have lured eight young men and one young woman to their deaths on Forest Service land since 1971. Five deaths and one serious injury have been recorded on or near state park waterfalls. Many others have been seriously injured in falls. Many of those killed or injured were climbing to- gether. Most were between the ages of 1 3 and 27. Signs warning of the deadly, slippery lichens on rocks surrounding waterfalls have been posted at most falls in the Chattahoochee Forest and at most state parks. Observation decks have also been built at many popular falls to provide potential mountaineers with excellent views that don't require a hazardous climb. But such preventive measures, even the creation of a new state park ranger rescue team will not make hiking near waterfalls safe. It is risky business and requires certain skills in addition to caution and common sense. Unfortunately, people still blithely ignore the warning signs and clamber awkwardly over and up strewn boulders and pockmarked cliffs. When visiting the falls described in this article, or any other waterfall, use the observation decks and heed -- the warning signs for your own safety. Deceptively slippery rocks are the rule, not the exception, and could cause a lighthearted outing to have a tragic ending. Teressa Moen is an information officer with the U.S. Forest Service in Gainesville. 13 Bob Busby The by Rebecca N. Marshall Bored with your life? Tired of that same old routine? Ready to climb out of your rut and try something new? Then Georgia's state parks and historic sites are just what you've been looking for. . They have campsites and picnic tables and all those old, familiar things you've loved for so long. But they're much more than just a place to pitch a tent. Forty-three parks, scattered around the state, reflect a variety of Georgia's abundant natural beauty. Eleven historic sites preserve the state's rich cultural heritage. And all of them offer easy access to a variety of natural and historical resources. Stephen C. Foster Deep in the southeastern part of the state lies the dark and mysterious Okefenokec Swamp. Few roads lead into what the Seminole Indians called the "land of the trembling earth." No roads cross it, so getting into this wild and primitive area is difficult. Stephen C. Foster State Park is one of only three places that offer access to the Okefenokee. The park lies at the end of a long, lonely road. The closest town is almost 20 miles away, and the park's nearest neighbors are the creatures that inhabit the swamp. Tens of thousands of years ago, when the waters of the Atlantic covered much of what is now Georgia, the great Okefenokec Swamp was little more than a depression in the ocean floor. An underwater ridge made up its eastern border,. and when the shoreline retreated, this ridge trapped some of the water behind 14 Outdoors it? Georgia it. During thousands of years, these waters became home to a variety of plants and animals. And slowly and gradually the swamp evolved into the mysteriously beautiful area that we know today. Visitors to Stephen Foster can explore the Okefenokee along a network of canoe trails that stretches across the swamp. These trails wind past ponds choked with water lilies and on through stands of towering cypress trees. And a solitary bird or a gator sunning nearby often are the only companions the canoeist finds on his tranquil journey through the swamp. Providence Canyon In another corner of Georgia, Providence Canyon cuts its path across several hundred acres of what once was fertile farmland. One hundred forty years ago, farmers in the southwest part of the state, following the agricultural practices of their time, allowed water to run unchecked across their land. Gradually the water worked its way through the upper layer of soil. Below, it exposed a sandy layer that eroded rapidly. Gulleys began eating into the land. Over the years, they grew wider and deeper, and slowly they became places of special beauty. Today parts of Providence Canyon plunge as deep as 170 feet to the creek below. This state park is a fragile natural area, and it can support only special uses. For instance, climbing up and down the walls could seriously damage this resource. But trails winding through lush foliage far below the canyon rim offer the visitor plenty of chances to explore Georgia's "little Grand Canyon." Unicoi Unicoi State Park lies deep in the heart of the north Georgia mountains. These mountains, part of the oldest chain in North America, have stood proud and tall for more than 200 million years. Still wilderness in many parts, they form the southern end of the Appalachian range. Isolated and bitterly cold in the winter, this fiercely beautiful region has created a culture found nowhere else in the state. At Unicoi and other mountain parks, special programs explore this cultural heritage. Displays of native crafts and concerts of mountain music help park visitors understand the north Georgia culture. Unicoi also offers complete conference facilities. With its meeting rooms, lodge, dining room and crafts shop, this park can easily accommodate groups of all sizes. Also in North Georgia Seven other state parks throughout the Blue Ridge Mountains reflect north Georgia's special beauty. Cloudland Canyon, Vogel, Black Rock Mountain, Moccasin Creek, Fort Mountain and J. H. "Sloppy" Floyd attract a steady stream of visitors, especially in the fall. And the spring often finds determined hikers setting out on a 2050-mile journey up the Appalachian Trail. Amicalola Falls State Park long has been the traditional starting point for these hikers heading north towards Maine. THIS SUMMER IN GEORGIA Special events planned for state parks and historic sites thi s summer. Makin' Music Simple Pioneer Day July 4 Mountain Style Victorian Culture Day July 4th Celebration Wilderness Weekend Indian Awareness Days Tugaloo Reminiscences Appalachian Music Fest Energy Education Appalachian Wildlife The Great Getaway Astronomy Week Mountain Fabric Creations C.C.C. Reunion Eatin's and Squeezin's Clothesline Art Show Square Dancing July 1 July 2 July 4 July 4 July 4 July 7-8 July 12-13 July 26-27 August 9-10 July 15 July 14-16 July 21-23 July 28-29 August 5-6 August 7-13 August 18-20 August 18-19 August 25-27 August 26 August 25-26 John Tanner State Park Elijah Clarke State Park Unicoi State Park Lapham-Patterson House Jarrell Plantation Unicoi State Park Etowah Mounds Tugaloo State Park Unicoi State Park Unicoi State Park Unicoi State Park Crooked River State Park All parks and historic sites Unicoi State Park F. D. Roosevelt State Park Unicoi State Park Moccasin Creek State Park John Tanner State Park July 1978 15 Bob Busby Coastal Skidaway, Crooked River and Richmond Hill are Georgia's coastal parks. Visitors to the Golden Isles can swim, sun, fish and camp in these parks. And nearby, they can visit some of the richest historical resources in the state. In the tiny community of Midway, the replica of an eighteenth-century plantation house reflects the lifestyle of a coastal rice planter. Period furnishings fill this state historic site, and they create a home that seems to be waiting for its wealthy owners to return. Fort McAllister tells the story of Georgia's coast during a different era. This Civil War fortification overlooks the Ogeechee River, and during the war it helped guard one of the four waterways that led into Savannah. Its walls of marsh mud and sand effectively resisted all Yankee attacks from the river. But every gun in the fort was mounted toward the Ogeechee, and 16 when Sherman's troops staged a land attack, the fort fell quickly. Lapham-Patterson House In the southwest part of the state, the Lapham- Patterson House represents a later time and a grander style of living. During the late nineteenth century, Thomasville was a well-known health resort, and it attracted wealthy visitors from around the country. C. W. Lapham, a successful Chicago businessman, built this impressive home as his winter retreat. Thomasville no longer is a health resort, but the beauty of the area still attracts wealthy visitors. So the Lapham-Patterson House marks the beginning of a lifestyle that is carried on even today in this part of Georgia. Jarrell Plantation In the early 1800s the Jarrell family began farming their land near what now is Macon. And for 130 years, they lived and worked on that same land. Their way of life has all but disappeared in Georgia. Before the Civil War, they were among the wealthy class of middle-Georgia planters. They kept slaves and they grew cotton then. But as times changed, so did the work. The Jarrells installed a steam engine, and they began grinding corn, sawing lumber and ginning cotton for many of their neighbors. Today, history comes alive at Jarrell Plantation. The steam engine still chugs away, and farm animals still roam the barnyard. Crops are planted, tilled and harvested, and local blacksmiths demonstrate skills that once were in great demand. These are only a sampling of the parks and historic sites throughout Georgia. And because there's at least one park within 50 miles of every man, woman, and child in the state, it's easy to explore Georgia's natural and cultural heritage. & For more information about state parks and historic sites, contact DNR's Office of Information and Education, 270 Washington Street, S.W., Atlanta 30334: (404) 656-3530, or the Parks and Historic Sites Division at 656-7092. A new, 20-minute film, "Georgia State Parks and Historic Sites," takes you to a few of Georgia's 54 state parks and historic sites. If you'd like for the film to be shown to your club, class or group, contact DNR's Office of Information and Education, 270 Washington Street, S.W., Atlanta 30334. Telephone (404) 656-3530. Outdoors ii? Georgia Strolling the Squares of Savannah by Susan K. Wood Photography by Susan and Bill Wood ^rv\ * v f^">u/^v\ * v r*~7*s~\% *\ "Tnere cannot be in the whole world a more heautirul city than Savannah." July 1978 A Swedish visitor to Savannah, Georgia made this comment in the mid- 1800s, and today, more than a century later, it is still true: Savannah is a beautiful -- a magical city with a feeling and a charm all its own. Savannah is a city like none other. It's a thriving, vibrant twentieth century business and trade center in a setting of eighteenth and nineteenth century Georgia. Within a two square mile area, twentieth century hustle and bustle is left behind while the magic of huge, moss-laden live oaks, lacy ironwork, warm Savannah colors and a rich, exuberant heritage takes hold. 17 To experience old Savannah in all its charm, you need to stroll the cobblestone walks and streets, peering behind ivy-covered brick garden walls into meticulous gardens and elegant nineteenth century homes. You need to amble down River Street and Factor's Walk and along the lush squares that dot the cityscape. And you need to talk to Savannah's people, so proud that their city still cares about its past. The Savannah Chamber of Commerce in cooperation with Historic Savannah Foundation, Inc., has devised -- a series of walking tours of Georgia's first and many -- say, its loveliest city. These four walks will lead you through the heart of a city in love with its heritage. For first-time visitors, it might be a good idea to take one of the guided tours of the city before you strike out on your own. Once oriented, get yourself a map, put on your walking shoes, and head out. The perfect place to start your walk is, of course, the Savannah Visitors Center located on W. Broad Street on the western edge of the city's historic district. Here you can park all day (for free ) ; you can acquaint yourself with the city by visiting the center, itself housed in a bit of Savannah history, the Central of Georgia Railroad station. Begun in 1856, the station for the first railroad chartered in the U.S. was finally completed after Savannah had been presented to President Lincoln by General Sherman. Here you can get your first look at the Savannah gray bricks, handmade at a plantation just outside town. You'll find that these bricks have been used in structures throughout the city. They have become valuable antiques themselves, selling for as much as 40^ per brick! Inside the Visitors Center, you can get brochures and maps plus books and other souvenirs. After you decide you just have to see the riverfront, the Green-Meldrim House, Juliette Gordon Low's birthplace, the Colonial Dames House, the Davenport House, the Owens-Thomas House and countless other Savannah landmarks including, of course, Colonial Cemetery, you might decide you need to make reservations for an overnight stay. There are phones inside. The helpful ladies inside -- can give you information you need from where to find Mrs. Wilkes' Boarding House to what events are taking place this weekend. But before you leave the Visitors Center to strike out on your Savannah venture, take a few minutes to look around. Here's your first introduction to the Savannah colors you'll see again and again on your walking tour. Those colors used on the walls inside the Center are a few of the 56 typical Savannah colors developed by a local artist, Ann Osteen. She and a group of Savannah residents used chisels and paper cups and an ample supply of patience to scrape from some of the city's oldest buildings samples of the original paints used on these eighteenth and nineteenth century structures. The walls of the lounge area (the main room) are Factor's Red; the first floor staff offices are painted Peach Leather; all the woodwork is Geechee Teal; and the ceilings are Tabby White. Tearing yourself from the Visitor Center, check to see that you have plenty of film in your camera, and start out on your stroll through Savannah, and back into Georgia's history. THE RIVERFRONT Walk A begins at Savannah's famous riverfront, recently revitalized and now home for 60-plus restaurants and specialty shops. The towering red row Row of buildings is called Factor's for the nineteenth century factors, or brokers, who exported cotton and naval stores from the busy seaport of Savannah. Today as you walk along the edge of the Savannah River, you'll see it's busy with tugboats and freighters from all over the world. That beautiful, old three-masted sailing ship moored alongside John Rousakis Riverfront Park stopped over -- in Savannah not too long ago and decided to stay. Now the "Barba Negra" (opposite page) proudly calls Savannah, Georgia home. Drop by the Ships of the Sea Museum ($1 ) and be sure to learn about the plight of Savannah's Waving Girl before you start up the steep, cobblestone ramp to Emmett Park and Factor's Walk. At the top of the ramp, notice Savannah's Harbor Light, erected in 1852 to guide incoming ships past broken hulls of vessels sunk by the British during the Revolution. As you detour a little to walk through Emmett Park and down along Factor's Walk, you'll see that much of Savannah's business is still transacted in the offices of the cotton factors. Stroll by the Cotton Exchange (circa 1886), the old Customs House (1852), and the City Hall (1909) before heading back through Emmett Park toward East Broad Street where A Walk continues. Two blocks south of Bay Street is the Pirate's House, Savannah's most famous restaurant. Besides being a popular tourist stop, the Pirate's House is of historical significance, built in 1754 as a seaman's tavern. Next door, the Herb House, the oldest building in Georgia, was built in 1734 to house tools used in the Trustee's Garden, tucked behind Herb House. You may recall from your Georgia history that a secondary reason for the founding of the colony of Georgia was to establish an agricultural experiment station. Plants from all over the world were brought, and it was here that Georgia's founders experimented with such potential crops as cotton, peaches and mulberry trees for the raising of silkworms. Cotton and peaches thrived, but raising silkworms proved to be a dismal failure, although enough silk was supposedly made to sew one silk skirt for the Queen of England. Walk A leads you west from Trustee's Garden Village, the city's first large restoration project, on St. Julian Street, a pretty avenue that joins Washington and Warren Squares and is lined by some of Savannah's loveliest homes. Warren is one of Savannah's prettiest and most unusual squares. It ranks as prettiest because of gigantic Outdoors it? Georgia m /' ?l t azaleas and live oaks that shade the park and the elegant, restored homes, some dating from 1793. And it's unusual because right next door to these beautifullyappointed renovations is a small, clapboard house that -- has never been restored or even painted. It's this "before and after" comparison that makes Warren Square one of Savannah's most charming. Two more Savannah landmarks are located on Reynolds Square. The Pink House, built in 1789 for James Habersham, Jr., later served as a branch of the Bank of the U.S. and, in 1 865, as headquarters for part of the Union Army. It is now a restaurant. The Oliver-Sturgis House, next door, is one of several "twin houses" built in 1813. From Reynolds Square, walk north on Abercorn to Bay, then west to Bull Street where Walk B begins. BULL STREET You might agree with many visitors and natives alike that Bull Street is Savannah's prettiest avenue. And people affectionately call the five squares along Bull the July 1978 "jewels of Savannah." Johnson Square was laid out in 1733, the first of Savannah's 24 squares. This was early Savannah's central meeting place where President James Monroe (in 1819), the Marquis de LaFayette (in 1825) and Daniel Webster (in 1847) spoke to crowds of friendly Savannahians. The monument in Johnson Square marks the burial place of General Nathanael Greene of Revolutionary War fame and his son. (Greene Square, named for the General, is at Houston and President streets, several blocks away.) On the east side of Johnson Square is Christ Church, Georgia's first church. Further south down Bull Street is Wright Square, named for the last of Georgia's royal governors. Sir James Wright. But the square's central monument, erected in 1783, honors William Gordon, father of Girl Scout founder Juliette Gordon Low, but more prominently known as the founder and first president of the Central of Georgia Railroad. A large granite boulder brought to Wright Square from Stone Mountain marks the burial site of Tomochichi, 19 Fanciful wrought ironwork and elegant architectural detailing add to Savannah's charm. Yamacraw chief and friend of Oglethorpe. Two blocks south of Wright Square at the corner of Bull and Oglethorpe is the Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace, Savannah's first National Historic Landmark. The house is now owned by the Girl Scouts of America and is open every day except Wednesday. ($1.50 for adults, 75^ for under 18.) (You might detour from here to Telfair Square and the Telfair Academy of Arts and Sciences, another National Historic Landmark.) Another must for visitors is Bull Street's Independent Presbyterian Church where Woodrow Wilson married the minister's granddaughter in 1885. Walk B will lead you to Chippewa Square, where you will find a statue of Georgia's founder, James Edward Oglethorpe, and further south on Bull to Madison Square and the Green-Meldrim House. (See pages 4-6 for more about the Green-Meldrim House.) West of Madison, Pulaski Square and the surrounding area is Historic Savannah Foundation's largest restoration project. The houses you'll see around this square date from the 1840s; the square itself was laid out in 1 837 in honor of Polish General Casimir Pulaski who died near here in the siege of Savannah, October 1779. But a statue of Pulaski is located in Monterrey Square, several blocks away. Here, in addition to the statue, you'll find some of the finest examples of the city's ornate wrought ironwork: in fences and gates, balconies and window brackets. Wrought iron seems to be as typical of old Savannah as of New Orleans' French Quarter. Forsyth Park at the southern end of Walk B is a favorite meeting place in the city today. It was laid out in 1851. Here you can see a monument to the Confederacy and busts of two local Confederate heroes, plus a Spanish-American War memorial, further distant. And one of the park's most recent and most interesting additions is the Garden for the Blind, a fragrant garden developed in 1963 by local garden clubs. From Forsyth Park, you could visit (for free) the headquarters of the Georgia Historical Society at the corner of Gaston and Whittaker, before walking north to Jones and east to Abercorn where Walk C begins. CALHOUN SQUARE TO COLONIAL CEMETERY Abercorn will lead you to Calhoun Square, named for southern states'-rights spokesman John C. Calhoun. A must for visitors to Calhoun Square is a peek into the Wesley Monumental Methodist Church, the Gothic Revival church built a century ago as a memorial to 20 John and Charles Wesley, the founders of Methodism who preached in Savannah for a short time. Whitefield Square, named for George Whitefield, founder of the Bethesda Orphanage located just outside Savannah, marks the beginning of the city's historic Victorian district. East of Whitefield Square, Savannah's Victorian district is a fascinating melting pot where many homes and townhomes have been rebuilt from dilapidated conditions, but others still serve as a reminder of how the entire downtown must have looked not too long ago. LaFayette Square was named, of course, for the Marquis de LaFayette who visited Savannah in 1825. Here you'll find the Colonial Dames House, built by Andrew Low in 1849. It was here that his daughter-inlaw, Juliette Gordon Low, founded the Girl Scouts on March 12, 1912. The Colonial Dames House is open to the public for a nominal fee ($1.25, 75^). Also at LaFayette Square is the beautiful Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, at the corner of Harris and Abercorn. This circa 1 876 cathedral is the home of Georgia's oldest Catholic congregation, first organized in the late 1700s. From here, you're ready to walk through the Colonial Park Cemetery, the second public cemetery in colonial Savannah. Visitors can explore the cemetery and find the gravesites of such notable founding fathers as Outdoors \t) Georgia James Habersham, Archibald Bulloch, Button Gwinnett and Lachlan Mcintosh. Colonial Cemetery dates from 1750 to 1850. DAVENPORT HOUSE TO OGLETHORPE SQUARE At Oglethorpe and Abercorn, you'll begin Walk D by strolling past Savannah gray brick Marshall Row houses (circa 1855) to Lincoln Street, then on to Columbia Square. Columbia Square's most notable landmark is the circa 1820 Isaiah Davenport House located on the north side of the square. In 1955 this grand Georgian style house was scheduled for demolition until it was rescued by a group that came to be known as the Historic Savannah Foundation, Inc. It was their first restoration project and, until 1976, served as their headquarters. Today it is a museum ($1.25, 50^) where the "before" photographs in the upstairs hallway show how much work went into the restoration of the Davenport House. From Columbia Square, Walk D leads to Greene Square, named, you'll recall, for Nathanael Greene. The houses along here are all early nineteenth century. You might want to stop by the Second Baptist Church, also at the square. Walk D leads from Greene Square around Columbia Square and the Davenport House toward Oglethorpe Square and the Owens-Thomas House. Your walking tour of Savannah ends at Oglethorpe Square, but there's one more place you must visit. The William Scarborough House, now the headquarters of the Historic Savannah Foundation, Inc., is located at 41 W. Broad Street, north of the Visitors Center. Its restoration was the bicentennial project of the Historic Savannah group. The house was designed by William Jay for William Scarborough, one of the investors in the S.S. Savannah, the first steamship to cross the Atlantic. The elegant home was completed in 1819 just in time for Scarborough to host several social events honoring President James Monroe, then visiting Savannah. The Scarborough House is open to the public; a $1.50 donation helps to further the restoration work of Historic Savannah Foundation, Inc. Now that you have seen most of the 2.2 square mile historic district, you undoubtedly have chosen a few favorite squares or streets or museums that you want to visit again. Try a few of the restaurants you saw, and visit the riverfront again, after sundown. You'll probably come to agree with a visitor to Savannah in 1885, Anthony Harley: "There are far vaster and wealthier cities with much more commerce and culture than this city, but for architectural simplicity and natural beauty, for the indescribable charm about its streets and buildings . . . there is but one Savannah. Without a rival, without an equal, ^ it stands unique." Restoration in Savannah's Victorian district has made this neighborhood one of Savannah's most delightful. 21 Historic Savannah Foundation 3* Today, Savannah is a beautiful city again. But it wasn't always so. Until the early 1900s, Savannah was a lovely city of tree-shaded squares and a variety of architectural styles. Savannah had begun simply enough. It was founded on February 12, 1733 by General James Oglethorpe and 114 English colonists. Later the city was to become the center of Revolutionary fervor in Georgia, our first state capital, a thriving industrial center and seaport, General Sherman's Christmas gift to Abraham Lincoln, the second largest cotton port in the country and the largest exporter of naval stores (turpentine). This rich heritage had given Savannah a special character. But the twentieth century was not kind to Savannah. Her historical homes and architectural jewels became overcrowded slum tenements. "Urban blight" set in as the town moved to suburbia. Progress in twentieth century parlance meant demolition of eighteenth and nineteenth century structures to make way for concrete parking lots or offices with modern architecture that clashed with the romantic Savannah styles. The character of a city that had evolved for two centuries was being desecrated. But a group of Savannah natives just could not let their city be destroyed. Historic Savannah Foundation, Inc. was founded in 1955 when a group of seven ladies, aghast that the circa-1820 Davenport House was to be leveled to make way for a parking lot, rounded up the money to buy the house, then set about to restore it. At the time it was purchased, the Davenport House was a dilapidated tenement house where eight families lived. As many as five families shared one bathroom. With the restoration project uniting them, a new spirit was kindled in Savannah; its historic downtown was on the road to recovery. Untold hours of diligent work by Historic Savannah Foundation members have raised millions of dollars for Savannah's restoration in the 23 intervening years. Pri- A vate restoration projects have flourished. careful inventory of the 2.2 square mile historic area revealed 1100 historically significant buildings. Thanks largely to the efforts of Historic Savannah Foundation, approxi- mately 900 of those have now been restored. The his- toric district is now a Registered National Historic Landmark, the largest historic district in any city. Discovering Nature at Panola Mountain by Susan K. Wood -- -- It's a special park, where peace and solitude are the rule. People the young and the older come to this wind-swept granite knoll to study nature, the land, the environment . . . and sometimes just to get away, to be with their own thoughts. This is Panola Mountain State Conservation Park. You'll find here no paddle boats or diving boards, no mini-golf courses or jungle gyms, no cabins or campsites for overnighters and, quite honestly, precious few picnic tables or barbeque grills. What you will find 1 8 miles from downtown Atlanta is a 537-acre nature study park where the featured attraction is a 100-acre biotite granite outcropping that remains as untouched, as unscarred by man as it has -- -- been for thousands even millions of years. Panola Mountain, experts explain, was formed some 300 million years ago when a great force in the earth injected magma, or molten rock, into the earth's crust. Since then, erosion has laid bare large segments of granite that are dotted by holes or "solution pits," scrubby trees and other vegetation. In the Piedmont area, especially near Atlanta, several such outcroppings are visible. Stone Mountain, of course, is the most well-known and the one most sub- jected to commercialization. It may also be the largest granite outcropping in the world. The granite of Stone Mountain underlies a portion of at least four states (Georgia, Alabama and the Carolinas), the people at Stone Mountain Park will tell you. In DeKalb County near Lithonia is another of these granite areas. Arabia Mountain, however, has been quarried over the years, providing granite for scores of buildings and monuments. Not too far from Mount Arabia and Stone Mountain, just east of Highway 155 near Stockbridge, lies Panola Mountain which is unique in that commercial quarrying has left it virtually unscarred. Outdoors ip Georgia m Couch 23 Most Georgians, except those who have visited Panola Mountain Park's new interpretive center, would naturally assume that these and all other granite-topped areas in these parts are made of the same granite. But not so, explains Andrea O'Connor, Panola's exhibit attendant. The largest, Stone Mountain, is composed of muscovite granite, a fine-grained white granite flecked with tiny black dots. Arabia is made of gneiss (pronounced like "nice") or metamorphosed granite. The granite of Panola Mountain is yet a third type: biotite granite. Biotite is a coarse, darkly speckled granite. Visitors to the interpretive center at Panola Mountain can easily see the difference in each of these types of granite and can learn about how granite is formed and about "country rock" which can be seen throughout the park. But this 100-acre granite monadnock is not all there is to Georgia's first, highly successful conservation park. In addition to the mountain and its outcrops, there are other natural habitats to explore. Open fields which were once pastures and farm land are neighbored by forests of pine and hardwood, and there is a three-acre manmade pond which is fed by clear mountain streams. The South River forms the northeast boundary of the park. Each of these habitats teems with life, life that is in a delicate state of balance. Two self-guided trails bring visitors into this serene A environment. three-fourths mile Rock Outcrop Trail loops around a smaller outcropping of the biotite granite that is Panola Mountain. The newest trail, called MicroWatershed Trail, is longer (one and one-fourth miles) and leads visitors to a nearby flood plain area, through areas of stream development and forests. Teaching stations along the trail emphasize the conservation concept and also point out the changes that are seen along the trail as the seasons change. Recent additions to the five miles of trails already developed expand the educational possibilities of Panola Mountain since they encompass yet another ecosystem -- for study. Each habitat the river, the swamp, fields, -- forests and the mountain provides an ideal site for the study of nature populations and their interrelationships. "We've got many different areas here, so we can pro- vide a variety of outdoor education programs," Superintendent David Miner explains. "We've got all kinds of -- research geological, environmental, ecological and -- botanical going on. People from Emory, Georgia State, Georgia Southern and Clemson come here to do gradu- ate research. That's another plus for a natural area park like Panola." For over thirty years, Panola Mountain was owned by the Yarborough family who used it as a farm retreat. In 1968 when Yarborough Farms was trying to sell the land, the Nature Conservancy became interested in it as a conservation project and purchased it. (See the May OIG for more on the Nature Conservancy.) In July 1970, the Georgia Conservancy took over the property and subsequently deeded it to the state. In 1971, Panola Mountain became the state's first conservation state 24 DNR park. With Panola Mountain, hoped to create a better understanding and appreciation of the natural environment. David Miner elaborates on this conservation philoso- -- -- phy. "Our job the way we see it is to protect and preserve the resources here at Panola. And the best way we can do that is through interpretation. But at the same time, we must meet the needs and interests of park visitors who come here because they enjoy being out in the open. "We feel man can interact with man and with the en- vironment without damaging that environment. There can be a coexistence of man and nature." This is why Panola Mountain is so special. It's a park that is not a park in the traditional sense of the word. "We promote this park and this resource in our own way, which is not the 'traditional' way, I'll admit," said Miner. "So we've come up with a variety of resourceoriented programs that are really simple self-discovery or sensitivity exercises. Like our Parents and Tots Morning." This Parent and Tots Morning is held three or four times each month in good weather for parents and their very young (3 to 5 years old) children. "We all get out and go for an early morning walk through the park," explained Andrea O'Connor. "We give the children little exercises that make them more aware of nature and what it's like to be outdoors. Before we go out, we may get them to look at colors or shapes and then match them to what they find outdoors as we walk. Things like that are fun and educational for children." Weekends find the greatest number of visitors to the park, those coming out for activities, craft demonstra- tions, nature films, for picnics and for the guided walks up Panola Mountain which are held every Saturday and Sunday at 3 : 30 p.m. Only on such guided walks will you be invited to walk up the face of Panola Mountain, since trails follow a path around the circumference of the monadnock. Other events go on at Panola Mountain, too. This spring, an Astronomy Night was hosted by an expert from Fernbank's planetarium. The first weekend in April was specially planned for the study of the flora of Panola Mountain. One of the highlights was a session on nature photography. Another discussion group fo- cused on edible plants. And of course, since many of the plants talked about were then in bloom, the walk through the park and up the mountain proved very interesting. Other nature study programs take a different twist. "We've held some off-park adventures," David Miner explained, "like the canoe trip down the South River We last February. took 40 people in each of three ses- We sions down the river in canoes. hope to be able to do more of that." And this summer, Andrea O'Connor is planning the second Educational Discovery Camp at Panola Mountain. This two week (two days each week) camp offers a nature experience for several age groups. Outdoors it? Georgia "We learn a lot from the kids who visit here," O'Connor said. "You forget what a child's perspective We and experience of learning is like. have Scout groups galore who come out here and work on nature study projects to earn badges. And, of course, we have school groups, too, especially in the spring and fall." Large groups like these are given the "grand tour" which can include the guided walk up the biotite granite monadnock, if they want, and hikes by the stream-fed pond which is amazingly clear. "We like to let Panola Mountain speak for itself," a proud David Miner emphasized. "And we've proven that you don't have to bring in large numbers of people to have a good state park. What we offer is a different kind of experience." That experience can take you through the interpretive center hidden in the woods where you'll see a live king snake and an active beehive, learn all about insects and stream development and different types of granite, browse through a variety of conservation publications from Natural History to Ranger Rick and see a film like "The American Bald Eagle." You can follow the two trails and tag along on a guided walk up what has been called "a million year old mountain in the process of evolution, unhindered by anyone." To put it simply, you can discover nature at Panola Mountain State Conser- vation Park. That's what this park is all about. The unique natural environment of Panola Mountain State Park provides a perfect setting for the study of nature. Bill Bryant For further information or to schedule a group visit to Panola Mountain, contact the park office at ( 404) 474-2914. "# ^~ The plumleaf azalea (Rhododendron prunifolium) is a handsome shrub found in the moist, shaded ravines of Providence Canyon State Park. Like all native azaleas, the plumleaf is deciduous, in contrast to cultivated azaleas which are evergreen. The plumleaf azalea is a large shrub that may attain a height of 15 to 20 feet. It has dark green foliage and smooth bark. The extremely showy flowers varying in color from fiery red to coral are produced in dense terminal clusters. The plumleaf azalea blooms in July and August long after its leaves have developed, whereas the other native Georgia azaleas bloom in early spring before or during leaf development. First collected and recognized as a new species in the early 1900s, the plumleaf azalea has since been observed or collected in only about six counties in southwest Georgia, and even fewer counties in adjacent Alabama. Of the dozen or so native azaleas that occur in Georgia, the plumleaf is the rarest. In the 1940s, Cason J. Callaway, founder of Callaway Gardens, had the foresight to propagate the plumleaf azalea to insure its continued existence. Mr. Callaway's efforts have been successful to this day, although the potential for extinction still exists for the plumleaf. Therefore, it Outdoors \t) Georgia has been placed on the Georgia Department of Natural Resources' protected species list, along with 57 other plants that have been determined to be in jeopardy. Georgians cannot afford to lose another of their rare and beautiful shrubs, as happened with the Franklin tree (Franklinia alatamaha). The Franklin tree has not been observed in the wild since the 1790s and is presumed extinct, although it continues in cultivation. When visiting Providence Canyon State Park in July or August, don't miss the plumleaf azalea. It will make your visit all the more worthwhile. And don't forget the camera! Providence Canyon is located seven miles west of Lumpkin (Stewart County) on Georgia 39C. $ ' ,~i : y1r.jrnyt "-%&** By David Ettman, DNR Biologist Photography by Bob Busby n> eTeno by Robert Lochmiller Photography by Wendell Metzen Before the turn of the century, many conservationists saw the beauty and vastness of many wilderness marshes and swamps succumb to the ax and saw. In an attempt to salvage the uniqueness of one such area, the United States Biological Survey purchased nearly 300,000 acres of swamp land from the Hebard Lumber Company in 1937. Thus the Okefenokee, the "land of the trembling earth," became a seg- ment of our national wildlife refuge system. The Okefenokee, however, became a refuge only after the destruction of much of its characteristic plant and animal life. Once an island of vast stands of large cypress and gum, by 1935 most of its great- est treasures had been fed to the sawmills. However, all was not lost, and the Okefenokee has managed to regenerate much of its cypress and gum trees. Even the wildlife which once was greatly depleted has come back to dominate the swamp. Thirty-eight miles long and 25 miles wide, the Okefenokee has a hard pan bottom which has been filled with muck and dead vegetation for countless generations. When the ocean receded between 500,000 and 1,250,000 years ago, a huge sand bar remained which acted to retain water in the Okefenokee, forming a 600,000 acre shallow swamp. Today the Okefenokee acts like a great sponge, relying solely on rainwater to replenish its water supplies. In years of drought, the Oke- fenokee will become so dry that it actually burns. Such a fire destroyed much of the swamp during the drought of 1932. Relics date the earliest human inhabitants of the swamp to prehistoric times. By the 1700s, Seminole Indians lived in villages on several islands in the Okefenokee. The most famous of them was chieftain Billy Bowlegs. Billy's Island, on which he lived, is named for him, and from there he led raids into the neighboring countryside. In the late 1830s, a force of 300 men was sent into the swamp to try to capture the chief- tain, but he eluded them. Although Billy Bowlegs was never caught, that July 1978 29 campaign drove the last of the Seminoles from the Okefenokee. In the 1800s industry came to the swamp in the form of lumbermen and cattlemen. An attempt to drain the swamp in 1891 resulted in the building of a canal some 12 miles long into the heart of the swamp. The Suwannee Canal was designed to drain the swamp into the St. Mary's River so that the rich swamp bottom could be used as farm land, but the attempt failed. The mysterious Okefenokee seemed to fill up with water instead of being drained after the canal was constructed. At- tempts to drain the swamp were abandoned in 1895. The Okefenokee's wildlife is ex- tremely diverse and abundant. Most of the swamp's original inhabitants still survive with the possible exception of the panther and the ivorybilled woodpecker, both endangered species. Some believe that even these two species may have a foothold on one of the many remote islands in -- the swamp. Alligators up to 12 -- feet in length can be found sun- ning themselves anywhere there is a dry chunk of land or log. They are accompanied by equally dangerous reptiles: the cottonmouth water moccasin and the diamond-back rattlesnake. The Okefenokee has a diversity of turtle life, too. There is hardly a log that goes unoccupied during midday by a scotter, painted turtle, alligator snapper or other turtles. The swamp also prides itself on its majestic bird populations. Louisiana, little blue, great blue and green herons, great egrets, blackcrowned and yellow-crowned night herons, white and wood ibises and the anhinga are among the swamp's residents. It is not uncommon for a visitor to see all these birds in a single day. Vast expanses of lily-pod prairies provide ideal feeding sites for these birds. Many large cypress trees are ideal for nest building and roosting. Ospreys, red-shouldered hawks, black vultures and turkey vultures also find a home here in the swamp. They can be seen soaring effortlessly over the great expanses of swamp on almost any day. The beauty of countless numbers of small warblers, flycatchers, sparrows and the prothonotary warbler should not be overlooked either. The spring migration fills the park with visiting amateur ornithologists armed with binoculars and note pads. Some 85 species of birds spend their summers in the swamp, while more than 90 species winter here. Night brings on a chorus of ani- mal life. Barred owls are soon joined by thousands of amphibians, insects and mammals. Visitors will also hear the gutteral song of the chuck- will's-widow. The early morning comes alive with the rattle of the kingfisher and the song of the Caro- lina wren, towhee and tufted tit- mouse. At least 42 species of mammals live in the Okefenokee but are re- luctant to* divulge their presence to humans. Black bear, white-tail deer, bobcats, fox, otter and others in- habit the swamp, but raccoons may well be the most numerous of this clan. It is not uncommon to see an entire family group of raccoons re- laxing on a moss-covered tree limb. A unique ecological interrelation- ship exists among the Okefenokee's components. From the swallowtail to the large bull alligator, all the swamp's wildlife depend on each other for their continued existence. A place of strange and unparal- leled beauty, the Okefenokee's status as an important wildlife refuge is what sets it apart as a valuable nat- ural resource. ^ Robert L. Lochmiller is a graduate student in the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg. 30 Outdoors it? Georgia Pioneer Territory N.E. Georgia Mountains Iwi The Big "A" Classic South Heart of Georgia Plains Country Colonial Coast k^SwhoP] Georgia With hundreds of natural resources, historical and cultural sites, recreational spots and loads of attractions designed for just plain fun, Georgia has become a very popular vacation spot. Tourism is booming in Georgia since word has spread that Georgia's rugged mountains, rolling green hills, rushing rivers and warm, golden coast, its charming towns and cosmopolitan cities can provide an exciting vacation. But none know this as well as Georgians themselves who are vacationing, in record numbers, in Georgia, too. Tourism is big business in Georgia. Last year, an estimated 64.9 million travelers vacationed right here in the Peach State, spending upwards of $2.3 billion. And this year, Georgia tourism has a new look. In keeping with the Department of Industry and Trade slogan, "Georgia. This way to Fun," the state now sports seven travel regions, all dressed in bright colors for easy identification by the potential traveler. "Establishing seven distinctive travel regions for Georgia is a concept we believe will result in greater tourism revenues," says Ed Spivia, Director, Georgia Department of Industry and Trade Tourist Division. Those tourism revenues brought in an estimated $1 18.5 million in taxes in 1977. "Georgia is a big, beautiful state with tremendous vacation variety. By forming regions which have tourist attractions that are compatible and by developing tour suggestions for each region, we are confident the traveler will spend more vacation days here this year. "This is so the traveler can sort out the regions as he reads our literature and as he visits the Welcome Centers. In the instance where the traveler does not have enough time to cover the entire state, he will have guidance in choosing the areas which best fit his interests," Spivia added. Georgians can use this information to help them plan long weekends or week-long vacations to see parts of Georgia they may never have visited. For example, those who are seeking history in the making might select Plains Country. This southwest corner of the state not only emphasizes the President's -- hometown which has been of paramount interest to -- travelers but also offers Plains as the gateway to a wide selection of other appealing attractions: Westville, Chehaw Wild Animal Park, the Georgia Agrirama, Historic Columbus, the Andersonville Trail, Providence Canyon, Callaway Gardens and the American Camellia Society Headquarters. As in Plains Country, where travel attractions are bound together by a sort of frontier flavor shared by all, Georgia's six other travel regions focus on outstanding characteristics common to the attractions within their borders. Pioneer Territory, the northwest section of the state, is an area rich in Indian lore where visitors will find reminders of the culture and traditions of some of Georgia's earliest settlers. Highlights of this region include the Vann House, The Chieftains, Rock City, New Echota, Chickamauga National Battlefield, Oak Hill, the Martha Berry Memorial Museum, Etowah Indian Mounds and Red Top Mountain, Fort Mountain and Cloudland Canyon state parks. Next door, the Northeast Georgia Mountains is a region filled with breathtaking scenery. Peaks and valleys, streams and waterfalls, picturesque villages, a -- mining town all combine to make this area a haven for those who love the outdoors. Brasstown Bald, the state's highest mountain, is here along with hundreds of year-round fishing, camping and hiking facilities and resorts which range from rustic to those which specialize both in winter skiing and in golfing and water sports. In the Classic South, stately antebellum mansions that have been preserved since the era of the Civil War abound. Visit Madison, Athens and Washington to see structures spared by Sherman. Other vestiges of the "great conflict" can be viewed throughout the region in such places as the Cotton Exchange and Old Slave Market Column, the Confederate Powder Works and the Alexander Stephens Memorial Museum. Georgia's Colonial Coast presents an historic region -- of still another era the Revolutionary War. The aura of the past lingers here, too, in a nationally acclaimed Historic Landmark District as well as at Fort Frederica, the Midway Church and Museum and the Savannah Waterfront. Pre-dating even these are the sunswept beaches of the Golden Isles and the mysterious Okefenokee Swamp. Atlanta is the dynamo dominating Georgia's Big A, yet the metropolitan glamour and sophistication are tempered by heavy doses of gracious Southern hospitality at three popular family amusement parks, at FDR'S Little White House and the Governor's Mansion and several state parks including Chattahoochee River, John Tanner and Indian Springs. Heart of Georgia is the centrally located region that features a sampling of the kinds of attractions found in each of the others: big city atmosphere in Macon, the history of the Old South and Colonial Era in magnificent restorations scattered throughout the region and concentrated in Clinton, Milledgeville and Sparta, Indian legends at the Ocmulgee National Monument, and plenty of outdoor activity at High Falls and Little Ocmulgee state parks. All in all, Georgia's new tourist regions definitely point the way to fun. To receive a copy of the state's seven region comprehensive travel guide, write: "Georgia. This Way To Fun," Post Office Box 1776, Atlanta, Georgia 30301. 32 Outdoors it? Georgia A publication of the Georgia Department of Industry and Trade * July 1978 Plains Country The Plains Visitor Center The rustic looking Plains Visitor Center outside President Carter's tiny home town is far more of a pacesetter in the Georgia travel industry than its quaint facade might indicate. Travelers who stop here find that it utilizes one of the newest and most successful concepts in tourism promotion. Organization is the key to this new concept, and colorful visual aids are a part of it, too. What the traveler sees when he first enters the Plains Visitor Center, besides a warm, homey atmosphere, is a giant, color-coded map directing his attention to the seven distinctive travel regions in Georgia. The next thing he'll notice is the photographic display on major attractions in each region, also color-coded. If one or several regions in particular capture his interest, he can read all about them in the new literature prepared by the Department of Industry and Trade Tourist Division. Seven individual brochures are available at the Visitor Center, outlining the best suggestions for either a three or six day tour of a region. Each brochure includes capsule descriptions of the suggested attractions, as well as a detailed map of the selected area. On hand to further explain the travel opportunities in the state are the Visitor Center personnel, pleasant and well-trained people who know that there are more than enough tourist attractions to make visitors want to see more of Georgia. Their specialty is, of course, Plains Country, and they are fully versed on the wide variety of things to see and do there. Agrirama in Tifton, an historical farm replica with the flavor of rural Georgia prior to 1 900. Over 25 authentic structures faithfully restored. Andersonville, the Civil War village that was a prison camp for northern soldiers. Restoration is now underway. Other attractions here are a museum, little log church, living farm, and picnic area. Andersonville Trail, 75 mile long trail that includes the National Headquarters of the American Camellia Society, river ferry, antebellum homes, Andersonville National Historic Site, historic Windsor Hotel, 34 Victorian homes in Americus, Veterans Memorial State Park, Lake Blackshear, and Plains. Callaway Gardens, on U.S. 27 near Pine Mountain, a 2,500 acre family resort famous for its wildflowers, scenic drives, walking trails, display greenhouses, 63 holes of golf, 1 75-acre fishing lake, horseback riding, quail hunting, skeet and trap shooting. There are also a man-made beach, tennis courts, 365-room motel, and 155 cottages. Camellia Gardens, near Marshallville at Masse Lane Farms, is the National Headquarters of the American Camellia Society. An extensive camellia library and a Boehm porcelain collection as well as vast gardens of camellias. Blossoms are at their best January 15-March 15. Crescent House in Valdosta, an 1 898 mansion that is now an imposing garden center. Among its unusual features is a third floor ballroom that seats 300. Open Friday afternoons. Fort Benning Infantry Museum in Columbus, traces the evolution of the infantry from French and Indian Wars to the present. Fort Gaines Historical Tour features frontier homes, several hotels, an 1 890s apothecary, Globe Tavern, and a cemetery dating to the 1800s. Sites marked for do-it-yourself driving tour. Lake Walter F. George, 2 miles north of Fort Gaines, offers excellent fishing and recreational areas. Plantation Tours of Thomasville, originating daily at the Chamber of Commerce, feature plantations, historic homes and gardens of the area. Plains, the small town home of President Jimmy Carter. Points of interest include the home of the President, Carter's birthplace and early boyhood home, downtown, the old railroad depot used as campaign headquarters, peanut warehouses, and shops. Radium Springs, 4 miles south of Albany, the largest natural spring in Georgia. Maintains a constant temperature of 68 degrees. Swimming available. Rose Test Gardens in Thomasville, one of 25 gardens in the United States experimenting with development of new types of roses. Springer Opera House in Columbus, a restored Victorian theatre where Edwin Booth and Franklin D. Outdoors ip Georgia ^H ^H H BB ^H South ^B| Heart of Georoja B^^B^B^B^B^B^B^lB Plans Country Colonial Coast ^^H^| The Plains railroad depot is one of many points of interest in "Plains Country." Roosevelt appeared. Group tours by appointment. Performances. Westville, just outside of Lumpkin, a recreated and functioning rural village of 1850. Authentic buildings were moved to the site, restored, and furnished. Working craftsmen demonstrate skills of yesteryear. Regularly scheduled special events throughout the year. Lapham-Patterson House in Thomasville, built in 1884, is one of the Southeast's finest examples of Victorian architecture. Chehaw Wild Animal Park, a 100 acre wildlife preserve where exotic animals roam free in their July 1978 natural habitats, separated from visitors who stroll along protective trails and elevated walkways. Located on Ga. Hwy. 91 off U.S. 19 bypass in Albany. Georgia has a total of ten visitor centers located conveniently throughout the state. Besides Plains, travelers can stop for detailed travel information and vacation ideas in Atlanta, Augusta, Columbus, Kingsland, Lavonia, Ringgold, Savannah, Sylvania, and Valdosta. Those who want to know more about Plains Country before leaving home can write for a free tour kit from Tour Georgia, Georgia Department of Industry and Trade, P.O. Box 1 776, Atlanta, Georgia 30301 35 The Big A Racing With the Wind Scarlett O'Hara would hardly recognize her Atlanta. But she'd like it. Atlanta in the late seventies is much like the GONE WITH THE WIND heroine herself- vibrant, courageous, in command of all in her purview. Many feel Atlanta is rapidly moving toward becoming one of the great cities of the world. If population is a way to define great, then it must be said that Atlanta now has more than 1 .7 million people. If business is the criterion, think of how business people regard the Georgia capital. To them it is an "international city," with its economic influence going far beyond regional confines. Bank deposits are well above the average of similar sized cities. Cultural leaders say the renaissance of art throughout the nation is nowhere more truly reflected than in Atlanta. Fashion-conscious shoppers deem Peachtree Street the Fifth Avenue of the South. Added to Georgia-based stores, which have been style setters for almost a century, are many leading fashion firms from other parts of the country. Their Atlanta branches have sprung up throughout the city in new suburban shopping developments. Educators consider Atlanta a mecca. There are nineteen degree-granting institutions of higher learning in the area, plus twenty-four business schools, ten vocational training schools, six two-year colleges, and more than four hundred elementary and secondary schools. Architecturally, Atlanta is a city to see for its legendary residential beauty and its vast assortment of modern downtown hotel and office landmarks. A $1 .8 billion mass transit system is in the works. Financially, the city is a major center. It is heavily populated with banking, savings, credit, insurance and investment institutions. It is a transportation hub, a focus for airlines, railroads and highways. Sportsmen find Atlanta a game town with competition or exhibition for every taste and skill. 36 Spectators enjoy basketball, baseball, ice hockey, and football of major league proportions, as well as auto racing of national note. There's golfing for every handicap in the city which produced one of the world's greatest golfers, Bobby Jones. A short distance from Atlanta is sprawling Lake Lanier, a paradise for water sportsmen. And there's varied hunting only a few hours away. Special sites to see in Atlanta are: Atlanta Historical Society, with its Swan House (1928) inspired by Palladian architecture; and Tullie Smith Restoration area, an 1840 farm house with craft shop and demonstrations. Atlanta International Raceway, two miles southwest of Hampton on U.S. 41 , a P/2 mile paved oval track featuring two major Grand National race events. Atlanta Zoo, located in Grant Park in southeast Atlanta. The largest zoo in the state. Cyclorama, at Grant Park, a 50 ft. high, 400 ft. circumferential painting of the Battle of Atlanta in three dimensions, with special lighting and sound effects. Fernbank Science Center, third largest planetarium in the nation. Includes an observatory, exhibit hall, walking forest, and reference library. Georgia Archives houses the history of Georgia from its earliest recorded times to the present. Stained glass windows depict the rise and fall of the Confederacy. Georgia State Capitol, (1884-1889), with gold covered dome 237 feet high. Georgia Museum of Science and Industry is on the 4th floor. Governor's Mansion, a white columned Greek Revival mansion furnished in the Federal period. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday morning tours. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, gravesite, Ebenezer Baptist Church, and MLK Center for Social Change on Auburn Avenue. Stone Mountain Park, a 3,200 acre family recreation park surrounding the world's largest granite monolith. Outdoors it? Georgia Facilities include campground, motel, historic trails, fishing, canoeing, sailboating, scenic railroad, antebellum plantation, antique auto museum, game ranch, riverboats, and skylift to the top of the mountain. Underground Atlanta, a series of restored buildings now used as shops, restaurants, boutiques, and quaint lounges in a below-street level area that resulted when a system of viaducts was installed in the 1920s. Memorial Arts Center, $13 million cultural complex serving as home for the Atlanta Symphony, Alliance Theatre Company, Atlanta College of Art, and the High Museum of Art. July 1978 Omni Complex, a modern megastructure including hotel, sports palace, convention center, ice skating rink, office space, restaurants, nightclubs, boutiques, mini-museums, international shipping gallery. Peachtree Center, skyscrapers in the heart of the new downtown business district. Six Flags Over Georgia, a 276-acre family entertainment center located 10 miles from downtown Atlanta. Over 100 rides, shows, and attractions. For more information on the Big A travel region, contact Tour Georgia, Georgia Department of Industry and Trade, P. O. Box 1 776, Atlanta, Georgia 30301 37 Pioneer Territory ROCK CITY For those who appreciate nature's handiwork at its best, Rock City at the far northwestern tip of Georgia is a particularly interesting travel adventure. Located high atop Lookout Mountain, Rock City Gardens soars 2,391 feet into the air and juts out from its stone base to reveal a spectacular view of seven states from Lover's Leap. More than 400 varieties of wildflowers and shrubs complement this view throughout the year, changing from snow-like white blooming dogwood in the spring to the late autumn riot of red, yellow, and orange. Some of these plants are as an- cient as the rock formations them- selves, which geologists say may be as old as 600 million years. This is one of the few regions in the world where this kind of aged plant life still flourishes. Visitors to the Gardens will hike a not-quite-mile-long trail from the information center to the Lover's Leap promontory and then circle around, up, down, and over their tracks before completing their jaunt in Fairyland Caverns. The entire flagstone path is full of reminders of the Indian heritage that belongs to Rock City, for it was here that warring Creeks sought refuge in naturally formed rock pockets and crevices. Hikers may have to take a deep breath as they pass through Fat Man's Squeeze, or catch their breath as they contemplate Balanced Rock. They may have to hold their breath entirely as they venture across Swinging Bridge. Yet the dizzying heights and needle-thin passage- ways are just part of the thrill of Rock City. More can be found in Fairyland Caverns, where children (and adults) are enchanted by visual interpretations of their favorite fairy tales and fantasies. Except for this one grotto, Rock City's ten acres have developed pretty much as Mother Nature's creation. Sea shell imprints in the rocks date back to the time when the area was still part of the ocean floor, and the fantastic shapes in some of the formations have been chiseled by centuries of erosion. Nearly half a million people visit Rock City each year to drink in this special brand of scenic beauty and to embark on an exploration of other nearby attractions in Georgia's Pioneer Territory. The gardens are open every day from 8:30 a.m. to sundown and can be reached from Georgia via 1-75 and 1-24. For details on Rock City and information on planning a vacation in Pioneer Territory, as well as throughout the state, contact Tour Georgia, Georgia Department of Industry and Trade, P. O. Box 1776, Atlanta, Georgia 30301. 38 Outdoors it) Georgia ^H Pioneer Territory ^^H / Georgia ^^ ^ Mountains ^\^ ^H ^H South -L Heart \ of Georgia fl^^^^^^^H ^^^^^^^^^K Plans ^ w^, Country Colonial Coast ^^M^k July 1978 39 N4E* Georgia Mountains "^here's cgold intern ^harjjills" To most people that's a familiar quotation from the writings of Mark Twain, but to the North Georgia residents of Dahlonega, it's a part of their own heritage. An expression coined by the assayer of the Dahlonega Mint, it was first used to dissuade local miners from heading to California during the 1849 Gold Rush. The hills he spoke of are the Gold Hills of Dahlonega, Georgia, not California, for it was near this rural Georgia mountain community that the nation's Gold Rush actually began, not in 1849, but in 1828, when a man named Benjamin Parks kicked over an ore-laden rock while hunting. Within months, thousands of miners descended upon Georgia. The first gold mining town to spring up was Auraria, five miles south of what is now Dahlonega, in the heart of what had been Cherokee Indian territory just a few years before. Dahlonega developed when the need arose for a permanent county seat, and its unusual name is derived from the Cherokee word "talonaga," meaning "precious yellow." It wasn't long before lawlessness and disorder set in. As one Auraria miner said in the 1830s: "I can hardly conceive of a more unmoral community that exists around these mines . . . drunkenness, gambling, fighting, lewdness, and every other vice exist here to an awful extent . . ." Despite the community's unsavory atmosphere, the area became a very important national resource, and in 1 838 Dahlonega was selected as a location for one of the United States' first three branch mints. Over six million dollars in gold receipts were recorded here during 23 years of operation of the mint, which continued until the outbreak of the Civil War. The closing of the mint in 1861 did not mean that there was an end to Dahlonega's gold supply. To the contrary, there is still gold in "them thar hills," and the citizens of Dahlonega are proud of it. In the 1 870s they covered the steeple of the North Georgia College Administration Building with 1 3!/2 oz. of it, and more recently, they donated 46 oz. of gold to the state of Georgia to cover the dome of the Capitol. Madeline Anthony, "retired" curator of Dahlonega's Gold Museum, remembers the day in 1957 when the gold was actually presented to the state. There was nothing low-key about it. Fifty-three Dahlonegans, Mrs. Anthony included, had spent three days traveling by covered wagon, gold in tow, to Atlanta. They had driven a hard route through Auraria (because it was fitting to do so), camped overnight in Cumming and Roswell, and situated themselves finally in Piedmont Park. The result of all this fanfare speaks for itself-- Georgia has one of the most beautiful and distinctive capitols in the country. Even more of a hullabaloo will be made by the people of Dahlonega this October 20-22 when they celebrate the 1 50th Anniversary of the discovery of gold near their city. Their yearly Gold Rush Days festival will mushroom into an extravagant commemoration that the touring public will remember for quite some time, with activities reminiscent of the good old ore mining days. Those who attend the festivities will want to visit Dahlonega's Gold Museum, located in the old county courthouse. Some say this building sits directly on top of the city's major gold vein. In addition to the history it houses, the museum is noted for its unusual bricks. Cast from local clay, they are laced with gold and probably the most valuable bricks east of the Mississippi. The Gold Museum is a state historic site, open 9-5, Tuesday through Saturday, 2-5:30 on Sunday. The same vein that runs beneath the Gold Museum stretches to the Smith House, one of few restaurants where visitors don't mind waiting in line for a meal. Served family-style in a rather simple atmosphere, a typical lunch includes chicken dumplings, barbecued beef, fried chicken, squash fritters, hot slaw, yams, potatoes, salad, turnip greens, cornbread, biscuits, creamed corn, string beans, baked squash, lady peas, beets, peach cobbler and honeybuns. That's just one meal-- not the whole menu. After lunch, visitors can roll over to Gold Hills, one of Dahlonega's restored mining camps, to pan for some gold . . . finders keepers. This is the place where they'll find an authentic stamp mill and old timers who may be inclined to demonstrate how to lubricate the stamping machine with sorghum syrup or reveal the secret of salting a gold mine with cigarette ashes. Those who drive out to Gold Hills will want to take the scenic sidetrip up Mountain Drive, where they'll discover a breathtaking view of the northeast Georgia mountains from right in front of the new Lumpkin County Hospital. Back in the city, souvenir hunters can browse through genuine mountain crafts in the handsome little shops surrounding the square. Campers and hikers have their choice of several nearby parks-- Amicalola, Vogel and Unicoi state parks and Lake Winfield Scott-- and fishermen can try their luck along the banks of the Chestatee River. Dahlonega is located 74 miles northeast of Atlanta via. Hwy. 400 and U.S. 19. 40 Outdoors ii? Georgia For more information on the N.E. Georgia Mountains, write Tour Georgia, P.O. Box 1776, Atlanta 30301 These old photographs from Dahlonega show the mood of an 1800s gold mining town. V1 tin"' July 1978 41 Classic South Treasure Chest for Cherished Memories In Madison, Georgia real and imaginary Confederate ancestors live like friendly ghosts among people too proud to let them pass away. Kept alive by tales of their simple heroics and complicated misadventures, these memorable figures serve as special guardians of the cherished traditions of the Classic South. United States Senator Joshua Hill was one of the real ones. A friend of the family of a northern general named Sherman, Hill did not believe that the South should secede from the Union. Neither did he wish to go against his southern colleagues in the Congress, so like a gentleman, he resigned his seat and returned to Madison when the issue came to a vote. A few years later it was this same Senator who struck a gentleman's agreement with General Sherman to spare one beautiful city as he burned his way to the sea. That's why Madison still has so many authentic antebellum mansions. About thirty-five homes covering roughly half of Old Madison's acreage are listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Ask the local folks which ghosts live where and they'll probably mention some of the more familiar. Scarlett O'Hara, for example, was soul mate to a former mistress of Boxwood (1 852). The lady had five beautiful daughters to educate and marry off, and plenty of expense in doing it properly. Her daughters had so many suitors that they wore the parlor furniture threadbare. Rather than pay for more fabric to have it recovered, she used half of her green brocade draperies as upholstery material. Visitors to Boxwood have wondered ever since about the single panel draperies and the furniture that no one is allowed to sit on, and when Margaret Mitchell inquired about it back in the thirties, she was told a true story that probably inspired Scarlett's fictional green velvet dress scenario. Then there was the Confederate spy who blew his Union cover during the Madison occupation and fled to the home of the president of Georgia Female College nearby. He persuaded the suspicious president to grant him sanctuary in the girls' dormitory, where he barely escaped capture. As the romantic story goes, he returned after the war to marry the young lady who had so graciously hidden him in the closet under her petticoats. The college no longer exists, but the president's home, now the Durrell-Ruffin house (1849) does, and excitement still lingers there. The current lady of the house has abandoned race car driving in favor of collecting English, Irish, French and Oriental antiques, and she spends her spare time adding personal touches to her home, gold-leafing the walls above the hallway doors and refinishing period furniture. She even hosted a motion picture crew that filmed a poker game in her sitting room. Two widowed sisters, 86-year-old "Miss Louise" and her elder sister "Miss Hallie,' live in one of Madison's oldest homes, the Stokes-McHenry house (1 820). Direct descendants of the first owners, the McHenry girls tell fascinating stories that go back a hundred and fifty years. There's one about the fragile white dancing slipper worn by an aunt to LaFayette's ball, and another about the Confederate soldier's belt lying on a dusty bookshelf among cameo portraits of family ghosts. One of their ancestors got into a hassle with a drunken Union soldier over the honor of a local young maiden. He was mortally wounded by a gunshot, but managed to crawl back to the house to die with dignity in the downstairs hall. At other times the halls were filled with rollicking soldiers who burst into the house to play the piano and dance through the rooms while the horrified McHenrys prayed for their hasty departure. People from Madison have been accused of living too much in the past, but that's the easiest way to cling to it, and they do so deliberately. For they cherish the memory of the quiet, gentle ways they've known for generations, the customs and traditions that make Georgia's Classic South Region an unforgettable time and place to visit. For more information on the Classic South and ideas for planning vacations in this and Georgia's six other travel regions, contact Tour Georgia, Georgia Department of Industry and Trade, P. O. Box 1 776, Atlanta, Georgia 30301. 42 Outdoors ii) Georgia One of Madison's most famous homes, Boxwood, is privately owned but is open to the public during Madison's Tour of Homes (November and May). July 1978 43 Heart of Georgia Heritage Tour Macon, the last capital of the Confederacy, is a city that never wanted to be the capital of Georgia. That would have meant too many rapid changes, and Macon liked itself just the way it was. Much of what was, still is, thanks to the collaborative efforts of the Greater Macon Chamber of Commerce and the Middle Georgia His- torical Society. They've prepared a pamphlet for visitors called "Heritage Tour" that will direct even the most disoriented newcomers to Macon's prime architectural, historical, and cultural attractions. Ninety-three structures are on the tour-- Greek Revival, Victorian, and small cottages alike, many of which are presently undergoing renova- tion. The most well-known house in Macon is the Hay House, a marvelous Italian Renaissance mansion on Georgia Avenue. Built around 1855, this National Historic Landmark was fashioned with no nails, silver hinges, curving sliding doors, and a secret room that once held the entire Confederate treasury, over three million dollars. That amount will seem of little consequence to those who appre- ciate the value of the Hay House furnishings. All are invaluable: European antiques, Dresden china, crystal chandeliers, marble sculpture, and priceless oil paintings. Close by is the Old Cannonball House, so called because one Yan- kee's poor aim resulted in a ball landing in the hallway rather than on a nearby hill. The ball is still there, and the United Daughters of the Confederacy, who have turned the house into a museum, will be happy to direct visitors to its resting place. The cannonball was probably fired from Fort Hawkins, also on the Heritage Tour. This historic fort was established in 1806 by a U.S. Indian agent to help protect the English settlements in the area and to play an important role in Indian relations. Indians have long been a part of Macon's heritage, perhaps as long as 10,000 years. The Ocmulgee Na- tional Monument was built here to honor them and preserve their ancient temple mounds and earth- lodge. Visitors can creep into the latter for a guided tour year-round, while in summer they can watch demonstrations of intricate weaving and pottery techniques by Creek Indian descendants at the Ocmulgee Museum. Another different kind of museum in Macon is the Museum of Arts and Sciences on Forsyth Road which houses the second largest planetarium in the Southeast. The shows here are fast paced and colorful. The Grand Opera House on Mul- berry Street contains a stage so large that the original play of Ben Hur was once performed there, complete with chariot race. The theatre is now used for famous artists' concerts and is open by appointment for tours. Macon visitors will find musical entertainment in other areas of town, too, especially in small night clubs that feature local entertainment, for the success of Capricorn Records here has been a big influ- ence in bringing good rock music into the city. There's also a lot of good dining in Macon. Those who like rock bot- tom prices and top quality food should try the catfish restaurant on Vineville Avenue or the Southern style cooking at the Farmer's Market Cafeteria. For more elegant fare, there's an excellent menu in the restaurant located in the renovated 1860s mansion on College Street. Their fried mushrooms and after din- ner dessert drinks offer the ultimate in eating pleasure. No trip to Macon would be com- plete without a stop at Wesleyan, the first college in the world char- tered to grant degrees to women, or a ride out to Tobesofkee Recreation Area, where four lakeside parks and 1,750 acres of surface water await the outdoor enthusiast. For a free copy of the "Heritage Tour" brochure, contact the Greater Macon Chamber of Commerce, Box 169, Macon, Georgia 31202, or for further information on other Heart of Georgia attractions write Tour Georgia, Georgia Department of Industry and Trade, P.O. Box 1776, Atlanta, Georgia 30301. 44 Outdoors ip Georgia Inside Macon's Grand Opera House (right). Macon's Heritage Tour includes many of the city's oldest homes (be- low). July 1978 45 Colonial Coast Georgia's Golden Coast Going to the beach this summer? Try Georgia's golden beaches for a vacation you won't forget. Take a look at what Georgia's coast offers. BRUNSWICK ATTRACTIONS GATEWAY TO THE GOLDEN ISLES-SEA ISLAND, ST. SIMONS ISLAND, AND JEKYLL ISLAND, these islands are reached via causeways from Brunswick. SEAFOOD INDUSTRY recognizes Brunswick as the world's center for processed seafood dishes. See shrimp boats. Check with Welcome Center (U.S. 17) for plant tours. MARSHES OF GLYNN are the largest salt marshes on the U.S. East Coast. Important ecological factors to sea life. MARSHES OF GLYNN OVERLOOK PARK, U.S. 17, has a land- scaped garden with picnic facilities. Unobstructed view of the Marshes of Glynn and salt water lagoon. HOWARD COFFIN MEMORIAL PARK, U.S. 17 at U.S. 25. Pub- lic recreation facilities including tennis, baseball, football, auditorium. Park open year 'round. HISTORICAL SITES LANIER'S OAK, on U.S. 17. Sidney Lanier sat here to write many of his famous poems including "Marshes of Glynn." OGLETHORPE MONUMENT, at Queen's Square, honors James Edward Oglethorpe, the founder of the Colony of Georgia. LOVER'S OAK, Albany Street near Prince Street is more than 900 years old. GLYNN COUNTY COURTHOUSE, 2 blocks from center of city on U.S. 341. Ancient moss-hanging live oaks surround this handsome building, circa 1907. CAMPING AREAS BRUNSWICK SOUTH KOA CAMPGROUND, Georgia 303. Complete facilities. Privately owned. Open year 'round. WOODLAND TRAILER PARK, 4 miles N. on U.S. 17. Excellent travel trailer camping. Swimming pool. Privately owned. Open year 'round. WEATHERING OAKS CAMPGROUNDS, 6 miles N. on U.S. 1 7. Travel trailer camping. Privately owned. Open year 'round. GOLF 1 8 holes at Brunswick Country Club, par 72. 9 holes at Glynco Golf Course, par 36. ANNUAL EVENTS BLESSING OF THE SHRIMP FLEET, Mansfield Street Dock on Brunswick River. A colorful religious ceremony in which a priest blesses the gaily-decorated shrimp boats as they pass. Spring. GOLDEN ISLES INVITATIONAL GOLF TOURNAMENT, Bruns- wick Country Club. Early July. ST. PATRICK'S DAY PARADE, downtown, March. EXCHANGE CLUB AGRICULTURAL FAIR, fairgrounds. Mid- October. TROUT-A-THON FISHING TOURNAMENT, all area fishing camps. Fall. BASS-A-RALLY FISHING TOURNAMENT, all area fishing camps. Summer. TARPON DERBY FISHING TOURNAMENT, all area fishing camps. Mid-June to Labor Day. SHAD DRAG FISHING TOURNAMENT, all area fishing camps. Late winter to early spring. CUMBERLAND ISLAND ATTRACTION NATIONAL SEASHORE PARK, two 45-minute ferryboat trips daily except Tuesday and Wednesday from St. Mary's, Georgia. Departs 9 a.m. and 1:45 p.m. Returns 1 p.m. and 5:45 p.m. For reservations, call (912) 884-4335. DARIEN ATTRACTIONS BUTLER ISLAND, in the Altamaha Delta, was owned by Pierce Butler and was one of the richest rice plantations in the world. His wife, Fannie Kemble, was considered the greatest actress of her day. She wrote a book about her life on the island. FORT KING GEORGE, settled by Scottish Highlanders who helped Oglethorpe defend the colony. Open to public. Tuesday-- Saturday 9-5 00 p.m. Sunday 2-5:30 p.m. Closed Mondays. SAPELO ISLAND. Tours of the Sapelo Island National Estuarine Sanctuary are conducted by the UGA Marine Institute, each Saturday. Ferry leaves Sapelo Dock at Meridian at 9:00 a.m., returns at 100 p.m. Call (912) 485-2449 for reservations. HUNTING AREAS BLACKBEARD ISLAND, off the coast of Darien, offers archery hunts arranged by the Federal Wildlife Division of the Department of Interior. ANNUAL EVENTS BLESSING OF THE SHRIMP FLEET, Darien bridge on U.S. 17. Religious ceremony in which a priest blesses the shrimp boats as they pass. May. COASTAL GEORGIA MACERELAND TARPON DERBY. Summer. FARGO ATTRACTION OKEFENOKEE SWAMP, 18 miles N.E. on Georgia 177. Fargo is the Stephen C. Foster State Park entrance to the famed Okefenokee Swamp. There are nature trails, boat tours, and fishing. Also special waterways where visitors are permitted without guides. CAMPING AREAS STEPHEN C. FOSTER STATE PARK, 18 miles N.E. of Fargo via Georgia 177. Telephone: (912) 496-7509. FOLKSTON ATTRACTIONS OKEFENOKEE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, 7 miles S.W. on Georgia 23 and 121. Folkston is one of the two eastern entrances to the famed Okefenokee Swamp. There are exhibits, nature trails, boat tours, fishing and an observation tower. Also special waterways where visitors are permitted without guides. GOLF 9 holes at Folkston Golf and Country Club, par 36. ANNUAL EVENTS OKEFENOKEE FESTIVAL, Courthouse Square. Parade, contests, arts and crafts show, games. Early July. JEKYLL ISLAND HISTORICAL SITES MILLIONAIRES' VILLAGE. Here is preserved the world of the super-rich who ilnade up the membership of the famed Jekyll Island Club formed in 1886. A number of homes of the mem- bers are being restored. It is claimed that one-sixth of the world's wealth was controlled from the island during the time the millionaires inhabited the area. Among the fascinat- ing buildings are the Jekyll Club Hotel, Mistletoe, Goodyear Cottage, Villa Ospo, Crane Cottage, Faith Chapel and the Rockefeller Cottage. Jekyll Island is a state-owned resort. CAMPING AREA CHEROKEE CAMPGROUND offers tent and trailer camping. Privately owned. Open year 'round. ATTRACTIONS CONVENTION CENTER, Beachview Drive. A complex for con- vention and meeting activities, it houses one of the largest 46 Outdoors it? Georgia J Georgia ^ P* "** $ Mountains Territory The "^Vl V \ ^^H Classic Sooth \TM "ea" } ot Georgia / r^^_^ Plains Country /JT Colonial Coast indoor pools in the southeastern United States. The Convention Center is located on the nine-mile Jekyll Island white sand beach. J. P. MORGAN TENNIS CENTER offers five outdoor courts and one indoor court. Open year 'round. GOLF 18 holes at Oleander Course, par 72. 18 holes at Indian Mounds Golf Course, par 72. 1 8 holes at the Pinelake Course, par 72. 9 holes at Oceanside Course, par 36. KINGSLAND CAMPING AREAS CROOKED RIVER STATE PARK, 12 miles E. from Kingsland, off U.S. 14 on Georgia 40 spur. 500 acres. Telephone: (912) 882-5256. LITTLE ST. SIMONS ISLAND HUNTING AREAS LITTLE ST. SIMONS ISLAND HUNTING PRESERVES, 5 miles E. of Big St. Simons Island. Offers hunting for ducks, dove and fallow deer, during season. Fishing during summer. Privately owned. MIDWAY HISTORICAL SITES MIDWAY CHURCH, on U.S. 1 7. Erected in 1 792. The old slave gallery and high pulpit remain unchanged. From its congregation, which never numbered more than 150 at any time, have come two signers of the Declaration of Independence, two Revolutionary generals and a U.S. senator. The church and historic cemetery may be visited at any time. Keys available at nearest service station. Free. MIDWAY MUSEUM, on U.S. 17. Built in raised-cottage style. There are displays of furniture, artifacts and documents from early 18th to mid-1 9th century. Open Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from 2 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Closed Mondays, Christmas and Thanksgiving. Maintained by Department of Natural Resources. RICHMOND HILL HISTORICAL SITES FT. MCALLISTER, 10 miles E. of U.S. 17 on the bank of the Ogeechee River, demonstrated that this type earthen fortification could withstand the heaviest naval ordinance employed during the War between the States. Open Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 2 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Closed Mondays, Christmas and Thanksgiving. Maintained by Department of Natural Resources. ST. MARYS GOLF 9 holes at St. Marys Golf Course, par. 36. ANNUAL EVENTS BLESSING OF THE SHRIMP FLEET. Early June. ST. SIMONS ISLAND HISTORICAL SITES CHRIST CHURCH, on Frederica Road, founded by John and Charles Wesley in 1736. The present building was built in 1884 by Anson Green Phelps Dodge, Jr., as a memorial to his wife. Summer hours, 2-5 p.m.; winter hours, 1-4 p.m. daily. Sunday services at 8 a.m., 9:45 a.m. and 1 1:15 a.m. July 1978 FT. FREDERICA NATIONAL MONUMENT, on Frederica Road. Built by General James Edward Oglethorpe in 1736 and was the most expensive British fortification in America. It was military headquarters for the defense of Georgia and the British colonies against the Spaniards in Florida. Open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Maintained by U.S. Park Service. BLOODY MARSH. The site of a major battle between the British and the Spanish that provided the turning point for British control in this part of the country. Free. ST. SIMONS LIGHTHOUSE AND MUSEUM. The lighthouse was rebuilt in 1871. Arrangements can be made with the Coast Guard to visit the top of the tower for a commanding view of the ocean, surrounding islands and rivers. Historic memorabilia is displayed in the museum which is operated by the Coastal Georgia Historical Society. ATTRACTIONS NEPTUNE PARK, S. end of the island, has picnic facilities, fishing pier, bowling, skating, theater and playground. County owned and operated. Open year 'round. RETREAT PLANTATION has a picturesque avenue of live oaks arching over the roadway. The famous long staple sea island cotton was first raised here and the tabby ruins of a slave hospital and a plantation home still stand. Retreat Plantation is now part of the Sea Island Golf Club. GOLF 18 holes at King & Prince Golf Course, par 72. 18 holes at St. Simons Island Club Golf Course, par. 72. ANNUAL EVENTS TOUR OF HOMES AND GARDENS. March. SUNSHINE FESTIVAL is a 3-day event featuring snipe sailboat races and a gigantic fireworks display. Early June. GEORGIA SENIORS GOLF TOURNAMENT. June. ART FESTIVAL. Early October. ISLAND PLAYERS present six shows annually including musicals, classics and Broadway productions. Separate productions are presented for three weekends during the winter, spring and fall. SAVANNAH See story on page 1 7, "Strolling the Squares of Savannah." SAVANNAH BEACH ATTRACTIONS TYBEE LIGHTHOUSE. One of the first public structures in Georgia. It marks the mouth of the Savannah River. Open Saturday and Sunday from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Free. Closed weekdays. TYBEE MUSEUM. At the north end of the island adjacent to the lighthouse. Open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. from May 1 through September 1; and daily except Tuesday from September 1 to April 5. CAMPING AREAS RIVERS END FAMILY CAMPGROUND, north end of Island on the Savannah riverfront. Camping, swimming, fishing, surfing. Privately owned. Open year 'round. ANNUAL EVENTS U.S. NATIONAL CLASSIC PRO-AM BICYCLE RACE TOUR OF TYBEE ISLAND. March. SEA ISLAND GOLF 36 holes at Sea Island Golf Courses: (The Cloister) ANNUAL EVENTS GEORGIA PGA CHAMPIONSHIP, Sea Island Golf Course. Mid-January. MID-SEASON CLUB GOLF TOURNAMENT, Sea Island Golf Course, Early February. TOUR OF HOMES AND GARDENS. Late March. SEA ISLAND FALL INVITATIONAL TOURNAMENT, Sea Island Golf Course. Early November. SEA ISLAND INVITATIONAL TENNIS TOURNAMENT, Early November. SPRING GOLF TOURNAMENT FOR LADIES AND MEN. March. CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY, The Cloister, for guests of The Cloister. NEW YEAR'S HOLIDAY, The Cloister, for guests of The Cloister. FOURTH OF JULY HOLIDAY, The Cloister, for guests of The Cloister. 47 Summer Events JULY 1 11th Annual Georgia Champion Racking Horse Show Chatsworth i Miss Georgia Pageant Three Arts Theatre Columbus 1 Top of Georgia Jamboree Rabun Gap Elementary Dillard ! The Jasol Butler Show Franklin Music Park Franklin Mountain Square Dancing Playhouse I Mountain City 1 First Saturday Festival River Street Savannah 1 Country-Gospel Concert Swampland Opera House Toomsboro 1-3 Fourth of July Arts & Crafts Festival Festival Woods Jekyll Island 1-4 Freedom Festival Six Flags Atlanta 1-4 Great Escape Weekend Lake Lanier Islands Buford 1-4 Star Spangled Banner Stone Mountain Park 1-31 Farm Curb Market Hazlehurst 1-31 Selections from the Permanent Collection Georgia Museum of Art Athens 1-31 Open Season for the Gordon-Lee House Chickamauga 1-31 Exhibit "Canada" Roberts Library Cochran 1-31 Guided Nature Trail Walks Ocmulgee National Monument Macon 1-31 Greenhouse Annual & Perennial Display Callaway Gardens Pine Mountain 1-31 Summer at Callaway Gardens Pine Mountain 1-31 Art Exhibits Callaway Gardens Pine Mountain 2 Johnny Duncan & Janie Fricke Concert Holiday Beach Douglas 3 Ronnie McDowell Concert Holiday Beach Douglas 3-7 Signers of the Declaration of Independence Exhibit Middle Georgia College Cochran 3-8 Watermelon Festival Cordele 4 Bell-ringing Ceremony Middle Georgia College Cochran 4 Canna Festival Parade and July 4th Celebration Colbert 4 Rock Show Municipal Auditorium Columbus 4 4th of July Celebration Demorest 4 9th Annual July 4th Celebration Jardine Stadium Douglas 4 Barbara Mandrel & Jerry Clower Concert and Fireworks Display Holiday Beach Douglas Jaycees Parade, Bar-B-Q, Country Store Hunter Park Aqua-Rec Review Douglasville Gainesville Pet Parade Gainesville Independence Day Celebration Westville Lumpkin Robin Lake Beach Extravaganza Callaway Gardens Pine Mountain Fourth of July Celebration River Street Savannah Fourth of July Celebration Memorial Stadium Savannah Gala 4th of July Dinner Dance Sea Island Annual Fourth of July Festival St. Marys July Celebration Doyle Street Park Toccoa 15 Marie Wilner Art Exhibit Roddenberrry Memorial Library Cairo 7-8 Country-Gospel Concert Swampland Opera House Toomsboro 7-31 There Be Monsters in the Sky Tonight Mark Smith Planetarium Macon Top of Georgia Jamboree Dillard Mountain Square Dancing Playhouse 8-9 20th Annual Masters Water Ski Tournament Mountain City 8-30 Callaway Gardens Selections of Paintings, Prints and Drawings Museum of Arts & Sciences Pine Mountain Macon 9 Watermelon Day Farmers Market Atlanta 9 Jim Ed Brown & Helen Cornelius Concert 13-15 14 Holiday Beach Jekyll Fun Fest Exhibition Hall Parade for Wagon Train Douglas Jekyll Island Chatsworth 14 15 15 15 15 15 15-16 Affair on the Square Lafayette Square LaGrange Gospel Sing Satilla KOA Kampgrounds Atkinson Variety Show Municipal Auditorium Columbus Top of Georgia Jamboree Rabun Gap Elementary Dillard Mountain Square Dancing Mountain City Country-Gospel Concert Swampland Opera House Toomsboro Summer Nationals Road Atlanta Gainesville 16 Sonny James Concert Holiday Beach 16 AMA/Mr. Pibb Motocross Douglas Atlanta International Raceway Hampton 22 Top of Georgia Jamboree Rabun Gap Elementary Dillard 22 Don Williams Music Park Franklin 22 Mountain Square Dancing Playhouse Mountain City 22 Plains Peanut Tennis Classic Plains 22 Country-Gospel Concert Swampland Opera House Toomsboro 23 Don Williams Concert Holiday Beach Douglas 23 Gould Twin Dixie (USAC) 24-29 27-28 28-30 29 Atlanta International Raceway Stay and See Georgia Week Lenox Square Holstein Cattle Show Central City Park Horse Show State Show Arena Rock Show Memorial Stadium Hampton Atlanta Macon Warner Robins Columbus 29 Square Dance Municipal Auditorium Columbus 29 Top of Georgia Jamboree Rabun Gap Elementary Dillard 29 Mountain Square Dancing Playhouse Mountain City 29 Country-Gospel Concert Swampland Opera House Toomsboro 29-30 30 Rod Run Antique Car Show Unicoi Hill Rock Show (Rain Day) Memorial Stadium Helen Columbus 30 Marty Robins Concert Holiday Beach Douglas AUGUST 1-27 There Be Monsters in the Sky Tonight Mark Smith Planetarium Macon 1-31 Selections from the Permanent Collections GA Museum of Art Athens 1-31 Open Season for the Gordon-Lee House Chickamauga 1-31 Farm Curb Market Hazlehurst 1-31 Guided Nature Trail Walks Ocmulgee National Monument Macon 1-31 Summer at Callaway Gardens Pine Mountain 1-31 Greenhouse Annual & Perennial Display Callaway Gardens Pine Mountain 4-5 Blue Grass Festival Satilla KOA Kampgrounds Atkinson 4-5 Country-Gospel Concert Swampland Opera House Toomsboro 4-12 Georgia Mountain Fair Fairgrounds Hiawassee 4-25 Watercolors by Ute Missfeldt Goethe Institute Atlanta 5 Top of Georgia Jamboree Rabun Gap Elementary Dillard 5 Mountain Square Dancing Playhouse Mountain City 5-31 Retrospective-Contemporary Art by Walter Gaudnek Museum of Arts & Sciences Macon 6 6-13 Loretta Lynn Concert Holiday Beach Friends Week Six Flags Douglas Atlanta 7-13 Drill Team Showcase Six Flags Atlanta 8 10-12 4-H Day Six Flags State Swim Meet Atlanta Milledgeville 12 Mountain Square Dancing Playhouse Mountain City 12 Country-Gospel Concert Swampland Opera House Toomsboro 12 Horse Show, Queen and Princess Contest State Show Arena Warner Robins 14 Special Astronomy Program Callaway Gardens Pine Mountain 14-19 17-19 Fannin County Fair Golden Leaf Festival Blue Ridge Pelham 17-20 PGA National Junior Golf Championship Callaway Gardens 18 Elvis Show Municipal Auditorium Pine Mountain Columbus 18-19 18-19 19 19 19 20 Old Time Fiddl in* Convention Dalton Square Dance Jamboree Aquarama Jekyll Island Flea Market Festival Woods Jekyll Island Mountain Square Dancing Playhouse Mountain City Country-Gospel Concert Swampland Opera House Toomsboro Merle Haggard Concert Holiday Beach Douglas 25 25-26 26 26 26 26 26 26-27 Lily Libber Rock 'n Roll Ball Talent & Disco Six Flags Atlanta Murray County High Alumni Rodeo Chatsworth Mountain Square Dancing Playhouse Mountain City Fourth Saturday Field Trip Savannah Barbership Quartet & Chorus Contest Civic Center Savannah Country-Gospel Concert Swampland Opera House Toomsboro All Night Gospel Sing Memorial Stadium Waycross Mountain-Do Lake Lanier Islands Buford 28-31 Chattahoochee Mountain Fair Clarkesville For your own copy of "Special Events in Georgia, July through December," write P.O. Box 1776, Atlanta 30301 " t\ \ /*N