We’re thrilled when fall comes to North Georgia, eager to enjoy every moment, every view, every breath of cooler air that our area offers.
When we were considering relocation in 2015, one of our criteria was selecting an area with changing seasons. Growing up and living in South Louisiana for nearly 30 years, then living in Florida for the past 10 years, we were accustomed to hot summers changing quickly to warm wet winters with little fall color.
In between, we spent 17 years in Ohio, where seasonal changes were spectacular. But we lived in Troy, Ohio, a flat Midwest farm town along I-75 with miles of clear-cut fields for efficient corn, soybean and tomato production but highly limiting to an abundance of natural foliage. We did enjoy spots of bright color as we drove up and down I-75 or along the winding back roads that followed small streams and rivers. Several hundred miles of interconnected bike trails also followed the Miami River and old railroad routes, allowing for great fall morning rides among the falling leaves.
Thus, we’re thrilled when fall comes to North Georgia, eager to enjoy every moment, every view, every breath of cooler air that our area offers. With National Take a Hike Day coming up, the midpoint of fall behind us and our fall beauty fading, we’re going to share photo shots of some of our favorite fall spots. And we welcome comments about your favorites, too!
Lake Acworth and Lake Allatoona
Overlook Park is a small, roadside stop in Acworth, just off Highway 92.Hidden off Ragsdale Road near Acworth, South Shore Park is one of our favorite launching points for kayaking.Behind the Beach House at Cauble Park in Acworth, you’ll find the AUMC Chapel of Prayer and this large cross overlooking Lake Acworth.
Cooper’s Furnace is a Civil War-era factory ruins along the Etowah River in Paulding County. Part of the US Corps of Engineers parks surrounding Lake Allatoona, the location offers picnicking, a playground, river access and miles of hiking trails.Follow the main trail at Cooper’s Furnace to this quiet pond, a haven for wildlife of all types. Stay to the left trail and take the longer hike up to the summit. Turn to the right and you can follow the shorter service road trail to the top.
Etowah River and Allatoona Dam
The Allatoona Dam (above) holds back the Etowah River to create an extensive lake system. We captured that dam photo — and the one below — just downstream from the dam, at the Riverside Day Use Area.
Amicalola State Park
We visited Amicalola on Oct. 11, then again on Nov. 7. Working from memory, we tried to capture similar photos to show what a difference a few weeks can make. What a difference a month makes. This is a reminder to us and to anyone who sees this that Georgia’s scenery changes dramatically throughout the year. (You’ll find more about Amicalola at our post, Short Walks to Tall Georgia Waterfalls.)
Two views from above — the top of Amicalola Falls where Amicalola Creeks begins its 726-foot cascading journey to the valley below.
At the midpoint, a viewing bridge offers an up-close view of the upper falls. Getting here is easiest from the West Ridge Falls Access Trail, an ADA-rated walking route.
Walking down those Georgia State Park wooden stairs from the viewing bridge offers another perspective. Here, we’re about 50 feet below the viewing bridge .
The back deck of Amicalola State Park Lodge offers a sweeping view of the valley below, and a changing panorama of beautiful colors within 30 days.
Gibbs Gardens
We found Gibbs Gardens thanks to a roadside sign spotted on our way to Amicalola Falls. We made our first visit in the spring, and immediately became season pass holders. In another post, we discuss the reasons we visit in all seasons, not just fall.
Natural beauty is augmented with professional landscaping at Gibbs Gardens, near Ball Ground, GA. The Japanese Garden features reflecting ponds, statuary and more. At more than 40 acres, it’s the largest Japanese Garden in the US, with 150 varieties of Japanese maples in full glory in late October through November.We loved visiting Gibbs Gardens for the daffodils in the spring, roses later, and ever-changing looks throughout the season. But without a doubt, fall is our favorite season for visiting.
Red Top Mountain State Park
With boating, a mountain bike trail, miles of hiking, a beach, miniature golf, camping and winding roads perfect for motorcycles, Red Top Mountain State Park is perfect for almost any outdoor enthusiast. Check out our blog for more on the hiking trails.
With uneven footing on the Homestead Trail, we were careful to watch where we stepped. That’s how we found this guy, and many more forest floor creatures.And while we were looking down, we looked up and around, too. While we found this web just off the main trail, we walked into other smaller ones despite our best efforts to avoid them.Toadstools, leaves, mosses and grass added to the vibrant colors along the way.
Cloudland Canyon State Park and Falls
For those looking for effortless beauty with a minimum of walking, this is your best bet. We love the drive up to Cloudland Canyon almost as much as our time in the park. Driving up I-75 offers some of the best fall interstate scenery in Georgia, and it gets even better once you turn off and drive through the John’s Mountain Wildlife Preserve. Once arriving at Cloudland, it’s about 200 steps to the edge of the canyon where you can peer down into a cornucopia of changing leaves. For the more adventurous and fit, the hike down those Georgia State Park stairs offer beautiful views of the forest and the falls.
The short walk from the parking lot to the canyon rim offers a spectacular view.Hemlock Falls at Cloudland Canyon State Park, GA
For the adventurous and fit, the hike into the canyon offers great scenery looking up into the canopy.
Georgia’s Back Roads and Byways
Georgia’s mountain roads and local byways feature colorful drives at every turn.On our way to Amicalola Falls, we discovered the sunflower fields and horseback rides at Fausett Farms near Afton, GA.Burt’s Pumpkin Farm is located just outside the entrance to Amicalola State Park, and we visited here on Oct. 11 and Nov. 7, too. The pre-Halloween pumpkin selection was broader in October (above), and the colors of the surrounding trees more vibrant in November (below). Along with sugar pumpkins, we picked up some butternut squash for one of our fall favorite soups.
Small ponds dot the landscape throughout North Georgia, perfect for reflecting and reflections.Fall’s colors inspire creativity, and offer interesting photo opportunities everywhere.Each time we drive past this property at the corner of Pitner Road and Cheatham Road in Cobb Country, we’re transported back to the rural homes of our grandparents.
Our Back Yard and Family
Often, we overlook the beauty and tranquility of our own homes. Sometimes, a simple change of perspective will change your entire view.While this picture is a few years old now, it’s a reminder that sometimes you don’t mind at all when your attempts at yard work are ignored.
And LSU Football
What’s fall without football? Sorry Bulldog fans, but Tiger Stadium is still our favorite place for SEC football. And if you thought a daytime game was loud, try a night game.
Occasionally, fortunate travelers stumble onto great destinations while en route to another. And thanks to roadside advertising by the Georgia AgriTourism Association, that’s how we discovered Gibbs Gardens, a 220-acre beauty off the beaten path near Ball Ground, Georgia.
Our first visit to Gibbs Gardens converted us from casually curious into bona fide annual pass holders and frequent visitors.
Back in March, we were driving out for a day of hiking and discovery at Amicalola Falls State Park, which features the 729-foot falls plunging into a small stream. We were drawn there by great pictures of the falls, with groups of visitors gawking upward from a wooden bridge in the foreground while the falls cascaded over rocks in the background.
While driving a beautiful, curving, hilly Georgia back road through small towns and farms, the Georgia AgriTourismsign caught our eye. It was in sight long enough for us to read Gibbs Gardens, then our eyes went back to the snaking road ahead. After the visit to Amicalola Falls, we searched for Gibbs Gardens on Google. What we found made us plan a return trip the following week and converted us from casually curious into bona fide annual pass holders and frequent visitors to these outstanding gardens. Since then, we’ve returned numerous times throughout the summer and fall, and the constantly changing colors have shown us the reasons to visit in all seasons.
Our first visit to Gibbs Gardens was in late March, at the peak of the daffodil blooms. But color had not yet returned to the Japanese Garden.
Purchasing the 4-Season Pass, we returned to the Gibbs Gardens in early May. By then,the Japanese Garden was fully green.
Beyond the ever-changing beauty and fragrances of nature in full bloom, here are six great reasons to visit Gibbs Gardens:
Japanese Garden. The peace, tranquility and beauty of Japanese gardens are among my favorite human-made natural attractions. Built around a stream and pond, these Japanese Garden feature a small pagoda and several sitting areas where visitors can simply exist. In addition to the beauty, it’s huge: at 40 acres, Gibbs Gardens measures three-times the size of Portland’s Japanese Gardens, often voted the most authentic outside of Japan.
The 40-acre Japanese Garden features a large reflecting pond surrounded by statuary. There are multiple seating areas for quiet reflection. The top photo is from the spring; the bottom photo from the fall.
Walks in the Woods. Or on the trails through the flowers. And up and down hillsides. Around the Manor House and swimming pool. Aside the stream and water lily pond. On a recent visit, we clocked more than four miles in our two-plus hour visit. But if walking isn’t your thing, trams operate Tuesday through Sunday, with an all-day pass priced at $5. The trams are a great option to avoid long distance walking, though getting off and walking short distances into the gardens will heighten your experience.
Exercise your photographic creativity, and experiment with angles, framing and more.
Exercise Your Photo Creativity. We’ve captured some of our all-time favorite photos at visits to gardens and garden exhibits. Gibbs Gardens generated that same creative spirit and enjoyment. Plus, for us children of the 50s and 60s now freed of the tyranny of film and processing, it’s just plain fun to stretch, bend, stoop, climb and crawl to shoot unlimited numbers of creatively framed photo angles. And with electronic frames and slide show capabilities, we’re always enjoying these beautiful keepsakes of our visits.
Daffodils were at their peak during our March visit, providing great opportunity to practice our photography skills. We love using these pictures on the electronic frames in our home.
The Drive There and Back. Gibbs Gardens is off the beaten interstate and divided highway path, and that’s a good thing. We enjoyed the scenic, twisting, turning and hilly byways that presented an ever-changing vista of forest, fields and farms. Part of the route includes traveling the original Trail of Tears, which evokes a very different connection with a tragic history.
The Blooms. Don’t think, “Oh, it’s a garden, so we’ll go in the spring or fall.” While many blooms are most intense during these peak seasons, Gibbs Gardens features a constantly-changing panorama of color. The garden publishes a bloom schedule on its website, along with pictures that will inspire you to visit.
Tulips were in abundance during our late March visit. This bronze statue sits amid a long bed of red and pink specimens.
With different blooms planned on two-week cycles, the scenery is ever changing throughout Gibbs Gardens. Don’t visit once and think, “We’ve seen it.”
Landscaping Ideas and Tips. We’ve never won “Yard of the Month” in our Brookstone Homeowners Association, but now we have some new ideas about layouts, plant selection and colors to consider around our house. Neighbors, beware! Game on!
Is There a Ball Field in Ball Ground?
Another location discovered along the way, Ball Ground, GA, is one of those often-overlooked little towns worthy of a visit. And some of the restaurants are small-town treasures that offer local authenticity and some imported fusion.
Natives of Louisiana, we generally adhere to a “No Cajun Food” rule when away from our home state. But on a Friday during Lent and in search of seafood, we tried Le Bon Temp Louisiana Kitchen, and were delighted with the choice. Here’s a link to our review.
On the recommendation of a local, we’ve also stopped in at Amos’ BBQ, a roadside “joint” that includes its own wood-splitting operation to fire the smokehouse pits.
The Ball Ground Burger Bus is a certain stop for a future visit, where you can dine inside a 1948 trolley from Atlanta.
First on our list for future visits is The Ball Ground Burger Bus, a kitschy establishment that includes dining in a 1948 trolley from Atlanta. Our second future visit will be to Chef Rosario’s Italian Kitchen, which comes highly recommended by local friends.
As to a ball field in Ball Ground, there are many, including baseball, soccer and football.
More on Georgia AgriTourism
We gave credit to a Georgia AgriTourism sign for leading us to Gibbs Gardens. We checked out the Georgia AgriTourism find-a-farm locator and found lots more visitor-friendly Georgia farms now on our “to-visit” list. If you have an interest in locally-owned small farms and their offerings, it’s a great resource. This spring, Georgia AgriTourism Association voted to join forces with the state-sponsored Georgia Grown effort, and we’re not sure how long the previous pages will remain. While we haven’t explored fully the new information at Georgia Grown’s AgriTourism section, it looks promising as an alternative.
Related Links You May Like
Outstanding Japanese Gardens. A list of 12 locations from the art-focused Japan Objects website. We’re planning a visit to the No. 1-ranked Portland Japanese Garden in coming months.
Weird and Wacky Roadside Stops. BTW, if you like unusual places (like the Burger Bus!) when you’re exploring, check out the RoadsideAmerica.com site for lots ideas along your way.
Garden Photo Tips. The folks at FineGardening.Com publish a list of 12 tips for getting great garden photos. You can share your garden photos with other plant lovers using #finegardening
The Oxford Comma. I hate it, but my Microsoft Word program always suggests it. Why the debate? For me, it’s an AP style and journalism school thing.
Activity Notes
We track most of our physical activities using our Garmin VivoActive HR device. We logged 4.1 miles during our Gibbs Gardens visit and gained 354 feet in elevation along the way, the rough equivalent of 35 flights of stairs.
On our second visit to Gibbs Gardens, our meandering path covered 4.1 miles through each of the 12 garden areas.
We track our physical activities with a Garmin Vivoactive HR, which calculated a 30+-story stair climb total for our visit.
St. Louis once was the gateway to the west, a bustling, bursting, wheeling and dealing city where commerce moved faster than the raging Mississippi River at flood stage. Home-grown McDonald Douglas was an aviation leader, based at Lambert Field, STL. The airport itself served as a major US hub for airline industry pioneer Trans World Airlines. Famed St. Louis aviator Charles Lindbergh organized the first US transcontinental passenger flight in 1929, and Lambert Field STL became a stopping point along the 12-stop, 60-hour journey known as The Lindbergh Line. And the main terminal, a masterpiece of airport grand hall design in the 1950s, inspired similar terminals at New York JFK airport and Paris Charles De Gaulle.
The grandeur of the original 1950s terminal is cluttered by check-in areas that detract significantly from the design that inspired similar terminals at New York’s JFK and Paris Charles de Gaulle airports.
Suffice it to say that much of what was great about Lambert Field STL is stated most accurately today in past tense, while the present and future are mixed. And apart from the soaring design of the Grand Hall, STL today seems like an afterthought build on top of a regret.
STL: The Details
Ground Transportation. Forget your GPS when arriving by car and pay close attention to the jumble of directional signs or you may wind up at the wrong entrance. Arriving from the city, I always feel very claustrophobic as we drive on a tight feeder road with close building on the right and the MetroLink overhead. To retrieve a parked car, get a rental car bus or reach other ground transportation requires a confusing sojourn through long low-ceiling claustrophobic-inducing connecting corridors, hard-to-find ramps and occasional stairs. MetroLink rail service is available from both STL terminals on the Red Line, operating frequently from early morning until 1 am.
A jumble of feeder roads under the MetroLink train route make arriving into St. Louis Lambert Airport seem like driving into a tunnel.
Terminals. Easy to remember, Terminal Two for Southwest; One terminal for the rest. It will be hard to forget if you get off at the wrong terminal, as it’s one mile and a ten-minute shuttle ride away. Entering the main terminal departures floor alleviates the claustrophobia, and the grandeur of the original 1950s terminal is evident. Unfortunately, today’s check-in areas clutter this main floor and detract significantly from the original design. To reach departure concourse A and B, it’s down to the dungeons and that closed-in feeling. Unfortunately, I haven’t flown Southwest here, so I can’t say anything about the newer Southwest terminal. Maybe someone else can contribute.
Best Restaurant. Not that there’s much choice, but there is no doubt: Mike Shannon’s, on Concourse B. A good-but-often-full bar offers the fastest service in this sit-down venue. At dinner time, the line is deep, the wait long and getting a seat nearly impossible. Once you get in, appetizers, salads and burgers are priced comparably to upscale casual dining locations, in the low teens. Steaks range into the $40s. Past tense side note: the original downtown Mike Shannon’s location closed in 2016, following a long property dispute between the Cardinal’s broadcaster and the team. Memorabilia from the site was auctioned, including a 1963 autographed jersey from Stan Musial’s last game that fetched more than $11,000.
The best dining option at STL: Mike Shannon’s. Though lines can be long, it’s your best choice for a full-service meal or beverage.
Good News at STL. Recent renovations have improved the concourse functionality and selection of food outlets. International flight service expanded when WOW Air, Iceland’s low-cost transatlantic airline, began connecting STL to Keflavik International Airport (KEF) in Iceland, then on to London, Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin, Frankfurt, Dublin, Copenhagen and more. However, based on reviews by Travel and Leisure magazine, that flight service seem more WOE than WOW.
Recent remodels and new retail outlets like Vino Volo have improved dining and shopping options.
For the Active Traveler
With two terminals one mile apart and no walkway between them, active travelers are out of luck. Compounding the problem, the concourses in the main terminal are separated by unsecured areas, so walking is limited to looping around one narrow, low-ceilinged concourse that is home to your assigned departure gate. Feeling depressed by that recurring claustrophobia (did I mention the low ceilings?), I didn’t measure the potential walking distance on my trusty Garmin Vivoactive HR. (But I did have time to sync my Garmin with my Garmin Connect I-Phone app, and update the 23-mile early-morning exercise bike ride I experience after a sleepless night at the airport Marriott!)
Low ceilings and claustrophobic gate areas make waiting at St. Louis an uneasy and unpleasant experience. There’s simply not much room to roam.
A Lucky, Misdirected Discovery
Taking a GPS-directed wrong turn out of STL, I wound up circling on an outer belt road. Around the back side of the airport I stumbled uponthe Boeing Store, located on the end-cap of a non-descripts strip mall. On a whim, I pulled in and went shopping for the younger boys of our family. The store features a great collection of Boeing model planes, lots of company wearables and gear, and (at least on this day) a plethora of clearance items perfect for the boys. Happy with three sets of Boeing airplane trading cards and two foam airplanes, I resumed my trek, sure to be a hero when arriving home.
What started as a wrong turn ended with a great discovery of the nearby Boeing Store. A few quick purchases of airplane paraphernalia guaranteed I was a hero on landing.
Three Infamous St. Louis Losses
Just as past tense seems to best describe STL, the city has achieved certain notoriety for some high-profile loses. Among them.
NFL Football Cardinals. In my youth, Jim Hart was the strong-armed quarterback of the St. Louis Football Cardinals. I remember distinctly how announcers always inserted the “football” into the verbal description, perhaps to prevent confusion caused by grainy black-and-white television. Those Cardinals moved on to Arizona in 1987, among many NFL team moves during the 1980s.
NFL Football Rams. After losing the Cardinals, the city and football backers convinced Los Angeles owner Georgia Frontiere that there were greener pastures for the financially-troubled Rams in the heartland. Thus, in 1995, football traditionalists struggled to adapt to the St. Louis Rams (just as we did the Arizona Cardinals). Alas, all good things must end in STL, and the Rams moved back to Los Angeles in 2016.
Budweiser and Anheuser Busch. The Busch family and Budweiser were once synonymous with St. Louis. But no more. While the company maintains a down-sized operation in and around St. Louis, the 2008 purchase of the company by InBev means Belgian decision-makers control the beer that changed its name from Budweiser to America as an Olympics promotion. Several Busch family members probably shifted in their final St. Louis-area resting places when the combined AB-InBev purchased SABMiller and Anheuser Busch’s perennial American brewing rival, Miller.
Final Thoughts and Disclosure
As I was proofreading this, I thought to myself, “Wow, you were sort of negative.” Recognizing that I can be a grumpy 60-something at times, I checked my own observations with others who had posted Lambert STL observations to a variety of ratings sites over the past 12 months. To paraphrase the NFL: The ruling on Lambert Field STL is confirmed.
Whoever suggested this name likely thought it was cute. Instead, it just reminds you of your plight.
Read and See More
STL and the St. Louis area played an important role in the development and expansion of passenger airline service within the US. If you’re interested in Luck Lindy, The Lindbergh Line, TWA, McDonald Douglass, and other aviation history, consider exploring:
The Spirit of St. Louis. Charles Lindbergh’s Pulitzer Prize-winning autobiography was published in 1953, and remains a great read for fans of flying, adventure and tales of individual achievement.
Flying the Lindbergh Line, Then and Now, by Robert Kirk. Join licensed pilot Robert Kirk in reliving the US transcontinental flying experience that was the original mail-and-passenger route named the Lindbergh Line. Of course, it’s available on Amazon and other online sources.
Vintage TWA Posters. As long-distance air travel became possible for more people, TWA commissioned artist David Klein to produce a series of promotional posters, encouraging the adventurous to experience flying to exotic locations. Today, these iconic posters often sell for thousands of dollars. You’ll find examples in the Smithsonian’s Air and Space Museum, and a more complete set of Klein’s work on his estate’s home page.
Clayton doesn’t try to make you think it’s like any other place, but rather simply makes you happy to be right where you are.
We find that outdoor activity recharges our batteries, and we gravitate to hiking, biking, kayaking and similar endeavors whenever time and weather cooperate. We also like touring, museums, wine tasting, spas and shopping, and pursue these when Mother Nature is rejuvenating her kingdom with rain, snow and cold.
Regardless of your preferences, the small towns, parks and mountains of North Georgia offer a fantastic getaway weekend opportunity for virtually any activity preference. We recently traveled to Clayton, Georgia, for a fabulous 2-night, 3-day getaway while our son was at summer camp. (Of course, getting there and back was half the fun as we used our road trip app to find unusual treasures along the way. But those literally are other stories, recounted in our Georgia Small Plates section.)
Don’t worry if you’ve never heard of Clayton, GA, as a retreat or vacation getaway. That’s part of the appeal, as the town of approximately 2,000 is one of those hidden gems of the Blue Ridge Mountains that retain their small-town charm and authenticity. Clayton isn’t Gatlinburg or Helen with crowds, traffic and faux-front buildings meant to remind you of somewhere else. Rather, Clayton is a historic downtown with local shops, a focus on organic food, strong connection to the natural landscapes that surround it and a growing regional reputation as Georgia’s model for true farm-to-table agricultural renaissance. Clayton doesn’t try to make you think it’s like any other place, but rather simply makes you happy to be right where you are.
We enjoyed the Rabun Suite, one of the well-appointed, comfortable and quaint rooms at the Beechwood Inn.
Our home base was the Beechwood Inn, a cozy bed and breakfast with a wonderful view of Black Rock Mountain from the chairs on the front porch and some of the small balconies in the upstairs rooms. Beechwood Inn is owned by Dave and Gayle Darugh, both of whom are gracious hosts, excellent conversationalists, wine connoisseurs and chefs listed in the prestigious Best Chefs America, a peer review among 5,000 chefs. In his previous life, Dave was a top-level lawyer for the Department of Energy, and he, Gayle and their family moved around the US before settling in Georgia, then buying the Beechwood Inn. Gayle ran the Inn while Dave maintained his full-time job, rushing to Clayton to assist on weekends.
Beechwood Inn owners and nationally-recognized chefs Gayle and Dave Darugh made us feel at home and kept us well-fed with great breakfasts and local insights.
During the daily “Wine Thirty” tasting, Dave recalled his decision to retire. Following 9-11, Dave was summoned to Washington to represent his DOE facility in a discussion about security. Seated in the meeting with President George W. Bush, Vice President Dick Chaney, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and other top-ranking officials, Dave found himself thinking about upcoming weekend guests and a leaking toilet that needed repair. After that, he and Gayle decided that inn keeping, food and wine – livelong avocations – would now become their full-time vocations.
Besides the hospitality of the Darughs, we enjoyed the setting, comfort and amenities of the Beechwood Inn. Our two nights in the Rabun Suite — with a remodeled modern bath, spacious, comfortable and quaint living and sleeping areas, a small balcony and fabulous view of Black Rock Mountain – were relaxing and restful. But the highlight of our stay was the daily breakfast, always featuring local-sourced products and prepared with skill and care by Dave, Gayle or both. Particularly, Gayle’s blueberry French toast was one of the most memorable breakfasts I’ve had in years.
The highlight of each day was our chef-prepared breakfast. Gayle’s blueberry French toast was one of the most memorable breakfasts I’ve had in years.
Everywhere we went in Clayton, local merchants and hosts welcomed us like we were long-lost neighbors, engaging in friendly – but not overbearing – conversations and always offering their personal insights as to the best experiences in the area. Among the most helpful was the staff at Wander North Georgia, an outdoor-focused retail store also offering coffee, ice cream and great local tips.
Unanimously, the Clayton community was united in one very specific recommendation: we MUST return for one of the Beechwood Inn Saturday night dinners which, unfortunately, we couldn’t arrange on our trip. But rest assured, with those recommendations, we will be back.
Local wines during the daily Wine Thirty event coupled with a wonderful view of Black Rock Mountain from the front porch tempted us just to sit here and chill for a few days.
While we could have spent relaxing days just chilling at the Beechwood Inn, our active sides led us to other pursuits.
Among those we enjoyed:
Hiking at Tallulah Gorge. It’s literally a giant hole in the ground, so if you want to experience the best Tallulah Gorge State Parkhas to offer, you must descend. But that means to get out you must ascend again – all on wooden and metal stairs well-planned by the Georgia State Parks with observation platforms and rest benches along the way. The reward is multiple stunning, up-close views of waterfalls and rapids, plus a walk across a suspension bridge. We descended to the gorge floor but didn’t have the required permits to explore further. We also didn’t have the courage to climb up to the opposite side, then back down and up again to the starting point. Adding in some canyon-rim hiking prior to the descent, my trusty Garmin VivoActive HR recorded 650 feet of elevation gain over our 2-mile walk. (And that night, it accurately recorded 10 hours and 27 minutes of very restful sleep!)
To experience the best of Tallulah Gorge, you have to descend, then climb back up. The reward is multiple stunning, up-close views of waterfalls, rapids and other natural beauty.
Exploring Black Rock Mountain State Park. That fantastic breakfast of blueberry French toast demanded that we get more exercise. So we headed to Black Rock Mountain State Park, planning on some car-based sightseeing and a short walk. But our activity demons intervened, and instead we hiked the 2.2 mile Tennessee Rock Trail. It promised easy-to-moderate climbing around and over the 3,640-foot peak of Black Rock Mountain in exchange for fabulous, 80-mile vista views into Tennessee and the Carolinas. The views were gorgeous as promised, even on a morning with broken clouds. After finishing one steep climb, we met a friendly Colorado family at one of those vistas. We exchanged picture-taking moments, and as we recovered from the climb, they shared their stories of climbing several of Colorado’s 14,000-foot peaks while we tried to disguise our gasping. Following that, in a classic example of bad map reading, I led us for what I thought was a short walk on the ADA Hi Falls trail. What I missed was the moderate-to-difficult rating, and a 300-foot climb on more of those Georgia State Parks stairs. My Garmin recorded nearly 4 miles of walking for the day, and just under 1,000 feet of vertical climbing.
Our 2.2-mile hike around and over the peak of Black Rock Mountain delivered on the promise of mountain vistas looking into Tennessee and the Carolinas.
North Georgia Wineries. Our hiking adventures cut into our planned winery visits, as did our total enjoyment at Tiger Mountain Vineyard. While we had planned to visit two wineries, the friendly service and excellent wines at Tiger kept us there longer – and for more wine and more purchases! – than we had planned. If you’re not familiar with North Georgia wineries, check them out. Better yet, go for a visit and sample the various red wines. I won’t tease my California Napa Valley friends with any comparisons but will point out that the fertile mountainside soils and micro-climates create some excellent vineyards.
We enjoyed wine tasting at Tiger Mountain Vineyard so much that we over-sampled, over-purchased and over-stayed our planned time. So now we must return to visit other area wineries.
Local Restaurants Serving Local Foods. Clayton is a center for Georgia’s farm-to-table initiatives, and nearly every restaurant has deep relationships with local farms supplying vegetables, meats and more. That results in rich flavor profiles not often found big-city restaurants, and even more elevated by the mastery of some incredible chefs. We’ve already raved and craved for more at Beechwood Inn. For us the, “chef star” of Clayton was Jamie Allred who, along with business partner Jack Nolan, owns and operates Fortify Kitchen and Bar. By comparison, I had recently dined at Atlanta’s South City Kitchen, Empire State South and Ray’s in the City, plus several other notable locations and Fortify’s menu, setting, service and food was better than each of them (IMHO). Don’t fret if you can’t get a table at the always-in-demand Fortify, because Clayton features several other great dining choices depending on your tastes. We enjoyed a great pub meal at Universal Joint, a former filling station and auto repair location now converted to a free-flowing restaurant with plenty of indoor and outdoor seating. Nearby Rumor Hazit and Mama G’s Italian also came highly recommended, as did the Lake Rabun Hotel and Restaurant, though we simply didn’t have enough dining occasions or stomach space to sample their meals. On a whim, we stopped in at The Rusty Bike Café for a quick lunch and enjoyed every bite of the diner-inspired lunch offerings. White Birch Provisionsbecame our favorite stop for late-morning coffee, and we meandered back in to Wander North Georgia’s store for ice cream.
Clayton is loaded with great dining options. At Chef Jamie Allred’s Fortify Kitchen, we started with fried green tomatoes sourced from local farms. We didn’t have enough dining occasions or stomach space to try all the recommended dining options — another reason we will return.
Even with that, we only touched the surface of what Clayton and Raybun country have to offer. As mentioned, already we’re planning a return trip for the Beechwood Inn Saturday night farm-to-table dinner. Several additional winery visits also are on our list. Next time, we’ll plan this as a tour with a driver, so we can sample a few more options safely and responsibly. And we want to get back to the outdoor focused retail shop, Wander North Georgia, to peruse their selections and swap recommendations on future adventures.
Wow, we’ve got lots on our agenda for a return visit. We better get busy with booking soon – and you should, too.
The rim-side sign overlooking Tallulah Gorge explains the view and the challenge. Those Georgia State Park steps are well planned, but you still have to climb up if you make the trek down. And, we did, stopping on the suspension bridge to enjoy a break and the view of Hurricane Falls.
America’s love affair with automobiles is well documented and wide spread. Give us a choice, and we’ll jump in a car to go almost anywhere rather than walk, bike or take public transportation. And one of the pure pleasures of driving includes the unexpected, unusual and weird discoveries you make along the way.
These are Georgia locations we stumbled upon along the way while driving the highways and byways of our (newest) home state. Some simply defy description.
So, rather than focus on our end destinations, we’re looking at Georgia locations we stumbled upon along the way while driving the highways and byways of our (newest) home state. It’s not a comprehensive list, and not a “best of” compendium. Instead, it’s more of a stream-of-consciousness review of places we recently discovered on the way to somewhere else. Some are places to eat. Some are places to visit. Others are just places that are hard to describe, confusing or amusing.
Here’s our list, which we’re sure will grow over time, and most with links for more information:
Ball Ground Burger Bus. Aside from the triple B alliteration to make new newscasters nervous, you just don’t expect this combination of bus, burgers and historic business district in too many places. Technically, the Ball Ground Burger Bus isn’t a bus, but a 1948 trolley from Atlanta. It’s featured on one of our own favorite road trip research sites, RoadsideAmerica.com.
Found in a junkyard and restored, Atlanta Transit Authority trolley car #1386 is now the Ball Ground Burger Bus.
Atlanta Botanical Gardens — in Gainesville. The Piedmont Park location is a favorite destination for kids of all ages, and a great place to spend a spring or fall afternoon. What we stumbled upon was the Gainesville location of this Atlanta institution. The smaller, less-crowded location includes five acres of new gardens and wooded hiking trails across some of the 168 acres on the property. Construction started in July 2018 on the next expansion, a children’s garden. We bought an annual pass that includes admission to the main campus plus admission to 300 other member locations of the American Horticultural Society.
Goats on the Roof. This roadside treasure was on our Georgia travel radar from some Pinterest saves, but we had not taken the time to find it. When it popped up along the route of a recent Northeast Georgia route to Clayton, GA, we had to stop. In addition to the named attraction, the team at Goats on the Roof made us two fabulous nitrogen ice cream concoctions: apple pie and blackberry cobbler. Yum! Finding Goats using the Roadtripper App inspired us to write a recent blog on how we find these kinds of travel treasures.
Of course goats do really climb on the roof, probably to enjoy the grass and gaze down at gawking visitors. However, if they ever got into the ice cream shop, they’d probably never venture away from the nitro ice cream.
The Tomato House. When we wrote the term confusing and amusing, The Tomato House was our inspiration. A roadside sign drew us in, thinking it was a farmers’ market of sorts. While a few fresh tomatoes and other farm goods were available, nothing prepared us for the plentiful pickled preserved products present. My wife, Glenda, was so overwhelmed she couldn’t buy anything! And I was so distracted I forgot to take pictures. True story. However, she is making a list of the marinades, meat rubs, pepper sauces, preserves and more for a future visit. And she’s campaigning for a visit to nearby Dahlonega as the reason to drive by again.
The Highest City in Georgia. More than anything else, we simply liked the description of Sky Valley, GA, especially given the ongoing debate about legalization of certain substances around the country. While Helen, GA, made itself a tourist stop with its Bavarian theme, the failed Swiss-architecture resort lodge and some similar-themed ill-kept time shares seem to haunt this town. Not to be outdone, nearbyBlack Rock Mountain State Park promotes itself as the highest state park in Georgia.
The view from the Tallulah Point Overlook Porch is the same as from the parking lot, but the rocking chairs and cold beverages improve your perspective.
Tallulah Point Overlook. Traveling US 23 North, we took the Tallulah Gorge Scenic Loop sideroad based on the road’s name. And at the most scenic point sits the Tallulah Point Overlook – a combination convenience store, rustic roadside museum and souvenir shop. I can’t do better than their own description: “Once you take in the beauty and grandeur, step into our shop and revisit a time when sodas were in glass bottles and toys were powered by a child’s imagination. You will find many things to delight your fancy, things that have been delighting people for generations.” BTW, the scenic view from their covered porch is the same as from the parking lot but enjoying it from one of their rocking chairs and holding a cool beverage is much better.
Carroll’s Sausage and Country Store. Forget that Arby’s ad that proclaims, “We have the meat.” Carroll’s Sausage and Meats in Ashburn, GA, has the corner on that claim. It was the lure of award-winning Vidalia onion and cheese sausage that pulled us off I-75 northbound to this oasis of offal. We left with supplies of that treat, plus jalapeno cheese sausage and snack sticks. And we bookmarked the online store, so now we don’t have to make the 3-hour drive to Ashburn when we want to replenish.
One of our must-stops on the way back North from Florida, we always pick up an array of fresh sausages from Carroll’s in Ashburn.
World’s Largest Peanut Monument. (UPDATE: On our most recent trips in 2019 and 2020, the giant peanut monument was gone. We haven’t discovered if this is temporary — perhaps a refurbishment — or permanent — and definitely a Georgia tragedy. We’re keeping our eyes peeled for more information, while avoiding all nut jokes!) But if we hadn’t stopped at Carroll’s, we might have missed this: A fabricated giant peanut perched atop a cylindrical brick towercommemorating Ashburn, GA, as the peanut capital of the world. Now, there’sreal controversy about whether this IS the largest peanut monument. Plus, these “in the world” claims can get out of hand, as they did in my home state of Louisiana. When a town in neighboring Mississippi offered a competing claim for the Catfish Capital of the World, my hometown of Des Allemands, LA, successfully petitioned the Louisiana legislature to designate it officially as the Catfish Capital of the Universe. The state legislature passed a unanimous resolution in 1980 bestowing that designation perpetually on Des Allemands. (That reminds me: I need to submit that history update to the town’s Wikipedia site.)
Hiking the battlefield at Pickett’s Mill will reveal the well-preserved ground fortifications. Trust us, even if you’re a history buff, they won’t make your vacation picture highlights.
Pickett’s Mill Battlefield. Like in that Sesame Street song, this one doesn’t go with the others. The site of the last major Confederate victory of the Civil War and one of Georgia’s newest state historical areas, Pickett’s Mill Battlefield makes the list because its most notable physical features might be holes in the ground. Along park trails you’ll find some well-preserved battle earthworks, among the best-preserved anywhere. That said, unless you’re a Civil War or military history buff, they’ll look like overgrown trenches — not the kind of stuff you’ll feature in your Facebook posts or highlight in your online vacation photo album. We did a full blog post on a springtime visit.
My Shortest and Wisest Road Trip
This all calls to mind my own shortest road trip. It included only one stop. One pre-Christmas night in the 1908s, I actually drove my wife across the street to go to a neighborhood party, then came back to park in my own garage. The single stop was my neighbor’s driveway. And when I say neighbor, I’m not using that term loosely to describe someone who lives in the same general neighborhood, or even someone with a house a few doors away. No, we drove directly across the street from our driveway to theirs.
A few additional facts by way of explanation. This was in Ohio. The temperature was -5F. The wind was blowing at approximately 20 mph. There was a foot of snow on the ground. And I had failed to shovel our driveway.
What’s Your Favorite Stop?
If you’ve made a favorite stop on the route from here to somewhere, let us know. We’d love to compile a list of favorites submitted by you, and share it with our readers. Just leave us a comment, or send us an e-mail at: contact@ourtravelcafe.com
The apple pie (left) and blackberry cobbler (right) nitro ice cream at Goats on the Roof was the perfect treat on a hot summer day. We’d stop in again for this — with or without goats!
We stopped at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens in Gainesville out of curiosity, then spent much of our time chasing butterflies. It takes time, because you just can’t stage good nature pictures. BTW, now we’re annual pass holders!
There are no such things as bad or boring waterfalls. The power of flowing water. The majestic roar as it plunges onto rocks. The endless variations of drops, splashes, mists and colors.They appeal to something inside and cause us to detour along the roadways of our life.
We love hiking, and the “sweet spot” for our 60-something souls involves walking between two and five miles on the undulating terrain found everywhere in North Georgia. We also enjoy waterfalls and will follow many twists and turns in trails and roads to find them.
But sometimes – especially with grandchildren and younger children in tow – taking the long way around to find great scenery just isn’t practical. Little ones tend to get bored, tired and hungry quickly, and they don’t hesitate to let you know exactly how much they dislike a situation. We also appreciate that some of our friends just can’t take longer walks anymore for a variety of reasons. So, during our in-state travels, we’ve been on the lookout for the tallest waterfalls requiring short walks for enjoying their spectacular plunges.
To clarify quickly our perspective on waterfalls: there’s no such thing as a bad or boring waterfall. The power of flowing water. The majestic roar as it plunges onto rocks. The endless variations of drops, splashes, mists and colors. Waterfalls appeal to something inside and often cause us to carefully plan our journeys or take quick detours along the roadways of our life.
When the leaves are off the trees, Amicalola Falls is visible from the pond near the visitor center. Fishermen try their luck catching trout.
Fortunately, living in the North Georgia foothills of the Smokey and Appalachian Mountains, we’re blessed with a plethora of these natural wonders nearby. We want to see all of them. But for today, here are some of the tallest nearby Georgia falls that can be enjoyed walking less than one mile, roundtrip.
Amicalola Falls
Georgia’s tallest waterfall and the highest in the Southeastern US also is one of the easiest to access. The impressive falls can be seen from multiple viewpoints with only a short walk. The West Ridge trail is wheelchair accessible, coated with recycled tires for safe footing, and takes visitors from a small parking lot to a falls-front bridge featuring a complete view of the 729-foot plunge. The elevation changes only about 100 feet along the wide, 0.3-mile path, so it’s an easy slope for young and old alike.
Visitors seeking the shortest walks also can drive and park at the top of the falls, then use paved and boardwalk trails to watch the waters of Amicalola Creek take their plunge. The falls-top boardwalk offers spectacular pictures of the valley below.
The boardwalk at the top of Amicalola Falls provides a spectacular view of the valley below, and an opportunity to watch the waters plunge over the highest point.
When leaves are off the trees, the falls are visible without any walking from a reflecting pond where the main park road intersects the base-of-the-falls trail. Fishermen often line the pond, hoping to catch some of the trout from the mountain stream.
On our visit, we hiked the base-of-the-falls trail from the visitor center, along the creek, then up the winding boardwalk and stairs to the top of the falls. Several websites debate the actual number of stair steps required to take this route, ranging from 425 up the west staircase from the West Ridge trail,or 600+ if you start at the reflecting pond and count the climbing along the full route. We descended following the West Ridge trail, then took the Spring Trail, Mountain Laurel Trail and Creek Trail before returning to our car at the Visitor’s Center.
The West Trail at Amicalola Falls leads from a parking lot to the mid-level, offering an easy walk and handicap access. Several websites debate the number of stairs at the falls, but it’s a 425-step climb from this midpoint
Toccoa Falls
After reading about the 729-foot drop at Amicalola Falls, the paltry-by-comparison 186-foot drop at Toccoa Falls sounds unimpressive. While that’s a reasonable response written statistics, Toccoa Falls is taller than Niagara Falls. And your perspective changes quickly when standing at the base of this free-flowing falls watching multiple streams of water flow over a cliff into the pool below.
By comparison to Amicalola’s 700+ foot vertical measurement, the 186-foot tall Toccoa Falls sounds unimpressive — until you see it in person. The people at the front provide a perspective on the height of the free-flowing water.
Toccoa Falls is located on a college campus, and privately owned. You enter through a gift shop, and there’s a $2 per adult charge – less for the over-62 and under 10 crowd gets in for $1 and there’s a group rate for visiting hordes. You’ll walk along the Toccoa Creek approximately 0.2 miles on an easy, flat rock path to reach the falls. A few benches are available along the way, and a monument commemorates the 1977 upstream dam break that killed 39 people and nearly destroyed the campus.
Anna Ruby Falls
While the round-trip hike here is 0.8 miles, parts of the trail are steep, rocky and slick. Those with the stamina are treated to a double waterfall where Curtis Creek and York Creek drop into the gorge below. The tallest fall is 150 feet high, while the shorter is 50 feet high.
Two creeks create the twin falls at Anna Ruby Falls. The tallest measures 150-feet; the shorter 50-feet.
You’ll pay two admission fees to see Anna Ruby Falls, the first a $5 entry fee into Georgia’s Unicoi State Park, then a second $5 fee to enter the Chattahoochee National Forest Recreation area. Like at Amicalola Falls, steps, bridges and viewing platforms offer visitors convenience and safe viewing areas.
The combined roar of the two falls nearly drowns out the load chatter of the large crowds that often visit on summer and fall weekends. Located just a few miles away from Helen, GA, Anna Ruby Falls generally attracts tourists visiting Helen for one of the many special event and festivals conducted in the faux-Alpine village.
If you’re in the mood for more, Helton Falls and Lake Creek Falls are nearby to Helen and Anna Ruby Falls, too. We haven’t visited these falls (yet), but our friends at Atlanta Trails provide information on these. Helton Creek Falls is a 0.6 mile walk, while Lake Creek is a longer 2.0 mile walk.
Plan Your Visit
If you’re determined, it’s possible to do all three waterfalls in one day. Since each is a short walk, there’s not much trail time required. But we wouldn’t recommend it, because that just means you’ll drive by lots of other options without time to enjoy. We’d suggest one site per trip, with other stops on the way out and back to enjoy more fully all the surrounding options.
Depending on your route, you’ll find lots of other options for activities. Here are a few we’ve explored recently while visiting these falls:
Ball Ground, for lunch at Les Bon Temps, Ball Ground Burger Bus or Amos’s Barbeque. Gibb’s Gardens is another favorite stop nearby, but deserves a good portion of a day on its own. Conceivably, you could do the quick scenic visit to Amicalola, then visit Gibbs in a single day. We wrote an entire blog on Gibbs Gardens, and are season pass holders at this spectacular garden.)
Jaemor Farms. Just outstanding, and even more fun on weekends despite the crowds. We visited Jaemor Farms on their annual U-pick day for peaches. We loaded up on those plus some farm-fresh goodies and special treats for the grandkids before heading to Toccoa Falls.
We visited Jaemor Farms during their annual U-pick day for peaches. After we had our bushel of fresh fruit, we treated ourselves to some of the other farm specialties.
Toccoa. Make time to drive into the town of Toccoa and visit the Currahee Military Museum located in the renovated train station. The museum documents the nearby World War 2 training base, home to the 101st Airborne as it trained for European missions. You also may encounter film crews in town as five movies have been filmed in and around Toccoa recently. When we visited in July 2018, a Hallmark movie featuring Melissa Gilbert and Cloris Leachman was in production on the main street.
When we visited Toccoa, a crew was filming a Hallmark movie set in the 1960s featuring Melissa Gilbert and Cloris Leachman.
Helen. The faux-Alpine village with lots of interesting activities is quaint, tacky, and definitely unique. But weekends are very crowded.
Some of Georgia’s tallest waterfalls require less than a 1 mile roundtrip walk.
Over any 12-month period, our family typically drives lots of miles traveling from here to there. This year has been no exception, with multiple driving trips from Atlanta to New Orleans, Orlando, Ohio and in-Georgia locations. Plus, our vacation included more than 1,000 miles of driving in Oregon and Washington, circling the western portion of those states from Portland to Crater Lake to the coast to the Canadian border before ending up in Seattle.
Our first Roadtrippers find was Salt Creek Falls in Oregon. A National Park Sign marked the park entrance, but without the app information and guidance, we likely would have driven past. the 286-foot falls.
In the past, we rarely made touring stops as we focused more on our selected destinations rather than enjoying our journeys. Now, with more time available, an insatiable hunger for discovery, and age-related bladder requirements, we’re traveling at slower speeds with more stops along the way.
This combination of factors led us to discover the Roadtrippers app. Leaving Crater Lake and headed for Eugene, OR, we faced a 2.5-hour drive on the winding mountain roads through the Willamette National Forest. Based on our travel down from Bend, anticipated great natural scenery, but wondered if there were any special attractions to be found along the way. Before going too far, we pulled into the Pilot Travel Center in Chemult, OR, to refuel the car, refill our water bottles and take care of biological necessities. I did a quick Google search for road travel apps and stumbled on Roadtrippers. Following a quick download, I plugged in our route, selected “Points of Interest,” and we were on our way to new adventures.
No signs marked the route to Office Covered Bridge, or to the small town of Westfir with its 250-person population.
Roadtrippers highlighted several options for us in a 5-mile corridor along our planned route on Oregon Highway 59. The app provided written and pictorial descriptions of each, marked them on our route, and provided driving guidance. We selected four locations for potential quick stops — a waterfall, a covered bridge, natural hot springs and a scenic dam and lake – and eventually stopped at two of these based on time and weather.
Our first stop was Salt Creek Falls, Oregon’s second-highest waterfall which plunges 286-feet into a deep canyon. A National Park Sign marked the park entrance, but without the app information and guidance, we likely would have driven past. A short walk from a parking area led us to the cliff-side viewing area, where we watched and listened to the roaring water.
A steady rain was falling by the time we got back on the road, so we skipped the next suggested stop at McCreadie Hot Springs. As the rain slowed, we turned off the highway near the tiny town of Westfir, OR, (population 253 or 258, depending on which census you consult) to explore the Office Covered Bridge. After nearly 20 years in the Midwest, we had come to appreciate the utility, longevity and engineering of covered bridges, making this a good stop for us.
At Pacific City, OR, we followed the route to Cape Kiwanda, a short jaunt off the Pacific Coast Highway. Near sunset, we walked the beach near this giant haystack formation and watched Dory Boats run for shore.
We continued using the app along the Pacific Coast in Oregon and beyond, discovering places like Thor’s Well, the Haystack Rock at Cape Kiwanda, hang gliders at Cape Lookout, and Keyhole Arch in Ocean City.
Since returning from our PacNW vacation, we’ve used the app twice on other drives. On a drive back from Ohio, we found the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption in Covington, KY, across the river from Cincinnati. Despite living from 1987 to 2004 no more than 90 miles away from the cathedral and traveling I-75 countless times in that period, we had never heard of or visited this spectacular church. Thanks to Roadtrippers, we veered off the interstate for a 2-hour stop, a great lesson in immigrant history, and impressive photo opportunities that rivaled those we experienced in European cathedrals.
We “discovered” St. Mary’s Cathedral Basilica in Covington, KY, on the Roadtrippers app, after living nearby for more than a decade and driving past on I-75 countless time.
Just a week later, as we were heading to Northeast Georgia for some hiking, winery visits and a stay at the Beechwood Inn in Clayton, GA, we fired up Roadtrippers and identified stops at the new Atlanta Botanical Garden in Gainesville, GA; Toccoa Falls on the campus of a small university, and Tallulah Gorge State Park. It also led us to Goats on the Roof, a kitschy roadside attraction near Clayton, GA, that had been on our travel radar as a potential stop if we were ever nearby.
We knew about Tallulah Gorge and its waterfalls, but not Toccoa Falls. Located on a small private college campus, Roadtrippers helped us find this location.
What I Like (and Dislike) About Roadtrippers
First, it’s free, which is one of my favorite travel words. So aside from the usual registration process and accepting TOCs, using it is fast, easy and virtually risk-free.
Goats on The Roof was on our Georgia travel radar, but we had no specific plans to visit. When we entered our Northeast Georgia route into Roadtrippers, Goats popped up along our way, so we had to stop.
Second, I really like how you can select categories and subcategories to get tips. Primary categories include Things to Do, Outdoors, and Points of Interest along with Hotels, Food and Drink, Camping and Amusement and Nightlife. Some of my favorite subcategories are Offbeat Attractions (in Things to Do) and Photo Ops and Historic (in Points of Interest).
Third, the app allows you to set your destinations and modify your travel corridor. So, if you’re in a hurry and want only a few stops, you can set your travel corridor to a narrow 5-mile radius along your primary route, so you won’t go too far off course. If you have more time for exploration, set the radius out to 30 miles for a broader selection of travel options.
Points of Interest, Things to Do and other categories also include subcategory options if you want to further narrow your interests.
As for my dislikes, I’m not a huge fan of the navigation feature. I found it easiest to enter the suggested next stop into Google Maps and rely on my go-to navigation app for consistency and accuracy. And while the app generally is easy-to-use, it’s best to use it when you have some time and not on-the-fly.
Features I Plan to Use
So far, I’ve used RoadTrippers only to find interesting things along the way. But for those who want road trip ideas, RoadTrippers offers cool sections that suggest great options for exploring. These include The Ultimate Interstate Highway Guides, Weird Off-Beat Guides, Greatest American Roadtrips, National Parks Trips, 48-Hour City Guides and many others. I’ve already read and bookmarked the Blue Ridge Parkway, Natchez Trace, Smokey Mountains and Northern Georgia guides for future reference. Each looks interesting, and since they are nearby, they will be among our upcoming adventures.
The Summary and An Ask
RoadTrippers is a useful planning tool, especially as a supplement to your other research. I would never use it as my primary or only travel guide on a driving trip, but I do recommend it as a secondary resource.
What road trip planning tools do you use and recommend. I’d love to know, share your insights, and test them out in the future.
This arch rock formation was just off the beach in Ocean City, OR.
On our recent Alaska cruise, we signed on for a half-day salmon fishing trip from Ketchikan. Here, I use the royal “we,” referencing the decision-makers in our family who determined that fishing would be a great adventure during our Alaskan vacation.
Based on that introduction, the deductive skills of Sherlock Holmes are not required to understand that I am not a fisherman. Nope, never have been, and never will be. Neither the allure of long periods of macho companionship swapping stories about the ones that go away or the promise of consuming mass quantities of alcohol on a gently rocking boat have enticed me to “enjoy” fishing. But the marital wisdom obtained over nearly 40 years plus some peace-keeping skills that might be useful in the United Nations helped guide me to the right family decision. I booked our expedition in Ketchikan through the excursions offered by Costco Travel, and that’s how we met up with Captain Dan on the docks of Ketchikan for our fishing adventure in a scenic glacial fjord.
We traveled away from the port town of Ketchikan, about three miles down a channel carved by ancient glaciers to reach the fishing grounds.
Let me paint a picture of our Captain Dan. If you remember the movie Forrest Gump, you may recall Gary Sinise as Lieutenant Dan, sitting on an Alabama fishing dock as Forrest sailed past on his shrimp boat. After Forrest jumps off and swims up to Lieutenant Dan with great enthusiasm, Sinise deadpans, “I thought I’d try out my sea legs.” That was our Captain Dan: serious and unsmiling on the outside, but with just enough wit and charm to make him likable.
With much of Alaskan waters closed, our small fishing area seemed as congested as Atlanta’s I-75/I-275 intersection before a Braves game.
After traveling about three miles down a lovely channel, we entered a fishing ground jammed with commercial, charter and private fishing boats closely resembling North Atlanta’s I-75/I-285 intersection at rush hour when the Braves are playing a home game. That’s just slight hyperbole as most of Alaska apparently was closed for salmon fishing, and this small area outside of Ketchikan was one of the rare territories open during our visit.
Which leads directly to the lessons we learned about fishing trips in Alaska, which included:
Wildlife Encounters Are Not Guaranteed. On almost every tour or excursion, guides provided detailed and vivid descriptions of recent wildlife sighting and events. And charter captains love to tell the stories about their best trips. But lawyers must have intervened somewhere along the way, as virtually every description or tale was followed almost immediately by a disclaimer, “Wildlife enounters aren’t guaranteed.” From cruise directors to tour bus drivers and including boat captains, that scripted admonition was recited almost verbatim. While friends and neighbors also had regaled us with tales of spectacular fishing success, our four-person expedition caught only one king salmon, and had only one additional strike. Judging from commercial and recreational boats around us, we weren’t alone in our lack of success. Our captain assured us that his fish finder indicated the presence of fish, but they just weren’t active. Here’s an idea – how about a fish finder with a sensor for identifying the hungry ones? Someone could make Bill Gates/Steve Jobs/Paul Allen type money with that! Anyone have an idea on how to sense electronically and identify fish hunger pangs?
Our four-hour, four-person expedition landed only one salmon. Eli reeled with all his might, his face a mix of fascination, strain and unbridled joy, before landing the fish.
Double-check the Season. While Alaska has a reputation as a land where almost “anything goes,” complex fish and game regulations apply, especially to non-natives and tourists. A variety of authorities now regulate hunting and fishing periods (though according to Captain Dan, over-fishing is a growing problem). Our fishing in Ketchikan was limited to a smallish geographic area, and we were allowed only one king salmon per person. In fact, the regulations were so specific that one of our charter group always had to reel in the line to clear it of seaweed or freshen bait just in case their was a fish on instead of debris. We were further restricted by natural seasons, which we had not considered when booking. Visiting in mid-June, we apparently arrived about two to three weeks early for the best fishing, when salmon are running, almost all of Alaskan waters are open, and the fish are so plentiful they jump into your boat (of course, that last statement followed by a legal disclaimer, “wildlife encounters aren’t guaranteed.) So before dropping lots of cash for an early-season trip, do some research on the areas you’re visiting. And if fishing is your primary reason for visiting, push your trip back to later in the year.
We were surrounded by bald eagles, and captured spectacular pictures and video of several hunting for small fish near our boat.
Enjoy the Experience and the Scenery. If my tone sounds disappointed and grumpy, I apologize – that’s just me, and not the Alaska fishing experience. We had a wonderful time fishing and enjoying the natural wonders in a smaller boat. We were surrounded by bald eagles, and captured spectacular pictures and video of several hunting for small fish around the nearby boats. We were even more thrilled to witness several pods of humpback whales in the narrow channel. One pod seemed to play in a small cove, then turned into the channel and swam out to deeper waters. A second pod swam under our boat, plainly visible on the fish-finder, then surfaced several times within 100 yards of us. (No, we couldn’t tell if these mammals were hungry, either!) We watched in fascination as they blew out their expended air creating small geysers near the boat. Surfacing three times, they then seemed to wave goodbye with their tales before submerging for a longer dive. Turns out we saw more whales for a longer time on our fishing trip than we did on our whale watching tour the day prior. But, remember, wildlife encounters aren’t guaranteed, and we did see three bears playing on a rocky shore during our whale watching trip.
A pod of whales created small geysers near the boat, surfacing three times, then seeming to wave goodbye with their massive tales before submerging
Have Your Camera Ready. As mentioned, we landed one king salmon. Although it wasn’t hooked on his rod, we allowed our 13-year-old son to enjoy an unforgettable experience reeling that 20-pounder to the boat. As I helped hold the pole tip up, the fish ran for awhile before Eli reeled with all his might, his face a mix of fascination, strain and unbridled joy. Unfortunately, since I was helping to hold the pole and Eli was reeling, neither of us could take pictures. Our other family photographer was busy calling out instruction and cheering on the proceeding, with her camera safely stowed in the cabin inside a waterproof bag. We missed documenting this part of the trip — one might argue the raison d’être. No still pictures. No video. And while we do have pictures of the fish in the boat, Captain Dan removing the hook, and then the traditional display of the trophy fish, we’ll never be able to relive those action-shot-moments except in our memories.
Eli landed but wouldn’t touch his fish. We captured the traditional display of the trophy fish, we’ll never be able to relive those action-shot-moments except in our memories.
Don’t Calculate Your Per-Pound Fish Cost. We decided in advance that any fish we caught would be shipped back home for us to enjoy on our return. According to stoic Captain Dan, our 20-pounder would yield about 10 pounds of fish after being cleaned. Forms and a credit card were necessary to complete the easy transaction, valued just over $100. At this point my wife informed me, “Well, that’s cheaper than I could buy it in the store,” explaining that she pays approximately $20 per pound for fresh, wild-caught Alaskan salmon at our local grocery. Now, while I majored in journalism so I wouldn’t have to take math, even my feeble calculating skills recognized that this equation did not include all the potential variables. “What about the cost of the licenses,” I asked, adding another $50 to the total. “Still a good deal at $15 per pound,” was the response. “What about the excursion cost,” I asked, pointing out that Eli’s participation was over $200. “Oh, that doesn’t count because we’re on vacation,” was the next reply. “And what about our cost, another $200 per person,” I asked. Similarly, “We’ve on vacation, so that doesn’t count either,” was the final answer. Over-matched and referring to my mental peace-keeping skills checklist, I capitulated and accepted the logic. After all, we undertook our whale watching excursion with no expectations of returning with whale, and from our dog sledding adventure with no intention of retaining a dog (thankfully!), so why would we consider the cost of our fishing expedition into the cost of fish which we retain?
In addition to removing the deeply-set hook, Captain Dan helped with the forms and credit card transaction required to ship our wild-caught salmon back home.
Our Next Fishing Trip?
After our return from Alaska, we met up with our extended family in Louisiana. There, our grandchildren enjoyed fishing with their great grandfather and other family members. Each grandchild caught multiple fish, small bream hooked from the dock fishing with worms as bait. Which, of course, led to the question about our next fishing trip. At this point, I don’t have an answer. But I can assure you that it will be close by, it won’t require air travel, bus transportation or a cruise ship. And where ever it is, I’ll enjoy every minute of it without ever calculating our cost-per-pound.
Bait fish were ready for use, and greatly outnumbered the fish we caught.
As a rule, we avoid grand openings, soft openings and recently opened travel locations of all types. Why? Because in our business and personal experience, we’ve learned that it takes mistakes, time and practice to achieve a reasonable level of executional competence in any endeavor. That’s truer when success requires delighting experienced travelers like us.
Completely ignoring all those years of painful experience, we journeyed with our extended family group of eight kids and seven adults to Great Wolf Lodge in LaGrange, GA, in its early weeks of operation. And we doubled-down, visiting during a holiday weekend period.
Great Wolf Lodge is an all-in-one resort and water park, opened near Atlanta in 2018. Great Wolf operates 16 locations across the US, with most in the Midwest.
What Is Great Wolf Lodge?
For those who haven’t heard of Great Wolf Lodge, it’s an indoor waterpark attached to a mid-scale resort hotel. A more robust description would include a mixture of water park, adventure park, arcade, vacation lodge and out-of-control day care center where the overwhelmed and frantic parents can enjoy an alcoholic beverage.
The water park features attractions for all ages, from high speed slides to low-key kiddie areas, and a play zone where you can get soaked.
The indoor water attractions are great in summer when Georgia thunderstorms are raging outside and during our mild Southern winters when only Canadians or Russians would dare enjoy a dip in an outdoor pool. Be forewarned: high ceilings and hard surfaces echo the high-pitched voices of children screaming with fear, delight, and dirty diapers. For me, that’s has the same pleasing tonal quality Axl Rose might achieve trying to sing with Frankie Vali and the Four Seasons. OK, maybe that’s slightly inaccurate and my cultural references need updating, but it can be very loud and unpleasant.
The indoor water attractions are great in summer when Georgia thunderstorms are raging outside. Several baseball teams playing in a local tournament returned for the afternoon during this storm.
To be fair and less grandpa-grumpy, Great Wolf operates 16 of these water resorts around the country, and they are rated highly by travelers and travel web sites likeFamily Vacation Critic and TripAdvisor. The water park is open only to overnight resort guests, which keeps the crowds at a reasonable level. Beyond water attractions, an (extra-fee) ropes course, large arcade area and other activity options keep kids of all ages busy. The all-in-one resort concept works well for families traveling with children who need a weekend get-away, a short stop-over on a longer trip, and even a residential base during multi-day sporting events like baseball tournaments, gymnastics competitions and swim meets. The water park features slides that will delight all ages, a wave pool, a lazy river, and lots of play areas where parents can relax while their younger children splash around safely.
Helpful Tips to Plan Your Visit
Although we ignored our own advice with the timing of our visit, we did learn a few helpful tips which can make your visit more pleasant.
Play in the Water Early or Late. Like all arriving guests, we checked in (after 4 pm) and made an immediate dash to the water park, encountering the largest crowds. And we cleaned up and went to dinner around 7 pm, just like everyone else. We decided then to get up the next morning and hit the water early. Arriving for the 9 a.m. opening, there were no crowds. Our average wait time on the popular slides was six minutes, whereas during peak periods we waited up to 30 minutes. The little ones had unlimited time on all the kiddie attraction without waits. As more people began arriving around 11 am, our older kids moved over to the lazy river and wave pools. The same was true after 7 pm, as groups vacated the water attractions and moved elsewhere.
Crowds are largest throughout the afternoon. At busy times, the wave pool and the outdoor pool are often least crowded areas.
Crowds are smallest in the morning hours, and in the after-dinner period. So go early, take a break, and return later if you like shorter lines and smaller crowds.
Join in the Fun. We were among the many adults sitting at tables and in beach chairs watching younger ones have fun in the water. In retrospect, we should have embraced the moment and joined in more of the fun. While we did wander ankle deep into some of the pools with our grandchildren and even braved the water guns and dumping buckets to walk them through the play areas, we now wish we had taken the plunge – literally. Next time!
Next time, we’ll definitely join in more of the fun, including a slow float around the lazy river during an uncrowded morning time.
Plan Your Activities. In addition to the timing of activities, take a few minutes to consider all the available options against your available budget rather than jumping into the resort experience head-first without a plan. The rope course, climbing wall, mini-golf, arcade and gold-panning are all extra-charge activities. So is Magic Quest, which blends a Harry Potter-like sorcery theme with scavenger-hunt-style quests for secret magical locations. A variety of package offers allow you to purchase combinations of activities at a discounted price. That’s a much better idea than wandering around and buying each adventure ala-carte.
Aerial ropes course, climbing walls and mini-golf are among the many activities available for an additional fee at Great Wolf. Combination packages make these more affordable, so plan ahead rather than buying ala-carte.
Bring Some Snacks and Beverages. Many trips to Great Wolf involve driving rather than flying, so we found it convenient to pack a small cooler with cold beverages and a bag-full of convenience snacks. While coolers aren’t allowed in the waterpark, having beverages available in the room was great for our large party of small children. And fruit, peanut butter crackers, and breakfast bars were a great alternative to the high calorie, high salt, high-priced alternatives available from the food outlets.
Venture Out. While Great Wolf is an all-in-one destination, explore the nearby area if you have the time. Specifically, you might want to head into nearby LaGrange for some of your dining as the food outlets at the resort can get crowded and have a limited number of average food options. When we return, we’ll likely have brunch-time meals at the resort, and perhaps an early dinner elsewhere. Beyond dining, Great Wolf is within 30 miles of F.D. Roosevelt State Park, Wild Animal Safari, and Callaway Gardens near Pine Mountain, the Little White House in Warm Springs, and all the park and recreation access areas of the huge West Point Lake. That means lots of opportunities for boating, fishing, hiking, biking, other outdoor activities and touring attraction. If you have the time, we loved our visit to Wild Animal Safari and our drive-thru in the rented touring vehicle where we fed all the animals.
Things we Really Liked
There’s a lot to like about Great Wolf Lodge, and these were our favorites:
Unlimited towels, available at the entrance to the water park. No need to bring your own or try to keep track of where you left your towel.
Don’t miss the free kids programs, which include story time, movies, activities and costumed character interactions. Yes, you likely will do the Hokey Pokey.
Cute entertainment for kids, catering mostly to the 10-and-under crowd. At story and movie times, kids gather in the special lobby area for the shows. Costumed character appearances are scheduled through the day and resort.
Wolf ears, which were distributed to our herd of eight kids and a few of our adults. This may have been an opening-time promotion, so don’t make any promises before you arrive.
Luggage carts, and lots of them, available to help get all your belongings from the acres of parking lots into the expansive, multi-story lodging area.
Snack bars, because while we did bring some bagged snacks, our little one worked up giant hungers for other treats, too. Snack bar food was convenient, portable, and reasonably-priced.
Adult beverages, available at the snack bars and a tiki bar in the water park. Great Wolf does a great job with ID requirements and all the adults who were consuming did so in moderation and were well behaved.
Things We Learned (or Relearned)
As usual, we learned new and old lessons during this travel adventure:
Walking is exercise. While there is a small workout room with the normal cardio equipment, we achieved our daily step count without any real effort. But, that may have been because our little ones (or their parents) insisted on using bathrooms in our rooms rather than the public facilities in the swimming area.
We’re coffee snobs. The Dunkin Donuts outlet serves their usual assortment of donut shop and fancy coffees, but it can be overwhelmed in the morning. A convenience outlet offers decent choice of Kuerig-style pods and a brewer, but we discovered it too late to enjoy our favorite blends. No knock on the resort here, but we missed our favorite blends.
US weight statistics are accurate. At least, that’s our conclusion after viewing normal Americans cavorting near the water in swim styles that expose more skin and body areas that daily clothes. We’re included in that observation, and this experience reminded us to keep our daily exercise routine.
Will We Return?
Definitely. Approximately 90 minutes away (and shorter for much of metro Atlanta), it’s close enough to be convenient and still far away enough to consider as a treat. Plus, our grandkids and visiting family had a great time. While unlike Six FlagsorStone Mountain, there is no “season pass,” we will be checking the website periodically to find opportunities to visit with promotional packages.
Magic Quest, which blends a Harry Potter-like sorcery theme with scavenger-hunt-style quests for secret magical locations. Beware: the game requires the purchase of a magic wand and separate adventures, plus there are optional decorations to customize each wand.
Activating the fire-breathing dragon requires a magic wand, part of the Magic Quest experience.
In the swamps of South Louisiana one has to mix in voodoo and pirate lore to create the real Battle of New Orleans gumbo.
In late 1814, General Andrew Jackson and a ragtag band of regular US soldiers and a variety of backwoods militia traveled down the Mississippi River, where South of New Orleans they met up with locals, freed slaves, Islenos, Choctaw tribesman and pirates to defend the city against the invading 8,000-troop British army. What they didn’t know when they met on Chalmette Battlefield on Jan. 8, 1815, was that the US and Great Britain weeks earlier had signed a treaty that ended the War of 1812.
How these Americans defeated a force twice their size is a great study in negotiation, leadership and military tactics, but in the swamps of South Louisiana one has to mix in some voodoo and pirate lore to fully appreciate the real battlefield gumbo.
Riverboats dock on the Mississippi River, bringing tourist from upriver in New Orleans. Park visitors are welcome to join the ranger-led tours when the boats dock. Contact the park for schedules.
With apologies to songwriter Jimmy Driftwood and singer Johnny Horton, who made the song “Battle of New Orleans” a 1959 chart-topper, we took our own little trip along the pathway of General Jackson down the mighty Mississip’ to the Chalmette Battlefield. Today, the site is part of the multi-location Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve, named for the local Gulf Coast pirate who was a critical part of the negotiations leading to, fight for, and aftermath of the battle.
The Battle Story
Visiting on a steamy summer afternoon, we watched a New Orleans touring paddlewheel ship dock at the river, calliope playing while the visitors disembarked for a brief history tour. We joined the park rangers who met the group, listened in on the “official” battle story, then stuck around for a short personal discussion focused on Jean Lafitte and his pirate band. We were thankful for the large oak trees and gentle breeze that so slightly moved the heavy, thick Louisiana summer air.
Visiting on a hot, humid summer afternoon, we were thankful for the shade of large oak trees during the ranger tour.
While history looks most closely at the final battle at Chalmette on January 8, 1815, the British had approached New Orleans in November 1814, and attacked in a naval skirmish on Lake Borgne east of the city in December. After the British landed their troops southeast of the city, they marched through swamps and fields toward the river. After a meeting between General Jackson and Jean Lafitte at the Old Absinthe House in New Orleans, the Americans waited at a mill canal, digging it deeper and heaping the heavy mud to form a defensive wall. With the Mississippi River to the west, a near-impassable swamp to the east and a canal and wall in front, the Americans commanded a strong defensive position.
When the British main force attacked the fortified position marching in their traditional formed units, they were easy targets for the artillery and rifles of the sharpshooting Americans. In just over 25 minutes of battle, the British lost more than 2,000 men – including their commanding general – while the victorious Americans lost less than 100.
Chalmette Battlefield Today
Visitors today can get a brief history of the battle and short film in the Visitor Center. If you visit in the summer, linger longer and enjoy the air conditioned comfort before the humidity hits you at the exit door. If you dare to visit the 100-foot tower that honors the troops who fought here, be prepared for 122 steps up a narrow passage where steps can be wet and slick thanks to that humidity. While the climb offers a birds-eye view of the battlefield, maximum capacity is 10 adults at any time.
Linger a little bit longer in the air-conditioned comfort of the Visitor’s Center before scaling the 100-foot obelisk that overlooks the battlefield.
A road tour allows cars to drive around the battlefield from where the British began their attack, and stare into the obstacles they faced in their full-frontal attack. The intrepid and prepared can walk (or bike) the 1.3 mile round-trip, stopping along the way at several points of interest marked with historical plaques.
One of the nation’s oldest, Chalmette National Cemetery is the final resting place of soldiers as far back as the War of 1812.
There’s also a walking path over to the Chalmette National Cemetery, adjacent to the battlefield. It’s one of the oldest national cemeteries, and is the final resting place of several veterans of the Battle of New Orleans moved there years later.
Pirate Stories, Swamp Tours and Voodoo
As mentioned, Chalmette Battlefield is part of the six-location Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve. If you’re headed back to New Orleans (or if you’re starting there), the French Quarter Visitor Center on Decatur Street is the main in-city location for the park. Voodoo queen Marie Laveau was active in New Orleans at the same time as Jean Lafitte, so you’re sure to hear some historical stories and wild speculation about how their lives may have intersected.
The intrepid and prepared can walk, jog or bike the 1.3 mile trail that circles the battlefield.
Across the river and in the swamps, you’ll find the Barataria Preserve, offering guided nature walks and the opportunity to see alligators and other swamp creatures. Barataria and the surrounding waters were once the main route for Lafitte and his pirates after their privateering raids in the nearby Gulf. While you’re in the area, book an air boat tour to get deeper into the Louisiana swamps similar to those seen in History Channel’s “Swamp People.”
And for those who have more time, three additional locations to the west in Thibodaux, Lafayette and Eunice offer a variety of local fare, from boat rides to Cajun zydeco music and more.
Home Style Side-Tripping
Since this is close to home for us, we’ve made lots of side trips on the way to here, there or elsewhere in South Louisiana. We’ve covered several in our blog, so if you’re considering visiting the following locations, check out our related blog posts:
Later this year, we’re taking our second Alaska cruise and adding extended visits to Denali National Park, Vancouver, Oregon and Washington. With one Alaska cruise under our belt previously, numerous discussions with friend and neighbors, and encouragement from my family, I undertook the vacation planning on my own.
And now, I need a vacation from planning our vacation.
If you’ve checked out the “About Us” section, you know I’m a seasoned traveler, having visited 47 US states and 30 countries for business and pleasure. So, I’ve been places and done things. But never like this.
The considerations, options, logistics and final decisions of planning a 22-day, trains, planes, automobiles, bus and cruise ship trip for a family of three are overwhelming. At this point, I’m envious of the relative simplicity that faced Merriweather Lewis and William Clark when Thomas Jefferson asked them to take a couple of friends, head out west, collect some souvenirs, make new friends, draw up some maps and report back in a couple of years.
I’m envious of the simplicity that faced Merriweather Lewis and William Clark when Thomas Jefferson asked them to take a couple of friends, head out west, and report back in a couple of years.
Without minimizing the accomplishments of Lewis and Clark, their biggest challenge was the unknown. How do you prepare for that? You can’t exactly, so you do your best based on what you know, pack heavily, and plunge ahead.
But let’s face it, in the 21st century with virtually every inch of the planet documented on Google maps, airline limits on luggage and the complexity of traveling with a teenager and a spouse, that “just-discover-it” strategy doesn’t work. You must make a plan, a schedule, an itinerary and reservations.
Thus in November 2017, we started considering options based around a a 7-day southbound cruise from Seward to Vancouver. Navigating the available choices proved as challenging as sailing the inside passage on a moonless night in the fog without radar. Traveling with our 13-year-old, we bypassed our go-to cruise line, Holland America, in favor of Royal Caribbean, where the crowds skew younger and the onboard activities more energetic. Our general discussions about options continued until the second week of January, when we finally booked the cruise. Done in only six weeks! Hit the easy button!
When we bypassed our go-to cruise line, Holland America, for a 7-day southbound cruise, navigating the other options proved as challenging as sailing the inside passage on a moonless night in the fog without radar.
However, as Jim Croce sang in “Bad Leroy Brown,” the trouble soon began as I started work on the other 15 days. I won’t go into all the details but suffice it to say that it’s virtually impossible to manage the choices and challenges in routing, schedules, lodging arrangements, and activities while adhering to the laws of physics and any sort of budget. And here, the internet is your enemy by always offering more distractions and diversions than solutions. This portion took the entire period from mid-January until shortly before departure – and sometimes it seemed like a full-time job.
In travel planning, the internet is your enemy by always offering more distractions and diversions than solutions.
First, I worked on a pre-cruise itinerary to Denali National Park, since we’re traveling in peak season and Alaska trips book early. Friends informed us that cruise-line arranged Denali trips were s-l-o-w–p-a-c-e-d. We determined we could pack in lots more adventure if we did Denali on our own. That’s how we ended up with three-day itinerary that includes landing in Anchorage on a Monday night, then touring Anchorage, driving to Talkeetna, taking a flight-seeing trip, joining the ranger-led Denali Natural History Tour and Hike, hopefully seeing some wildlife, returning to Anchorage, hopping a bus to Seward, and catching the ship for a Friday evening sailing.
We’re joining the ranger-led Denali Natural History Tour and Hike, hopefully seeing some real wildlife up close and returning to Anchorage in one piece.
For our onboard portion, we wanted to book daily excursions. For those unfamiliar with that term, excursion is cruise-ship terminology for over-priced large-group activities promoted with fabulous pictures and extraordinary descriptions. Then, they are conducted in an over-crowded cruise port and managed to the lowest-common mobility denominator, resulting in a tour pace that would put snails to sleep and experiences as exciting as drinking pasteurized whole milk from a freshly-sterilized glass.
Excursion is cruise-ship terminology for over-priced large-group experiences as exciting as drinking pasteurized whole milk from a freshly-sterilized glass.
Instead, we went the “independent” route, seeking advice from friends, perusing TripAdvisor.com for reviews, and using CostcoTravel.com and direct booking sites to arrange helicopter dog sledding, salmon fishing and whale watching trips with smaller groups. We’re comfortable doing this in US, Canadian and most European ports, but have avoided it in certain ports where crime is high, vendor confidence is low, and negotiation, payment and language are problematic.
Then I started on the 12-day post-cruise portion of the vacation that would make my driving-obsessed, heavy-accelerator-footed father proud. With dogged determination, a few rainy weekends and prolonged periods where no one in my family would speak to me, I finally managed to arrange a general itinerary like this:
Vancouver, free-style touring, 2 days. We’ll likely us the hop-on/hop-off bus as a base, and spend extended times in Stanley Park for bike riding and walking. Since we’ll be here on a Saturday, the Granville Island Public Market figures as a major activity for us as we love these kinds of city markets blending art, shopping, entertainment, and food.
Amtrak Cascades, Vancouver to Portland, 1 day. We booked first-class tickets on this route, rated as one of the most scenic train rides in the US. We’’ll be hugging the coast line and various inlets from Vancouver to Seattle. Then it’s on to mountain views before arriving in Portland. This saves the hassle of renting a car one-way from Canada, and is the reason we didn’t book trains in Alaska. Yes, this is the route of a derailment last December, but that was on a bypass which has been taken out of service for now.
Portland, then late-day drive to Bend, OR, 1 Day. We’ll arrive in Portland late-day, and enjoy some evening time in this quirky city. The next morning, we’ll take in the top-rated Japanese Garden in the country, along with a nearby rose garden. By the late afternoon, we’ll start our trek past Mt. Hood arrive in Bend, OR, after nightfall.
Mount Hood National Park and Bend, OR, 1 day. Other than laundry, I’m not certain of the plan in Bend. But it’s the one place along the way that a family member (surprisingly!) suggested we stop. I’m awaiting further information and instructions, otherwise it looks like a game-time decision.
Crater Lake National Park, 1 day. Leaving Bend early, we’ll do sightseeing and hiking before ending the day in Eugene.
Pacific Coast Drive and Sightseeing, 2 days. We’ll travel Eugene to Pacific City, then Pacific City to Sequim, WA. It’s an ambitious plan, and coast drives can be unpredictable with weather and traffic. Our “must see” list on day one includes Sea Lion Caves, Cape Perpetua (where the cliffs tower 800 feet above the ocean), then Newport and the Otter Creek Loop before staying beachside in Pacific City. Day Two plans include the Cape Meares Lighthouse, horseback riding at Nehalem Bay and Haystack Rock, then a stop in Astoria. From there, it’s back inland to highways and the fastest route to overnight in Sequim.
Olympic National Park, 1 day. Our final ambitious driving day around Olympic National Park starts with Hurricane Ridge, followed by Sol Duc Falls, beachcombing at Second or Third Beach, then Hoh River Rain Forest before making our final drive to Seattle.
Seattle, 2 days. There’s a good chance we may just sleep through until flight day. But, if we can find strong coffee to kick start us, we’ll refuel with good seafood and local beer and good seafood, then power tour at places like Pike Place Market, Olympic Sculpture Park and Chihuly Garden and Glass.
Yellow by train and green by car, our 10-day post-cruise trip would make my driving-obsessed, heavy-accelerator-footed father proud.
Many details remain to be determined, but those will just be worked out along the way.
So it’s done: the itinerary is set, transportation is arranged, and we have places to sleep. Now I need this vacation to recover from planning this vacation. And for our next extended adventure – a trip to Africa – we’re definitely using our friendly travel agent!
More on Lewis and Clark
If you’ve never read “Undaunted Courage” by Stephen Ambrose, I highly recommend it. The book documents the nearly 2 ½-year journey of the Corps of Discovery round trip from St. Louis to the Pacific Ocean in present-day Oregon. Historically accurate, the storytelling is excellent, and it reads more like a novel. For a truly fictionalized account, I also recommend “From Sea to Shining Sea” by James Alexander Thom, well-known for the accuracy of his historical novels. (Note, I’ve linked to Amazon, but both of these remain in print and can be ordered from other sources.)
Second Thoughts on Concessions to a Teenager
As the sailing date gets closer, I’m second-guessing my cruise line choice, realizing that any cruise would have suited our son if we allowed him to have a week-long on-board internet package.
In Louisiana, politics is both art form and entertainment, seasoned with a generous helping of colorful figures, banana republic methods, and demagoguery.
With the divisive politics, angry rhetoric and political personalities in the US today, it seemed fitting during a recent Louisiana trip to take a brief political tour of the US in the 1930s by visiting downtown Baton Rouge and the government landmarks of the city.
Once and again a sleepy university and state capital town located on the Mississippi River, Baton Rouge found itself at the center of US populist movement in the 1930s thanks to Louisiana governor Huey Long. As a candidate and governor, Long proposed expansive education and public works programs, all financed with borrowed money. His populist message propelled him to national attention, and after four years as governor, he was elected to the US Senate. Long originally supported President Franklin Roosevelt and his New Deal. Long’s support faded quickly, and by 1935, he had announced his candidacy for president, along with his “Share the Wealth” plan and defining motto, “Every Man a King.” A ruthless politician and fiery orator often propelled by personal experiences, Long was a fierce opponent to large companies, often calling for them to be broken apart to limit their influence and power. Among his favorite corporate targets were Standard Oil Company (the predecessor to Exxon), and US business titans JD Rockefeller and JP Morgan.
Our landmark tour focused on the heart of 1930s Baton Rouge: The Old State Capital, the Mississippi River and old Baton Rouge Train Station, historic Third Street, and the New State Capital Building.
The “Old” State Capitol
The “Old State Capitol” — also known as the Castle on the River — sits on a high bluff overlooking the Mississippi River
Described in original design papers by architect James Daikin as ““Castellated Gothic,” the building intentionally was designed not to resemble the Greek and Roman architectural style of most large public works projects of the time. Twin octagonal towers tower over the front of the structure and face the Mississippi River, and the entire roof line is notched in the style of European medieval castles.
Mark Twain once referred to the building as “a little sham castle” on the Mississippi River, and wished in his book, Life on the Mississippi, that authorities would have “let dynamite finish what a charitable fire began.”
Regardless, the Old State Capitol– often called the Castle on the River — was restored after the Civil War and most recently in the 1990s, and today stands overlooking the Mississippi River from its high bluff in Baton Rouge.
The highlight of the entry is a cast iron spiral staircase leading to a towering stained glass vault. Strands of multicolored lights shine down to illuminate the building.
Inside, a towering stained-glass vault dominates the atrium, sending multi-colored light down to the floors below and highlighting the cast iron spiral staircase at the center of the building. A single cast-iron support rises from floor to the ceiling, supporting the dome structure.
Today, the building houses an impressive Museum of Political History, mostly focused on Huey Long’s rise to power in Louisiana and the national political scene. Growing up in Louisiana with French-speaking grandparents, I also enjoyed the temporary exhibit focused on the work of CODOFIL (Council on Development of French In Louisiana)to expand French-speaking in the state. Most notable was a single student’s desk, facing a blackboard, on which was written 10+ times, “I will not speak French in school.” It was a vivid reminder that my parents and grandparents often spoke French among their generation (especially when they wanted to keep things from us) but refused to teach our generation any Cajun French.
A single student’s desk, facing a blackboard on which was written 10+ times, “I will not speak French in school,” was a vivid reminder that my parents and grandparents spoke Cajun French but refused to teach our generation the language.
In the extensive exhibit dedicated to Huey Long, we listened to his famous “barbeque speech,” where he uses the analogy of an outdoor barbeque to ferociously attack John Rockefeller and JP Morgan, alleging that they take an unfair share of wealth while poor people remain hungry and unfed. To get a sense of Long’s populist appeal, check out this YouTube video clip of that speech.
Unfortunately, the public is no longer allowed to climb to the top of the front towers overlooking the Mississippi River and downtown Baton Rouge. When attending LSU in the late 1970s, I climbed the stairs to the towers and spent an afternoon on the rooftop taking photos for my photojournalism class.
Louisiana governor and US Senator Huey Long was a fierce orator and leading populist in the 1930s. He frequently attacked America’s richest industrial icons, to the delight of the Depression-era unemployed.
We spent just over an hour at this site, and enjoyed the free audio tour available at the Welcome Desk. Upon leaving, we inspected the cast iron fence which surrounds the grounds.
The “New” State Capitol
Where other than Louisiana, with its heavily Euro-and-African centric colonial history, would a building constructed in the 1930s still be labelled as the “new” anything? But ask any local about the location or history of the State Capitol building, and I guarantee the word “new” will be used multiple times in the answer.
To get the votes needed, Long strategically placed recalcitrant legislators directly under the plethora of leaks in the old capitol’s roof — the Louisiana political version of waterboarding.
During his infrastructure expansion and building spree as governor, Huey Long lobbied the State Legislature to replace the Castle with a new 450-foot skyscraper. Legend has it that after multiple failed attempts, Long gained approval by calling for a vote during a heavy thunderstorm. He strategically placed recalcitrant legislators directly under the plethora of leaks in the old capitol’s roof, finally earning their support by use of this primitive form of waterboarding.
Although it’s been the seat of government since the 1930s, if you ask any local about the State Capitol building, the word “new” likely will be used in their answer.
Oddly, this towering achievement also became the ultimate location of Long’s demise. Long was shot in the hallway behind the main elevators on Sept. 8, 1935, and died two days later from his wounds. Consistent with Louisiana’s banana republic politics, mystery and controversy linger today over the event. The accounts of the day attributed the assassination to a young Baton Rouge doctor. However, there always was speculation that Long actually was shot by his body guards – either accidentally in the hail of gunfire that killed the doctor or intentionally by a bodyguard in the confusion. The alleged assassins’ gun disappeared for many years, and more recent ballistics tests added to the controversy.
Long is buried on the State Capitol grounds, under a large statue that faces the Capitol Building and his home in North Louisiana. That also means his back (and his backside) is facing the cities of Baton Rouge and New Orleans, which never were part of his political base.
The western panoramic view features the Mississippi River and its commercial traffic in the foreground.
The eastern panorama includes petrochemical plants on the left and downtown Baton Rouge to the far right.
The Louisiana State Capitol remains the tallest state capitol in the US, and includes an observation deck that provides a panoramic view of Baton Rouge and the surrounding countryside. Getting there requires an elevator transfer, with larger elevators serving all floors and a transfer stop at the 27th floor. Then, a maximum of six adult visitors can squeeze into a single elevator that serves the observation deck. We got a “hot tip” from the tour desk to head up quickly to beat a large group that was nearly finished with their guided tour. We zipped to the top with no wait and spent 15 minutes gazing and taking pictures. By the time we came back down, there was a 100-person line waiting to take the trip up.
While the distant views are expansive, most items of interest are easily viewed within a 10-mile radius. To the West, at the foot of the Capitol, are the Pentagon Barracks, easily identified by their shape. The Mississippi River, with its heavy seagoing ship and barge traffic, also is to the West, as are the farmland and industrial sites of West Baton Rouge Parish directly across the river.
Huey Long is buried at the center of the expansive lawn. His statue faces the Capitol Building and his home in North Louisiana. His back — and backside! — faces the cities of Baton Rouge and New Orleans, which never were part of his political base.
To the South, Huey Long’s grave site and downtown Baton Rouge are nearby, while the Interstate 10 bridge and LSU are further in the distance. To the North is the Exxon complex, the largest industrial facility in the area.
Back down on the main floor, we visited the Senate Chamber and the House Chamber. The House was in session during our visit, so we sat for a few minutes to watch government in action. Frankly, it’s unimpressive, mostly appears to be inaction, and genuinely fits that old cliché about not wanting to watch sausage being made.
Everything In-Between
Generally, there’s a free trolley that runs through downtown Baton Rouge and connects the Old and New Capitol Buildings. We found it to be as elusive as the ghost which allegedly haunts the Old Capitol. So on a sunny and warm spring day, we walked the riverfront and historic Third Street.
Leaving the Old Capitol, we strolled toward the river, through Repentance Park and across the pedestrian bridge past the old downtown Baton Rouge train station. Located directly in front of the Old State Capital, the station was once a bustling center for lobbyist, politicians, business people and regular citizens. Now, it’s home to the Louisiana Arts and Science Museum and Pennington Observatory.
The river cruise paddle wheeler America was moored at the downtown Baton Rouge dock overnight, while its passengers roamed the city, plantation sites and the casinos nearby.
The City of Baton Rouge and private organizations have transformed the riverfront area over the past 25+ years, creating an impressive riverfront park, walking area and tourist center. The USS Kidd Veteran’s Museumis located there, with the World War II destroyer floating above or resting on a unique mooring that allows you to see the below-waterline hull during low water periods. A few steps downriver is the riverboat-based Belle of Baton Rouge Casino and its land-based hotel.
A riverfront dock sits between those, hosting visiting river cruises on their stops in Baton Rouge. The river-cruise paddle wheeler America was moored here overnight, and most of its guests had disembarked for day excursions into the city and surrounding plantation sites.
Before leaving the levee, we grabbed one of the wooden chairs and stretched out in the sun as the river and its boat traffic flowed by in near silence.
Walking historic Third Street, we stopped along the way to check out newer businesses and remember those that have faded into history. When working as the editor of LSU’s alumni magazine in the 1980s, I often spoke to our 40-and-50-year alumni groups who remembered vividly the heyday of this old downtown area. In our alumni office and archives, we had lots of photos of the LSU band parading down Third Street on football game days and for other special events. But, if you don’t have that reference point, you’ll likely see Third Street for what it is today – a city’s feeble attempt to attract and keep retail and entertainment businesses in an area without enough potential customer traffic.
A Bit of Cajun Food Heaven
Nestled at the foot of Florida Street between Third Street and River Road is Poor Boy Lloyd’s Seafood Restaurant. It’s an authentic Louisiana seafood “joint,” and you’ll know that immediately as the menu includes alligator, boudin, crabs, crawfish, gumbo, rabbit, shrimp and bread pudding. We settled in for a leisurely lunch that included a catfish poboy and an Italian meatball poboy.
Thanks to a serendipitous social media post, we connected with Ron Thibodeaux, author of Hell or High Water: How Cajun Fortitude Withstood Hurricanes Rita and Ike.
Thanks to a serendipitous social media post about our activities, we connected during lunch with my college friend Ron Thibodeaux, author of Hell or High Water: How Cajun Fortitude Withstood Hurricanes Rita and Ike. I highly recommend Ron’s book, as it provides great insight into how the small, tight-knit Cajun communities of Southwest Louisiana stuck together during a series of devastating natural disasters.
OurTravelCafe Favorite Baton Rouge Foods
During our travels, we try to frequent local restaurants, groceries and markets that appeal to us. We generally rely on our own experience and local recommendations, easy in Baton Rouge since we grew up, went to college, live and visit family here. (When we don’t have those insights, we ask friends and fellow bloggers for tips and refer to internet review sites like TripAdvisor, Google Guides, Open Table and Yelp.)
Following are links to reviews we’ve posted about some of our favorite Baton Rouge-area eating stops:
Poor Boy Lloyd’s on Florida Street offered catfish poboys and lots of other local favorites. Among other authentic Louisiana choices: alligator, boudin balls, soft shell crabs, crawfish, rabbit sausage, shrimp and bread pudding.
Pot and Paddle Jambalaya Kitchen, Denham Springs. Jambalaya, pastalaya and gumbo are the features of the limited menu. Two locations currently, but looks to be regional chain-ready for expansion.
Rouse’s Markets. We visited several. This Louisiana grocery store is a leader in the grocer-aunt trend of good fresh foods available for dine-in or take out at a grocery. We were impressed by the boiled local seafoods.
I started here talking about the links between current day populism and Huey Long. There’s another Louisiana political side-story that we can’t overlook in today’s “stormy” political weather. Louisiana politicians are known for their scandalous relationships. Huey Long’s brother and Louisiana governor Earl Long’s relationship with stripper Blaze Starr made headlines. Later, the story became a movie entitled “Blaze,” starring Paul Newman as the governorand Lolita Davidovich as Blaze Starr. The movie is described on Amazon as the story of “A fiery, eccentric governor falls in love with an innocent stripper.”
In the 1970s, Cajun Edwin Edwards began his multi-term stints as governor, then later his term in prison for various misdeeds in elected office. His reputation (often self-proclaimed!) as a “ladies man” was part of his charm, and he once proudly held up a bumper sticker during a campaign rally which read, “Win One for the Zipper.” Edwards is now 90 years old and married to his third wife, who is 50 years his junior. In 2013, the happy couple were the focus of an eight-week television series on A&E Network, called The Governor’s Wife, ending with the birth of their child.
More recently, Louisiana Senator and shoe-in for governor, David Vitter, was caught up in the 2007 DC Madam case. His phone number appeared in the diary of DC Madam Deborah Jeane Palfrey, accused of running a high-profile Washington prostitution service. After the disclosure, Vitter won reelection to the Senate, but then lost the 2015 gubernatorial race to (gasp!) a Democrat! The Washington Post did an insightful storythat speaks to how Louisianans think about politics, and how and why Vitter won reelection to the Senate but then lost the race for governor.
Your Favorite Louisiana Side-Trips?
We’d love to know what you like to do when visiting and exploring Louisiana. Please leave us a note in the comments section.
