USA- FLORIDA AND THE SOUTH'S BEST TRIPS

11 Savannah to the Golden Islesis by booking with the
all-inclusive Lodge on
CINDY HOPKINS / ALAMYY © Little St Simons (p152),
or by joining one of its
day trips, which includes
passage to the island, an
island tour, a gourmet
lowcountry lunch, and
an afternoon to explore
its 7 miles of pristine
beach. Trips depart
from St Simons Island
at 10:30am and return
at 4:30pm. You probably
won’t want to leave, but
you have to. Book at least
a month in advance for
day trips.

4 p152
The Drive » Once you’re

back on St Simons head for
the traffic circle on Federica
Rd where you’ll find the well-
signed turn to Sea Island Rd. A
bridge will lead over the narrow
inlet to this gated isthmus of
an ‘island’.

7 Sea Island

Little St Simons it is not.
Sea Island, the Golden
Isles’ other private ‘isle,’
is much less about raw
nature and much more
about the game of golf.
Billed as a five-star golf
retreat, it features several
restaurants, a 65,000-sq-
ft spa and fitness center,
tennis and squash courts,
and it does have three 18-
hole golf courses, which
is why it was named one
of America’s top 75 golf
resorts. If you do want to
get into nature, join one
of its kayaking or fishing
trips, go horseback
riding, or simply wander

149

11 Savannah to the Golden Isles down to the beach club, woodlands and after-dark turtle walk
which accesses 5 miles of marshlands dominate the at Georgia Sea Turtle
private beach. landscape here, peppered Center (%912-635-4444;
with some of the most www.georgiaseaturtlecenter
4 p152 interesting architecture .org; 214 Stable Rd; adult/
The Drive » Departing Sea this side of Charleston. child $7/5; h9am-5pm
The winter cottages, Sun-Tue, 10am-2pm Mon;
Island, head back to St Simons built between 1884 c), a rehabilitation
where you can cross the and 1929, are now the and research facility
evocative Sydney Lanier Bridge highlight of the Jekyll working to save Georgia’s
to the Jekyll Island Causeway, sea turtles. We love the
the gateway to Jekyll Island. Island National Historic wide beach and scrubby
Landmark District. You dunes accessible off
TRIP HIGHLIGHT may peek inside a few of Borden Lane. It’s empty,
the fancier buildings on breezy and perfect, but
8 Jekyll Island a Jekyll Island Museum Driftwood Beach is
(%912-635-4036; www Jekyll’s sweet spot. On
This glorious island .jekyllisland.com; 100 Stable the island’s northeast
was once the stamping Rd; museum entry free, trolley point, it’s saturated with
ground for America’s rich tour adult/child 6-12yr $16/7; enormous washed-up oak
and famous, and it’s not h9am-5pm; c) trolley trees and is magical at
hard to see why. Sixty- tour. Alternatively, rent dawn.
five percent undeveloped, a bike from the hotel.
The entire island lends 5 4 p153
itself to cycling and
features more than 20 The Drive » Make your way
miles of paved bike
paths. Sign up for an back over the causeway –
absorb the last of those

BEST BEACHES

Georgia’s coastline is long and languid, with ample beaches fringing oak
woodlands and rambling estuaries. Unfortunately, not all of said beaches are
created equal. If you’re craving that idyllic stretch of Georgian sand, one (or more)
of these will do.

»»Cumberland Island One of the two most pristine of Georgia’s barrier islands, the
beaches on the west coast are lovely, with views of the nearby estuary. You’ll see
ample birdlife, and, on its southern tip, south of the Dungeness Ruins, you can often
find shark teeth in the sand. But the east coast is where you’ll want to swim and
camp. Find Stafford Beach, one long, unbroken strip of sand accessible by pedal
and boot, road and trail.

»»Little St Simons Island This private, 10,000-acre island includes an unbroken
and pristine 7-mile Beach, which unfurls along its east coast.

»»Jekyll Island For a comfortable stretch of sand, where you can lay out and enjoy
a day at the beach, find Borden Lane on the east coast and follow it to pay dirt. For
something otherworldy fantastic, it’s all about Driftwood Beach at dawn.

»»St Simons Island With the village occupying the south end of the island, and the
Hampton-like estates walling off access to the beaches in the north, you’ll head to
Massengale Park where you’ll have access to the wide and inviting East Beach.

150

DETOUR: 11 Savannah to the Golden Isles
CUMBERLAND ISLAND

Start: St Mary’s

Cumberland Island (www.nps.gov/cuis), Georgia’s largest and southernmost barrier
island, is the belle of the ball. Isolated, rugged and hauntingly pristine, this 57-sq-
mile island is brimming with wild marshes, unspoiled beaches and a population
and infrastructure lost in time. Think: cultural ruins and ancient oak trees dripping
in Spanish moss. John Kennedy Jr was married on the island at the First African
Baptist Church.

In all, there are 18 miles of roads, best explored on two wheels. You can rent your
bike on the ferry for $16 per day, but unless you’re on the island for several days
of trekking (not a bad idea), the only way to see the whole thing is by booking a
van tour (adult/child $15/12) at the Visitor Center in St Mary’s. Of course, the one
drawback of a van tour is that you don’t actually visit the beach. If you wish to spend
time on the sand, it’s best to pedal or stroll. And no matter where or how you travel,
be sure to bring food. There are no public restaurants on the island. Book passage
(%912-882-4335; www.nps.gov/cuis; round-trip adult/senior/child $20/18/14; hdepartures 9am
& 11:45am, returning 10:15am & 4:45pm) well in advance. Walk-in tickets are difficult to
wrangle, as there is a limit of 300 visitors per day.

If you’d like to experience Cumberland with a bit more style, continue south on
I-95 to Fernandina Beach, FL, where ferries operated by the Greyfield Inn (%904-
261-6408; www.greyfieldinn.com; r incl meals $425-635) – the island’s only hotel – leave
three times a day.

supreme estuary and inlet views get guests over and back the Cumberland Island
(for now) and head inland on to and from Cumberland National Seashore (www
GA-520 to the I-95 south. Exit Island, but it’s attractive .nps.gov/cuis; admission $4)
on Laurel Island Pkwy and follow in its own right and visitor center, where you
the signs to St Mary’s. worthy of at least a can book camp sites, van
night. Sprinkled with tours and transport to
9 St Mary’s historical B&Bs, there and from the island.
is a dynamite Greek
This is is a cute little restaurant here too, 5 4 p153
harbor enclave whose and, most importantly,
raison d’être is really to St Mary’s is home to

151

CREDIT/LONELY PLANET IMAGES ©Eating & Sleeping

11 Savannah to the Golden IslesSavannah 1 catch of the day are grilled, steamed or fried. Its
crab soup (not bisque!) is locally beloved.
5 Wilkes’ House
Southern $$ 5 Palm Coast Cafe $
See Trip h (p216). Inn $$$
(www.palmcoastssi.com; 318 Mallery St; mains
4 East Bay Inn
$8-12) For simple and affordable eats in the
See Trip h (p216).
village, choose among the wraps, sandwiches

and entree salads at this tasty coffee house set

in a cottage on the main drag. Its cozy bar gets a

crowd, it has a rather expansive dining patio out

Darien 3 back and rockers on the concrete front porch.

5 B & J’s Steaks & Seafood Seafood $ 4 St Simons Inn Inn $$

(%912-437-2122; 901 Hwy 17; mains $5-17; By The Lighthouse
h7am-9pm Mon-Sat, 9am-2pm Sun) A humble
roadside diner, and the working man’s (or (%912-638-1101; www.saintsimonsinn.com;
woman’s!) choice for local shrimp. It does half-
pound baskets and full-pound shrimp dinners, 609 Beachview Dr; r incl breakfast from $179;
fried of course. It also cracks oysters and
steams crab in the evenings when in season. paWs) Cute and comfortable, accented

with white wooden shutters, it’s well located

next to the downtown drag and a short pedal

from East Beach. Continental breakfast

5 River House included.

Continental $$

(%912-437-2510; www.darienriverhouse.com; Little St Simons Island 6

306 Fort King George Dr; mains $16-27; h5-10pm

Wed-Sat) Set in a converted whitewashed home, 4 Lodge on Little

steps from the shrimping harbor, this destination St Simons Island Lodge $$$

restaurant attracts regulars from Savannah for (%912-638-7472; www.littlessi.com; 1000

chef Eric Lynch’s three-course tasting menus, Hampton Pt; all-inclusive d from $475; hMay-

which come paired with three wines ($45). You Sep; c) An isolated historical lodge on the

may also order mains like the roast duck glazed pristine and private Little St Simons. Book a

in bourbon barbecue sauce, and classic wild month ahead for day trips.

Georgia shrimp and grits, à la carte.

St Simons Island 5 Sea Island 7

5 Crab Trap Seafood $$ 4 The Cloister Resort $$$

(%912-638-3552; www.thecrabtrapssi.com; (%855-714-9201; www.seaisland.com; Sea

1209 Ocean Blvd; dishes $11-25) A funky, Island Dr; d from $425) Horse stables, a

stripped-down seafood house, with pebbled 56,000-sq-ft spa, 54 holes of golf – no luxurious

concrete floors, a dark-beamed wooden interior stone is left unturned at this Mediterranean-

and vintage diving and fishing gear on display. inspired resort.

Shrimp, oysters, scallops, crab and a fresh

152

Jekyll Island 8 St Mary’s 9

5 Lattitude 31 Seafood $ 5 Riverside Cafe Greek $$

Restaurant & Rah Bar (www.riversidecafesaintmarys.com; 106 St Marys

(%912-635-3800; www.latitude31jekyllisland Rd; mains $8-18; h11am-9pm Mon-Fri, from

.com; One Pier Rd; mains $8-26; h11am-late 8:30am Sat & Sun) A Greek cafe that does a take

) The casually elegant Rah Bar is best for on the gyro called the Riverside Wrap. Pork,

Lowcountry boils. Think: crab legs, shrimp, lamb and beef are mixed, seasoned, pounded

crawdaddies, corn, pork sausage and red into gyro like strips (it doesn’t have a rotisserie),

potatoes. Best paired with beer. Lattitude 31, piled with lettuce, feta, tzatziki and folded into a

the dressed-up dining room, is dinner only, and fresh pita. The spanakopita looks tremendous,

also specializes in local seafood. as well. Come before the ferry and they’ll pack

4 Jekyll Island Club Hotel Hotel $$ a lunch to go.

(%800-535-9547; www.jekyllclub.com; 4 Spencer House Inn Inn $$
371 Riverview Dr; d/ste from $179/279;
paiWs) Sleep in a bygone era in this (%912-882-1872; www.spencerhouseinn.com;
grand historical landmark hotel that once
hosted folks with names like Rockefeller, 200 Osborne St; r $135-245) A historical inn
Goodyear, Macy, Vanderbilt and Pulitzer. It
was built in 1886, and its rooms are decorated c 1872, brushed up pink, there are 14 spacious
with Victorian flair. The cottages are the most
romantic choice here. rooms on three floors, with slightly less

personality and clutter than other local comers.

It’s also more up to date with flat screens

and top-end bath products. Staff book ferry

reservations, pack lunches for day trippers and

serve a full gourmet breakfast each morning.

4 Villas By The Sea Condos $$

(%912-635-2521, 800-841-6262; www

.villasbythesearesort.com; 1175 N Beachview Dr;

condos from $149) A nice choice on the north

coast, close to Driftwood Beach. Villas are

decent, one and two bedroom condos, set in

a complex of lodge buildings sprinkled over a

garden. Not fancy but plenty comfy. Expect flat

screens, queen beds and full kitchens.

153

Dahlonega Mountainous wine
region with 10 vineyards to visit

HENRY GEORGI / GETTY IMAGES © Georgia &
Alabama

12Backroads

If you crave life beyond the common stops and exits, it’s best
to avoid the interstate. Especially in Georgia and Alabama,
where unearthed treasures await.

TRIP HIGHLIGHTS 4–5 DAYS
748 MILES /
59 miles Carters 1204KM
Dahlonega # Lake
An undercover wine GREAT FOR...
region in the splendid
Georgia mountains J

##2 BEST TIME TO GO

# lLAtlanta # March to May for the
best mix of weather,
Gadsden prices and crowds.

# 658 miles I ESSENTIAL
Fort Valley PHOTO
Jasper Because everybody
loves peaches! Breathtaking
##5 mountain views from a
Daholnega vineyard.
mK#8#
K BEST FOR
##6 OUTDOOR
ACTIVITIES
Tuscaloosa Tuskegee
A picturesque college African American The backroads for
town with a football advancement many hiking, paddling
obsession started here and boating options.
398 miles 539 miles
155

Georgia & William B.
Bankhead
12 Alabama National Forest
Backroads
äb74 Cullman #\
Have you ever tried to take a road trip sans interstates?
It’s rather difficult. When President Dwight D Eisenhower GF14 LewLisakSme ith
hatched the interstate system in 1956, several towns, äb69
big and small, and their once-popular attractions, were
suddenly off the cross-country map. Yet being left to Jasper #\ VÓU65
languish kept things sweet, real and homegrown, while
interstate towns often suffered corporate and fast-food äb69 Birmingham ]#
overload. Time to get real.

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1 Atlanta the Atlanta metro area, äb22
yet feels like its own
Begin in Atlanta where leafy small town. There’s ma River
you can catch a breath the lovely courthouse Alaba
of urban culture before square, with a gazebo
heading into the Georgia in its heart, dotted with landscape of blue mountains,
and Alabama backwoods. cute shops and special studded with oaks and pines,
Midtown is one of restaurants, imagined and laced with vineyards.
Atlanta’s most vibrant by top level gourmet TRIP HIGHLIGHT
neighborhoods, and home brains. After dinner,
to the High Museum of head to Brick Store Pub 2 Dahlonega
Art (www.high.org; 1280 (www.brickstorepub.com; 125
Peachtree St NE; adult/child E Court Sq), which draws Here’s a super-charming
a cute young crowd mountain town with
$19.50/12; h10am-5pm Mon- midweek, who come a courthouse square
Sat, noon-5pm Sun), with a for their seven pages of dotted with tasting
truly excellent collection beers! Downstairs serves rooms, representing 10
of early American American craftsman vineyards nestled in the
modern art from the likes brews; the intimate
of George Morris and Belgian beer bar is
Albert Gallatin, not to upstairs.
mention post-war work
from Mark Rothko. For 5 4 p161
dinner, venture a bit off
center to Decatur – which The Drive » Drive north from
is technically still part of
Atlanta on GA-400, and you’ll
soon find yourself in a layered

156

Tennessee River Rich Mountain Raven Cliffs
Wilderness Wilderness

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surrounding mountains. LINK d Hogs & Heifers:
Our favorite is Naturally YOUR A Georgia BBQ
Georgia (p184). They TRIP Odyssey
pour dry whites and
robust, Portuguese- e Civil Rights Drive the backroads
style reds. Dahlonega Tour then taste Georgia’s pit
has gold-mining roots smoking, juicy, spicy,
and the town prospered Delve into the impact backcountry barbecue.
with each strike. In 1838 of Tuskegee on African
the federal government American history,
opened a mint in the and the Civil Rights
town square, where movement on Atlanta,
Alabama and beyond.

157

12 Georgia & Alabama Backroads more than $6 million 3 Carters Lake make your way to GA-20 which
in gold was coined becomes AL-9 as you cross
before the operation An emerald lake the border. AL-9 leads to the
was closed at the dawn nestled in the southern Alabama Scenic River Trail in
of the Civil War. You end of the Blue Ridge Gadsden.
can absorb some of that Mountains, Carters Lake
history at the Dahlonega is a haven for boating, 4 Alambama
birdwatching, hiking and Scenic River Trail
Courthouse Gold mountain biking. Stop at
Museum (%706-864- the Carters Lake Marina River rats can paddle
2257; www.dahlonega.org; (%706-276-4891; www. part of the Piedmont
Public Sq; adult/senior/child carterslake.com; 575 Marina Rd, Section of the 631-mile
$6/5.50/3.50; h9am-5pm Chatsworth; day use per vehicle Alabama Scenic River
Mon-Sat, 10am-5pm Sun). $4, r from $100; h10am-6pm Trail (www.alabama
Of course, the most Apr-Oct; c#), where you scenicrivertrail.com), which
fun to be had here is can rent a pontoon boat begins at the Alabama–
driving past spectacular (no experience necessary) Georgia border and
mountain scenery on or settle into one of the winds its way south
the mountain roads roomy pine log cabins towards Gadsden along
between wineries. We’re with expansive decks the Upper Coosa River.
big fans of Frogtown overlooking the lake. You can put in for a half-
Cellars (%706-878-5000; The most popular hiking day paddle on Terrapin
www.frogtownwine.com; 700 trail in the area is the Creek, one of the Upper
Ridge Point Dr; tastings $15; Amadahy Trail (3.5 miles, Coosa’s tributaries. The
hnoon-5pm Mon-Fri, to two hours round-trip) Terrapin Outdoor Center
6pm Sat, 12:30-5pm Sun) – offering scenic lake views. (%256-447-6666; www
a massive stone lodge For cyclists, the Ridgeway .canoeshop.net; 4114 County
where you can taste Rd 175; h9am-5pm) rents
seven wines for $15. Mountain Bike Trail kayaks and canoes, and
Behind it, Three Sisters (6 miles, 40 minutes) is it has Stand Up Paddle
(p184) is a wonderfully a mixture of single-track (SUP) boards too.
unpretentious vineyard and narrow logging roads
where Cheetos, overalls with creek crossings and The Drive » Head east on
and bluegrass tunes pair technical descents.
just fine with the wine. US 278 back toward Gadsen
And if you still can’t get This area has a bit then veer north on US 431 over
enough mountain magic, of sad history. In 1838, Guntersville Lake. Take the AL-79
hit the trail in Amicalola during the height of the south then the AL-74 west to
Falls State Park (%706- Georgia gold rush, local Jasper, where you can pick up
265-4703; www.amicalolafalls. Cherokee families were AL-69 south to Tuscaloosa.
com; per vehicle $5). rounded up and held
near the present day TRIP HIGHLIGHT
4 p161 dam. They were forced
north, and eventually 5 Tuscaloosa
The Drive » The road gets onto the famed Trail of
Tears. Tuscaloosa is just an
increasingly lonely and luscious hour from Birmingham
as you wind your way west on GA- The Drive » There are several but it feels a million
52 to GA-136 and Carters Lake. miles from everywhere,
backroad options that connect as if farmland and the
Carters Lake with Gadsen, woods were cleared and
Alabama. We suggest heading a college town dropped
west on GA-136, veer south on into the gap. Local life
GA-225, jog left on US 41 then revolves around the

158

TINA BUCKMAN / GETTY IMAGES ©

Fort Valley Peach capital of the Peach State

University of Alabama will want to explore the TRIP HIGHLIGHT
(www.ua.edu) – and Paul W Bryant Museum
Crimson Tide football. (%205-348-4668; www. 6 Tuskegee
The campus is lovely and bryantmuseum.com; 300
leafy: pebbled concrete Paul W Bryant Dr; adult/senior School yourself on
sidewalks lead past & child $2/1; h9am-4pm). African American history
attractive brick buildings Named in honor of the at Tuskegee Institute
to a beautiful quad, legendary coach ‘Bear’ National Historic Site,
featuring an expansive Bryant, this is the which is home to the
lawn and stand-alone Crimson Tide Football
bell tower. Pre-game Hall of Fame. George Washington
festivities begin here, Carver Museum (%334-
before the hordes move 5 4 p161 727-6390; www.nps.gov/
en masse to Bryant- tuai; University Campus
Denny Stadium (p300): The Drive » Arguably the Ave; h9am-4:30pm),
most recently expanded devoted to the iconic
in 2010, it seats more prettiest stretch of highway agricultural pioneer and
than 101,000 people. since you left Dahlonega, the educator. Don’t miss
Real football fanatics – narrow US 82, shaded by pines, The Oaks (%334-727-
many of whom converge rolls over foothills and past 6390; www.nps.gov/tuin.
from across the state small farming towns. This is com; University Campus Ave;
on football Saturdays – the quintessential backroad. In h9am-4:30pm, tours 10am,
Montgomery, rejoin I-85N for 32 11am, 1pm & 3pm Sat & Sun),
miles, into Tuskegee.

159

12 Georgia & Alabama Backroads MOTORCYCLES, MOTORCYCLES to the Confederate
AND MORE MOTORCYCLES... navy. Check out the CSS
Jackson, an 1862 ironclad
If you love motorcycles, or even if you (think you) Confederate navy ship
don’t, the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum that was hauled up after
(%205-699-7275; www.barber.museum.org; Exit 140, 95 years underwater;
I-20, Leeds, Alabama; adult/child $15/10; h10am-5pm and the stunning
Mon-Sat, noon-5pm Sun Oct-Mar, to 6pm Apr-Sep) is an collection of mid-18th-
absolute must. Especially, if you’re swerving these century American
backroads on two wheels. The museum’s collection and Confederate flags,
includes 1200 motorcycles dating from today all unearthed from an attic
the way back to 1902, and at least 600 of them are in – funnily enough –
on display at all times. It was launched by George Massachusetts.
Barber, a local businessman who loved restoring
and racing vintage Porsches. Once his attention The Drive » Skedaddle out of
turned to motorcycles in 1989, he assembled a
restoration team and began collecting in earnest. Columbus and stay eastbound
The sheer range of his collection is mental. Here is a on US 80 into a land of peaches
1912 Indian, there a 1953 Victoria Bergmeister; there and pecans.
are Harleys, Ducatis and BMWs all from decades
long gone, along with plenty of obscure models TRIP HIGHLIGHT
and brands you may not have heard of. Barber also
races these bikes and has a team that wins national 8 Fort Valley
championships on the vintage racing circuit. His
museum is located on the 740-acre Barber Sports Fort Valley is the beating
Motorpark, which includes a speedway. heart of Peach County
(no, really), the peach
the home of Booker T among the original capital of the peach state.
Washington. Born into desegregation pioneers. Your nose, and ample
slavery, he went on to signage, should lead
found the institute and The Drive » Head east out you to Lane Southern
become the university’s Orchards (%800-277-3224;
first president. Five of Tuskegee on US 80 past the www.lanepacking.com; 50 Lane
miles outside of town, Tuskegee National Forest (the Rd; tours adult/senior/child
the Tuskegee Airmen smallest in the USA) and into 3-12yr $6/5/4; h9am-6pm;
National Historic Site Columbus. c), where more than
(p173) has been restored 3000 acres are dedicated
to its former glory as 7 Columbus to the cultivation of
the training grounds peaches and pecans. You
and airfield for the first The main attraction can stock up on the fruits
African American pilot here is the fascinating and nuts themselves,
candidates in the US National Civil War Naval but you may also wish
military. Several of the Museum (%706-327-9798; to explore the peach
original training planes www.portcolumbus.org; 1002 salsa, peach cobbler jam
are on display here. The Victory Dr; adult/senior/child (yum!), peach ice cream,
Tuskegee Airmen were $7.50/6.50/6; h10am- and the peach hot sauce.
4:30pm Tue-Sat, from 12:30pm Learn to embrace the
Sun & Mon; c) dedicated peach! Farm tours are
available in June and
July when the pickings
are at their peak.

160

Eating & Sleeping

Atlanta 1 Lake Guntersville

5 Leon’s Full Service Fusion $$ 4 Lodge at Lake Lodge $

(%404-687-0500; www.leonsfullservice.com; Guntersville State Park

131 E Ponce de Leon Ave; mains $11-24; h5pm- (%256-571-5440; www.alapark.com/

1am Mon, 11:30am-1am Tue-Thu & Sun, to 2am lakeguntersville; 1155 Lodge Dr; r from $96,

Fri & Sat) No pretense, just a gorgeous concrete sites from $17.44; c) This bluff-side resort 12 Georgia & Alabama Backroads

bar and an open floor plan that spills out of boasts rooms, lakeside cottages and a 321-site

a former service station and onto a groovy campground.

heated deck with floating beams. Everything,

from the beer, wine and cocktails (its spirits

are all craftsman, small-batch creations) to Tuscaloosa 5

its menu (think: pan roasted trout served over 5 Nick’s Original Filet House Steaks $

spiced bulgar wheat with roasted cauliflower See Trip q (p306).

and an apple curry broth or house made chicken

sausage in green curry with baby bok choi) 4 Hotel Capstone Hotel $$

is crafted with care. No wonder this place is See Trip q (p306).

packed. No reservations.

4 Hotel Artmore Boutique Hotel $$

See Trip e (p179).

Dahlonega 2

4 Hall House Hotel Inn $$

(%706-867-5009; www.hallhousehotel.com; 90

Public Square; r $100-175) A charming historical

nest on the square dating to 1881. There are

five bright and charming rooms, each uniquely

decorated, some with four post beds.

161

Georgia barbecue Ribs, pork,
chicken, turkey – take your pick

MARYSE RAYMOND / GETTY IMAGES © Hogs & Heifers:
A Georgia BBQ

13Odyssey

There’s brisket in Texas and dry rub in Memphis, but in Georgia
the term BBQ is synonymous with chopped or pulled pork: pit-
roasted, tender, juicy and simmering in succulent sauce.

TRIP HIGHLIGHTS 3 DAYS
681 MILES /
#Cherry Log 78 miles 1096KM
East Ellijay
#3# Colonel Poole’s crispy GREAT FOR...
juicy pulled pork is
#Marietta #2 #5# HB
sublime
mK# BEST TIME TO GO
lL# Atlanta 22 miles
Roswell March to May for mild
#8# Swallow at the Hollow weather, new green
is hip and traditional leaves and wildflowers.
all at once
I ESSENTIAL
Statesboro PHOTO

# Colonel Poole’s Hill
Of Fame, packed with
# pigs of all sizes.

Savannah K BEST FOR
SOUTHERN
Jackson Lexington CUISINE
Fresh Air is open pit Paul’s makes every
enlightenment Saturday a special Exploring, comparing
625 miles occasion and devouring the
215 miles state’s signature meal.

163

Hogs & Heifers: Cohutta ß`515
Wilderness
13 A Georgia BBQ #East Ellijay 3
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landscape are well documented – fried green tomatoes, Alabama River mKRoswell
fried chicken, collard greens and pecan pie among .
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sample Fat Matt’s Rib
Shack (www.fatmatts 4 p169 Columbus
ribshack.com; 1811 Piedmont The Drive » Take US 85 ALABAMA

Ave NE; mains $6-21; northeast and then take GA-140 plates $16-23; h11am-9pm
northwest to Roswell. Wed, Thu & Sun, to 10pm Fri
h11:30am-11:30pm Mon-Fri, to & Sat), many a Georgian
12:30am Sat, 1-11:30pm Sun). TRIP HIGHLIGHT son’s favorite pit kitchen,
Although it does serve and affectionately called
chopped pork we suggest 2 Roswell ‘Swaller At the Haller.’
a slab of ribs (though a The room – actually, it’s
half slab will probably Eventually the Roswell a double wide wooden
suffice). Take special note corrals are replaced shack with a tin roof –
of the Brunswick stew, a with the stark angles smells sweet and smoky
delicious side dish best of planned bedroom and it’s blessed with
described as barbecue community perimeter a humble bandstand
soup. And the best part? fencing...but it’s plenty
It has live blues nightly. pretty enough to sense
Another classic Atlanta the urbane upper middle
haunt is Daddy Dz appeal, and it’s home to
(p179), a juke joint of a Swallow at the Hollow
BBQ shack, consistently (%678-352-1975; www
voted tops in town, and .swallowatthehallow.com; 1072
Green St; sandwiches $9-10,

164

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in the center, backed LINK
by cubes stuffed with YOUR
vintage records. There TRIP
are modern accents –
the stainless steel bar b Savannah to c Georgia &
(with craftsman beer on the Golden Alabama
tap), two flat screens for Isles Backroads
ballgames and ample
outdoor seating. All Follow the coast down Now that you’ve sampled
tables are blessed with to the shrimping town of Georgia’s downhome
the spicy house sauce Brunswick and across cuisine, swerve more of
and house mustard the causeway to the her backroads and soak
captivating Golden Isles. up the local culture.

165

13 Hogs & Heifers: A Georgia BBQ Odyssey too. The chopped pork with chunks of pork. For TRIP HIGHLIGHT
is the thing, but it an extra $5 you too can
does ribs, homemade have a colorful pig on 5 Lexington
smoked sausage and the nearby Hill of Fame!
turkey platters. It even Who cares if the original Lexington is a rather
pit smokes portabella Colonel Poole is best charming historical
shrooms for veg-heads, buds with Tea Party icon town, surrounded by
served with smoked Grover Norquist? OK, Georgia pines and lovely
gouda and fried green that is a little weird. rolling wooded hills. But
tomatoes. Hey, it’s the you’re here for the special
suburbs! The Drive » Head about 10 Saturday-only feast at
Paul’s (%706-338-5099;
The Drive » Take US 140 miles north on GA-515, where Hwy 78, Main St; mains $5-11;
the foothills give rise to fully h9am-2:30pm Sat & July
west to the GA-515, head north formed mountains, rolling 4; c), which starts at
to I-575 north and you’ll find prairies and historical towns ripe 9:30am at his store front,
yourself on a gorgeous stretch for antiquing. just off the town square.
of road that winds high into The tradition started in
wooded Appalachia toward 4 Cherry Log 1929, and Jimmy Paul, a
Tennessee. third-generation smoker,
Just up the road from reckons he cooks 50lb to
TRIP HIGHLIGHT Poole’s, pork, ribs and 60lb of barbecued pork
chicken are served on any given Saturday
3 East Ellijay in a log cabin with a (about three hogs). The
chimney pumping out pulled pork is served
You can’t miss Colonel smoky essence of pit on old-school checkered
Poole’s (%706-635-4100; BBQ. Democrats, such tablecloths. Don’t even
164 Craig St; mains $3.50-9.50; as devout customer think about showing up
h11am-6pm Thu, to 8pm Jimmy Carter, generally after noon unless you
Fri & Sat, to 7pm Sun; c), a feel more at home in want to eat nothing but
right-wing roadhouse Holloway’s Pink Pig baked beans and ‘slaw.
known as the Taj-Ma- (%706-276-3311; www
Hog. Yes, there is still a .budspinkpig.com; 824 Cherry The Drive » The nearly three
Buchanan for President Log St; sandwiches $5-6,
sign on the wall, and plates $10-15; h11am-9pm hour drive south down GA-80
they still harbor a grudge Thu-Sun; c), a fun dining and US 25 takes you through
against the French (they room with exposed foothills from Lexington to
call their fries Freedom beams decked out Statesboro.
Fries); but bleeding- with colorful signs. In
heart BBQ-lovers addition to BBQ, it does 6 Statesboro
(guilty), do not let that soul food like chicken
dissuade you, because and dumplings, chicken A civil rights case was
there is a warmth here, livers, cured ham, and once fought over the
as well as an open pit fried green tomatoes, but integration of Vandy’s
that conceives some the pit is the thing. (%912-764-2444; 22 W Vine
deliciously crispy pulled St; mains $8-14; h6am-3pm
pork, and meaty, fatty The Drive » It’s quite a Mon-Sat; c), a Satesboro
ribs. It does pulled or institution since the ’30s.
bone-on chicken plates, pretty drive southeast down Simplicity wins here. Its
and brisket too. The GA-136, via the lovable college chopped pork sandwich
beans are special, the town of Athens to the historical is served with a vinegar
best we had in the state, antiquing village of Lexington. and mustard sauce on
and they’re swimming

166

JOHN E KELLY / GETTY IMAGES ©

The taste of Georgia Classic pulled pork sandwich

two slices of white bread 7 Savannah there is a transcendent
baked next door. The hog hole in the wall tucked
is smoked overnight in a There are few cities in down a back alley, hidden
massive block-and-brick America as glorious as away among her shady
pit out back to beat the Savannah, a southern squares and elegant
Georgia heat. Statesboro charmer that blends the mansions. Angel’s BBQ
itself is charming and European architectural (www.angels-bbq.com; 21 West
historical, with a jolt of influence of New Orleans
contemporary life thanks with the spreading oaks Oglethorpe Lane; sandwiches/
to the nearby Georgia and hospitable smiles
Southern University. of Charleston. It’s artsy, plates $6/8; h11:30am-3pm
You’re far east at this progressive, walkable Tue, to 6pm Wed-Sat) has a
point, so it’s a good place (check it out on our perpetually smoldering
to crash for the night. walking tour, p136) and smoker that roasts beef
one of those cities you brisket, chicken and
4 p169 simply must visit at least pork – of course. As
once – which means elsewhere across the
The Drive » From Statesboro you’ll probably be back state, the pulled pork is
at least twice. Although its specialty. It’s moist
stay on GA-26 east for about food isn’t generally and juicy, dazzled with
55 miles and you’ll wind up Savannah’s strong suit, its vinegary but not-too-
in Savannah, Georgia’s most sweet house sauce. It also
charming and beautiful city. has a Memphis sweet

167

13 Hogs & Heifers: A Georgia BBQ Odyssey DON’T MISS: WORMSLOE The Drive » If you depart
PLANTATION HISTORIC SITE
late afternoon, the drive from
On the beautiful Isle of Hope, an island connected Jackson through Georgia’s
to Savannah proper by a low-slung causeway that gentle foothills to the Atlanta
spans the wetlands and is surrounded by intercostal area is rather glorious, what with
waterways, the Wormsloe Plantation Historic Site the pale sun flickering through
(www.gastateparks.org; 7601 Skidaway Rd; adult/senior/youth slender stands of feathery pines
6-17yr/child 1-5yr $10/9/4.50/1 ; h9am-5pm Tue-Sun) is along I-75.
one of the most photographed sites in Savannah,
and with good reason. The dreamy entrance leads 9 Marietta
you past the iron gates and beneath a 1.5 mile road
that is sheltered by ancient, mossy oaks that appear This culinary odyssey
to be holding hands over the road. Also on-site are 4 ends in Marietta, just
miles of trails, an existing antebellum mansion, home north of Atlanta, at
to descendants of Noble Jones, and the last colonial Sam’s BBQ1 (%770-977-
ruins in Georgia, along with a colonial site where you 3005; www.bbq1.net; 4944
can see folks demonstrate blacksmithing, and other Lower Roswell Rd; mains $5-13;
long-gone trades. Jones arrived in Savannah with h11am-7:30pm Mon-Thu,
General James Oglethorpe, the city’s founder in 1733. to 8pm Fri & Sat, to 3pm Sun;
c), run by grill master
sauce and a cayenne the Holy Grail of Georgia Sam Huff, who makes
mustard worth trying. BBQ, a glorious warm pork so tender, sweet
Get your meat on a and friendly pioneer- and satisfying he has
sandwich or plate. It has style, wooden roadside been immortalized in
Mexican coke here too. shack. The outdoor song (and on the Food
seating area in front Network). He smokes
4 p169 is covered in sawdust. pork, chicken, brisket,
The Drive » From Savannah, Fresh Air only does ribs, sausages and turkey.
three things: chopped But like elsewhere, pork
the I-16 leads west back up into pork, Brunswick stew is king, and he has the
the foothills, where after 200 and coleslaw. No ribs. awards to prove it. If you
miles and three hours you’ll find No shoulder. The hams can’t bear to leave the
Jackson, and one of our favorite spend a full 24 hours Georgia flavor behind
open pits in the state. in the smoker, which is as you head out of state,
the way it’s been done make sure you sign up
TRIP HIGHLIGHT since 1929. The result is for Huff’s Pork U
transcendent, vinegary (as in university), a one-
8 Jackson BBQ that is even better day open pit cooking
with a dash of that hot intensive where you
Jackson is where you’ll sauce. Congratulations, will learn how to roast
find Fresh Air (%770-775- you have reached swine a whole hog and craft a
3182; 1164 Hwy 42; mains $6-7; nirvana. damn fine sauce, to boot.
h8am-8pm Mon-Thu, to 9pm You’ve had the rest, now
Fri & Sat, to 8:30pm Sun; c), learn to make the best.

168

Eating & Sleeping

Atlanta 1 Statesboro 6

4 Highland Inn Inn $$ 4 Statesboro Inn Inn $

(%404-874-5756; www.thehighlandinn.com; (%912-489-8628; www.statesboroinn.com;

644 N Highland Ave; r from $81; paW) 106 S Main St; r $80-125; c) The homey

Walking distance to Carter Center, rooms and historical choice, walking distance from

aren’t huge and that carpet is a bit threadbare, Vandy’s. An Allman Brothers song was said to 13 Hogs & Heifers: A Georgia BBQ Odyssey

but there is a good vibe here, it’s as affordably have been written here.

nice as Atlanta gets, and it’s well located in the

desirable Virginia Highlands area. Savannah 7

4 Stonehurst Place B&B $$$ 4 Mansion on Forsyth Park Hotel $$$

(%404-881-0722; www.stonehurstplace.com; (%912-238-5158; www.mansiononforsythpark.
com; 700 Drayton St; r weekend/weekday
923 Piedmont Ave NE; r $159-399; paiW) $249/199; aiWs) A choice location and
chic design highlight the luxe accommodations
Built in 1896 by the Hinman family, this elegant, on offer at the 18,000-sq-ft Mansion – the sexy
bathrooms alone are practically worth the
almost Parisian B&B has all the modern money. The best part of the hotel-spa is the
amazing local and international art that crowds
amenities one could ask for and is fully updated its walls and hallways, over 400 pieces in all.
Parking costs $20 per day.
with ecofriendly water treatment and heating

systems, and it has original Andy Warhol

illustrations on the wall! Smack in the middle

of Midtown, this is truly an exceptional place to

stay if you have the budget.

169

Martin Luther King Jr Birthplace
See where a legendary leader was born

PEGAZ / ALAMY ©

14Civil Rights Tour

Absorb the history of the American Civil Rights movement
as you follow in the nonviolent footsteps of the legendary
Dr Martin Luther King Jr from Atlanta to Memphis.

TRIP HIGHLIGHTS 4 DAYS
568 MILES / 914KM
Km 158 miles
Rosa Parks Museum GREAT FOR...
# Memphis Where the Civil Rights
movement found its GB
legs
BEST TIME TO GO
#8# Ll
April to June to dodge
Atlanta # summer crowds and
mosquitoes, and enjoy
297 miles ##Selma # milder climes.
Birmingham 6# ##3
Progressive I ESSENTIAL
Birmingham lays bare PHOTO
its civil rights wounds
The Lorraine Motel and
174 miles National Civil Rights
Lowndes County Museum for interesting
Interpretive Center if tragic photo ops.
Insight into the events
surrounding Bloody K BEST FOR
Sunday HISTORY

The Birmingham Civil
Rights Memorial trail
for intriguing historical
snapshots.

171

14 Civil Rights 1 Atlanta
Tour
The story begins in
To trace the solemn, sad, yet triumphant road of Atlanta, where the Sweet
American civil rights activists is to explore the very Auburn neighborhood
worst and incomparable best of America. Martin was already a bustling,
Luther King Jr’s journey from his Atlanta birth affluent, middle-class
and biblical upbringing to his assassination in beacon of African
Memphis visits the stages of Montgomery, Selma American advancement
and Birmingham and reveals within the human in the oppressive,
experience an infinite capacity to love, endure and segregated South when
cultivate strength and faith, no matter what. a preacher’s son, Martin
Luther King Jr, was
born here on January 15,
1929. You can visit the

Martin Luther King Jr
Birthplace (www.nps
.gov/malu; 501 Auburn Ave;
admission free; htours
10am, 11am, 2pm, 3pm, 4pm &

Km
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4:30pm) on a guided tour, the First Ebeneazor h9am-5pm, to 6pm summer), 14 Civil Rights Tour
one of several sights that Baptist Church (www where there’s a small
form the Martin Luther .historicebenezer.org; 407 gallery on the 2nd floor
worth seeing.
King Jr National Historic Auburn Ave NE; htours
Site (%404-331-5190, 5 4 p179
404-331-6922; www.nps.gov/ 9am-6pm Mon-Sat, 1:30-6pm The Drive » It’s a two hour
Sun), where King’s father
malu/index.htm; 450 Auburn led the congregation, drive south on I-85 across the
Ave; h9am-5pm), Atlanta’s and his mother directed state line and into Alabama.
civil rights nexus. First, the choir. Sit on a
get a powerful civil wooden pew and listen 2 Tuskegee
rights primer at the to Dr King’s voice echo
Visitor Center (%912- through the serene Before the Civil Rights
944-0455; www.savannahvisit. sanctuary of a 1963 movement of the 1950s
time capsule. Nearby, and 1960s, there were the
com; 301 Martin Luther King King is entombed in the Tuskegee Airmen. Also
courtyard behind the known as the Red Tails,
Jr Blvd; h8:30am-5pm nonprofit King Center these African American
Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm Sat & Sun), fighter pilots – America’s
where dehumanizing for Nonviolent Social first – shattered the glass
segregation era laws Change (www.thekingcenter ceiling and received their
are etched into glass. .org; 449 Auburn Ave NE; training at what is now
Across the street is the Tuskegee Airmen
National Historic Site
e# 0 100 km (%334-724-0922; www
0 50 miles .nps.gov/tuai/index.htm;

Chattanooga NORTH
CAROLINA
#]

Tennessee River Cohutta LINK
Wilderness YOUR
TRIP
VÓU59 ÓVU75 ÓVU85
j The Blues Highway
MDouugngtearin lL#Atlanta #]1 From Memphis,
Wilderness get on Hwy 66 and delve
ÓVU20 into the Mississippi Delta,
R Cheaha VÓU20 where like a diamond
Mountain from coal, Mississippi’s
VÓU85 GEORGIA institutionalized poverty,
TNaalltaiodnegaal segregation and oppression
Forest birthed the blues and
American popular music.
#3 Rosa Parks Museum Macon #]
r Memphis to
#4 Dexter Avenue King Memorial Church Nashville
#5 Civil Rights Memorial Center
#] After getting a taste of the
blues, head east to Nashville
##] Columbus and enjoy some honky-tonk
VÓU85 2 Tuskegee enlightenment.

Montgomery 173

RADIUS IMAGES / ALAMY ©

14 Civil Rights Tour

1616 Chappie James Rd; Tuskegee Institute, TRIP HIGHLIGHT
which was America’s
admission free; h9am- first African American 3 Rosa
4:30pm; c) in July 1941. teacher’s college, as well Parks Museum
The first graduating as a noted agricultural
class had 13 cadets, but institute. George It was in Montgomery
eventually over 300 Washington Carver – where the Civil Rights
African American pilots the famed agricultural movement truly found
were trained here and pioneer who developed its footing in 1955 when
served overseas. Their alternative crops to a secretary for the local
legacy is important cotton such as peanuts chapter of the National
because African and soy – taught and Association for the
American soldiers who published here for 47 Advancement of Colored
had served in Europe years; there is a museum People (NAACP), Rosa
enjoyed freedoms there (p159) dedicated to him. Parks, refused to give
that they were denied at up her seat to a white
home, and many began The Drive » Continue passenger on a city bus.
to work diligently for This iconic moment is
desegregation upon southwest on I-85 for recreated at the Rosa
returning to the South another 45 minutes to reach Parks Museum (www
after the war. Tuskegee Montgomery, Alabama’s capital .trojan.troy.edu/community/
is also the home of city. rosa-parks-museum/; 251
Booker T Washington’s

174

Selma Edmund Pettus Bridge

Montgomery St; adult/ Boycott, led by an as yet 3-12yr $10/6; h10am-4pm
child 4-12yr $7.50/5.50; unknown, 26-year-old Tue-Fri, to 2pm Sat), when
h9am-5pm Mon-Fri, 9am- preacher named Martin he was chosen to lead
3pm Sat; c), located in Luther King Jr. the boycott precisely
the former spot of the because he was a
Empire Theater, in The Drive » You can just relative unknown. He
front of which Parks also happened to be
took her defiant stand. as easily walk the two blocks a highly intelligent
Parks wasn’t the first northeast on Montgomery to the seminary graduate,
to engage in this sort traffic circle, and hang a right with passionate views
of civil disobedience. on Dexter Ave. Continue for five about the power of
In fact she was well blocks. nonviolence and civil
trained in the discipline disobedience. Under his
along with some of 4 Dexter leadership, the boycott
her NAACP colleagues Avenue King was unanimous and well
at a retreat not long Memorial Church organized. Overnight,
before her admirable African Americans
defiance. Yet her actions King had only recently abandoned the city
and subsequent arrest presided over the Dexter buses and utilized a
became national news Avenue congregation complex system of
when they sparked (%334-263-3970; www. carpools to get to and
the Montgomery Bus dexterkingmemorial.org; from work. During that
454 Dexter Ave; adult/child

175

14 Civil Rights Tour time, King’s modest or simply their color. march. In his memory,
home, today the Dexter Some of the names like the Dallas County
Parsonage Museum, Emmet Till and Medgar Voting Rights League
was bombed, and King Evers are relatively well decided to walk from
was arrested for the known, others are much Selma to Montgomery
first time along with less heralded and their to highlight police
88 others when local stories just as tragic. brutality, and invited
authorities attempted Inside the center are King and the SCLC to
to outlaw the boycott. interactive displays that join them. But another
But the movement would provide context for each violent police crackdown
not be deterred and on victim. The museum in Selma halted the
November 13, 1956 the is a project of the march. A second attempt
Supreme Court ruled Southern Poverty Law was made, but King
segregation of city buses Center, the legendary turned the marchers
unconstitutional. King nonprofit credited with back fearing for their
had scored his first bankrupting the Ku Klux safety. Finally, the
major victory, and the Klan after it was held march succeeded on its
leadership behind this responsible for a racially third attempt. Halfway
boycott would soon form motivated murder in between Montgomery
the Southern Christian 1987. and Selma, the Lowndes
Leadership Council County Interpretive
(SCLC), a major engine The Drive » US 80 is Center (www.nps.gov/
driving a movement that semo; 7002 US 80; h9am-
would grow in scope and a straight shot west into 4:30pm) is a wonderfully
power. Alabama’s old cotton country. done museum, where a
You are now traveling one of the 25-minute documentary
The Drive » Take Dexter Ave Civil Rights movement’s darkest delves into the march
and most divisive roads, and it in detail. This site was
to Decatur St. Make a right, walk leads to Selma. also integral to the next
one block to Washington Ave, phase of the movement.
and make another right. TRIP HIGHLIGHT The seeds of Black Power
were sown here after the
5 Civil Rights 6 Lowndes County march was over.
Memorial Center Interperative Center
The Drive » Stay on US 80
Closer to the Alabama The Selma to
Capitol steps is the Civil Montgomery National east into Selma.
Rights Memorial Center Historic Trail (www
(www.civilrightsmemorialcenter. .nps.gov/semo; US 80) 7 Selma
org; 400 Washington Ave; adult/ commemorates the 1965
child $2/free; h9am-4:30pm Voting Rights March, On March 7, 1965,
Mon-Fri, 10am-4pm Sat). The one of the most violent aka ‘Bloody Sunday,’
memorial is a circular and contentious of Alabama State troopers
fountain designed by Alabama’s civil rights and recently deputized
Maya Lin – who also confrontations. During local white men attacked
designed the Vietnam voting rights activities 500 peaceful marchers
Veterans Memorial – and in nearby Dallas County, on the Edmund Pettus
a haunting remembrance a young activist, Jimmie Bridge (Broad St & Walter
of 40 martyrs of the Lee Jackson, was shot Ave) with clubs and tear
movement, all activists and killed at point- gas. The whole thing
or citizens murdered for blank range while was captured on video,
their convictions, deeds attempting to shelter marking one of the
his mother from police
batons during a peaceful

176

LOWNDES COUNTY & BLACK POWER 14 Civil Rights Tour

The march from Selma to Montgomery was a watershed moment in the Civil
Rights movement. As well as the violence that turned stomachs around the world,
it also sparked a rupture between the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee
(SNCC) and Martin Luther King’s Southern Christian Leadership Conference
(SCLC).

SNCC was first on the ground in Selma, and was supporting the Dallas County
Voting Rights League when Jimmie Lee Jackson was shot and killed. It invited
the SCLC to join them because King’s stature allowed them to raise money and
receive maximum media attention. Yet some younger SNCC activists, including
Stokley Carmichael who would go on to be a founding member of the Black
Panther Party, bristled at what they saw as a takeover of their organizing work,
and were especially peeved when King turned the marchers around during their
second attempt to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge. When they eventually passed
through Lowndes County on their way to Montgomery, Carmichael promised
local folks that SNCC would be back. He kept his promise, and their ensuing voter
registration drive saw the number of Lowndes County blacks registered to vote
increase from 70 to 2600 – 300 more than white registered voters. The new
party, the Lowndes County Freedom Organization, was the first to employ a black
panther as its logo.

The success of Carmichael’s registration drive had a ripple effect. Locally, about
40 share-cropping families were evicted from their land by their white landlords
after the ensuing election. So they set up a tented camp and lived on what is now
home to the Lowndes County Interpretive Center. On a national level, within a year,
the existing SNCC leadership – closely allied with Dr King – was ousted in favor
of Carmichael, who made more waves when he delivered his first ‘Black Power’
speech in Greenwood, Mississippi in 1966.

first times Americans and culminating with a north on AL-191 before merging
outside the South had classic King speech on with US 31 and I-65 north into
witnessed the horrifying the capitol steps. The Birmingham.
images of the struggle.
Shock and outrage was National Voting Rights TRIP HIGHLIGHT
widespread, and support Museum (%334-327-8218;
for the movement grew. www.nvrm.org; 1012 Water Ave; 8 Birmingham
Eventually President adult/senior & student $6/4;
Lyndon Johnson ordered h10am-4pm Mon-Thu & by Progressive Birmingham
the Alabama National appointment) is near the was not always so
Guard to protect what base of the bridge. The inviting. When Bull
became over 8000 bulk of the organizing Conner was the sheriff,
marchers (Joan Baez took place at the striking civil rights activists, led
famously walked among brick-red Victorian by Dr King, embarked
them) who poured church, Brown Chapel on a desegregation
in from across the (410 Martin Luther King St). campaign downtown.
country to walk the Their strategy was to
54 miles in four days, The Drive » From Selma, flood the city jails with
beginning on March 16 students, many of them
head east on AL-22, skirt the high school students
pine dappled lake at Paul M
Grist State Park, then veer

177

14 Civil Rights Tour who became known as It begins at the BCRI. support of the black
‘foot soldiers’ within the The saddest and most sanitation workers’ strike.
movement. After weeks enduring memory of The visit was tense, and
of restraint, police set the campaign remains King’s entourage noticed
attack dogs upon the kids the murder of four little he was more nervous
and firemen blasted them girls when the 16th than usual. On April 4,
with water canons in Street Baptist Church while standing on the
Kelly Ingram Park (1600 (www.16thstreetbaptist.org; cnr balcony of room 306
5th Ave N), and on the city 16th St & 6th Ave N; donation at the Lorraine Motel,
streets. The campaign $5; hministry tours 10am- James Earl Ray shot
also gave us King’s famed 4pm Tue-Fri, 10am-1pm Sat) him in the neck and
‘Letter from Birmingham was bombed by the Klan face. King collapsed,
Jail’. All this history is during Sunday School. one foot hanging off
on display at the superb the railing, and died.
5 4 p179 Both the Lorraine Motel
Birmingham Civil Rights and the boarding house
Institute (www.bcri.org; 520 The Drive » From from where the shot was
16th St N; adult/senior/child allegedly fired are part of
Birmingham take the US 78 west the National Civil Rights
$12/5/3, Sun free; h10am- for 219 miles through the Holly Museum (p330); see our
5pm Tue-Sat, 1-5pm Sun). The Springs National Forest and walking tour (p330).
seven-block Birmingham merge onto I-240, which snakes
into Memphis. 5 4 p179
Civil Rights Memorial
Trail (www.bcri.org; 520 16th 9 Memphis
St N), installed in 2013
for the 50th anniversary It was here that King’s
of the campaign, depicts crusade was abruptly
22 moving scenes with halted in April 1968,
statues and photography. when he visited in

178

Eating & Sleeping

Atlanta 1 Birmingham 8

5 Daddy Dz Barbecue $$ 5 Bottega Italian $$$

(%404-222-0206; www.daddydz.com; 264 (%205-939-1000; www.bottegarestaurant.

Memorial Dr; sandwiches $6-12, plates $13-20; com; 2240 Highland Ave S; lunch mains $13-19,

p) This juke joint of a BBQ shack, consistently dinner $25-42; p) Enjoy a spot of Birmingham

voted tops in town, is smack in downtown posh at this fine Italian bistro in the Highlands. 14 Civil Rights Tour

Atlanta, and has soul to spare, from the graffiti It impresses with creative pizzas like fried

murals on the red, white and blue exterior oyster and pancetta or the Persian piadine with

to the all-powerful smoky essence and the watercress, mint, dill, walnuts and radish. It

reclaimed booths on the covered patio. Order also does a nice pasta with pork meatballs and

the succulent ribs or a pulled pork plate. You’ll a popular hangar steak, not to mention a pan-

leave smiling. roasted venison.

4 Hotel Artmore Boutique Hotel $$ 4 Redmont Hotel Historical Hotel $$

(%404-876-6100; www.artmorehotel.com; 1302 (%205-324-2101; 2101 5th Ave N; r/ste from
W Peachtree St; r $134-274; aiW) This fun art- $89/129; aiW) A historical hotel built in
deco gem in Midtown combines excellent service 1925, the piano and chandelier in the lobby
with sizeable rooms and suites and a superb lend a certain old-world feel throughout and all
location across the street from Arts Center deluxe rooms have been renovated, giving it a
MARTA station. The 1924 Spanish-Mediterranean modern edge. The spacious rooftop bar doesn’t
architectural landmark was completely revamped hurt, either. It’s walking distance to the civil
in 2009, resulting in a satisfying boutique hotel rights sights.
that’s become an urban sanctuary for those
who appreciate their trendiness with a dollop of Memphis 9
discretion. Parking is $18.

Montgomery 5 Cozy Corner Barbecue $$

See Trip n (p275).

5 Farmer’s Market Cafe Southern $ 4 Talbot Heirs Guesthouse $$

(www.farmersmarketcafe.net/; 315 N See Trip n (p316).
McDonough St; meals $6.75-8.75; h5:30am-
2pm Mon-Fri) This oversized downtown cafeteria
serves up God-fearing Southern home cooking
at recession-friendly prices according to the
meat/veggie combo of your choice. Don’t skip
the grits casserole.

179

Amicalola Falls State Park Tumbling
cascades and hiking aplenty

ZACH HOLMES / ALAMY ©

15Appalachian Trail

Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina each claim a section
of the 2175-mile Maine-to-Georgia trail. On this journey you’ll
get a taste of the trail and the charming towns alongside it.

TRIP HIGHLIGHTS 5–7 DAYS
343 MILES / 552KM
13 miles 301 miles
Springer Mountain Carvers Gap GREAT FOR...
Here it begins A panoramic 10-mile
stretch of the AT J

Great Smoky KmLaurel Fork BEST TIME TO GO
Mountains
Gorge & Falls # April to October, when
National Park # the AT is open for
#1#1 long-distance and day
hikers.
#Max Patch #8
I ESSENTIAL
Mountain # PHOTO

##5 Hot Springs Max Patch Mountain
Submerge into the for signature views of
lL##2 welcome heat on the the lower part of the AT.
# riverside
242 miles K BEST FOR
Amicalola Falls # OUTDOORS
State Park Dahlonega 138 miles
Nantahala Outdoor The AT – the original
long-haul trail and a
Center mecca for outdoors
Paddle class III rapids enthusiasts.

181

15 Appalachian Trail

Originally the idea of one man, Benton MacKaye, as an antidote to the busy,
urban lifestyle of the East Coast in the 1920s, the Appalachian Trail (known
as the AT) was completed in 1937. The entire route is marked by a series of
2in x 6in white blazes, and is for foot traffic only. Our trip will allow you to
experience the trail with a minimum of sufferance.

Po well RCivlienrch River Holston River mK
Laurel Fork
h^11W
#12 Gorge & Falls
VÓU81 Johnson ]# #11 Carvers Gap

TENNESSEE Û]11E City #10

h^ÓVU75 11W \# XWÕ181 Roan

]Û11E Greeneville

Knoxville #] VÓU40 Hot Mountain

Springs State Park
ÓVU40 Sevierville
VÓU75 ]Û19E
#\#
Û]411 VÓU40 \#8
#Maryville
H#\# Gatlinburg Û]441 9 Pisgah National Lake
Forest James
#Great Smoky Max Patch p188
#Mountains 6 7 äb73 Mountain

FG]Û129 Asheville #\ VÓU40
National Park 7 Û]74A
Fontana ]Û441
\#Village NORTH
CAROLINA
#Nantahala Outdoor Û]74
Center 5 Middle ÓVU26
\# Prong
Wesser Wilderness

Little Frog Ù[74 Ù[23 JoLcaaksseee
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Û]19 Ellicott
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at Walasi-Yi Lake Greenville #]
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SOUTH
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Reservoir Forest
13 100 km
e# 0
0 50 miles

1 Amicalola Center (%706-265-4703; thru-hike the entire route 15 Appalachian Trail
Falls State Park www.gastateparks.org/info/ in one go, but many hike
amicalola; 418 Amicalola Falls the trail in sections – a
There is no better State Park Rd, Dawsonville, GA; few months, or weeks, at
way to get a feel for h7am-10pm), which also a time.
the grandeur of the offers exhibits and a gift
Appalachian Trail than shop. The Drive » Thirty miles
at its Georgian gateway,
Amicalola Falls State 4 p189 north of Springer Mountain
Park. Amicalola, a by foot is your first stop in
Cherokee Indian word The Drive » Thru-hikers can civilization, but if you’re on
meaning ‘tumbling wheels, it’s 65 miles by car down
waters,’ is an appropriate trek here from Amicalola Falls graded roads. Take Service Road
name for these 729ft State Park, but if the 604-step 42, make a right on GA-60 and a
falls – the tallest cascade staircase freaks you out, take left on GA-19. Always check road
east of the Mississippi GA-52E to Winding Stair Gap Rd, conditions before starting off.
River. The park offers and you’ll find some nice views Sometimes roads are closed or
more than 12 miles of of Springer Mountain. impassable due to weather.
hiking trails, including
the 8.5 mile Approach TRIP HIGHLIGHT 3 Mountain
Trail, past the falls to Crossings at
Springer Mountain, 2 Springer Walasi-Yi
where the Appalachian Mountain
Trail officially begins. Mountain Crossings at
The Appalachian Trail Walasi-Yi (%888-MT-XINGS;
Get set up with maps officially starts on www.mountaincrossings.com;
and local hiking tips top of this mountain, 9710 Gainesville Hwy, Blairsville,
at the Amicalola Falls marked with a plaque: ‘A GA; hostel per person per night
State Park Visitors footpath for those who $15; h9am-5pm Mon-Thu, to
seek fellowship with the 6pm Fri-Sun) is the one and
LINK wilderness.’ only man-made intrusion
YOUR on the trail. Of course,
TRIP Most thru-hikers parched and sore hikers
(or ‘2000 milers,’ as will be happy it isn’t a
7 The Great those who walk the mirage, as they follow
Smokies Appalachian Trail in the AT directly through
a single journey are the store, which has
If you want still more known) usually start served as an outfitter
mountain madness, here, at the Georgia to AT hikers since it
further explore the glory terminus (about two was completed by the
of the Smoky Mountains. hours north of Atlanta), New Deal’s Civilian
in the late spring, and Conservation Corps in
d Hogs & Heifers: finish five to seven 1937. There are hostel
A Georgia BBQ months later on Mt beds for those who’d like
Odyssey Katahdin in Maine, 2175 to do the first part of
miles to the north. About the trail and then hike
Take a detour from 400 to 600 registered (or hitchhike) back to
Dhalonega and explore hikers complete the Springer Mountain. And
the soulful, smokey journey each year, about if you’re a thru-hiker and
sustenance that is a quarter of those who already blown through
Georgia barbecue. set out. Altogether, only gear or forgot something
a little over 10,000 brave vital, they’ll have it here.
and hearty trekkers
have ever completed the
journey. A few of those

183

15 Appalachian Trail The Drive » Take US 19 nearby vineyards for a Falls. (For more on the
tasting. Frogtown Cellars NOC, see p103.) The AT
from Mountain Crossings to (p158) is a beautiful cuts through the parking
Dahlonega. winery and has a killer lot beside the outdoor
deck on which to sip store then crosses the
4 Dahlonega libations and nibble river on the pedestrian
cheese. bridge. From the NOC
In the 1820s the it’s a 4-mile (strenuous!)
Dahlonega area was Nearby Three Sisters hike to Jump Up, a
the site of the country’s (%706-865-9463; www rocky outcrop boasting
first gold rush. Its story .threesistersvineyards.com; outstanding views, or a
is told inside the oldest tastings $15; h1-5pm Thu-Sun) 6.5-mile hike to the top
courthouse in Georgia, is as unpretentious as it of Wesser Bald (4627ft)
built in 1836, and is quirky, where fine wine and the former fire tower,
home of the Dahlonega is paired with bluegrass, now an observation
Courthouse Gold overalls and Cheetos. deck, offering panoramic
Museum (p158). But views of the Great Smoky
the new boom can be 5 4 p189 Mountains. Hiking
seen in the thousands north, it’s a longer,
of acres of vineyards that The Drive » It’s yet another more strenuous hike (8.1
lace the surrounding miles) to the summit of
mountainsides. gorgeous drive up GA-19 Cheoah Bald (5062ft),
Naturally Georgia through Vogel State Park and which offers splendid
(www.naturallygeorgia.com; 90 the Blue Ridge Mountains into panoramas of the
Public Sq North; hnoon-5pm North Carolina. Hang a right on Southern Appalachians.
Mon-Thu, to 8pm Fri-Sun), on US 74 to Bryson City. There are AT sleeping
the courthouse square, is shelters all along the
a combined tasting room TRIP HIGHLIGHT trails for overnight
and art gallery where hikers.
they pour surprisingly 5 Nantahala
good dry whites and Outdoor Center The Drive » It’s a lovely 65
Portuguese reds from
Tiger Mountain (you Go wild at your next stop, miles up US 74E to US 441N into
can find them in Whole the Nantahala Outdoor Tennessee and the Great Smoky
Foods) and Crane Creek Center (NOC; %828-488- Mountains National Park.
(a vintner who only sells 2176, 888-905-7238; www.noc
locally). Or you could .com; 13077 Hwy 19/74; kayak/ 6 Great
simply head to one of 10 canoe rental per day $30/50, Smoky Mountains
guided trips $30-189), where National Park
the Appalachian Trail
and Nantahala River This 815-sq-mile park is
meet. Nestled in a steep America’s most visited
gorge, the river offers but studies have shown
8 miles of easy class II that 95% of visitors
rapids before splashing never venture further
through exciting class III than 100 yards from
whitewater at Nantahala their cars, so it’s easy
to leave the teeming
WARNING masses behind. In total
there are 842 miles of
Always check road conditions before starting off. trails in the Great Smoky
Sometimes roads are closed or impassable due to Mountains National
weather, especially in the winter and spring.

184

Park, including 73 miles TOP TIP: 15 Appalachian Trail
of the Appalachian CLINGMANS DOME
Trail which acts as a
natural border between Although it may be tempting to take the lazy man’s
North Carolina and alternative (ie drive), it is much sweeter to sweat your
Tennessee. Clingmans way to the summit. Especially since you’ll be hiking a
Dome (6643ft) is almost 7.7-mile slice of the Appalachian Trail, which begins in
dead center in the park, Newfound Gap. Sure, it parallels the road in sections,
and is its highest point. but don’t let that dissuade you, and if you’d rather
The easiest way to get not walk down the mountain, you can easily hitch a
here is to take US 441 to ride back.
Clingmans Dome Rd – a
7-mile spur road that chapels and play hillbilly The Drive » Take TN-73 east
ends in a paved parking mini-golf. Love it or hate
lot. From there it’s a mere it, the entire village is to the TN-32 into Newport
half-mile walk to the a gin-u-wine American where you’ll turn onto the US 70
peak. The Sugarlands roadside attraction. east into the Cherokee National
Visitor Center (www. The best activity here Forest and back over the North
nps.gov/grsm; Hwy 441; is the Ober Gatlinburg Carolina state line.
h6am-7pm summer, hours Aerial Tramway (www
vary off-season) is a great .obergatlinburg.com; 1001 TRIP HIGHLIGHT
resource for travellers. Parkway; adult/child $11/8.50;
You can get backcountry h7:30am-6:20pm Sun, 8 Hot Springs
permits ($4 per night) to 10:40pm Mon, Fri & Sat,
and reserve your camp 9:30am-9:49pm Tue-Thu). A Hot Springs is known for
site here. It has loads of ski or snow tube area in its steaming, frothing
maps and advice, and the winter and an alpine mineral water upwelling
behind the visitor center slide in the summer from the earth to heal
is a mile-long nature trail time, families love the you. Hot Springs Spa &
to the modest but lovely ride to the lodge at the Mineral Baths (%828-622-
Cataract Falls. top of the mountain in 7676; www.nchotsprings.com;
the glassed-in gondola, 315 Bridge St; mineral hot tubs
The Drive » It’s just 3 quick and enjoy coming down $15-45, massage $50-100;
even more. Ole Smoky hnoon-10pm Mon-Thu,
miles down US 441 from the 10am-midnight Fri-Sun) has
Sugarlands Visitor Center to Moonshine Holler 17 outdoor riverfront
downtown Gatlinburg. (%865-436-6995; www hot tubs fed by natural
.olesmokymoonshine.com; springs that range from
7 Gatlinburg 903 Parkway; h10am-10pm) 100°F to 104°F, plus
is a stone-and-wood massage rooms and a
Wildly kitschy moonshine distillery pre- or post-massage fire
Gatlinburg hunkers where you may peer pit for relaxing. Want to
at the entrance of the over oak barrels and hit the river? Huck Finn
Great Smoky Mountains copper boilers then taste Rafting (%877-520-4658;
National Park, waiting that fiery hooch. Don’t www.huckfinnrafting.com;
to stun hikers with the bother with the flavored 158 Bridge St; trips adult/child
scent of fudge and cotton varietals. It’s all about from $35/25; h8.30am-6pm)
candy. Tourists flock the White Lightening. will set you up. Take a
here to ride the gondola, 5-mile guided trip down
shop for Confederate-flag 5 4 p189 the French Broad River
undershorts, get married on class IIs and IIIs,
at the many wedding

185

IAN DAGNALL / ALAMY ©

LOCAL VOICEPAT & CHUCK BLACKLEY / ALAMY ©
ANDREW DOWNS,
APPALACHIAN TRAIL
CONSERVANCY

The Appalachian Trail is maintained
by volunteers, and more than 6000
people work to protect it each
year. Volunteers meet at a base
camp ready for adventure and
the ATC provides the food, tools,
safety equipment and leadership
necessary for crews to get the job
done. Want to meet some great
folks, live on the AT for a week and
paint a blaze? Join the Konnarock,
Rocky Top or Mid-Atlantic crews
and bust some trail! Check it out at
www.appalachiantrail.org/crews.

Top: Main Square, Dahlonega
Left: View From Grassy Ridge, Roan Mountain
State Park
Right: White-tailed deer buck, Great Smoky

186 Mountains National Park

15 Appalachian Trailor brave a 9-mile trip
with class IVs. To float
KEN CANNING / GETTY IMAGES © at your own pace, hop
into a kayak (adult/child
$35/30) or inner tube
($15).

5 4 p189
The Drive » It’s a brilliant

45-minute mountain drive from
the springs to a bald peak. Take
NC-209 south for about 7 miles
from Hot Springs, turning west
on NC-1175 for 5.3 miles then
turn onto Max Patch Rd (NC-
1182). The parking area at the
foot of the bald is 3 miles down
Max Patch Rd.

9 Max Patch
Mountain

While there is pleasant
hiking both north and
south, the 1.6-mile round
trip hike, accessed from
a trailhead on Max Patch
Rd, offers the best pay
off for the least amount
of sweat. The Short
Loop Trail winds up
the Appalachian Trail’s
southernmost bald, Max
Patch Mountain. From
atop the grassy summit
there are panoramic
views of the Blacks,
Balds, Balsams and the
Great Smoky Mountains,
of course. On a clear
day you can even see
the highest point in the
eastern US – Mount
Mitchell (6684ft). Add
another mile, pick up
the peak, and enjoy even
more scenic beauty on
the Long Loop Trail.

The Drive » Hop over the

border to Tennessee, then
continue another 50 miles on

187

15 Appalachian Trail TN-352 and I-26. Take exit 32 from the Tennessee side of the Roan Mountain
to reach Roan Mountain State to stray across the line, ridge, the 6285ft Roan
Park. as North Carolina was High Knob.
a dry state back then.
a Roan Mountain There’s also a great The Drive » It’s just a 27 mile
State Park 4.6-mile round-trip hike
to Little Rock Knob (4918 drive through the Cherokee
This park (%800-250- ft) through hardwood National Forest between
8620; www.state.tn.us/ forests, with epic clifftop trailheads. Take NC-143 north
environment/parks/roan views into Tennessee. and turn left on TN-37 north.
mtn/; 1015 Hwy-143, Roan
Mountain; h8am-4:30pm) 4 p189 c Laurel Fork
encompasses 2006 acres The Drive » Just 8 miles past Gorge & Falls
of southern Appalachian
forest at the base of Roan Mountain State Park on Two moderately taxing
6285ft Roan Mountain. NC-143 you’ll reach Carvers Gap. hikes lead to Laurel
On the top of Roan Fork Gorge & Falls. The
Mountain, straddling TRIP HIGHLIGHT vertical walls of the
the Tennessee–North gorge rise 100ft on
Carolina border, are b Carvers Gap either side of the AT, the
the ruins of the old only trail through the
Cloudland Hotel site. Carvers Gap is where gorge. You can access it,
The 300-room hotel was a set of log steps leads and the 40ft falls, on one
built in 1885 by Civil War to a section of the of two feeder trails. The
General John T Wilder. Appalachian Trail which first is a 5-mile round
Legend has it that North crosses a 10-mile series of trip, and the other, a
Carolinian sheriffs would so-called grassy balds – 2.6-mile round trip. To
hang out in the saloon, treeless mountains with hike the former, access
waiting for drinkers unobstructed views over the blue-blazed Hampton
Tennessee’s Blue Ridge Blueline Trail where
Mountains. Theories I-321 crosses Laurel Fork
for their evolution in Hampton, TN (there’s
include everything from a parking lot for hikers
extensive grazing to their here). The shorter hike
creation by aliens. Uh can be reached by
huh. To the south, the AT taking TN-67 from
climbs to the high point Hampton to Braemar,
where you can pick up
DETOUR: USFS 50 (Dennis Cove
ASHEVILLE Rd) for the 3 miles to
the parking area on the
Start: 8 Hot Springs left. Both hikes use the
Appalachian Trail and
With its homegrown microbreweries, decadent with the exception of
chocolate shops and stylish New Southern eateries, the steep and quite
Asheville is one of the trendiest small cities in the rocky descent to the
east. Glossy magazines swoon for the place, but falls – which can be
don’t be put off by the hipsters and the flash. At treacherous – it’s quite
heart, Asheville is still an overgrown mountain town, flat and easy.
an oasis for hikers, musicians and artists, and more
than a few hard-core hippies.

188

Eating & Sleeping

Amicalola Falls State Park 1 Gatlinburg 7

4 Amicalola Falls Lodge Lodge 5 Wild Boar Saloon & Steaks $$
Lodge $$
(%706-265-8888; www.amicalolafalls.com; 418 Howard’s Steakhouse
See Trip 7 (p111).
Amicalola Falls State Park Rd, Dawsonville, GA;
4 Bearskin Lodge
campsites $50, r & cottages $54-249) The lodge
See Trip 7 (p111).
is a full-service hotel with beautiful views from 15 Appalachian Trail

every room, while the rustic cottages sleep

four to 10. You can eat buffet-style at its Maple
Restaurant.
Hot Springs 8
4 Len Foote Hike Inn Lodge

(%800-581-8032; www.hike-inn.com; 240 5 Smoky Mountain Diner Diner $

Amicalola Falls State Park Rd, Dawsonville, GA; (%828-622-7571; www.mokymountaindiner

r $97-140; hyear-round) You will be far, far from hotsprings.com; 70 Lance Ave, Hot Springs, NC;

the rat race at this hike-in-only lodge, 5 miles mains $5-13; h6am-8pm Mon-Sat, to 4pm Sun)

from the nearest road. You’ll need to carry in Located directly on the Appalachian Trail running

everything, haul out your own trash and reserve through town, fuel up for a day of hiking with one

in advance. It serves three meals a day. of the giant egg dishes. Re-energize with burgers,

meatloaf or fried chicken when you return. Save

Dahlonega 4 room for pie.

5 Back Porch Oyster Bar Seafood $$ 4 Mountain Magnolia Inn Inn $$

(%706-864-8623; www.facebook.com/ (%828-622-3543; www.mountainmagnoliainn.
BackPorchOysterBar; 19 North Chestatee St;
mains $9-30; h11:30am-8pm) Oysters, ahi com; 204 Lawson St; r incl breakfast $100-230,
and clams are among the bounty flown in fresh
daily to be shucked, seared and steamed at this ste $175-185) Built in 1868, and featured in
neighborhood fish house. Everything about it is
homey and inviting, and the food delivers. This Old House, HGTV and Southern Living, this

upscale inn gives guests an opportunity to enjoy

the health-giving properties of the springs,

while its restaurant completes the experience

with pricey organic fare. Some rooms are in

4 Hiker Hostel Hostel $ buildings off-site.

(%770-312-7342; www.hikerhostel.com; 7693

Hwy 19N; dm/r $18/42; paiW) This Roan Mountain State Park a

converted log cabin is owned by a couple of avid 4 Roan Mountain

cycling and outdoors enthusiasts. Each bunk

room has its own bath and is wonderfully neat State Park Lodge Lodge $

and clean. It even has espresso. (%800-250-8620; www.state.tn.us/

environment/parks/RoanMtn/; 1015 Hwy 143,

Roan Mountain; campsites $11-20, r from $67,

cabins $80-120; hyear-round, tent camping

Apr-Nov) Book a camp site or cabin amid one of

the trail’s most beautiful locations.

189

STRETCH . Sentient Bean
YOUR LEGS
SAVANNAH Savannah is a coffee-loving town, and
there’s no better place to start your
Start/Finish: Sentient Bean, morning than Sentient Bean (www
Forsyth Park .sentientbean.com; 13 E Park Ave; h7am-
Distance: 3.3 miles 10pm; W), a fabulous bohemian cafe
Duration: Three hours with terrific coffee, gourmet scones,
a hipster clientele and baristas with
Savannah is a living museum attitude (the good kind). Plus, it’s just
of Southern architecture and across the street from Forsyth Park.
antebellum charm. Gorgeous and full
of Old South charisma, its historical The Walk » Step across the street and stroll
heart is freckled with pleasant
squares shaded by spreading oaks through Savannah’s most central, and most
dripping with Spanish moss. This beautiful, park.
town was made for walking.
Forsyth Park
Take this walk on Trips
Gushing with fountains, draped with
bd mossy oaks, unfurled with vast lawns
and basketball and tennis courts, this
190 is one dynamite city park. The Visitor
Center has a number of brochures and
maps that delve into local architecture
and history and is worth stopping by.
You also might consider staying the
night at the hip and swanky Mansion
on Forsyth Park (p169).

The Walk » From the north end of the park

continue straight to elegant Monterey Sq, your
first of many such rectangular oases of charm.

Mercer-Williams House

The location of an infamous homicide,
the Mercer-Williams House (www
.mercerhouse.com; 429 Bull St; adult/child
$12.50/8) was bought and restored by
eccentric art dealer Jim Williams in
1969. Inside you’ll find the room in
which Danny Hansford was murdered
in 1981. That story is at the heart of
Midnight in the Garden of Good and
Evil, the book and subsequent film that
put Savannah on the map.

The Walk » From Monterey Sq, take Bull St

north for four blocks, past a row of historical
homes to E Charlton St on Madison Sq.

Shop SCAD

Creative impulses charge through
Savannah’s veins, thanks in large part
to the Savannah College of Art & Design
(SCAD). SCAD students are legion, its

TuWrnOergBleltvhdorpe Ave W York St Telfair Square W Bryan St W Bay St Savannah River
SCAD Museum # St Wright
# Warren E Broad St 400 m
LouisvoilfleARrdt 1 EESBtartoeuSgSthqton St 0.2 miles
1 Sq
W Charlton 1
Martin Luther King Jr Blvd St 1 E Bay St
Montgomery St 1
Orleans Bull E OW11gY1leotrhkoLrnpe
Sq AbercDorranytSotn St 1
1 1
WWHLaibrreisrtySSt t
1 11 Ave
1
1

11

# SEtLiberty

W Taylor St E Shop EEJoCnheasrlStot n E Harris St
W Gordon Ln St
# SCAD
Jones Ln

W Huntingdon St WMHoeilurlicsaeeEmrH-suntinEgEdGEoaGnTsoatSroydtnlooSrntSStt
W Hall St

W Bolton St Forsyth #
Park
Bull St Weaton St
J%W Park Ave LAibnceDrorlcanoyrtnSotnStSt
Price St eE Gwinnett St
W Henery St E Broad St
# Sentient Bean # 0
0

graduates often settling in town to paint 8pm Thu, noon-5pm Sun; c) has 20th- and
or open flower shops, textile depots or 21st-century art.
design businesses. All the wares – throw
pillows, art books, jewelry and T-shirts – The Walk » Take York St west to Montgomery,
on sale at ShopSCAD (www.shopscadonline.
com; 340 Bull St; h9am-5:30pm Mon-Wed, to head south to Oglethorpe and west again. Cross
8pm Thu-Fri, 10am-8pm Sat, noon-5pm Sun) Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, one of town’s major
were imagined by SCAD students, streets, and walk two long blocks to Turner Blvd.
alumni or faculty.
SCAD Museum of Art
The Walk » Make a right on Harris St and
More than the sum of its parts, the
meander through Laffayette Sq (one of our SCAD Museum of Art (www.scadmoa
favorites) then make a left on Abercorn St and .org; 601 Turner Blvd; adult/child under 14yr
another on York St. $10/free; h10am-5pm Tue, Wed & Fri, to 8pm
Thu, noon-5pm Sat & Sun) is a new brick,
Telfair Square steel, concrete and glass longhouse
carved with groovy sitting areas inside
Two of Savannah’s most popular and out, and filled with fun rotating
museums are set around this leafy exhibitions – like an installation of
residential plaza. The Telfair Academy video screens strobing various karaoke
of Arts & Sciences (www.telfair.org; 121 interpretations of Madonna’s Lucky
Barnard St; adult/child $12/5; hnoon-5pm Mon, Star. It has intriguing mixed-media
10am-5pm Tue-Sat, 1-5pm Sun) is filled with pieces and an inviting cafe.
19th-century American art and silver,
and a smattering of European pieces. The Walk » Your mile-and-a-quarter walk back
Nearby, Jepson Center for the Arts
(JCA; www.telfair.org; 207 W York St; adult/child to the start follows MLK to Harris St. Make a left
$12/5; h10am-5pm Mon, Wed, Fri & Sat, 10am- to Barnard, and head south, through Pulaski and
Chatham Sqs. Make a left on Gaston to enter
Forsyth Park.

191

192

Mississippi,
Louisiana &
Arkansas

VENTURE INTO THESE THREE DISTINCT,
ALLURING STATES and you may just fall in
love. Arkansas flaunts granite bluffs, scenic
rivers, quirky mountain towns and narrow
trails that lead to the edge of heaven. In sultry
Mississippi, juke joints hum until the wee
hours, historical Oxford is the kind of fun-yet-
refined college town that reels you in, and the
Natchez Trace Parkway is the most beautiful
highway in the South. Then let Louisiana
satiate you with the naughty flavor, period
architecture and addictive soundtrack of
New Orleans. Outside Crescent City, explore
a fertile maze of plantations, misty bayous
and swamps, and tasty Cajun towns. The
complex, tortured, musical, joyful Southern
soul is laid bare here, and you’ll leave inspired.

Natchez Trace Parkway French Camp Museum (Trip 16) 193

DANITA DELIMONT / GETTY IMAGES ©

Mississippi, e# 00 50 m10il0eskm
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Russell Sage
Foundation Marsh Island
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RAYMOND KLASS / ALAMY © DON'T
MISS
Buffalo River View from Steel Creek overlook (Trip 22)
French Quarter
g Natchez Trace Parkway 3 days
The journey south from Nashville stuns with Wrought-iron balconies,
natural beauty and American history. brick-covered ivy, and
Creole, Spanish and
h Southern Gothic Tour 7 days Caribbean architecture:
Trace the backstories of the South’s most revered the timeless French
literary legends. Quarter is an adult
Disneyland. Explore it
i Historical Mississippi 3 days
Mississippi’s complex history is on display from on Trips imr
Oxford to Vicksburg to Natchez.
Rowan Oak
j The Blues Highway 3 days
A soulful ramble to the root of American popular William Faulkner spent
music. years on this peaceful
Oxford estate, and
k Cajun Country 4 days to see his home is to
Explore bayous, dance halls, crawfish boils and glimpse his soul. See it
folk ways in Louisiana’s idiosyncratic Acadiana region.
on Trips ij
l Gulf Coast 4 days
Glimpse the Gulf from Louisiana wetlands, Clarksdale
Mississippi beaches, and industrial Alabama ports.
The hub of the Delta
m Backroads Arkansas 4 days has the Crossroads, a
Hike, paddle, zip and drive through Arkansas’ spectacular juke joint
soul-stirring countryside. and comfortable digs
from which to explore
the blues. Visit it on

Trips jkr

Natchez

This laid-back river
town is an antebellum
time capsule, and a
charming respite for
a few days of strolling
and contemplation. See

it on Trips hjr

Buffalo River

Scenic and protected,
the crystaline Buffalo
wends between
majestic bluffs. Paddle

mthe river on Trip

195

Natchez Trace Parkway Stirring
history and natural beauty

DAVID R FRAZIER / ALAMY ©

Natchez Trace

16Parkway

With emerald mounds, opulent mansions and layers of history,
the Natchez Trace Parkway winds 444 gorgeously wooded
miles from Nashville all the way to southern Mississippi.

TRIP HIGHLIGHTS 3 DAYS
444 MILES / 714KM
Ll
GREAT FOR...
Nashville #
# Franklin B

140 miles #6# 178 miles BEST TIME TO GO
Tishomingo ##9 Tupelo
State Park September to
Stunning nature, #1#1 A little Elvis always November and April
indigenous history livens things up to June to dodge the
sweltering heat.
251 miles
Jeff Busby Park I ESSENTIAL
One of the best views PHOTO
on the parkway
Emerald Mound for
#Jackson magical sunset views.

mK#1#4 433 miles K BEST FOR
Emerald Mound HISTORY
Natchez # An ideal stop for a shot
The whole route for
of peaceful glimpses of indigenous
contemplation ways, echoes of a
pioneering past, and
the birthplace of Elvis.

197

16 Natchez Trace
Parkway

America grew from infancy to childhood then adolescence in the late 18th
and 19th centuries. That’s when settlers explored and expanded, traded and
clashed with Native Americans, and eventually confronted their own shadows
during the Civil War. Evidence of this drama can be found along the Natchez
Trace, but before you begin, hit the honky-tonks and enjoy a little night
music.

1 Nashville get bounced. Enjoy a arching elegantly over the baby-
less-controlled musical bottom-smooth highway for the
Although this leafy, environment at Tootsie’s next 444 miles.
sprawling southern Orchid Lounge (p328), a
city – with its thriving glorious dive smothered 2 Franklin
economy and hospitable with old photographs
locals – has no scarcity and handbills from the Although it’s just 10 miles
of charms, it really is all Nashville Sound glory outside of Nashville,
about the music. Boot- days, although the music it’s worth stopping
stomping honky-tonks (still country) has evolved in the tiny historical
lure aspiring stars from with the times. Bluegrass hamlet of Franklin. The
across the country in the fans will adore Station Victorian-era downtown
hopes of ascending into Inn (p329), where you’ll is charming and the
royalty, of the type on sit at one of the small nearby artsy enclave
display at the Country cocktail tables, swill beer of Leiper’s Fork is fun
Music Hall of Fame, (only), and marvel at the and eclectic. But you’re
which you can visit on lightning fingers of fine in the area to check out
our walking tour (p328). bluegrass players. one of the Civil War’s
Don’t miss Bluebird bloodiest battlefields.
Cafe (p315): tucked into 5 4 p206 On November 30, 1864,
a suburban strip mall, The Drive » The next day 37,000 men (20,000
this singer-songwriter Confederates and 17,000
haven was made famous head south, and you will traverse Union soldiers) fought
in the recent television the Double-Arch Bridge, 155ft over a 2-mile stretch
series Nashville. No above the valley, before settling of Franklin’s outskirts.
chit chat or you will in for a pleasant country drive Nashville’s sprawl has
on the parkway. You’ll notice turned much of that
dense woods encroaching and

198