Woman | Hole In The Donut Cultural Travel

Chatting With President Franklin D. Roosevelt At The Little White House In Georgia

Published June 23, 2009 | By Barbara Weibel

President Franklin D. Roosevelt nodded at me from his wheelchair on the porch of his favorite retreat in Warm Springs, Georgia.

“Good afternoon, Mr. President,” I said.

“May I inquire where you are from?” he asked.

“Sarasota, Florida.”

“Ah, yes. I have traveled to your part of the country to inspect military installations and harbors to make sure they are ready in the event of war.”

The conversation was surreal. The distinguished, soft-spoken man in the wheelchair looked like every photo of FDR I have ever seen. It felt like I’d stepped into a time machine and been transported back to 1938. He went on to explain that he first came to Warm Springs in 1924 to swim in nearby mineral springs, searching for relief from polio.

Bob Prater portrays FDR on the rear porch of the Little White House

FDR became so enchanted with the area that he built a small vacation home on the side of Pine Mountain while running for president in 1932. Throughout his terms he made many trips to the cottage, which by then had been dubbed the “Little White House.” During these visits he spoke with neighbors to learn about their difficulties, especially during the Great Depression. New Deal policies such as the Rural Electrification Administration, Civilian Conservation Corps, and Tennessee Valley Authority grew out of these conversations. Today the Little White House is one of Georgia’s most popular historic sites. Guests can tour Continue reading →

Posted in Southeast US travel |

Tagged blogsherpa, central georgia, Georgia, healing, history, little white house, photos, polio, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the south, Travel, USA, Warm Springs, woman |

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Chasing Butterflies At Callaway Gardens In Pine Mountain, Georgia

Published June 20, 2009 | By Barbara Weibel

It was gray and drizzly on the afternoon I arrived at the Cecil B. Day Butterfly Center in Pine Mountain Georgia. I stepped inside the octagonal glass Conservatory, prepared to be wowed by more than 1,000 butterflies of 50 different species flying freely throughout the enclosed rain forest environment. But nothing was happening; hardly a butterfly was in sight. Staff members explained that butterflies rest in overcast weather.

Glassed-in Conservatory houses Cecil B. Day Butterfly Center at Callaway Gardens

I wandered through the facility, enjoying its tropical plants and waterfalls as I kept one eye peeled for the occasional lethargic butterfly and the other on the leaden sky. As usual, luck was with me. A short time later clouds began to break up and the sun peeked out. Sensing sun-warmed air, the butterflies and moths emerged from hiding. At first just a few fluttered around, then hundreds more rose into the air and began flitting from flower to flower.

One of 50 species of butterfly at Callaway Gardens

Continue reading →

Posted in Southeast US travel |

Tagged blogsherpa, Callaway Gardens, Cecil B. Day Butterfly Center, central georgia, Georgia, parks, photos, Pine Mountain, the south, Travel, USA, woman |

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Hotels Have Come A Long Way Since The Days Of Stagecoach Travel

Published June 18, 2009 | By Barbara Weibel

Since I’d opted to extend my stay in Toccoa, I took advantage of the opportunity to visit Traveler’s Rest State Historic Site, located in the Tugaloo Valley just five miles east of town. This 1815 stagecoach inn and plantation house has been completely restored, providing visitors with a glimpse of what it was like to undertake long-distance travel in the first half of the nineteenth century.

Traveler's Rest State Historic Site, Toccoa, Georgia

Following Cherokee trading trails that later became wagon roads, Traveler’s Rest was built to accommodate travelers on the Unicoi Turnpike, a busy thoroughfare connecting the Tugaloo and the Little Tennessee River on the western side of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Although an imposing structure for its day, the inn was anything but luxurious. A common joke was oft repeated about such inns:

During his stay at a crowded inn, a traveler complained to the innkeeper about a dirty rag on the washstand in his room. The innkeeper replied: “Sir, more than a hundred people have used that rag today, but you are the first to complain about it!”

The Joe Brown room, the nicest in the inn, was available for $1 per night – which would equate to about $100 per night today. It was named for Joseph E. Brown, Georgia’s Governor from 1857-1865 and a U.S. Senator from 1880-1891. In 1847, Brown and his new bride spent their honeymoon night in this room. Continue reading →

Posted in Southeast US travel |

Tagged blogsherpa, Georgia, historic site, hotels, landmarks, photos, the south, Toccoa, Travel, Travelers Rest, Tugaloo Corridor, Unicoi Turnpike, USA, woman |

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Toccoa, Georgia – Go For The Waterfall, But Stay For The History

Published June 16, 2009 | By Barbara Weibel

My tour of waterfalls seemingly at an end, I spread the map out on my lap and contemplated the best route between Tallulah Falls and Atlanta, Georgia. As I scanned my options I noticed a red dot on the map, not far from my current location. I squinted to make out the small print: Toccoa Falls. Another waterfall! There was no question I would divert to see it.

Toccoa Falls, 186 feet high, is located on the campus of Toccoa Falls College

Upon arriving in Toccoa I stopped by the renovated train station that serves as the area’s Welcome Center to ask directions. My intention was to make a quick stop at the waterfall and then be on my way but the gracious staff convinced me there was much more to see in this tiny town nestled in the foothills of the Southern Appalachian Mountains. With no schedule to adhere to, I decided to investigate what Toccoa had to offer.

I began with the Stephens County Historical Society Museum and the Currahee Military Museum, both also located within the historic railroad depot. In the Historical Society Museum I wandered from exhibit to exhibit, learning about well-known personages connected with Toccoa. I was not surprised to discover that President Franklin D. Roosevelt was among them. Roosevelt’s love affair with Georgia is well known; he often traveled to his vacation home in Warm Springs, Georgia, which became known at the “Little White House.” On one such Continue reading →

Posted in Southeast US travel |

Tagged Band of Brothers, blogsherpa, Currahee Mlitary Museum, Dirty Dozen, Georgia, history, James Brown, medicine show, museums, Music, Olympics, Paul Anderson, photos, President Franklin Roosevelt, Saving Private Ryan, the south, Toccoa Falls, Travel, USA, weightlifting, woman, WWII |

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Spectacular Trails and Waterfalls in Tallulah Gorge State Park

Published June 13, 2009 | By Barbara Weibel

By the time I crossed over into northeast Georgia from the mountains of North Carolina, I was tired. For days, I’d been hiking back country trails, shimmying down river embankments, and clambering over rocky cliff faces in search of waterfalls. But when I rolled into Tallulah Falls, Georgia, I realized there would be no rest on this particular day, as this town’s claim to fame is Tallulah Gorge State Park, home to five major waterfalls.

tallulah-gorge-leau-dor-falls-hawthorne-pool_tempesta-falls

View of L'Eau d'Or Falls (French for "water of gold"), top of Tempesta Falls, and Hawthorne Cascade and Pool from the north rim of Tallulah Gorge

I stood at the rim and gazed out over the gorge. For thousands of years the Tallulah River has eroded the hard, quartzite rock into a two-mile long, 1,000-foot deep chasm. The river drops nearly 600 feet as it rages through the canyon, forming L’Eau d’Or, Tempesta, Hurricane, Oceana, and Bridal Veil Falls before joining the Chattooga River. Having arrived late in the afternoon, it was too late to get a permit to trek into the very bottom of the gorge, but I could hike the very strenuous Hurricane Falls Loop, descending from one side of the rim and climbing up the opposite side via a series of wooden staircases and a suspension bridge that hovers directly over Hurricane Falls. I considered it for a Continue reading →

Posted in Southeast US travel |

Tagged blogsherpa, Bridal Veil Falls, dam, Flying Wallendas, Georgia, hiking, Hurricane, Karl Wallenda, L'Eau d'Or, Oceana, photos, suspension bridge, Tallulah Falls, Tallulah Gorge State Park, Tempesta, the south, Travel, USA, waterfalls, woman |

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Mountain High in Lovely Little Cashiers, North Carolina

Published June 11, 2009 | By Barbara Weibel

Deep within North Carolina’s Nantahala Forest, a glittering emerald valley is encircled by 5,000-foot high peaks. Sunshine streams down through crisp pine-scented air, illuminating the craggy stone faces of Yellow Mountain, Rock Mountain, and Chimney Top that stand sentinel around the valley. In the surrounding woods, spongy footpaths carpeted with last winter’s detritus follow rushing creeks to thundering waterfalls. Mountain roads snake past wildflower-choked fields, neatly manicured crimson barns, and tiny hamlets on their way to spectacular mountaintop vistas.

What is this mystical place? Have I been magically transported to Eden? No. This is Cashiers, North Carolina, as close to heaven as a mortal can hope to be.

Path allows visitors to walk behind Dry Falls

This tiny town, located at the junction of U.S. Rt 64 and NC 107 in far southwest North Carolina, perches at the southern crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains. With little more than a mile of quaint shops and inns, the focus in Cashiers is on the outdoors. Visitors who are not physically inclined can explore the exquisite landscape with a ride on the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad. The 53-mile scenic rail journey crosses two tunnels and 25 bridges on its spectacular route Continue reading →

Posted in North Carolina travel |