I'm from here, but rarely visit the area anymore. Since it had been 20 years since I went to Radium…read moreSprings, I took my family out. It was insanely hot (100 degrees ACK) and since you can't get in the water because SWAMP, there wasn't anything to do but take pictures. Still, it's so gorgeous and I don't remember it being so clean and beautiful! There's a little island with seating you can take lovely pictures on and it's really secluded yet easy to find. While in town, I heard the city just approved a motion to get it cleaned up and ready to open up for swimming to the public again. Should be an amazing place and very necessary for the area once it's open again! There are clean bathrooms and a small courtyard area that feels like you've seen it in some movie. Really glad I went back there!

It's really unique here! It was drizzling and we were coming from Providence Canyon and decided to…read morestop by. It's awesome! Not a lot to do or see but someone did just recently get proposed to certainly a Georgia fan ponder for sure to visit

Located right off the highway but you'll get a better view by taking the nearby exit and driving…read morethe half mile down the side road. The Ashburn peanut stands there proudly, oversized and a little absurd in the absolute best way. Is it the world's largest? It truly doesn't matter. It's quirky and it's exactly the sort of Americana roadside oddity that makes a detour worth it. [Review 1313 of 2026 - 962 in Georgia - 26491 overall]

Nice campground, great store nearby (Carrol's Sausage). We travel from Florida to camp there just…read moreto shop the store!

Last review of my 2022 February Black History Series & I honestly don't know how to rate it. This…read moreis by far the most difficult piece of history to digest and the most uncomfortable to write & read. It is so difficult in fact, that I don't think I'm capable of presenting it without myself becoming upset. Here are the words from the historic marker that was removed and place in the National Center for Civil & Human Rights because was constantly being defaced and pierced with high caliber BULLETS. It reads: [ historic marker ] MARY TURNER AND THE LYNCHING RAMPAGE OF 1918 Near this site on May 19, 1918, twenty-one year-old Mary Turner, eight months pregnant, was burned, mutilated, and shot to death by a local mob after publicly denouncing her husband's lynching the previous day. In the days immediately following the murder of a white planter by a Black employee on May 16, 1918, at least eleven local African Americans including the Turners died at the hands of a lynch mob in one of the deadliest waves of vigilantism in Georgia's history. No charges were ever brought against known or suspected participants in these crimes. From 1880-1930, as many as 550 people were killed in Georgia in these illegal acts of mob violence. Erected by the Georgia Historical Society, the People's Temple, Valdosta State University - Woman and Gender Studies Program, and The Mary Turner Project. *** [ missing details of the sign ] What the sign does not describe is the circumstances of the death of the white planter by his black "employee". While the emancipation proclamation freed enslaved blacks in the United States, the 13th amendment allowed for one loophole. Penal labor in the United States is explicitly allowed: "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction." That amendment gave rise to CONVICT LEASING, a system of forced penal labor that provided prisoner labor to private parties, such as plantation owners and corporations (e.g. Tennessee Coal and Iron Company, Chattahoochee Brick Company). The lessee was responsible for feeding, clothing, and housing the prisoners AND could punish or discipline them as they saw fit. Considering slavery had barely been outlawed, the treatment of these mostly black inmates was often bitterly WORSE that of their previous slave status. These convicts were actually profitable for state revenue. In 1898, 73% of Alabama's entire annual state revenue came from convict leasing. Corruption, lack of accountability, and racial violence resulted in "one of the harshest and most exploitative labor systems known in American history." TheConversation.com writes this in a February 2017 article: "They lived in squalid conditions, chained, starved, beaten, flogged and sexually violated. They died by the thousands from injury, disease and torture. For both the state and private corporations, the opportunities for profit were enormous. For the state, convict lease generated revenue and provided a powerful tool to subjugate African-Americans and intimidate them into behaving in accordance with the new social order. It also greatly reduced state expenses in housing and caring for convicts. For the corporations, convict lease provided droves of cheap, disposable laborers who could be worked to the extremes of human cruelty." link: https://theconversation.com/exploiting-black-labor-after-the-abolition-of-slavery-72482 *** These were the conditions of the "employee" that killed the white "planter". This killing set off a manhunt that swept southern Georgia killing more than a dozen innocent black men. When Mary went to the courthouse to complain and demand justice for her husband who was wrongfully slain, the crowd turned their anger on Mary, and, well... she and her unborn baby lost their lives in a horrifically brutal act that you can learn about here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=St1maRFmP8o [ side note ] I should mention the correlation between the end of slavery and the rise of the incarcerated population are practically successive. Many of these men were being sent to prison for the smallest of infractions... most commonly for being unemployed (vagrancy). [ FINAL THOUGHTS ] Mary Turner went to the courthouse to seek justice for the murder of her innocent husband, and the same irrational violence that took him took her at the sheer complaint of unfairness. There is so much to unpack in this American History tragedy, including how even a modern day sign erected in 2010 is treated as violently as Mary. Many have left flowers at the base of the metal cross now standing at the site. Rest in Power Turner family, my heart weeps for you all. May God repay you 100 fold for every act of violence against you. Thank you for following my month of Black History reviews! 2022 / 60

The Titan 1 was one of the first strategic, intercontinental ballistic missiles developed by the…read moreUnited States. The 98-foot-long, two-stage missile was fueled by kerosene and liquid oxygen, and was designed to carry nuclear warheads. Finding a Cold War-era Titan 1 Nuclear ICBM on the side of the interstate in plain view isn't an everyday occurrence although there are still 33 of these de-commissioned missiles on display around the country of the original 163 Titan 1s produced. Even though it's disarmed, unique and unusual the impact it's made on this town defy the laws of quantum mechanics. The missile was acquired from the Air Force in 1968 after it was declared obsolete and ineffective for use in a Global Thermo-Nuclear War maybe it's more effective as a landmark that could make the community of Cordele stand out, that was the dream of John Pate, president of the Cordele Rotary Club at the time, his intentions of attracting travelers on I-75 to boost the economical impact on this small town was surprising to most and somewhat self-serving to others. The Titan I, produced by the Glenn L. Martin Company, was a two-stage, liquid-fueled, rocket-powered ICBM(first stage - 300,000 pounds of thrust; second stage - 80,000 pounds of thrust) which incorporated both radio and all-inertial guidance. Deployed in a "hard" silo-lift launcher, the Titan I had an effective range of 5,500 nautical miles. This final resting place is the perfect solution and serves as a reminder that the threat of destroying the world in the name of peace is a ridiculous deterrent.

It's pretty hard to miss a hundred foot tall missile parked in a gas station lot alongside the…read morehighway. But here it is. The Martin-Marietta Titan I was the first multi-stage intercontinental Ballistic missile produced for the United States Air Force. Using a liquid oxygen and jet fuel propellant, it was the nuclear deterrent from 1959 to 1962 until it was replaced by the Titan II missile that lasted until 1987. Independent from launch through controlled flight until the ballistic release of the warhead, the warhead would then descend to its target by simple gravity and air resistance. You're not going to find too many of these babies still standing. I assume it's disarmed but you never know. [Review 14052 overall, 1374 of 2020, number 343 in Georgia.]

April 7,2017. I was taking my cousin from NYC on a speed traveling spree of Thomasville, Georgia in…read moretwo days. I brought her to places that catered to her taste for good wine and cheese, love of small town America, and books. I, also, brought her to places a little out her comfort zone like a taxidermy shop and a haunted National landmark, a haunted Victorian home with occult designs. The Lapham-Patterson home seems like a sunny yellow Victorian home in Thomasville, Georgia. If you look closer, you realize it is the weirdest and coolest roadside attraction in Thomasville, Georgia. It was a winter vacation home of Mr. Lapham. He designed it to reflect his soul, his fear of fire, and his love for the occult and superstition. Our tour guide was Josh. He was very accommodating, professional, and polite. My cousin enjoyed the tour. I was pleased that he could answer every question I gave him to the best of his ability. This place was the highlight of Thomasville for my cousin and I. To me, it was the most wondrous and curious place I have ever went to in the state of Georgia. It is,also, a unique way to look at Thomasville, Georgia that most locals there never see. To give more information about this home, I am including this excerpt written by Victoria W. : There's Something Disturbing About This One Victorian Home In Georgia At first, it might just look like a beautiful old house, but look closer, and you'll realize that something seems strange about the Lapham-Patterson House in Thomasville, Georgia.The home is a marvelous example of Victorian architecture, with fish scale shingles, a double-flue chimney, intricate floors and fretwork, and a magnificent porch and balcony. Not a single room or closet in the entire 19-room house is a perfect square. Not a single room or closet in the entire 19-room house is a perfect square. The reason for this is that the home's builder, a businessman named C.W. Lapham, survived the Great Chicago Fire in 1871, which wiped out a 3-mile square of the city and killed up to 300 people. Understandably, Lapham became a bit of a pyrophobe, or someone with an intense or abnormal fear of fire (beyond what is normal). Ironically, the floors were all beautiful flatwood-pine, making the house very susceptible to fire. A couple of other unique little details include the roof reminiscent of a fireman's hat and some exterior fretwork over the balcony that casts shadows in the third-floor billiard room during the springtime and fall. These sillhouettes take the shape of six-pointed stars and a cow's head. Some have speculated that this is meant to represent Mrs. O'Leary's Cow, the legendary cause of the Great Chicago Fire. In a sad twist of events, Lapham's business dwindled, and he separated from his wife. She moved to Arizona and later died in a fire caused by a kerosene lamp. One of the couple's children did pass away in the home at a young age, and the Lapham-Patterson Home is rumored to be haunted by her ghost. Haunted or not, this house is a fascinating glimpse into one man's life and mind.

Interesting tour, the guide is very knowledgeable. The house is very unique. Tickets are purchased…read moreat the Historical Society building in the next block.

Tifton is the county seat of Tift County, Georgia. And so there is the county courthouse here which…read morewas completed in 1913. It is the only building to have served as such for Tift County as the county was only formed in 1905. It in the Beaux Arts Classicism architectural style, designed by architect William Augustus Edwards (1866-1939). He is responsible for a number of buildings at the University of Florida in Gainesville and Florida State University and many county courthouses throughout the South. There is street parking in front and like several other Edwards buildings, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. There is a war memorial on the corner. I did not spot a Confederate monument - unusual in the South that there isn't one here. [Review 1049 of 2024 - 717 in Georgia - 22077 overall]

Though erected in the Jim Crow era its still a part of this countries and counties history. By…read moretaking it down or moving it is to deny one's history. If we remove parts of our past were doomed to relive it .

Located in front of the Pulaski County Courthouse, you just about can't find a courthouse in the…read moreSouth that doesn't have one of these. The marker is in excellent condition with no deterioration. The cornerstone reads, "Erected by the Daughters of the Confederacy. Mrs. G.W. Jordan, President. Mrs. P.H. Lovejoy, Secretary and Treasurer." The obelisk is about 30 feet tall and features THREE statues on it. I assume the two lower ones are Jefferson Davis (President of the CSA) and Robert E. Lee (General of the Confederate Army) with the one atop a model confederate soldier leaning on his rifle. There front between Davis and Lee has a Confederate "Stars & Bars" with the words "Comrades." and "To our Confederate Soldiers." Normally, I would rate this two stars because the Civil War is over and the South lost. But this marker is actually very nice (for what it is) and is A-OK. [Review 14051 overall, 1373 of 2020, number 342 in Georgia.]

I came across this memorial plaque when I stopped in the Cook County Rest Area Number 5 while…read moretraveling north on Interstate 75. We need to remember out past and I enjoy stumbling on these signs. If you stop in the rest area, take a moment and check it out.

Wow! A must visit and spend time just chilling at this ever so nifty park / plaza dedicated to Ray…read moreCharles. The man on bronze at a piano with his music spilling into the air. . Swings and musical mosaics and piano key art. A river walk and little landing down by the river. Lots of green space. Just across the street from great restaurants and shops.

A very cool tribute to Albany's famous son. Ray Charles was born in Albany to a poor, single mother…read moreand it was from this humble beginning that this man, who began losing his sight at five and was blind at seven years of age, rose to become am iconic and influential figure in music. Ray Charles Plaza plays the music of this gifted musician through speakers by the statue, a testament to the genius of Ray Charles. In addition to the statue, the walkway is fashioned to resemble piano keys and beyond the music, the sound of the Flint River keeps time to the soundtrack played through the speakers. If you find yourself in Albany, stop by and visit this soulful tribute to this talented man, a man who humbly preferred to be called Brother Ray amongst his musician friends, for a brother is not above, but beside.

Georgia Museum of Agriculture and Historic Museum is part of Abraham Baldwin Agriculture College. A…read moregreat place to visit and learn about life in the south during the late 1800s. The Museum in open from 9am to 3pm - Tuesday - Saturday. Closed on Sun and Monday. The Country Store is open from 9am to 5pm - Monday - Saturday. Closed on Sunday. The Country Store is a perfect rest stop if you are just passing through the area and need to stretch your legs, pick up some snacks and make a pit stop. Easy access off I-75. Clean rest rooms. Purchase tickets for admission to the Georgia Museum of Agriculture. The museum is a living history museum that focuses on 19th century life in the rural south. It has a working farm along with all the support buildings and business operations that would have existed during that time. All of the structures have authentic furnishings of the period. After you take a guided tour of the main museum, you can spend a few hours or the entire day exploring the historic buildings and talking with the interpreters dressed in 19th century attire. The interpreters perform daily activities that would have occurred in the farmhouses, fields, sawmill, turpentine still, schoolhouse, blacksmith's shop, and the grist mill. The main street has a Feed and Seed store, print shop and the drug store. Be sure to stop by the drug store and get a root beer float! A main highlight is riding the steam train from the Country Store into the village train station. The Country Store is a unique one-stop-shop for true South GA items, offering southern hospitality along with merchandise. A lot of the items in the store were produced at the living museum such as grits and corn meal milled at the museum's water powered Grist Mill. Turpentine is produced at the museum. Ornaments are hand crafted by the museum's black smith. You will also find a preserves, honey, cane syrup - all produced by the volunteers and staff at the museum using 19th century tools and skills. Be sure to get a bag of Grits and Corn Meal. Plan to visit the seasonal farmer's market on Saturdays. Booths are setup with local vendors that sell everything from locally grown vegetables, specialty cheeses/baked goods, and arts/crafts.

We enjoyed walking around at our own pace. Nice little shop. Enjoy seeing the gristmill in action.read more