We had some major rest and relaxation time for the past week at Twin Oaks RV Park in Elko, Georgia. If you're ever in the area, it was FANTASTIC and we highly recommend staying there. It was definitely what the doctor ordered to get rested up for a bit! It was right between Andersonville National Historic Site and Ocmulgee National Monument, Jimmy Carter National Historic Site wasn't far beyond Andersonville. We got to do some sightseeing and not have to drive the motorhome everywhere.
Wednesday we drove up to Macon, Georgia and went to Ocmulgee National Monument which has this amazing building that is original to when the site was set aside in the 1930s.
This is another earth mounds site. What makes this one unique is that they discovered an earth lodge and reconstructed it for visitors to see. This tunnel was SHORT in height and rather long in length--you had to go in a good 20 feet to get to the main room
The main room was walled off with Plexiglas because that is the original clay floor from when the earth lodge was first built. The floor outside the Plexiglas was covered over to protect it.
We also drove down to see the Funeral Mound and the Great and Lesser Temple Mounds. These other mounds probably had structures built on top. We also got to see a streak of rainbow in the sky as we were trying to get a good photo of the two mounds together.
They were big! These were the stairs to the top of the Great Temple Mound, can you see J on the landing there in the middle?
Thursday we went to Roosevelt's Little White House--this is where he went for physical therapy for his polio. It's the "birthplace" of the profession of physical therapy.
There was a little museum, a gift shop, and then you could walk down to the Little White House
Just a small building, three bedrooms, a living room area, dining room, kitchen, and butler's pantry was all that was in this building.
This is where Roosevelt died less than 100 days into his 4th term as president
After that, we went to Rome! Rome, Georgia... to Berry College which is another DAR school. It is a full-fledged college now, has a HUGE campus and is really pretty. Lots of older buildings with classical architecture
Friday we went to Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park. The thing to know about this one: Sherman lost SO many soldiers here, he vowed to never fight battles like that again. After this, he took Atlanta and then burned his way across Georgia to Savannah. I guess this is what sparked that "burning his way to the sea", less of his soldiers lost!
The battles here were fought up and down and all around this mountain.
They had a log in the museum that had various forms of ammunition stuck in it, it had grown around the pieces of ammunition! It was hard to get good photos of it
We then drove up to the visitor center for Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area
The visitor center is in an historic lodge that was a family's vacation home for years.
We found this blossom on the ground and learned that it was a tulip poplar blossom!
The area was SO beautiful
Our last stop of the day was the Atlanta Temple. Reminded me of the Jordan River Temple in design and they were built around the same time.
Saturday we headed into Atlanta, to the Jimmy Carter presidential library and museum
I was right, that HUGE peanut in Plains, Georgia DID have a Jimmy Carter smile!
The museum had a peek into the archives, just like the LBJ presidential museum and library did
There are always a few presidential gifts on display, this one was amazing. It's a woven rug!
We headed out after that and saw a really vintage Krispy Kreme sign (you can see the more contemporary logo on the building behind it)
We were headed to the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park which is also a preservation district because it includes the neighborhood around the home he grew up in the church that he attended and preached at
Outside the visitor center was a statue of Ghandi. They lived at the same time, but never met, although Martin Luther King, Jr. did go to India once.
The firehouse, just a few doors down from his childhood home, he would come play here
The birth home, which you can tour, just no photographs inside
Between the firehouse and the Ebenezer Baptist Church is the memorial--a beautiful fountain and the gravesites
The wreath was laid because it was Coretta Scott King's birthday
We went to the church next. There is a new one built across the street, this one is now a National Park site
We jumped on the streetcar (only $1 per adult!) and headed downtown
We went to the Centennial Olympic Park--so named because when Atlanta had the Olympics in 1996, it was 100 years since they were founded in 1896 by Baron de Coubertin
They have these Olympic rings out front and then an Olympic rings splash pad fountain, plus lots and lots of grass and sidewalks and sculptures scattered around
We walked over to the World of Coca-Cola, but it was after business hours so we just saw the building, darnit! If you're at ALL into colas, they have samples here of ALL the drinks they make and you can try them.
The info booth right outside the World of Coca-Cola
Today we attended the Stockbridge Ward, Conyers Georgia Stake
A few more sites to see in Georgia, then on to the next state!
Comments
Post a Comment