Just a whole bunch of places in the State of Georgia that I have visited.
I’ve lived in Georgia for two years now. Since I have moved here, I have been collecting photos from explorations, usually from places I didn’t have enough to write about on its own or clumped together. This collection has gotten a bit out of hand. So, I’m just going to throw some random places together. So, here’s five non-coastal Georgia state parks.
In no particular order:
Sweetwater Creek State Park
On the western side of the Atlanta metro area is Sweetwater Creek. The park includes some pretty rapids and the ruins of a mill.
Jana Irving The ruins of the New Manchester Manufacturing Company. There was also a small town here for the workers. It was burned down during the civil war and the residents were relocated to camps and other states.
Jana Irving The trail continues along the river.
Jana Irving The creek splits creating a small island.
Jana Irving The largest of the rapids.
Jana Irving I also found some fungus along the trail. Chanterelles are super easy to spot with their bright orange color. They tend to be fairly small. These two were about 1 inch tall. I was using the wrong lens for something so small. I’m surprised this photo turned out.
Jana Irving Coral slime mold. The little spikes are 1-10 mm tall.
High Falls State Park
Located south of Atlanta, High Falls used to be an industrial town with several stores, a grist mill, cotton gin, blacksmith shop, and shoe factory. However, by the 1880s, the town was abandoned after it was bypassed by a railroad.
Jana Irving The river behind the falls is dammed up. This is extremely common in Georgia state parks.
Jana Irving Ruins from a factory or mill.
Jana Irving High Falls drops over 135 ft (41 m). There is a really good view of the falls across the river that I didn’t get to because my knee was done for the day.
Jana Irving Further down the Tranquility Trail are more ruins.
Jana Irving A female Eastern box turtle burying her eggs.
Jana Irving She was doing this right in the hiking trail. Very hard to avoid her.
Jana Irving A moth caterpillar hanging on a string. The caterpillar wasn’t attached to a whole web, but just a single fiber.
Magnolia Springs State Park
Magnolia Springs contains a spring. Who would of thought? The park, which is in southeastern-ish Georgia, has a various collection of things to do such as swimming, boating, fishing, hiking and wildlife viewing. Plus, a very nice campground.
Jana Irving The spring feeds into this pool.
Jana Irving The extremely blue part is the natural spring. Seven million gallons of water emerges from the bottom a day.
Jana Irving The crystal clear water made it perfect for turtle viewing.
Jana Irving Munching away.
Jana Irving Cardinals are one of the easiest birds to photograph. It’s so easy to find them.
George Smith State Park
Located not far from Magnolia Springs, George Smith State Park has the usual Georgia offerings of boating, fishing and hiking. There is also a grist mill/covered bridge which was pretty neat.
Jana Irving The covered bridge/grist mill. Best photo I could get shooting into the sun.
Jana Irving I love a good lake with cedar trees.
Jana Irving Sulphur butterfly. Saw a few of these little guys.
Jana Irving This grasshopper kept flying in front of me on the trail and then flying again once I got close again.
Jana Irving I didn’t see a gopher tortoise I was hoping to see but I did find this super spiny caterpillar.
Traveler’s Rest State Historic Site
Traveler’s Rest is located on the Georgia/South Carolina border in the very north of the state. It was constructed as an inn on the Unicoi Turnpike, a 150-mile road which connected Tennessee to South Carolina through Georgia and North Carolina. The 1816 building was later expanded into a larger establishment with an inn and tavern and served as the plantation house for the largest plantation in the area. It stayed in the same family until 1955, ensuring its survival.
Jana Irving The building is huge for the time and location.
Jana Irving The house has a bit of a haphazard museum layout regarding exhibits.
Jana Irving But much of the fabric of the house is still original.
Jana Irving The kitchen is under the house.
Jana Irving The cheap rooms at the inn were very sparse.
Jana Irving I’m thinking this is the owner’s room.
Jana Irving A giant room made to fit multiple beds. There were probably more than just two in here.
Georgia has several state parks throughout the state. They range from ones up in the Appalachians, to the Piedmont (the hilly area between the mountains and the flat coastal plain) to the coastal plain. It’s a big range in what you can find. What you haven’t see here is any of the coastal parks! A similar post of random places Coastal Georgia will eventually be written in 2026. Probably.
Tune in for my next update where I visit New River Gorge National Park!
or
Check out other places in Georgia I have visited!
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