GA – Family Travel Blog

There’s a lot of family-friendly action in the Peach State, and my article covering 20 places and events is now available on Education.com.

There are “the obvious” sites in Atlanta, but I tried to look beyond that and cast a statewide net.

How about:

** Cohutta-Chattahoochee Scenic Byway – A nationally-designated scenic route in northwest Georgia, this byway includes the Appalachian cultural legacy of Prater’s Mill (especially during their annual Columbus Day weekend Country Fair) and New Echota, the Cherokee Nation capitol in 1825 and the site of the first Indian language newspaper office. Cabins and camping are available in Fort Mountain State Park along the route.

** SAM Shortline Excursion Train – The Savannah, Americus and Montgomery (SAM) is part of a rail system that used to connect Savannah and Montgomery, Alabama. Nowadays, it’s a good way to visit President Jimmy Carter’s home and museum at Carter National Historic Site in Plains, and Habitat for Humanity’s headquarters in Americus. Visitors can tour Habitat’s Global Village; 15 representative Habitat houses from around the world, including Papua New Guinea and Ghana.

** Sapelo Island and Hog Hammock – Fans of the children’s television program “Gullah Gullah Island” already know a little about the unique Gullah/Geechee African-American culture in this part of the South. Today, the remote Sapelo Island and its only town, Hog Hammock, are still inhabited by the descendants of slaves who preserved their language dialect and food thanks to that isolation. Get here on a state-operated ferry from Meridian and take the guided tour, or contact writer and island resident Cornelia Bailey about her Geechee tours and lodging.

For the other 17 suggestions, please visit Family Friendly Must-Sees in Georgia, and feel free to comment and add your suggestions in the comments section here or at the original Education.com article.

Swim in FDR’s Little White House pool in Warm Springs, Georgia

Swim in FDR’s Little White House pool

(Updated for 2010) President Franklin Delano Roosevelt was stricken with polio as a young man.

He spent time away from Washington, DC in Warm Springs, Georgia, seeking pain relief and perhaps some measure of recovery in the area’s spring waters.

The house where he stayed became known as Roosevelt’s Little White House, and he died there of a cerebral hemorrhage in April 1945.

Today it’s a Georgia State Park and open to visitors, with New Deal-era memorabilia and the surroundings as he left them, including features like his famous Fireside Chats recorded and played over a 1930s radio.

Late this summer, park visitors can participate in a unusual treat.

The pool where he swam is normally kept empty for preservation, but for three days it will be filled with naturally warm spring water, and for an extra fee, you can jump into FDR’s swimming pool.

The details for A Dip Into the Past, from the park Web site:

Saturday, Sept 4, 2010 to Monday, September 6, 2010 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
1.5 hour swim sessions beginning at 10:00 a.m. Ages 6 and older.
Reservations suggested – space limited to 80 per session.
$20 adults; $12.50 ages 6 to 17. Family package $75.

[Phone] 706-655-5870.

There are other unique events, like the annual tribute to his Scotty dog Fala (all Scottish Terriers are welcome to attend, on a leash) and a Warm Springs Thanksgiving, featuring music by descendants of band members who used to play for Roosevelt. (2010 update – couldn’t find these any more on the Park website. There is a Fala Day 2010 through a local Scottish terrier organization. Don’t know about Thanksgiving.)

Still, the chance to swim in that pool sounds really special.

Any of my readers who live near there willing to dive in and send us a report?