Here’s Our Best & Worst Things From Georgia

Shae and I recently finished spending a month in Georgia, the second state on our 5 year, 50 state road trip.

Here’s a list of all our favorite (and not so favorite) things from our time in the Peach State.

Favorite Accommodation We Stayed At

Stephen – This one’s tough. I really loved our stay at the Residence Inn Peachtree / Norcross Corners on the outskirts of Atlanta. However, the cabin we’d booked through Airbnb in Nashville (the Nashville in Georgia, not Tennessee) was lovely and peaceful.

Shae – I’d have to agree with the cabin in Nashville. But I also feel there should be an honorable mention to our Airbnb in Blairsville, GA which was the first one we stayed in upon arrival in Georgia. It was peaceful, unique, welcoming and near great hiking.

Favorite Meal

Stephen – Pepe’s Mexican Bar And Grill in Lawrenceville, Georgia (just outside of Atlanta). We’d met up with one of Shae’s friends and she suggested eating there – it was a great suggestion. Among many other options, they had a taco menu where you could select a variety of single tacos. I got a jalapeño shrimp taco, taco arrachera, Baja fish taco and chicken strip taco. All were delicious, with the jalapeño shrimp taco being the best of all.

Shae – All the cookies from Byrd’s! Just kidding… Kind of… Yes, I’d have to say Pepe’s was my favorite place we ate at as well.

Most Disappointing Meal

Stephen – The tacos we got at the Tifton Rhythm & Ribs BBQ Festival. The other food we had there was great, but those tacos were very disappointing – especially compared to the ones I had at Pepe’s.

Shae – We didn’t eat out very much in Georgia and so my most disappointing meals were all the ones we didn’t have.

Favorite Free Activity

Stephen – Our hike at Blood Mountain. The weather was great, the hike was pretty strenuous and the views were amazing.

Shae – For me, the best free activity was going to Babyland General where Cabbage Patch Kids are born. If you have children, particularly little girls, it’s unlikely to be a free activity for you. But strictly speaking, the entry is free and you can leave without spending a dime.

Favorite Paid Activity

Stephen – It’s hard selecting one in particular, but I think I’ll have to go with tandem biking through all the squares in Savannah. It was a great way to see Savannah and doing it on a tandem bike made the experience even more memorable.

Shae – Definitely one of my favorites was also the tandem bike ride, as well as the Byrd Cookie Company Factory Tour. However, I had the opportunity to go to the Center for Puppetry Arts and see the Jim Henson Collection. That was while Truffles was sick so Stephen wasn’t with me.

I loved seeing the Muppets and puppets from my favorite shows. Particularly the Fraggles and the bunnies from The Tale of the Bunny Picnic. An honorable mention goes to the World of Coke in Atlanta; if you haven’t been, it’s worth a visit.

Favorite Pet-Friendly Activity

Stephen – I’d have to say our hike up Blood Mountain for this one too. Truffles did the entire hike herself and was a real trooper.

Shae – The tandem bike ride. It was so fun to try something new and get to do it as a family. I’m so grateful they didn’t have restrictions on pets at Savannah on Wheels. They even have baskets you can rent for your bike, so if you don’t have a backpack but do have a small dog you can probably still bring them along.

An honorable mention goes to visiting the Chattapoochee Dog Park… purely for the name (although the park was really nice too!).

Least Favorite Activity

Stephen – Driving to Tybee Island only to find out that Truffles wasn’t allowed on any of the beaches there.

Shae – The Georgia Aquarium. If you like product placement (and commercials before shows) and only a few exhibits while paying almost $40 per ticket, then this is the place for you. Bonus, you do get to see Whale Sharks and Beluga Whales, but for almost the same price you can probably fly to Belize and swim with them!

Favorite Hike

Stephen – Once again, hiking to the summit of Blood Mountain.

Shae – Definitely the hike to the summit of Blood Mountain for me too. It was the right mix of strenuous and relaxing. Plus (hello!) I found a huge Squirrel Cache which was incredible!!

Favorite Quirky Thing We Did

Stephen – Visiting the petting zoo at a Chevron gas station was fun, but walking the solar system in Gainesville was even better.

Shae – Oh, for me it was definitely the gas station/petting zoo in Metter. Plus – goat faces!! I mean come on… it’s way better than the solar system…

Favorite Memory

Stephen – Standing at the top of Blood Mountain and looking out at the beautiful views all around.

Shae – For me the best memories include friends and family. I loved seeing Stephanie in Duluth and Kristin in Atlanta. Both are friends through the HRC and it was great to make new connections.

But the time we spent in Nashville with my mom and stepdad was particularly special. They came down to visit us for a few days and it was fun making memories in the canoe, by the fireside, tasting wines and walking through the Reed Birmingham State Park.

Funniest Moment

Stephen – Hearing an announcement at BabyLand General Hospital saying “Mother Cabbage Tree is dilated seven leaves, Nurse Savannah scrub in. If you’d like to watch a live birth, make your way to Mother Cabbage Tree now.”

Shae – Walking into BabyLand General Hospital and seeing the Licensed Patch Nurse all dressed in her uniform. I was not expecting that.

Thing We Most Regretted

Stephen – Not seeing more of Atlanta while we were there. This isn’t something that could be avoided as Truffles was sick, but it meant we didn’t get to do quite a few things we had planned.

Shae – Going to the Georgia Aquarium. It takes a lot for me to say that, but I was really disappointed by it. I LOVE the animals, zoos, aquariums, all the things… but this was just not fun for me. I wish we’d done something else that day, like visit Dr. King’s Historical Site in Marrietta, GA.

Something We Missed And Want To See

Stephen – Atlanta (for the reasons given above.)

Shae – The Global Village at Habitat for Humanity Headquarters in Americus, Georgia and Dr. King’s Historical Site in Marrietta, GA. We also didn’t get to catch up with my friend Melissa and her family which would have been nice.

Our Biggest Surprise

Stephen – How much I enjoyed Georgia. North Georgia was great with all its hiking opportunities. Atlanta seemed like a city with plenty to do. Despite not being rural people, we enjoyed relaxing in Nashville in the south. And Savannah was my favorite of all the places we visited in Georgia.

Shae – The tastiness of peach wine (we had to try it when we saw it – it’s Georgia!). I don’t really care for peaches but we tried peach wine (and strawberry, blueberry, blackberry and watermelon) and it was really nice.

My Georgia Drinking Game Would Be…

Stephen – Take a drink whenever you smell someone smoking weed in Savannah.

Shae – Well, I can tell you what it wouldn’t be: the number of businesses with ‘peach’ in the title. We held a competition in our Facebook group and we only saw four places in our whole journey through Georgia. As far as what I would have it be? Take a drink for each sign you see advertising ‘Peach World.’

Summary Of Georgia In 10 Words Or Less

Stephen – Somewhere I’d like to revisit for several more weeks.

Shae – The home of Cabbage Patch Kids and other cool stuff.