Amy’s challenge is to explore differences between locations in the East and West or North and South using culture, architecture, plants, or landscape. I’m going to take a look at the differences between North Georgia and South Georgia landscapes. The opening image is springtime in Bonaventure Cemetery in Savannah.
North Georgia
North Georgia has mountains, waterfalls, Tallulah Gorge, and the highest point in Georgia.
View from top of Brasstown Bald, the highest point in GeorgiaBlack Rock Mountain State ParkL’Eau d’Or Falls in Tallulah GorgeOne of the waterfalls as seen from Inspiration PointSylvan Falls in Mountain City, GAAda-Hi Falls in Black Rock Mountain State Park
South Georgia
South Georgia is flat and has the Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, barrier islands, beaches, salt marsh, farmland, pecan groves, and historic Savannah.
Okefenokee LandscapeNanny Goat Beach, Sapelo Island, GeorgiaSunrise at Driftwood Beach, Jekyll Island, GAEarly Morning Salt Marsh
Our home away from home for our recent getaway to Florida’s Gulf Coast was a cute Airbnb in a quiet neighborhood near Crystal River. It was our first Airbnb experience and it was exactly what we were looking for. When we weren’t out exploring the area we enjoyed just relaxing on the large screened porch or walking around the neighborhood in search of wildlife.
I started each day with a walk. The sunrises were glorious and I enjoyed seeing the many birds each day.
Florida Sunrise Brown pelicans stand by while an American White Pelican scratches an itchTwo kinds of pelicansA fisherman tossed a fish to this Great Blue Heron who enjoyed a free breakfastIbisBrown pelican at sunrise
Weeki Wachee Springs
Weeki Wachee Springs State Park was just a 45 minute drive south so we couldn’t pass up an opportunity to see the famous mermaid show there. The park is celebrating it’s 75th anniversary this year. In addition to the mermaid shows there is a swimming beach, Ranger led wildlife talks, picnic areas, kayaking and a nature cruise on the Weeki Wachee River. Mermaid statues around the park are part of the 75th anniversary celebration.
We took the nature cruise where we saw Martha, one half of the resident Bald Eagle pair George and Martha, and a Tri-Colored Heron in the mangroves.
The highlight of our visit was attending the mermaid show. We arrived early for the show and while we waited for the main show we were entertained with videos of the history of the park and highlights of some of the old mermaid shows. My favorites were the old black and white videos with the mermaids in their old style swimsuits.
Swimming with Manatees
One of my bucket list items was to swim with the manatees in Crystal River. We had done this back in the 1990’s and I’ve been wanting to do it again ever since. We booked an early morning tour with Fun2Dive in Crystal River. Before we left home we watched a manatee manners video which explained what was acceptable and what was not when in the water with these gentle giants.
I donned a wetsuit and met our guide at the dive shop before riding a bus to the dock where we boarded our boat, the Manatee Life for a tour through the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge. There are several springs which are protected Manatee sanctuaries in the refuge. Henry stayed on the boat with the captain to watch the manatees from above the water. I was one of four guests who got in the water with our guide. As soon as we hit the water we watched a small female chewing on the anchor line of another boat.
Two manatees enter the sanctuary while we humans watched from outside the roped off areaFollowing our guide outside the sanctuary in search of manatees
Our guide led us in our search and showed us where to look. We spotted several manatees and stayed in the water for about an hour before getting back on the boat. Our captain then took us on a boat ride around the bay to a second location. The highlight of the day was observing a huge female moving along the bottom grazing on the grass as we watched. She weighed about 1500 pounds and ignored us.
We watched her for a while before it was time to head back to the boat. While we were in the water Henry and the captain spotted a mating herd in the water near us.
Scenic Drive on Fort Island Trail
Another day we took a drive along the Fort Island Trail. We stopped to walk out on a fishing pier on the Gulf and watched a manatee swim under the pier. We took a walk on a beautiful white sand beach near the pier and stopped at another smaller fishing pier before returning home.
Boardwalk trail on Fort Island TrailA manatee swam under the fishing pierFort Island BeachView from fishing pier at Citrus County Fort Island Trail Park
Sunset
Watching the sunset on Florida’s Gulf Coast was a great way to end each day.
I am grateful that in 2022 we were able to take not one but two fabulous cruises, enjoy a wonderful weekend with family attending our grandson’s high school graduation, and take a few short road trips. When we weren’t wandering we enjoyed being at home in Coastal Georgia.
January
Barbados
February
Camellia
March
University of Georgia Arch
April
Georgia Salt Marsh
May
Magnolia, Coastal Georgia
June
Sunrise over the St. John’s River, Palatka, Florida
If I had a visitor from another country who wanted to see my home country in a week or a month, where would I take them? This is the challenge Tina has given us.
I live in the United States. Many visitors from other countries are surprised by how huge it is. It would take more than a lifetime to see it all.
Instead, I will take the time we have to see the many beautiful sites in my home state of Georgia. There are mountains, farmland, friendly small towns, the Okefenokee Swamp, historic cities, barrier islands, salt marsh, beaches, lakes, and the city of Atlanta.
I’m not sure we could even cover the entire state in one month but we could give it a good try. We’ll start our tour in coastal Georgia where I live. We would visit at least one of the three inhabited barrier islands that can be reached by road, go on a dolphin tour to look for Atlantic Bottlenose dolphins, walk on an uninhabited island that can only be reached by boat, and take a ferry ride to explore Sapelo Island or Cumberland Island National Seashore. We would catch blue crabs from the local waters and steam them for a delicious meal, snack on boiled peanuts, and feast on low country boil with shrimp fresh from the sea.
Dunes and pier on Tybee Island, GeorgiaSunrise at Driftwood Beach, Jekyll Island, GASt. Simons Lighthouse, GAAtlantic Bottlenose Dolphin near Tybee Island, GeorgiaWe often are the only people on one of the uninhabited barrier islandsNanny Goat Beach, Sapelo Island, GeorgiaFresh Georgia Blue Crabs straight from the creek to the pot.Boiled PeanutsLow Country BoilExploring coastal Georgia
We would visit historic Savannah and enjoy a family style lunch at Mrs. Wilkes Dining Room.
Mercer House, Savannah, GeorgiaWaving Girl Statue and Olympic Cauldron on River Street on the Savannah RiverHistoric stone steps leading to River StreetForsyth Park Fountain, SavannahMrs Wilkes Dining Room
We could take a ride to Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge to see nesting egrets, herons, and woodstorks in the spring. We could continue farther south for a boat ride through the Okefenoke National Wildlife Refuge.
Nesting Wood StorksCypress Trees in the Okefenokee Swamp, GeorgiaAlligator in the Okefenokee SwampGreat Egret with chicks, Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge
We would take a road trip on back country roads to north Georgia. We would stop to explore Athens, the home of the University of Georgia, go to the top of Brasstown Bald, and look for waterfalls. We would pass by fields of cotton, corn, and pecan orchards along the way.
University of Georgia Arch, AthensView from top of Brasstown Bald, the highest point in GeorgiaOne of the waterfalls of Tallulah Gorge
We would take another road trip to see the western part of the state and stop to explore Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain and President F. D. Roosevelt’s Little White House in Warm Springs. We would drive by peach orchards and watch the sunset at one of the many lakes in Georgia.
Callaway Gardens Azalea TrailFDR’s Little White House in Warm Springs, GAPeach County, GeorgiaGeorgia PeachesSunset over Lake Seminole at Eastbank Campground
There is so much more to see in Georgia. Sadly, I don’t have photos of some them. In Atlanta we could see the World of Coca-Cola, the Georgia Aquarium, Centennial Olympic Park, Stone Mountain, the President Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum and the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site. We could visit the Providence Canyon, also called the grand canyon of Georgia in Lumpkin and beautiful Rome in northwest Georgia, and too many more places to name.
I can’t end a post about Georgia without including the University of Georgia Bulldogs football team. Go Dawgs!
Georgia Football Barn Sign, Tennille, GA Dooley Field at Sandford Stadium
For this challenge our guest host Jude of Cornwall in Colours has asked us to show different textures we find in our world.
Old Brick Chimney covered with lichens, GeorgiaPeach Tree Bark, GeorgiaNorth Rim, Grand Canyon, ArizonaGiants Causeway, Northern IslandSunflowerResurrection ferns on oak tree with palm fronds in the background, Florida
Wandering Dawgs 