A Drive Through the Forest to Visit a King

I have always enjoyed hiking in the forest and our entire time in Georgia was spent in the woods. Our campsite near Atlanta was a state park called High Falls. It was a beautiful place with a dam that created a waterfall as well as some more natural lower falls. The campsites were large with plenty of room for our rig, and some beautiful hiking trails we were able to enjoy. For some strange reason we had overnight neighbors come and go during our stay, but we had multiple empty camp sites all around us. That coupled with the huge grass area behind our camp allowed the kids to really enjoy running around in camp. The laundry and showers were just a short walk up the road and the end of the loop was empty of campers, so the kids could ride their scooters way further than we normally allow.

This was our 15^th capitol visit and like all the rest it offered some great educational opportunities. The top floor was a museum with some top notch exhibits and displays. Everyone really got a kick out of the oddities display which included a two headed cow! There wasn’t a guided tour unfortunately, but they did have a tour pamphlet and we enjoyed wandering around the beautiful building. We had planned on visiting three places in one day, which we knew was really going to be tricky. After the capitol building we went to the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site and the kids worked on becoming Junior Rangers again. There was so much to learn and we were so busy working on Ranger books that the next stop, a Federal Reserve museum, was going to be closed by the time we arrived. It didn’t matter though because Dr. King Jr. was such an important person that we decided the kids should focus on learning about his life. We weren’t able to tour the inside of the house he was born in because the National Historic Site was so busy (get there really early if you want to take the tour, they fill up fast!). The kids did fill out their books though and became Junior Rangers for the twenty-sixth time! If you are ever in the area I highly recommend visiting this Historic Site because Martin Luther King Jr. was an amazing person and the civil rights movement was an important chapter in America’s history.

Sometimes we find ‘hidden gems’ scattered around this great country. The ranger at the state park suggested we visit the Dauset Trails Nature Center a short drive away. Not only did they have tons of hiking trails, a cool farm area, and a neat Wonderland trail, but they also had a mini zoo! Miles loves reptiles and was overjoyed that they had a room filled with turtles, snakes, and lizards. We were able to see a skunk up close for the first time without getting sprayed. Journey has wanted to see a river otter up close and she finally got the chance here. Trip thought the pigs stank, but was happy to check out a tractor and pretend to be a farmer. The Wonderland trail was a short walk through a garden like area with a scavenger hunt to find fun statues and fairies. Yes Dauset Trails Nature Center was a hit and best of all it is free, so try to visit it and remember to make a donation or purchase something from their gift shop to help support them. Yes we got a magnet to add to our collection and were happy to pay for it.

After we left High Falls State Park we traveled up the road towards Augusta. We were having some difficulties finding a campsite near Columbia, SC and I had wanted to see Augusta anyway so it all worked out in the end. Our new campsite was right by a lake, had great WI-FI, and was within driving distance of Augusta. Yes the Wildwood Park was a great place to stay and somewhere that we just might have to visit again. We didn’t have much planned for Augusta and just did some grocery shopping and chores (Even on the road these mundane details have to be attended to). We did find time to let the kids do some fishing, but we didn’t catch anything. Sarah and I were both able to talk on the phone to family allowing us to stay connected even from far away. Well we loved Georgia and would like to come back sometime, but it is on to South Carolina now!

Here are some links for the places we went and additional pictures:

High Falls State Park

http://gastateparks.org/HighFalls

Wildwood Park

http://www.columbiacountyga.gov/government-/departments-l-r/parks-recreation-department/parks-facilities/wildwood-park

Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site

https://www.nps.gov/malu/index.htm

Dauset Trails Nature Center

http://www.dausettrails.com/

Georgia State Capitol Building

https://gov.georgia.gov/capitol

High Falls Pictures

Georgia State Capitol Pictures

Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site Pictures

Dauset Trails Nature Center Pictures

Both Sarah and I were able to spend some phone time connecting with family

And the cutest picture of all is. . .

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