GEORGIA ON MY MIND
Georgia is a captivating blend of Southern charm, diverse natural beauty, and rich history. Atlanta and nearby Marietta are great places if you visit for a weekend. Traveling for Spring Break or a trip in the Fall there are SO many great reasons to put Georgia “on your mind” AND your travel list!
I will cover our experiences in Atlanta and Marietta here, BUT WAIT there is more! I am currently working on a post about these great places in Georgia:
- The natural wonders of Tallulah Gorge State Park, and Stone Mountain
- Historic landmarks such as the Smith Plantation in Roswell, Roswell Mill, and Riverwalk Boardwalk
- Historic Savannah, picturesque Tybee Island, and memorizing Driftwood Beach at Jekyll Island
WHERE TO GO next
We all travel for lots of different reasons. Relaxation, adventure, entertainment, learning about different cultures and lifestyles, improving language skills, challenging ourselves, self-discovery, and family celebration. The list goes on and on. But what motivates us when we decide where to go?
I spent hours and hours in France, while icing my injured knee, trying to plan the next phase of our journey. We would love to spend time on the East Coast but at the same time, we wanted to escape the cold. Florida would be nice and warm in February/March, but spring breakers torment the sunshine state in March, and finding a place to stay was impossible.
Why Georgia?
So how did we end up in the middle of Georgia? I don’t think it’s what most people consider a bucket list destination. But after our visit, I really think it should be! I guess, for me, I just really wanted to experience early spring in a place where nature truly comes back to life after a dormant winter. So, I drew a line on the map but mostly I just used my gut feeling.
I didn’t know much about Georgia, but I quickly got the impression that it had a lot of natural beauty, especially around the Blue Ridge Mountain region north of Atlanta. Besides, Georgia embodies many aspects of Southern culture such as hospitality, cuisine, music, and traditions which I thought would be an interesting experience. By coincidence, I found the cutest little shotgun house in a little town called Marietta north of Atlanta, and our next destination was set.
The little shotgun house in Marietta
Marietta
On our first morning in Marietta, sunlight flooded through the windows and I heard a lively symphony of birds through the open back door. From the wooden patio perched high above I had a clear view of the garden below. Among a tapestry of ivy draping from the branches up high, playful squirrels were chasing each other. Soft greens everywhere from budding trees; a clear sign of the changing season and new beginnings. Everything around me was quaint and peaceful, and it was like my day had been sprinkled with fairy dust.
After intense travels in Europe for almost 3 months I instinctively knew that I was in the right place.
Marietta Square
A ten-minute walk from our house we were in the heart of town at the historic Marietta Square. The cherry blossom trees at the square were blooming and created a light pink snowfall against a clear blue sky. Shops, restaurants, theaters, and museums were lined up at the perimeter of the square creating a charming and serene atmosphere. Several restaurants on the square had outdoor serving and most days it was warm enough to sit outside.
It was a pleasant surprise to find a collection of murals around the square, in the alleys, and on the sides of the buildings. Combined with the many historic buildings and sites from the 19th century that remain in Marietta, it all reflected the town’s cultural heritage and added to its charm.
Downtown Marietta
Right behind the square, we found the Marietta Square Market, a modern food hall and retail shops selling specialty goods and local crafts. The market is housed in a renovated warehouse which makes it unique and worth a visit, even if you’re not hungry.
Marietta Square Market
History calling
Marietta played a significant role during the Civil War since it had a strategic location. Several key events took place around the town, including the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain. The Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park is a preserved Civil War battleground of the Atlanta Campaign. It has several hiking trails, historical exhibits, and scenic views.
Between our house and Marietta Square, we passed one of several historic cemeteries, Marietta National Cemetery. It serve as a burial ground for about 10,000 Union soldiers who died in the Civil War, but the 23.2-acre contains the graves of more than 17,000 military personnel. I have a thing for cemeteries, and walking among the white gravestones at this beautiful and peaceful place simply seeps you into history like nothing else.
Marietta is home to two other cemeteries, Confederate Cemetery, and Marietta City Cemetery.
Marietta National Cemetery
Gone with the wind
I love getting a glimpse into history from historic sites, cemeteries, culture, and art around me but I rarely visit a museum of history. However, I did visit the Gone With the Wind Museum. It is located at historic Brumby Hall just a mile from Marietta Square. The museum is dedicated to preserving the legacy of Margaret Mitchell’s iconic novel and the classic 1939 movie adaptation. It showcases memorabilia, artifacts, and collectibles such as props, original manuscripts, and costumes, among others, Scarlett O’Hara’s Honeymoon Dress.
Gone With the Wind Museum at Brumley Hall
For avid museum lovers, Marietta is home to several museums: Marietta Museum of History, Marietta Cobb Museum of Art, William Root Museum and Garden, and Marietta Fire Museum.
The Marietta Diner
Marietta has some great dining options, especially around the square. A little east of town we had noticed a fascinating array of neon lights illuminating the Marietta Diner. Of course, we had to try this retro-inspired restaurant. I have never before experienced such an extensive menu. The portions were huge, the atmosphere was vibrant, and the clientele diverse. Family-owned and open 24/7. It will take you back in time for sure, although to a slightly different era than most things around Marietta.
Marietta Diner
Atlanta
As a vibrant metropolis and the capital city of Georgia, most people are familiar with Atlanta. The Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson is one of the busiest Airports in the world which makes Atlanta an important global gateway. The city is a unique mix of tradition and progress and a major hub for business, with a thriving economy anchored by corporations such as Delta Airlines and The Coca-Cola Company.
Atlanta on a rainy day
With that said, we were a little overwhelmed and underwhelmed by Atlanta at the same time. It wasn’t exactly love at first sight, but sometimes new places just take a little getting used to. We found that Atlanta has so much more to offer than we even had time for, and it’s a great place to spend a weekend.
Downtown Atlanta
Since our first visit to Atlanta was on a grey and rainy day, we started at the World of Coca-Cola. This is an interactive experience dedicated to the history, culture, and legacy of the Coca-Cola Company. It’s very interesting, and again you’re taken back in time in a cool retro kind of way. The World of Coca-Cola is definitely worth a visit!
The World of Coca-Cola
Across from the World of Coca-Cola, we passed the Georgia Aquarium, one of the largest aquariums in the world. We have visited so many aquariums in the past with the kids, and besides it had stopped raining, so we did a little sightseeing instead.
We walked across the Centennial Olympic Park. A park built for the 1996 Summer Olympics and a popular gathering spot in Atlanta. Still being overcast and dull there wasn’t much going on but the park has lots of walking paths, fountains, and gardens for various activities, events, and concerts.
Centennial Olympic Park
The downtown area has many other interesting places such as the CNN Center; the National Center for Civil and Human Rights; the College Football Hall of Fame; the State Farm Arena, the SkyView Atlanta; the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Park; and the Tabernacle.
Atlanta has one of the most popular soccer clubs in Major League Soccer (MLS), Atlanta United FC. They have a very passionate fan base, some of which we met on their way to the Mercedes Benz Stadium, a state-of-the-art facility they share with the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons.
Underground Atlanta
We continued our walk toward a historic shopping, arts, and entertainment district, Underground Atlanta. However, the underground passages and storefronts, dating back to the 19th century, had obviously faced economic decline and were shut down. The area had instead become a popular place for homeless people. Through our travels in major cities such as Chicago and Boston, the problem with homelessness wasn’t new to us. However, despite efforts and initiatives to address the challenges of homelessness in Atlanta, it seemed very overwhelming.
Since 2022 there have been efforts to revitalize Underground Atlanta including new residential spaces, retail stores, restaurants, and entertainment venues.
Biking Atlanta
Whenever possible we go bike riding, and the BeltLine Trail is the place to go If you want to bike, walk, run, or rollerblade around Atlanta. The trail is part of an urban renewal plan, building sustainability and community. Old railroad tracks have been repurposed into a network of multi-use paved paths. It circles the central core of Atlanta and connects many different neighborhoods and landmarks.
The BeltLine Trail project
The trail will be a 22-mile loop when complete. The project includes parks and greenspaces along the trail for relaxation, picnics, and community events. Not everything is pretty and serene along the way but you’ll get a great impression of how Atlanta is embracing its past while working hard towards the future.
The BeltLine Trail can be entered from several places. We started our bike ride from the Eastside Trail biking through Piedmont Park. one of Atlanta’s most popular green spaces.
Atlanta skyline from the Piedmont Park
The ponce City Market
Ponce City Market is another one of Atlanta’s exciting repurposed historic building-turned-mixed-use developments. The former Sears, Roebuck & Co., and City Hall East building is now an eclectic space with retail, shops, restaurants, The Central Food Hall, office space, residential units, and a rooftop venue The Roof. On our bike ride along the BeltLine Trail, we stopped and grabbed some Indian Street food. This place has a lot of temptations and it’s so cool how they have transformed these buildings to suit today’s needs while still preserving their industrial character.
Ponce City Market
More Great Reasons
As you can see there are plenty of things to explore in and around Atlanta. The choice of putting Georgia on our travel list may have been a little random, but we spent the most amazing month in the Peach State. If the world wasn’t such a huge place to explore we would love to go back someday. I will cover more great reasons to put Georgia on your travel list, soon:
- The natural wonders of Tallulah Gorge State Park, and Stone Mountain
- Historic landmarks such as the Smith Plantation in Roswell, Roswell Mill, and Riverwalk Boardwalk
- Historic Savannah, picturesque Tybee Island, and memorizing Driftwood Beach at Jekyll Island
Read More
About the different destinations of our midlife journey in the travel journal
About my take on navigating midlife in the midlife journal