Carolinas, Georgia & South Trips (Lonely Planet, 1st Edition) - Alex Leviton [113]
From Guntersville, get back in touch with civilization on I-65 (southbound) through Birmingham and Montgomery to I-85 (eastbound) to Tuskegee, located 8 miles off the interstate on Hwy 80 (take exit 32). School yourself on a little history at Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site, which is home to the George Washington Carver Museum, devoted to the iconic African American educator and Tuskegee University, and The Oaks, the home of Booker T Washington, who was born into slavery but went on to become the university’s first president. Both men are icons in the history of not only African Americans but also the entire US education system. Five miles outside of town, the Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site has been restored to its former glory as the training grounds and airfield for the first African American pilot candidates in the US military, 1941’s Tuskegee Airmen. Several of the original training planes are on display here.
Head out of Tuskegee on Hwy 80 past the Tuskegee National Forest (the smallest in the USA) to Auburn, a college town of a different ilk entirely. It’s not fellowship that rules here, it’s football. Here a choice must be made: to stay or not to stay? Those passing through shouldn’t leave without stopping at Amsterdam Café on Gay St, a definite don’t-miss for foodies. Those who stay should dive liquor-first into the bar scene at In Italy – with its painted concrete floors and projection TVs on silver beads – before retiring in inebriated glory to Hotel at Auburn University.
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Serious river rats can paddle the Piedmont Section of the 631-mile Alabama Scenic River Trail (www.alabamascenicrivertrail.com), which begins at the Alabama–Georgia border and winds its way south towards Gadsden along the Upper Coosa River and its three lakes, Weiss, Logan Martin and Mitchell.
From Rome, head west on Hwy 20 to Hwy 100 (southbound). Make a right onto Black’s Bluff Rd and go approximately 6 miles. Make another right onto Montgomery Landing Rd to find the boat launch at Brushy Brand Park. Give yourself several days.
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Follow Hwy 280 out of town towards Phenix City over the Chattahoochee River into Columbus, GA, home to the fascinating National Civil War Naval Museum. This museum dedicated to the Confederate navy is a real surprise. Check out the CSS Jackson, an 1862 ironclad Confederate navy ship that was hauled up after 95 years underwater; and the stunning collection of massive mid-18th-century American and Confederate flags, unearthed from an attic in – funnily enough – Massachusetts. Skidaddle out of Columbus eastbound on Hwy 96 to Reynolds where, for $20, you can race the very vehicle you are driving in an amateur drag race on an NHRA-certified track at Silver Dollar Raceway every Friday night. That’s pure poetry.
Another 12 miles or so down the road, you’ll enter Peach County, the peach capital of the peach state. Your nose should lead you to Lane Southern Orchards, where you can stock up on all things peach and pecan. Peach cobbler, peach ice cream, peach BBQ sauce – embrace the peach! Hang your hat 10 minutes away at Henderson Village, a luxurious country resort spread out over several buildings on a 3500-acre farm in Perry.
With peaches in your rearview mirror, head north to Macon on Hwy 41 and the shockingly well done Georgia Music Hall of Fame. Otis Redding, The Allman Brothers, Ray Charles, REM, Chet Atkins, Indigo Girls, Widespread Panic, B-52s, Travis Tritt, Black Crowes, Usher – it’s all here in an entertaining array of exhibits that range from a church chapel housing an ode to Georgia’s gospel music to