Serenbe Farms

Up and Went, Palmetto, GA Tweet Map

From Serenbe Farms

When somebody uses the words, “organic farming community,” my first thoughts are of some kind of hippie throwback community with folks who make their own clothes and odors of patchouli drown out odors of, well, other things. Not exactly my primary thought when I’m looking for a getaway with my significant other. But so many Atlantans just love the place. It usually wins the readers polls for best daytrip. So when the right moment came, this monkey made an afternoon trip to Serenbe Farms in Palmetto, Georgia.

Serenbe Farms is exactly as it states a farming community using organic principles to emulate sustainability. Its produce can be sampled at three dining establishments in the area, as well as some Atlanta restaurants like Restaurant Eugene or Holeman & Finch. For the record, I like the principle of sourcing things locally and understand that if there was only organic farming, there would be a lot more starvation in the world. I think the folks at Serenbe get the idea: if you are blessed with the prosperity to allow yourself to make more environmentally friendly decisions, you really ought to, but I digress.

What you get to see at Serenbe is three basic elements. First, there are the Farmlands, which radiate a well maintained and rustic beauty. Farm Tours are available, but take some prior arrangement that we did not make, but one can still walk along the path enjoying its aesthetic beauty without understanding the agricultural science behind it. Second, are the shops and services. The reputation Serenbe has garnered has made it attracted a number of shops for your perusal. They are pricier, high end, sort of things, I would rarely buy from, but often find it fun to stop and look around. I will note that the wine store had a significant number of items under $20, so kudos to them for having something for the everyman.

Finally, and probably, the most notable attraction at Serenbe are the Restaurants themselves. There is a quaint little bakery shop called the Blue Eyed Daisy, which seems to be open most of the day, and doubles as the area’s grocery store. And then there’s the two major restaurants, The Hil, a more upscale eatery in the commercial district, and the Farmhouse, which is part of the original Farmhouse and Inn, where we chose to eat. Both places take and basically need reservations, and as I have said, we just up and went with no planning, but both offered to seat us without reservations, as long as we arrived immediately upon opening at 5pm (the website now says they open at 6p). We considered this generous and gladly accepted.

From 4-5pm outside the dining area at the Farmhouse, they had significant drink specials for happy hour. If my memory serves, mixed drinks were half off, and this wasn’t in the advertising. So we had a drink and waited for the doors to open. Then menu was simple, choice between two starters ($6), two entrees ($18), and two desserts($5). This made the deciding process quicker, but might hamper the more finicky eaters. I had the pork chops over grits, while my companion had the chicken dish. All the food was organic and local and very tasty. The menu does change regularly, but the format remains the same. We had planned to spend the afternoon at nearby Cochran Mill Parkexploring the trails, waterfall, and mill ruins, but the necessity of being at the restaurant at exactly 5pm curtailed that excursion.

So why do I think people love this place? Because it is sort of an oasis from what you normally see on a day to day basis in the Atlanta Area, and the food is authentic, organic, and really good. The Farmland and the area around the Farmhouse was the most beautiful. The commercial district was little weird to me, as I have a guttural disdain for planned playgrounds that only the affluent can enjoy, that comes from so much of my life being lived in the Shadow of Disneyworld. The Farm seems real and true to its purpose, the business district seems to be an overpriced and fairly surreal, a place where people should visit like a museum or a zoo but not live.

Restaurant Fundamentals

The Farmhouse at Serenbe
Address: Hutcheson Ferry Rd, Palmetto, Georgia
Hours: Thu & Fri 6-9pm, Sat 11:30-3pm, 6-9pm, Sun 11:30-3p
Phone: 770.463.2622
Website: Serenbe Farmhouse

Cultural Significance: B
Food Quality: A+
Healthiness: A
Price: B
Value: A

Overall Rating: A

Recommendations: I would suggest you order as much local vegetables and sides as you can. The Fried Green tomato on the salad was probably the best I’ve ever had.
Significance: Sustainable, organic, Farm to table restaurant ahead of its time.

Chattahoochee Bend State Park

Still Got that New Park Smell Tweet Map

From Chattahoochee Bend

It’s been 20 years since the State of Georgia has opened a new state park. Not that I’m complaining, they do an excellent job with the parks they run, but when a new park opens after that many years it’s kind of a big thing. The Georgia State Parks department is planning two new parks in the near future, and the good news is that they are both relatively close to Atlanta. The first to open just this month is called Chattahoochee Bend State Park, located about an hour and twenty minutes outside of Atlanta on the Western edge of Newnan in Coweta County.

Now, I live in Gwinnett County, so it’s a little further for me, but I bet that most of you have friends or reasons to be out that way. I have a good friend who lives in Peachtree City and I used the opening of the new state park as good excuse to spend the day with him and his 12 year old son.

Everything there is brand new. The visitor center is pristine, with a half dozen rocking chairs on the porch. The bathrooms are new. The Gift Shop is new. I’m sure the campsites are new too. But what is most interesting to me is that the trails are new. According to the map you can get at the visitor center, there are two hiking trails: One from the visitor center to the campground and the other, which seemed more interesting to us, the one along the Chattahoochee River itself.

To reach that trailhead, continue driving on the park road till it pretty much dead ends. There is a good size parking lot near the boat launch area. The trailhead is to the right of the launch about 150 feet. There were a good number of people using the area not just to get their boats into the water, but to cool off from the hot Georgia Summer. By the looks of things, the water is pretty shallow and calm there.

The trail is a pretty flat walk that goes all the way to the bend that gives the park its name. To be honest, I have to sort of trust them as we didn’t have the time to get there. According to the Friend of the Bend site there’s five miles of trail (and then you’d have to trek back, I don’t know if you can subtract the campground trail). We went up no more than three miles before turning around, but I believe you get the flavor of the trail in that time. The one thing that is notable about this trail is that the river is a little further away from the shore than I might like. And because it’s so new, the small side paths down to the water don’t exist as of yet. But we had fun fighting our way down to the shore in a couple of places. Who knows, somewhere down the line, our trails might become the trails. Along the path, there’s a nice, newly built lookout platform (that probably works better in the winter months), and a part where there’s an internal clearing on the non-river side where we saw a few deer run through.

So if you’re in the Newnan area, or are looking for an easy boat launch, or just want to see the new place, head on down to Chattahoochee Bend State Park. For me, it was a very nice day in nature with a good friend. His son really liked the place (lots of bugs and branches to play on), so I’d give it a better rating for kids. The only drawback was the July Heat, which I can’t fault the park for (The trail is mostly covered and there was a noticeable decrease in temperature on the trail itself).



Trail Essentials
Approximate Time: 3-3.5 hours
Approximate Distance: 10 miles round trip
Trail Surface: Compact Soil, Sand
Features: Riverside Walk

Overall Rating: B

Scenic Quality: C+
Athleticism: C+
Solitude: B+
Value: B+
Parking: State Park Fees ($5)
Hours of Operation: 7am-10pm
Facilities: at Visitor Center
Maps: At Vistor Center, white blazed
General Maps: here or here
County: Coweta

Pasaquan

EOM on the Range map

From Pasaquan

There are several notable artists that come from or have resided in Georgia. I don’t write about them all, but when one artist describes himself as the “Bodacious Mystic Badass of Buena Vista,” it makes this monkey sit up, take notice, and put a visit to his home on my list of things to do. Now, it has taken me some time to manage the trip, with its 2.5 hours of traveling and pretty restrictive operating hours. But I got there and wanted to tell you about it. If you don’t know what I am talking about, this is about Pasaquan, the residence and artwork of the lovably mad Eddie Owens Martin, near Buena Vista, Georgia.


For a couple of years now, the site has been open to the public on the first Saturday of each month during the summer. They do charge a $5 donation/admission, but it goes to the preservation of the home and is well worth it. As I have said, the hours are short, being only open from 10am to 4pm on that one day a month.


What you get to see is patchwork of geometric patterns married to mystic, Indian, and religious symbols. Driving up the deserted and aptly named Eddie Martin Road, this outlandishly decorated home is woefully out of place in the middle Georgia countryside. But I say this in a good way, a place where you might least expect something this out of the ordinary, it is magnificent to find the extraordinary. The house is decorated on every wall and inside every room with different paints and designs, except his bedroom. He paid special attention to painting faces and patterns.

From Pasaquan

Eddie Owens Martin was born in this home in 1908. Around the age of 14, he left home after an incident where his father killed his dog. He wandered about a bit, starting as a fruit picker in the South, but eventually managed his way up to New York City, a place where those who perceive themselves as different often feel quite at home. He managed to eke out an existence there as a waiter, bartender, and male prostitute. He often made money in gambling or selling marijuana. Over time, he found his best calling as a fortune teller working the streets of the city. In the 1930’s, apparently due to a fever, he had a vision of people from another time and space who called themselves Pasaquoyans. They told him to show the world what life could be like in the future and to go back to Georgia to do something. And to change his name to St. EOM, pronounced like Ohm or the meditative chant.


There he started building this place on the site of his old homestead. He would finance the thing by continuing to tell fortunes. He would wear outlandish costumes: part Indian, part Eastern Mystic, part out of this world. He built a circular sandpit where he would conduct shows and ritual for those who made the journey. He did this for 30 years, until the pains of disease and old age were too much to bear. Using a gun, he killed himself there in 1986; he was 77 years old at the time.


Eddie often complained that he was underappreciated as an artist. And from the works, you find in the welcoming area, I think he had a point. Compared to most of the self-taught artists I have seen, his paintings were actually pretty good. Descriptive and well crafted, and not really childlike in appearance. Now, the structure itself is simplistic and crazy, but the paintings were quite better than that. He also did a fair amount of sculpture, hence the maze of walls and totems throughout the property. Many of these are fallen into disrepair, but it must have been a sight when the colors were bright and brilliant. I should also note that it would be difficult to spend an entire day there as the grounds are not vast. Normally on the last day of business for the year in November they have an Artists Day, where Southern Artists set up displays and there’s food and music. You can keep up with them and their events on their blog here. In one of the rooms, they were showing films of the artist while he was still alive.


So, If you are in the area of Buena Vista (about an hour East of Columbus and two hours South of Atlanta) on the first Saturday of the month during the day, you should definitely put this on the list of things to do. If you are into folk art, it is certainly worth the trip by itself. The place reminds me of what midnight movies used to be in the 70’s before corporations figured out a show that late could be really profitable. It’s wildly fascinating.


Here are some interesting video links:
From the Documentary
From PBS
A longer video

And the Ballad of Eddie Owens Martin:
Ballad of Eddie Owens Martin

Pine Mountain

Dowdell’s Knob & the Wolfden Loop Map [Trailhead]

From Pine Mountain

One of our favorite pastimes is to head to the mountains. Most often that means driving our automobiles North from Atlanta, but there is a terrific mountain, a mountain so nice that it was the favorite spot of one of the greatest Presidents of the United States of America. This place, less than an hour and a half South of Atlanta is Pine Mountain, which stands majestically as the center point of Georgia’s Largest State Park, Franklin Delano Roosevelt State Park in Pine Mountain, Georgia .


Pine Mountain rises 1395 feet high on the East Side of the park. For those who want the view without the work, this is a driving summit much like Fort Mountain . The best place for a panoramic valley view, was FDR’s picnic spot, known as Dowdell‘s Knob . As this is the highest point on the mountain, there is a spectacular view of the valley below. Also, at the spot, is the President’s Barbecue Pit and statue of the former President, sitting serenely on his removable car seat. It is notable for two reasons. First, it is probably the only representation of the great man that shows his leg braces. And secondly, the way its made allows one to sit next to the President in a way that makes conversation almost seem possible. This transports one to a place that helps a person truly get the sense of National History the beauty of Georgia helped shape.


The hiking here is very good also. The park contains the 23 mile Pine Mountain Trail . For day hikers, the place to go is at the far East side of the Park, near the Warm Springs side entrance. It begins at a small parking lot right next to the WJSP-TV tower. The loop itself utilizes a portion of the Pine Mountain Trail (counting backwards from Mile Marker 23 to 18) and doubles back on the Beaver Dam Trail for a total of 6.7 miles. If your looking for a shorter hike the walk from the lot to the Wolf’s Den and back would make a 4.4 mile round trip.


On the way, there are several pretty, but not too large waterfalls. Csonka Falls might be about 4 feet, Big Rock Falls maybe 6, and Slippery Rock Falls somewhere between the two in height. Just at the Wolf’s Den you can see Cascade falls which stands about 10 feet and falls into a shallow pool. Just because they are small, I don’t want to suggest they are anything but pleasant. From there you can climb up to the Wolf’s Den, and further on there is a Beaver Dam and some nice vista views. The trail is rocky in parts with some patches of steep climbing, but mostly compact soil. Taken in totality, especially when you factor in the distance, I would place the hike at the high side of moderate (or maybe the low end of difficult) for the casual hiker.


FDR Park makes for nice day out, and considering the size could easily be spaced into a multiple day jaunt. It’s minutes away from Warm Springs and the little White House; literally across the street from Callaway Gardens, and just down the road from Pine Mountain, Georgia (We had some nice Ice Cream at Sage‘s Soda Fountain there, Blue Bell , I believe). The parking cost is the standard state park $5 day fee, which makes for an affordable day trip,


Trail Essentials
WOLF DEN LOOP ONLY
Approximate Time: 4 hours
Approximate Distance: 6.7mi
Trail Surface: Compact Soil, Rocks,
Features: Small Waterfalls, Riverside Walk, Wolf’s den, Scenic Views, historical significance, Beaver Dam.
Overall Rating:
Scenic Quality: A
Athleticism: A
Solitude: A
Value: A
Parking: $5 (Sept 2008)
Hours of Operation:
Facilities: at Visitor center and throughout, not on Trails
Maps: Available at Visitor center, not the best trail map, but the trails are well marked
County: Harris County

Westville, an 1850's town

STEP BACK INTO GEORGIA IN THE 1850’s MAP

From Westville

When I tried to explain to my friends my desire to go to Westville, in Lumpkin, Georgia [Stewart County], I told them it seems like it is a place that, much like Helen, Georgia is to Germany, it is to our state 150 years ago. That description is only mostly accurate, Helen is much more touristy with restaurants, shopping centers, and its ilk. Westville is simply what it claims to be a working pre-civil war Georgia town, you be hard pressed to find a fine dining experience in the vicinity, but there’s some nearby good BBQ.



I hesitate to call it a hike, but you should wear comfortable shoes because you’ll walk along dirt roads for about two miles during your visit. What you see is quite interesting, you walk along and see over thirty pioneer Georgia buildings. From Churches to a General Store to a Doctor’s office; from the rich Singer’s home to poor farmers Cabins; from blacksmiths to potters to bootmakers shops; its all there in this well thought out open Air Museum.



When you arrive you have to pay admission at the gift shop, which is $10 for adults, $8 for college students, and $4 dollars for K-12 ($1 off coupon here), and exchange your money for scrip which is used throughout the venue. In case you want some lemonade or some cornbread (50 Cents each), or take a tour of the land in a mule drawn wagon ($1 a person), you need a little scrip (2 bucks each should suffice). There is a restaurant serving simple food in one of the houses and I believe that group takes cash.



Inside you see a town at work. Workers in period gear ply their trades and educate you about what Georgia once was like. Unlike other reproductions I’ve seen, they let the characters be themselves, there's no pre planned script. We met a blacksmith who was complaining about the youths they hired not paying attention as he was trying to teach one how to make a nail. We met a very authentic heavy set black man making “sweetnin” and telling us it was good (making good a two syllable word). This sugar cane syrup was pretty disgusting to my palate, but as he explained it was all they had in the day. There was also a nice older lady who showed us how the loom worked, and as she pointed out all the drapes and linens on the site were made by that loom.



The highlight of the trip was watching a cotton gin actually at work. They had two field hands working the gin. One would run the gin and speak to the visitors, the other tended to the mules which served as its engine. I’ve seen cotton before, and I’ve seen gins before, but I never saw one at work. It was truly fascinating, Most gins of the time used bulls, and they explained that the last bull died some twenty years before, and they switched to mules. There was a giant bailing machine next to the gin, but unfortunately (for me not them) they weren’t bailing that day.



We went during the harvest festival, and they have several festivals and events throughout the year. On that day, there were singers and musicians in the courthouse, and you could sit a spell and enjoy some tunes. The Courthouse was from Cherokee County and I believe it is the oldest courthouse still standing in this state.



The whole concept is a monument to Colonel John West, a former professor from North Georgia College in Dahlonega. The idea was to save old historic buildings and put them all in one place for future generations to see. All the buildings are real and have come from all corners of the state. I’m glad some folks have the foresight to preserve that which would otherwise fall by the wayside.



If you have kids, I’d say its worth a special trip, seeing it’s a clear two and a half hours outside of Atlanta. For adults, I would say you would be remiss if you were in the area and didn’t stop by. Or could be easily combined with a gorgeous nature walk at Providence Canyon State Park 5 miles away. If you like photography, they actually encourage you to take pictures, unlike most other museums. This is a gem of a place in Southwest Georgia and a pleasant gateway to a world that has passed us by.

Providence Canyon

GEORGIA’S GRAND CANYON map

From Providence Canyon

Ok, this one’s a little further away, nestled about 150 miles Southwest of Atlanta, and 40 miles South of Columbus, near Lumpkin, Georgia. This puts it at about two and a half hours away, so I apologize. But, and there’s always a but, its well worth the trip. It’s one of the most outstandingly beautiful places in all of Georgia, so beautiful in fact I have a photo listed on the homepage. I am talking about Providence Canyon, known as “Georgia’s Little Grand Canyon”



This Canyon, another of Georgia‘s Seven Natural Wonders is different in its beauty than other parts of Georgia I have seen. Stepping inside the canyon transports one’s mind to someplace further West. The Canyon is really a series of Gorges, some 16 in all, and some of them as deep as 150 feet. And this erosion tell a story in its splendor. The story is Several Million years of Georgia’s geologic history. Admittedly, the erosion is, in part, man made, due primarily to poor farming techniques, lack of knowledge, and lack of future vision by farmers in the area in the 1800s. I don’t blame them, we learn much from our mistakes. But the byproduct result is a lovely panoramic view of whites, purples, pinks, reds, blacks and browns.



Providence Canyon sits within Providence Canyon State Park, and is a dayhikers dream. There is an easy 3 mile trail that takes you down into the Canyon to see, feel, and experience the walls of nine of the gorges first hand. It then leads up and along the rim to view the colors of the walls in its totality. If you want a little more challenge, there is a 7 mile Back Country Trail, but I was warned not to go because the back areas are popular with hunters (if you go check hunting schedules and/or wear bright orange), I personally don’t take chances when guns are involved.



As you climb out of the ravine, there are a couple of other interesting things to see. First there’s a strange dead car graveyard that must be at least thirty years old. The signs explain that they have become a habitat to many of the local animals and important in a way that requires them not to be moved, so they will no doubt be there when you make your sojourn.



The second is Providence Methodist Church, a church built in the early 1830’s and closed quite a while ago due the danger the expanding canyon presents. The old church is still there and you can explore the old cemetery with graves that date back to the early 1800’s.



Like I said, despite its distance, it is breathtakingly worth the trip, Its also better to get there late in the day to see the setting sun work its magic on the Canyon Walls. If you see it more of an overnighter there is camping, and plentiful reasonable hotel rooms in nearby Eufaula, Alabama. Its also within 5 miles of the equally intriguing town of Historic Westville.



Trail Essentials
Approximate Time: 2.5 hours
Approximate Distance: 3 miles (maybe more if you really explore each gorge)
Trail Surface: Compact Soil, Clay, some wet foot crossings
Features: Majestic Vistas, Colorful Canyon Walls

Overall Rating: A
Scenic Quality: A+
Athleticism: B-
Solitude: B
Value: A (only not an A+ because of distance from Atlanta)

Parking: $3 (standard State Park Rates) [Nov 2007]
Hours of Operation: Closed Nights, Major Holidays
Facilities: At the Visitor Center, other locations along the rim, none in canyon
Maps: At Visitor Center, Online here
County: Stewart County

Cricket in Georgia

AM I MY WICKETS KEEPER? ..map

From CRICKET

As I am always on the search for new and interesting things to do or see, I was invited by a Bajan (from Barbados) friend of mine to view an Invitational Cricket tournament held right in the Atlanta Area in Burdett Park in historic College Park, Georgia.



It would be extremely tough for me to explain how Cricket is actually played, as my understanding is pretty rudimentary. It is one of the forerunners of my favorite sport, baseball. And it is immensely popular in many countries, chiefly those which used to be British Commonwealth countries. Most of the folks at this event were West Indian in descent.



This Invitational is an adjunct of the Georgia Supreme Cricket League, a league that plays here in Georgia at four separate parks every Sunday. There website was having some problems but can be accessed at www.gascl.com (if not try this one). I was assured that every weekend has music and a festival like atmosphere. For a modest price, I was able to get some nice and spicy jerk chicken, with rice and peas (as they say) and wash it down with a Red Stripe on the QT. I had a very nice time, if you like Cricket, or West Indian food and Culture, or just are looking for a nice way to pass the day at the park, you could watch the Cricketeers at no charge.

>

To see how popular the sport truly is or to learn more about the sport worldwide, goto www.cricinfo.com

Warm Springs, Ga

THE GREATEST GENERATION'S PRESIDENT...map

From Litt le White ...

Here in Georgia, we have had the honor of three modern era presidents calling the state home. One, Jimmy Carter, was born here. A second, Woodrow Wilson, practiced law in Atlanta. The final one died here. I visited the home away from the White House for one of the greatest Presidents in United States History, Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

About two hours outside of the ATL, Southeast on 85, lies the pretty little town of Warm Springs, Georgia. The town and FDR's relationship to the city were immortalized in the HBO movie, starring Kenneth Branagh, Warm Springs. While I was there, I was struck by how fortunate we were as a nation, to have a President forced by conditions, namely a paralyzing polio condition, to spend significant time among the people. Lord, we could use that now.



I sort of wish I didn't have to do this, but a short (and incomplete list) of FDR's accomplishments must be listed:

1. Only four time elected President
2. Presided over the reconstruction of the Country during and exiting the depression.
3. Created the Securities and Exchange Commission protecting our investments
4. Created the TVA, modernizing agriculture and creating power generation in many locales and the Rural Electrification Act, which brought affordable electricity to areas that were unserved prior.
5. Creation of the Social Security System, the most successful program in the history of U.S. governance.
6. Rallied American Forces and People's Spirits through the bombing of American Ship's at Pearl Harbor and the Great War vs. Nazi Germany.

The town is quaint and small. I was only a little disappointed because the Warm Springs of Warm Springs were listed as one of the,Seven Natural Wonders of Georgia, but they really weren't accessible for viewing. The main springs are still being used by the Roosevelt Institute for Rehabilitation and on hospital property and it would be unfair to the disabled folks to be inundated by gawking visitors.



The Little White House charged a small $7 dollar admission. I thought it was worth it. The first museum had several displays about FDR's reforms and some about Eleanor, and an interesting forked family tree, linking Franklin to his cousin, and fellow President, Teddy. The most fascinating feature was one of FDR's custom fitted automobiles, designed to allow a Polio victim to navigate a vehicle completely by hand. Also, there was a complete wall of canes, mostly handmade, given to the President by fans and followers who had no idea how serious his condition was.



Leaving the First Museum, one can walk up a tribute to the fifty states, each carved out of stone native to that state. Then you approach the White house compound.

The compound consists of three buildings, the main building (the Little White House), Servants Quarters and Garage, and the Guest house. The tour guides are older folk who personify the stereotype of Southern Hospitality in the best possible way. They tell in great detail the story of the last days of FDR.



Inside the Main Building, the highlight is the actual chair that Roosevelt was sitting in when he had the Cerebral Hemorrhage that ended his life. His final words were reportedly, "I have a terrific headache." Additionally, you can see his bed, desk, fireplace, and various other artifacts of the Great President.

FDR was having a portrait done at the time of his demise. That unfinished portrait is hanging in the final museum by the entrance. It is haunting considering the circumstance in which it was created.



The folks at the Site will gladly give you directions to the Rehabilitation facilities public showcase, where you can learn about what created the Warm Springs and many of their rehabilitative techniques. You will be completely enthralled by the swimming pool facilities. Primarily, understanding that they are the very same pools in which the former President swam among the people, and secondly because they are built completely on top of one of the fabled natural springs. Unfortunately, the pools are drained to help preserve them, but there is a simple fountain where you can touch and feel the mineral rich water. The temperature of the Water was 86 degrees on February 20th of this year. For a small donation, you can buy a bottle to fill yourself and take home as a souvenir.



The town was mostly shut down on Monday. But there are quaint little shops that bustle on the weekends, in an area known as Bullochsville. Nearby is the Pine Mountain Trail (Wolfden Loop), Dowdell's Knob (FDR's favorite Picnic Spot), and Callaway Gardens.