My trip to Georgia began with 20 minutes of staring at the wrong luggage carousel. Eventually I found Bailey, who I worked with at Pizza Planet, his brother Brandon, and my lonely suitcase circling around the adjacent carousel.
I’d landed in Atlanta, so decided it would be a good opportunity to explore the former Olympic city.
We began with Centennial Park, which saw its glory days when the city hosted the 1996 Olympics.
CNN headquarters are also housed in Atlanta.
There’s this TV show that I’m kind of in love with. My excitement was unbearable when I stumbled across a statue of the show’s main characters.
Grizz, Pan Pan and Ice Bear are the adorable, hilarious and relatable stars of We Bare Bears.
After a bite to eat we decided to move on to the High Museum. We circled around the city. We’ll pretend that had nothing to do with navigation and was because we wanted to soak in all the city sights. Following many circles, and confusion at an elevator we reached to museum doors to find it closed on Mondays.
A quick Google search told us the Martin Luther King Jr historical site was nearby.
We started with the tourist centre where Bailey enjoyed a nap during the film, and my knowledge of the civil rights activist was refreshed. Next we saw Fire Station 6 - the city’s first integrated fire station.
Up the street a little further was the birth home of MLK Jr.
Next we explored Ebenezer Baptist Church.
The church where MLK preached housed artefacts and also had sound bites of the preacher’s eloquent voice ringing out through speakers.
Here is a photo of the family and a letter addressed to the congregation.
We then began a stroll along Auburn Street. First we came across the Cox Brothers Funeral home.
Then we came across people approaching us and making us feel a little uncomfortable, so I took this next quick snap, then we quickly turned around and headed back to the car.
We left the city and took a few pit stops on the way back to Bailey’s. Our first stop was Bass Pro - Meccah for gun toting, camouflage wearing, hunting Georgians. Basically the opposite of Bailey and Brandon.
Pretty much every time Bailey and hung out during the Disney College Program it was at Buffalo Wild Wings, so of course we found ourselves at the restaurant.
My fingers were a little too sticky with the mildest wing sauce available to take any other photos.
It was then time to head off to where I’d be staying during my first trip to Georgia. Bailey introduced me to his lovely grandparents who kindly opened their home to me. I stayed in the basement, while Bailey stayed in a room upstairs.
I kind of felt like I’d made it when I sat in a rocking chair in the South.
After hearing interesting stories of living in a southern state through segregation and the assassination of MLK it was time to hit the hay. Not literally though, they’re not that Southern.
Day two began with a delicious breakfast of pecan waffles.
Bailey then showed me around his hometown - Cordele. We were almost blown away by the strong winds at the beautiful Lake Blackshear.
After ambling through a nature trail we traipsed across railway tracks.
Ok, Bailey pretty much skipped over the railway tracks, while I cautiously stepped onto each wooden plank.
At the National Park we also saw weaponry and vehicles from various theatres of war.
We drove through town looking at the homes. This time with a lot less circling than yesterday in Atlanta.
Lunch was at Bass - a little stop on the side of the road where the owner displayed a photo of him with former president George W. Bush and asked, “How y’all doin’?”
We saw a confederate statue that mentions nothing about slavery.
Next was a giant missile that is one of the city’s most popular tourist attractions.
On our way over to Bailey’s other grandparents we got caught behind a tractor. Just another touch of the South.
Upon our arrival, Bailey’s grandmother started making chocolate covered strawberries.
After our snack we wandered down to the pond where the ducks couldn’t get away from me any faster.
We thought about doing a spot of fishing, but the fish had vacated well ahead of my arrival.
That evening we enjoyed some more home style cooking. This time it was succulent roast beef and mashed potato.
Ever since I’d arrived Bailey’s mum and grandma had been talking about a film set in Savannah, Georgia, called Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. I felt a little like my trip to the state wouldn’t be complete without watching it.
With an early start ahead of us, we decided to finish the rest of the movie the following day, after our day trip to Savannah. Stay tuned to find out about that day which included a car breakdown, two states, and my very own diner.
CNN Headquarters
Martin Luther King Jr Historical Site
Bass Pro
Lake Blackshear
Titan I Missile
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