One of the best things about living in Atlanta is the many places you can get to from there. I am 30 minutes away from the world’s busiest airport and within 8 hours of driving, I can get just about anywhere in the South. One of my closest friends moved a few hours south of town back in February, so I decided to take a detour to see her on my way to Mississippi.
The city on the border with Alabama is known for a handful of things, including being home to Fort Benning. I first visited for my cousin’s graduation at the Army base, but I didn’t see much outside of it. This time around, I sought to find the charms of the underrated destination.
My friend Christine and her son showed me around, starting with the most important part of the day: morning coffee. We headed over to Iron Bank Coffee Co., a coffee shop and restaurant in a former bank building. You can even rent out one of the vaults, now used as meeting rooms. They also host live music at night. I was pleased to see so many old buildings being used again.
Next we wandered over to the Chattahoochee River Walk, set along the Chattahoochee River that serves as the border between the two states. I fact, you can even zip line from one side to the other. The river provides all sorts of entertainment, including river rafting and stand up paddleboarding.
This part of the river was created for the 1996 Olympics, so the hydraulics have been produced to keep you upright instead of flipping over.
I’d been to Callaway Gardens, so instead we took little Will over to Wild Animal Safari, an animal sanctuary where you can take a bus with no windows through an open air field and feed them. Some of the creatures got very comfortable, sticking their heads right next to yours!
Next trip I hope to venture out even further to Warm Springs, Plains and all the other landmarks I missed on childhood fieldtrips!
I have not been but it looks like a cool spot!
I’ve been to Columbus! Calloway Gardens are beautiful, Warm Springs is quite interesting, and don’t forget about the “Little Grand Canyon,” officially known as Providence Canyon State Park in nearby Lumpkin. The emphases is on the word “little” in comparison to “the” grand canyon, but it is a very attractive little canyon!