Georgia Magazine - September 2020 - 22

About an hour east of Dahlonega, Toccoa,
toccoagachamber.com, boasts a rare feature: It is
one of the three Georgia stops on Amtrak's Crescent
rail line between New York and New Orleans.
The 1915 train station does more than greet
travelers; it's also home to the Toccoa-Stephens
County Chamber of Commerce, a welcome center,
a historical society and a museum, complete with a
restored train car. The building also houses the
Currahee Military Museum, toccoahistory.com,
which tells the story of the World War II paratroopers who hiked from the depot to Camp Toccoa,
camptoccoaatcurrahee.org, near Currahee Mountain, where they trained before heading overseas.
Their story was made famous in the book and film
"Band of Brothers." Those up for the challenge can
hike to the mountaintop and take in the panoramic
views of the countryside, stephenscountyga.com.

Cave Spring and Rockmart
Head west to discover these two towns about 30 minutes apart.
Rockmart, which began as a railroad town in the late 1800s, has put those
old tracks to use as part of the bicycle-friendly Silver Comet Trail,
silvercometga.com. The 61.5-mile stretch from Cobb County to the
Alabama line passes through the center of Rockmart, where cyclists can
stop for a picnic lunch at covered pavilions or dine at one of the downtown
eateries. This section of the trail includes bucolic and historic sites,
including an 800-foot railroad tunnel.
Northwest of Rockmart, the Floyd County town of Cave Spring,
cityofcavespring.com, is anchored by a quaint square lined with antique
shops, stores and places to grab a bite. For decades, visitors have been
drawn to the city and its 29-acre Rolater Park, cityofcavespring.com/
rolater.asp, which features a limestone cave and natural spring that produces about 2 million gallons of water a day-some of which can go home
with anyone who brings a container to fill up. The spring also flows into a
1.5-acre swimming lake, where the mineral-laden water is always a brisk
57 degrees.

EXPLOR

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Madison and Eatonton
Madison, madisonga.com, the county seat of Morgan
County, is an old-house lovers' mecca. Tree-shaded streets
are lined with antebellum homes in one of the state's biggest and oldest National Historic Districts. Heritage Hall,
the 1811 Greek Revival mansion, is decorated in period furnishings and maintained by the Morgan County Historical
Society. The center of town is a vibrant square dotted with
gift and antique shops, restaurants and art galleries. Visitors
who want to hike, camp, swim or go boating can head to
Hard Labor Creek State Park, Georgia's second-largest state
park, in nearby Rutledge.
Head 22 miles south of Madison and discover
Eatonton, eatonton.com, the county seat of Putnam
County and birthplace of noted authors Joel Chandler Harris and Alice Walker. Harris turned the stories
told by slaves on a nearby plantation into his Uncle
Remus collection, published in the 1880s and 1890s.
The Uncle Remus Museum, uncleremusmuseum.
org, traces the writer's life and inspiration through
storytelling sessions, artifacts and dioramas
populated by his most memorable characters.
Drop by the Eatonton-Putnam Visitor Center,
eatonton.com, and pick up the Alice Walker Driving
Tour map. The tour features several places the poet
and novelist frequented, including her childhood
home, where a room of family memorabilia is
dedicated to her life.
Nature lovers will find three popular destinations within 20 minutes of downtown Eatonton.
Head northeast to Lake Oconee, south to Lake
Sinclair or southwest to the Oconee National
Top: Browse specialty shops and grab a bite to eat in downtown Cave
Spring before exploring the town's namesake cave in nearby Rolater Park.
Forest.
Above: The Joshua Hill House in Madison honors the former lawyer, mayor
H.M. Cauley is a freelance writer from Atlanta.
and U.S. senator who is credited with saving the town from being destroyed
during Gen. William T. Sherman's March to the Sea.

Georgia Magazine

September 2020

For adventures in RV travel, turn to page 28.

http://www.toccoagachamber.com http://www.silvercometga.com http://www.toccoahistory.com http://www.cityofcavespring.com http://www.cityofcavespring.com/rolater.asp http://www.camptoccoaatcurrahee.org http://www.cityofcavespring.com/rolater.asp http://www.stephenscountyga.com http://www.madisonga.com http://www.eatonton.com http://www.uncleremusmuseum.org/ http://www.uncleremusmuseum.org/ http://www.eatonton.com http://www.EXPLOREGEORGIA.ORG

Georgia Magazine - September 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Georgia Magazine - September 2020