A Little South Georgia Fun

Gram, the kids, and I returned from a trip to South Georgia this past weekend. Tuttle has been interested in visiting the Okefenokee Swamp for a while now, so Gram and I decided to turn it into a visit to her hometown of Willacoochee, too! Maggie could hardly contain her excitement to spend two nights in a hotel!

After an easy ride down, we grabbed dinner and headed immediately for the hotel pool. It was close to Jacob's bedtime, so Gram stayed with the big kids while they splashed around in the water.

We hit the ground running on Saturday morning and drove into Willacoochee. Our first stop was the cemetery to put flowers on my Papa's grave. This was the kids' first experience in a cemetery, but they did not seem unnerved and asked some really sweet questions.

The next logical stop was Corbitt Hardware, my grandfather's store. He sold it to some family friends after he stopped working, but they are more like family and kept the original name.

I had not visited in twenty years, but it still smelled the same and brought back so many fun memories from my visits to Willacoochee. Even the old glass bottle Coke machine worked, so Tuttle enjoyed a cold treat!

I just LOVED this big container of nails when I was a little girl. Maggie liked checking it out, too. :)

We drove the kids by the old elementary school, the library, and the church. Mom ran into some friends at the church, and the kids explored the building for a few minutes.

Gram and I made a quick stop at Sambo's Jumbos for a Coke (and a corndog for me!) before loading up the car for the drive to the swamp. Although Gram's little South Georgia hometown has changed a lot since I was a little girl, I feel so lucky that my kids were able to experience a little taste of such a special place to our family.

The Okefenokee Swamp lived up to its expectations. As soon as we arrived, we could see alligators everywhere. I still cannot wrap my head around the fact that there was no barrier between visitors and the animals!

We started the adventure with a boat ride through the swamp. Luckily there was enough space for Jacob to crawl around without falling overboard. We saw big and small alligators, turtles, snakes, and birds. At one point, we exited the boat to climb an observation tower.

We cruised around one area with all the big alligators, including the alpha male of the swamp. He was GIGANTIC. 

Our next stop was a train ride which unfortunately resulted in Maggie getting sick. She had not been herself during the day or eaten much, so it did not surprise me. It cut our visit a little short, but a huge storm started up, so it was actually good timing. The kids picked out some souvenirs, and we left the swamp.

Our last required stop was Ray's Millpond Cafe in Ray City, Georgia. The food is almost worth the drive down to South Georgia alone. Jacob is officially at the age where a restaurant is almost impossible, but Gram and I were both able to stuff ourselves with fried catfish, cheese grits, hushpuppies, and banana pudding. 

Tuttle, Maggie, and Jacob's first visit to South Georgia was full of memories. A big THANK YOU to Gram for planning to trip and helping with my crazy circus while we were there. We had a blast!