Log Home Road Trip: Georgia

2. Lover’s Oak & Lanier’s Oak

Lover’s Oak: 828 Albany St., Brunswick, GA 31520

Lanier’s Oak: Intersection of U.S. Highway 17/GA25, Brunswick, GA 31520

According to local lore, The Lover’s Oak is the site where Native American braves and their maidens met. Estimated to be more than 900 years old, the tree’s trunk is about 13 feet in diameter and it branches into 10 limbs each measuring 12 to 30 inches around.

Not far away, another giant oak serves as the site where acclaimed Georgian poet, Sidney Lanier, once relaxed by the edge of the marsh, inspiring his work, “The Marshes of the Glynn.” Whether you’re familiar with Lanier’s work or not, the majestic tree is worth a stop, and a photo op.

Photo: fotolia.com / SeanPavonePhoto

3. The Alpine Town of Helen

Helenga.org

Though it has a permanent population of less than 500, Helen, Georgia, just happens to be the third most visited city in the state. A stop in Helen is akin to taking a mini-trip to an Alpine village. Filled with colorful timber-framed buildings and Bavarian charm, we can’t choose just one site to visit. Fortunately, the town is only 2.1 square miles, so taking it all in is a breeze. Stroll the cobblestone roads, peek in the quaint shops and enjoy authentic German fare — especially during Oktoberfest!

Photo: Geoff L. Johnson

4. State Botanical Garden of Georgia

2450 S. Milledge Ave., Athens, GA 30605

exploregeorgia.com

The 313-acre State Botanical Garden of Georgia is a true treasure for residents and visitors alike. Numerous themed display gardens, including the Flower Garden, the International Garden, the Heritage Garden, the Shade Garden and others showcase a wide variety of flowering plants and trees while also serving as an exceptional sanctuary for many species of birds. Over five miles of nature trails and the Alice Hand Callaway Visitor Center & Conservatory make this Road Trip stop a true nature-lover’s paradise. 

Photo: Courtesy Georgia Department of Economic Development

5. Uncle Remus Museum

214 S. Oak St.,
Eatonton, GA 31024

706-485-6856

uncleremusmuseum.org

Author Joel Chandler Harris’ enduring characters come to life at the Uncle Remus Museum, housed in a fitting log cabin setting. Through storytelling, informative tours and dioramas illustrating the famous Uncle Remus characters, such as Br’er Rabbit, the center strives to educate visitors about the life and work of this local writer’s formative years, including his apprenticeship at Turnwold Plantation where he was captivated by the folktales the plantation’s slaves shared with him, which he, in turn, shared with the world.

Photo: Courtesy Georgia Department of Economic Development 

6. Ocmulgee National Monument & Park 

1207 Emery Hwy.,
Macon, GA 31217

478-752-8257

Exploregeorgia.org

Though log homes have a long heritage in the United States, they seem like relative newcomers compared to this prehistoric Native American site. Many different cultures occupied this land for thousands of years. One of the largest archeological digs ever conducted in this country occurred here at Ocmulgee, where they unearthed hundreds of thousands of artifacts, including pottery, arrowheads, stone tools, pipes, jewelry, seeds, bones and more. It was discovered that the Earth Lodge floor, buried within the constructed mound (created to elevate the native elite), is original and was carbon dated to the year 1015. Today, the park is a fascinating part of Georgia’s ancient past, as well as a picturesque place to wile away an afternoon.

 Photo: sujatravel.com

7. Fort King George

302 McIntosh Road SE, Darleen, GA 31305

912-437-4470

gastateparks.org/FortKingGeorge

When you’re the oldest English fort on the Georgia coast, you’re in need of a facelift every now and then. John Ricketson and Hearthstone Homes of Georgia led that effort, bringing new life to the oak timber frame, cypress cladding and hand-cut cypress shake shingles that enclose it. John obtained the original blueprints from 1720 to accurately and lovingly restore this gem, and now visitors can tour the fort, barracks and outbuildings for a glimpse into the earliest days of what would become the United States.