Tag: Activities

Under the Sea

For as long as I can remember, I have loved the ocean. It has more moods than most humans and although it is eons old, it can drown you with vigor.

This is why I spent my recent birthday (December 21st) at the Georgia Aquarium. Admission is free on your birthday, and while I didn’t attend any shows, I did see several denizens of the deep, including the Aquarium’s most famous resident, a whale shark that has resided in Atlanta for 18 years.

(Shark swimming, photo by me)

(seals)

Whale sharks are the largest extant fish species and, fittingly, the Georgia Aquarium is the largest of its kind in the Western Hemisphere with over 11 million gallons of fresh and salt water tanks and over 500 species of fish and aquatic mammals, including hammerhead sharks, beluga whales, and manta rays.

(Japanese sea nettle)

(reef fishes near a fake shipwreck)

The Aquarium is located near Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, near the World of Coca-Cola. Its main purpose is to encourage marine literacy (if that’s a thing) and conservation efforts. It’s also open 365 days a year.

(Whale shark in the background)

The views here remind me of Captain Nemo’s words in the 1954 Disney film 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: “See how peaceful it is here.”

(Leopard shark)

There are presentations involving sea lions (see picture above) and bottlenose dolphins in addition to a touch tank with quiet, gliding stingrays that feel like velvet when you pet them.

(bottlenose dolphin)

(beluga whale watching)

Admission is normally $59 and parking nearby is around $20, but spending the afternoon in the company of such beautiful creatures is priceless. 


Ein Prosit! Your Guide to Oktoberfest

(Image credit: @floridadonny)

Oktoberfest is an annual festival in Munich, Germany, held over a 2-week period in September and ending on the first Sunday in October. 

The festival’s origins can be traced back to October 12, 1810, in celebration of a marriage between the Crown Prince of Bavaria (who became King Louis I) to Princes Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen.  Royal weddings have always been over the top, and this festival concluded with a horse race.  In 1811, the horse race was combined with a state agricultural fair.  In 1818, booths serving food and drinks were introduced.

By the late 20th century, the food and drink booths had morphed into large beer halls complete with balconies and bandstands.  Each brewery in Munich erects a temporary structure, which can seat up to 6,000.  The festival in 2022 starts on September 17 and runs through October 1 in Munich. 

In Georgia, Helen’s Oktoberfest (one of the oldest in the nation) starts September 29th and runs through October 30th.  These celebrations, which feature beer and German food, try to reproduce the Bavarian sense of gemutlichkeit (cordiality).

The celebration is open to all ages.  Admission is $8 during the week and $10 on Saturdays (free admission on Sundays!).  Doors open at 6 pm throughout the week, and 1 pm on weekends.

You can plan to stay in Helen at The Heidi Motel or, if you’re planning on going with a group of friends or family, rent a cabin at nearby Unicoi State Park and work a short hike into your itinerary.

Start your food adventure with Hofer’s of Helen for Reuben sandwiches, made by Germans who immigrated to the town in the 1950s.  The Heidelberg German Restaurant and Hofbrauhaus are other options.  Please drink responsibly, and have a designated driver in your group.

There are other options for Oktoberfest in Georgia, including Oktoberfest Atlanta on September 30th as well as Gainesville’s first annual Oktoberfest at Smithgall Arts Center on October 1st.

Hiking Chicopee Woods on a perfect autumn day

Ever taken a walk in the woods where the only sounds were your breathing and the crunching of leaves underneath your feet?  That describes Sunday, when I took my trusty husky, Emma, out for a walk at Chicopee Woods in Flowery Branch, right off Atlanta Highway.

View from the Dodd Trail, Chicopee Woods Trail System

The sun was high and fall was barely in the air, with only a few trees showing gold and red colors.  All trails are marked, and there are three: the easiest is the paved Geiger Trail, which leads directly from the Nature Center.  It’s perfect for parents, as there are signs with illustrations from a children’s book along the trail.

The trail we took is the Dodd Loop, which is 0.64 miles and marked red on the trail map system.  It winds through Walnut Creek Valley and there are a couple of places with stones steps that take you to the water’s edge.  

The longest trail is the Bridge Loop, which is nearly 3 miles and marked green.  It’s a moderately hard trail that’s accessed from the Elachee Visitor Center parking lot and travels through Piedmont forest.  There are five bridged stream crossings on the trail, including a 140-foot-long suspension bridge.  

Walnut Creek, Chicopee Woods Trail System

You can download and use the Avenza Maps app to see your location on the trails by using their GeoPDF map on your device.  You can also use US Topo Maps (get the app here: https://amzn.to/31Sb21h).

If you’re interesting in learning more about Georgia hikes, pick up this guidebook (https://amzn.to/2Tmnm5a) by Tim Homan.