When Ray Charles sang Hoagy Carmichael's song ìGeorgia on My Mindî little did he know that one day he would be standing on the legislative floor as the Georgia legislature voted in that song to become Georgia's state song. Better yet, sing the song for awhile and you will want to be taking a trip to Georgia. It's a love song all its own! With a rich history and diverse topography, Georgia is sure to satisfy every age of RVer. So for the RVer, no matter where

you choose to park your RV,

chances are, it's gonna be good !

 

Several months ago a survey was done by RV travel.com and over 1,000 RVers responded to the survey (how much time do you spend in your RV)? 11% said full-time, 7.5% - 6 months, 22% - 3-6 months, 34% - 1-2 months, 19% - 2-3 weeks, 4.8% - less than 2 weeks.  With that survey in mind no wonder there are so many openings in parks and golf courses wanting the perfect individual or couple willing to camp host. In Georgia half of its population lives in the Metro Atlanta area, that leaves large tracts of wilderness state park lands needing assistance and who better to serve than those of us who enjoy the outdoors, the RVer.

 

Camp Hosting is one of those golden opportunities for the right personality. You volunteer in exchange for free campsite and utilities. The job usually includes meeting and greeting new arrivals into the state park site or golf course park and assisting with minor maintenance tasks. Work schedules tend to be fairly flexible and are specific to each park. Most require 24 hours of on-duty for each week. For the trade off, that's not bad wages! These hostings can last for a minimum of 2 months up to a maximum of 6 months. So for those of you who fall into the survey category above, chances are you might enjoy being a Camp Host. Georgia is not the only state to offer these opportunities, but it is the focus of this month's issue.

 

One such park is Red Top Mountain, named for its red mined ore, and Lake Allatoona, a 12,000 acre lake which is excellent for boating, skiing, angling, and hiking trails. Golf courses abound in the area. Cartersville is close by which is known for the Barnsley Gardens and the ghosts who haunt the historic sites there. Having been cursed for building on the acorn-shaped hillÖ you will want to be sure and take day trips into the nearby areas and find out the rest of the chilling story. If you feel you're not alone at night in the RV Park, it may be the ghosts of soldiers marching through the area. The Battle of Allatoona Pass on October 5, 1865 was equal in casualties to Gettysburg. By shear coincidence due to tourism , General Sherman happened to become familiar with the territory. He had heard of some peculiar Indian mounds known today as Cartersville, Georgia's Etowah Indian Mounds State Historic Site.

Contact Allatoona Marina Resort,

24 Allatoona Landing Rd. Cartersville,

Ga. 30120 (1-770-974-6089).

 

 

Another intriguing area to camp host in is the Laura S. Walker Park named after an avid civic leader. Laura, a Georgia writer, teacher and naturalist who was a great lover of trees worked diligently toward their preservation. This particular park is named in her honor. The park has an 18 hole golf course, The Lakes Golf Course, with pro shop, a 120 acre lake sometimes closed due to high water, swimming pool, RV sites, and wildlife observation platform. The area is great for fishing, dock or ramp. Boating, water skiing, canoe and fishing boat rentals are available. There are 2 miles of natural hiking trails. Nearby attractions include a National Wildlife Refuge, the Okefenokee Swamp and Heritage Center, The Swamp Park and the Southern Forest World. One word of caution in this park: when hiking, make sure you have told someone where you plan to go, and what time you leave, take plenty of water, use a compass, and wear good hiking shoes or boots. This is the edge of a swamp and alligators are seen from time to time even on the golf course. (This gives the golfer incentive to keep the ball on the fairway)! While in the Laura S. Walker Park, take time to look for the carnivorous pitcher plants, saw palmettos, the shy gopher tortoise, or maybe you'll see yellow shafted flickers, warblers, owls, and some great blue herons. This park is a bird lover's paradise! For more information on this park and others visit www.gastateparks.org .

 

 

I saw an old Southwind, well worn, with two lawn chairs strapped down, straps flapping, headed down the interstate the other day. It was traveling east, maybe to Georgia. If you all get there before I do, tell the ëgators I'm coming to see them. Set a chair out for me. All photos and historic sites are courtesy of www.georgia.org . Happy traveling!

 

If you have questions contact me at:

Rhonda@photoandtravel.com