Travel South Magazine Travel South low (kasey daleo's conflicted copy 20 | Page 174

&
E
L
L
I
V
S
R
E
[ CART W COUNTY, GA
BARTO
A Real Georgia Gem!
Just north of Atlanta, Cartersville, Geor-
gia mixes small town charm with sophis-
ticated finds. On one end of the
downtown business district is a farm
supply store and on the other is the
Smithsonian Affiliate Booth Western Art
Museum, housing the nation’s largest
collection of Western American art. Be-
tween the two are cool shops, chef-
owned restaurants, the world’s first
Coca-Cola wall sign, and The Bartow
History Museum, portraying the Ap-
palachian foothills experience since the
1800s.
The renowned Etowah Indian Mounds
is a significant National Historic Land-
mark, which was a mecca for native
peoples from 900 to 1,500 A.D. His-
toric diversity abounds from the Victo-
rian elegance of Rose Lawn Museum –
home of evangelist Sam Jones, for
whom Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium
was built – to poignant Civil War sites at
Kingston, Cassville, Adairsville and Alla-
toona Pass Battlefield. Georgia’s first
state park for African Americans –
George Washington Carver Park on
Lake Allatoona – is a landmark in the
state’s Civil Rights heritage. At nearby
Euharlee, experience an authentic 19 th
century farming village with a covered
bridge built in 1886.
The Tellus Science Museum, also a
Smithsonian Affiliate, is worth a visit by
itself. A quirky find is Old Car City USA,
where acres of rusting classics, a Styro-
foam cup art gallery and Elvis’ last car
create a one-of-a-kind experience.
Travel sports families flock annually to
LakePoint Sporting Community, featur-
ing world-class athletic facilities and
public wakeboarding at Terminus Wake
Park.
Year-round, enjoy kayaking and fishing
on the Etowah River, hiking some of the
region’s best trails at Pine Mountain and
Red Top Mountain State Park, or shoot-
ing at Barnsley Resort’s Springbank
Plantation. The historic resort also fea-
tures fine dining, golf, horseback riding
and a spa. The magical gardens for
which the resort is named have
bloomed for more than 160 years –
don’t let another day go by without find-
ing yourself there.