Shooting and Eating Gator by Jenny

I know what you’re thinking…you have to have special permits to hunt gator. Well when the Georgia Traveler crew shoots something we use a camera not a gun.

The trip began like any other…hopping in our Suburu Outback and driving the many miles to our next destination. David Z., Shane (photographer) and I (field producer) headed south on I-75 on what promised to be an exciting festival weekend.

The weather was absolutely gorgeous which put us all in good moods. We took a wrong turn in McRae and ended up going through Douglas and Pearson, Georgia. Sometimes wrong turns end up adding time and misery to our trips but driving through Douglas and Pearson was a wonderful experience.

Once we arrived in Waycross…home of the Swampfest, we checked into the hotel. The hotel the attendant excitedly told us that we would be rooming in the same hotel as the folks from the Paul Bunyan Lumberjack Show. We had already planned on shooting their show so we were happy that we would be staying at the same place!

We met up with Regina at the festival and things got busy. We shot a lot Friday including the Lumberjack Show and the Okefenokee Joe Show, both were very entertaining. The smell of fair food filled the air which made all three of us very hungry. David Z. tried gator on a stick and washed it down with a turkey leg that had been calling his name since our arrival. I wolfed down a hotdog but only because I could eat it and walk at the same time. We finished our shooting for the day by enjoying a live concert by Just June a local band from Moultrie, Georgia.

The next morning we headed out bright and early to the Okefenokee Swamp Park to film their most famous resident. Oscar the alligator is no longer swimming the dark waters but his bones are on display in the welcome center. After the Swamp Park the crew drove back to Swampfest to capture the competitions and the trains going through town. We succeeded at one but failed miserably at the other. We first tried to film trains going by the Train Depot…after a half hour of waiting for a train to come we reluctantly left to shoot the first competition of the day, the Dilly Bar Eating contest. Our timing could not have been worse…as soon as we began filming the kids eating Dilly Bars a train rolled by the depot!

After the children’s Dilly Bar Eating contest, Regina asked David if he would like to compete in the hotdog eating contest…after much prodding David agreed to compete. I was a little worried about him competing but he did just fine. He did not win but he did not get sick either. I count that as a win in our book, especially since he was only one hot dog off the winner…not too shabby for no warm up. There was one other competition, the coke chugging contest for both children and adults. I was very impressed to see a person guzzle a 2 liter coke in less than 2 minutes.

Many fun times at Swampfest, too many to write in one blog but the Georgia Traveler crew had an exciting time…we even ran into Lee and Bryce from the Lumberjack Show at breakfast in the hotel!

All I know is that April in the swamp is a wonderful time whether you’re visiting the alligators or the Swampfest.

* Swampfest is an annual festival held each year in Waycross, Georgia.

A nice Saturday in Dublin (Part II)

Here's David shooting a stndup outside before the parade...

A nice Saturday in Dublin (Part I)

The GT team enjoying the parade.

Yesterday, David Z. and the crew had a great time in Dublin! They headed home full of corned beef and cabbage, green funnel cakes and a wicked sunburn proving spring has arrived! Back in Atlanta, crew member Zeleika, heard that the best solution for a sunburn is the Irish grandmother's cure: black tea. Brew it, place it in the fridge and then apply it to the burned area...a nice remedy for the hot Georgia sun!

David enjoying his lunch at Barron's in Baxley.

Barron's is located about 4 South of Atlanta. Don't miss out on their daily specials!

McRae by David Z.

Made it to McRae right when the storms hit...so disapointing that the storms have caused early closings in some locations but they'll be back open bright and early tomorrow.

Most romantic travel destinations in Georgia: to you?

Hey Georgia Traveler fans. We want to know what you think are the most romantic travel destinations in Georgia. That’s right, the entire peach state! Indoors or outdoors. Tell us where and why the atmosphere is amazing. Was it a Bed and Breakfast located high in the mountains with breathtaking views? A beautiful resort... on the coast? A luxury hotel or a secluded wine-country retreat? Maybe a horseback riding adventure? You be the judge. We’d love to hear from you. Comment @ gatraveler@gpb.org or post your reply right here!

Chateau Élan (Part II)

The word 'élan' is synonymous with...flair, style, confidence, and elegance.

At Chateau Elan in Braselton, that's exactly what I found. And, it starts when you turn into the driveway featuring views that are expansive and welcoming.

From the team of valets at the front door of the Chateau, all the way up in the form of CEO and President Henk Evers who waited to greet the Georgia Traveler team personally.
Nearly everyone at Chateau Élan is international. We met staff from The Netherlands , Ireland , Germany , and Turkey . There’s also a great group of locals who work there.
We were shown a corner suite. Wowza, wowza, wowza! The bathroom … to die for, including a snowy white bathrobe that is a serious snuggle draw. The bed … a decadent treat for body and mind. Both suite and bath were festooned with red and white rose petals, a special package for couples.
Anyway, enough of this drooling. You simply must visit this place for yourself. While there, check out Paddy’s. It’s an Irish Pub built in Ireland , disassembled and rebuilt in Braselton. Even the staff is Irish.
And, don’t forget The Spa at Chateau Élan for relaxing and unwinding. It even smells good in The Spa, which has its own kitchen. Oh yeah … the menu at The Spa features the carb count of your favorite foods!
International award winning chef Marc Suennemann made lunch for us, featuring seared sea scallops, white asparagus, truffles, fingerling potatoes and pork tenderloin. Chef Marc was kind enough to make my appetizer and lunch diet friendly. Desert was chocolate molten cake a la mode. (Okay, I had one bite. Who could resist?) A white chocolate cigarillo accompanied this homemade confection. UMMMM! BTW: Chef Marc is a dream to work with and his team offers cooking classes.
If there’s one drawback to this place, it’s that the gift shops stock too many gorgeous little things, which beg you to ‘pick me, pick me.’ As a self-confessed shop-a-holic, it was all too much for me to resist. But, then whoever said shopping is a bad thing?

Chateau Elan and Road Atlanta

Chateau Elan and Road Atlanta by Valarie Edwards:

Ladies, this one is for you! I think men have kept the secret of road racing to themselves so we won’t know how much fun they’ve been having at the track. Here’s what happened. Recently, David and I, along with photographers Kevan Ward and Wayne Petty traveled to the Skip Barber Racing School at Road Atlanta in Braselton (about 45 minutes north of Atlanta ) as part of our Speed Tour of Georgia (premiering March 26th @ 9:00 PM). After first suiting up in our red rally suit and helmets, we then climbed into our Mazda Miata’s for a quick safety lesson from our instructors. (Check out the pix for how good looking these two are! Vrrrmmmmm vrrrmmmm!!) OK, seriously … these guys really know what they are doing.Even in the falling snow, the instructors, Sean and Rob controlled the cars through hairpin turns, reaching speeds of over 100 MPH. There’s even a part of the track called the skid pad that’s been slicked over to simulate an oil spill … we did it all, donuts and spinning, billowing tons of smoke. Yeah, I was holding on for dear life but hey, that’s ‘cause I was trying to hold on to my lunch too.Then, it was time for David and I to take the wheel and time off against one another. Long story short, David won the timed trials but was disqualified because he failed a regulation backup. I am officially claiming the race as a win for all womankind. (Insert end zone dance here.) This is serious fun anyone can enjoy. Check out the Skip Barber website for scheduled class times. Later we headed to nearby Chateau Elan for some serious winding down at The Spa at Chateau Elan. Everything about this place is FAB-U-LOUS! More about my visit to Chateau Elan in my next post. Let me just leave you with these few words … Chef Marc at Chateau Elan is H-O-TTTTTT.

Meal time in Tifton

So what is grown in Georgia in January? That was the question I had when researching places for the Georgia Grown Tour of Georgia. In truth, there’s not too much being grown in the early winter months, but I found a place in Tifton that has things “growin’ on” all year-round. That’s the Agrirama.

Having not eaten, I focused this travel destination on how to get myself a meal. The Agrirama is a living history village and my tour guide today was a long time employee named Johnny Johnson. Johnny became my gateway to the food…And he delivered. We immediately went to the old grist mill and I learned how to grind corn kernels into both grits and meal. Both of these products would eventually quench my hunger. We took our ground grits to a couple of kind ladies who were already in the process of cooking tea cakes (cookies). Though the tea cakes were good, the grits were better than I ever imagined. The recipe is on the back of the bags you can pick up when visiting the mill. We then headed to cornbread cook Barbara Cody, and this lady knew her stuff, putting this meal into a hot coal Dutch oven skillet and turning it into cornbread perfection.

The Agrirama also features a printing press, turpentine still, blacksmith shop, cotton gin, livestock, a massive agriculture museum and so much more. Located just off exit 63-B on I-75, the Agrirama is a step back in time that can’t be missed.

David Zelski