This Week: Old Dixie Highway and Coasting Along the Atlantic

On this week’s episode of Georgia Traveler, we explore U.S. 41 from Macon to Cordele. The nation’s first planned highway, U.S. 41 is often referred to as the “Old Dixie Highway”. The team gets great travel advice at the Visitors Information Center in Macon and David sets off for fried green tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café in Juliette. Phil celebrates the state fruit at the Peach Festival in Fort Valley while Keely shoots skeet on her getaway to Henderson Village in Perry. Everyone joins in the outdoor activity of golfing at Lake Blackshear in Cordele and David dives into the local legend of the Grit in Warwick.

Georgia Traveler 209 - Old Dixie Highway airs Friday, August 28, 2009 at 9 PM, Saturday, August 29, 2009 at 7 PM and Wednesday, September 2, 2009 at 7:30 PM on GPB.

Also this week:

We're "Coasting Along the Atlantic", exploring U.S. 17 from Savannah to Darien. The team gets great travel advice at the Visitors' Information Center just outside Savannah and sets off. Phil finds fantastic food at the famous Lady and Sons while David discovers local legends and haunting fun on Savannah’s Ghosts and Gravestones tour. Keely tries a new outdoor activity on Tybee Island with the help of the High Tide Surf Shop and later joins Phil on a getaway to the community of Hog Hammock on Sapelo Island. Our last stop: family fun at the Blessing of the Fleet Festival in Darien.

Georgia Traveler 201 - Coasting Along the Atlantic airs Wednesday, September 2, 2009 at 7:00 PM on GPB.

For more information, check out our website at:
http://www.gpb.org/georgiatraveler/

Georgia Traveler is produced in partnership with the Georgia Department of Economic Development. Check out the new Georgia Tourism website at http://www.exploregeorgia.org/

Georgia Public Broadcasting is Television, Radio and Education: your PBS station serving all of Georgia; your source for great music and NPR news; and Georgia's source for top-quality multiple media educational products and services.

Watch Georgia Public Broadcasting on these nine stations across Georgia: Atlanta - WGTV/8; Albany - WABW/14, Augusta - WCES/20, Chatsworth - WNGH/18, Columbus - WJSP/28, Dawson - WACS/25, Macon - WMUM/29, Savannah - WVAN/9, Waycross - WXGA/8.

This Weekend in Georgia!

It's the second weekend in July, so, we hope you're out there enjoying the great State of Georgia and all it has to offer! If you're looking for some ideas, we've got some:

The folks at Red Top Mountain State Park in Cartersville invite you to a night time hike they call "Party with the 'Possums". Suitable for all ages, you can learn about the opossum, our local marsupials, and other creatures active at night in the Georgia forest. The hike leaves from the Visitors Center around 8 PM tonight- July 10. Bring your own flashlight and wear sturdy shoes. For more information, visit the Red Top Mountain State Park website or call 770-975-4226. If you miss the July 10 hike, similar events take place on Friday, July 17 and Friday, July 24.

At the Cannonball House in Macon, you can learn all about the "Art of Food Preservation" this Saturday, July 11 from 11AM until 4 PM. You can see historians dressed in period-style clothing in the original brick Cannonball House kitchen as they prepare summer's harvest for the winter. Learn about 19th century food preservation techniques as a part of the "Art of 19th Century Living" series of events. which explore life and customs of the mid-1800's. For more information, visit the Cannonball House website.

And down on the coast, it may not be a strictly weekend activity, but if you're in Savannah, you should plan to take in a "Mercer in the Squares" concert. A part of the centennial celebration of Savannah native Johnny Mercer, this concert series will present some of the area's most talented musicians performing Mercer favorites in Johnson and Wright Squares. One concert is today, July 10 from 11:30-1:30PM. If you missed that one, don't worry, you'll have an opportunity to enjoy the performances on Wednesdays and Fridays all month long! For more information, visit the City of Savannah's Department of Cultural Affairs website.

And those are just a few of the ideas you'll find if you visit ExploreGeorgia.org, the tourism website operated by our production partners at the Georgia Department of Economic Development. Check it out!

This Weekend in Georgia

It's the third weekend of May and there are many things to do and see in the Empire State of the South!


Now, this first one isn't really a tourism event, but, we wanted to be sure that you knew about the Macon- Middle Georgia Job Fair and Career Expo. For more information, check out this website. On Sunday, May 17 from 1-5 p.m. at the Macon Centreplex located at 200 Coliseum Dr. over 100 employers and exhibitors will partner with the Georgia Department of Labor to assist job seekers. If you can't physically go to Macon to visit the Expo event, we invite you to watch a live television broadcast on GPB Television and simulcast on partnership stations WMAZ/Channel 13 in Macon and WALB/ Channel 10 in Albany. That's Job Fair 2009 this Sunday, May 17 from 2-4 PM. You can also watch online and chat live with Job Specialists from the Department of Labor on the GPB website at www.gpb.org/jobfair.


On Friday, May 15 the annual Tybee Island Beach Bum Parade might surprise the unsuspecting visitor. Like most parades, there are floats pulled behind cars and trucks. Unlike most parades, however, the floats, often trailers or boats, are filled with water-throwing paraphernalia. Spectators, lined up along the parade route on Butler Avenue, are armed with buckets, squirt guns and hoses. What results is an all-out water war for fun loving beach bums of all ages. For more information, check out their website.



Saturday, May 16 is the day for the Traditional Singing Convention in Blairsville. The event, which will be held at 2 PM at the Historic Court House will feature Shape Note Singing. Organizers tell us that the key is audience participation. Different singing masters, or leaders, will choose a song from one of the shaped-note songbooks and lead the congregation in the singing. The music is like any music except each note has a particular shape, and the music is performed by reading and singing the notes. Those in attendance who cannot read the shaped notes simply listen and enjoy the music. To learn more about the Convention, check out their website. To learn more about Shape Note Singing and see our own Phil Proctor in action at the Chattahoochee Sacred Harp Convention, click here to watch the Georgia Traveler segment!


And those are just a few of the great ways to explore Georgia this weekend. For more information, check out the Explore Georgia website operated by Georgia Traveler's production partners at the Georgia Department of Economic Development.

This Weekend in Georgia

Now that spring is finally here, there's lots to do outdoors in Georgia. Let's take a look!

The famous Macon Cherry Blossom Festival is back! The Cherry Blossom Festival is the winner of the 2006 and 2007 Southeast Tourism Society's Shining Example Award for the Best Festival or Event in the southeast, and is not resting on its laurels. This year's festival will feature hot air balloons, parades, historic tours, fireworks, and so much more! And don't forget what the Cherry Blossom Festival is famous for: cherry trees! The entire festival takes place under a canopy of 300,000 bloming Yoshino cherry trees, which makes for one spectacular sight! This year's festival runs from Friday, March 27 to Sunday, March 29. For more information and directions, visit www.cherryblossom.com. Georgia Traveler Host Emeritus Gerald Bryant visited the Cherry Blossom Festival in 2006; you can watch that episode of Georgia Traveler here.


Shrimping season is getting underway, so that means it's time for a tradition that goes back decades. The Blessing of the Fleet in Darien is a spectacular way to have a great time and participate in the well-wishing of the Shrimping Fleet. A shrimp boat tour and marine animal exhibit are being held by our friends at the Department of Natural Resources, and of course, lots of food, arts and crafts, and music will be featured. The event runs from Friday, March 27 to Sunday, March 29. Visit the Blessing of the Fleet's website for more information. Georgia Traveler host Phil Proctor visited the Blessing of the Fleet; click here to see how he lived it up on the Coast!


Coastal Georgia is known for its food, and A Taste of Glynn at the King and Prince Resort on St. Simon's Island will surely help the Coast live up to its reputation. The event is an annual fundraiser for the Amity House Women's Shelter in Brunswick, and with 25 restuarants and caterers participating, you won't go away hungry! In addittion to the great grub, three music groups will be performing, and the Platinum Silent Auction will be giving away a vacation trip and other prizes. Tickets are available by calling Amity House at 912-264-1348. A Taste of Glynn begins at 5 PM on Sunday, March 29. More information is available at http://www.atasteofglynn.com/. To see a Georgia Traveler visit to the Brunswick Rockin' Stewbilee, vist the Georgia Traveler website.

And those are just a few of the great ways to explore Georgia this weekend. For more information, check out the Explore Georgia website operated by Georgia Traveler's production partners at the Georgia Department of Economic Development.

This Weekend in Georgia

Happy Valentine's Day, Georgia!

This weekend in Georgia, travel to Egypt and visit the tomb of the pharoah, Tutankhamun! Sound incredible? Photographs make it all possible! Emory University's Michael C. Carlos Museum in Atlanta is featuring an exhibit of photographs taken by Harry Burton during the excavation of Tutankhamun's tomb; a process that took ten years! In addition to the photographs, the exhibit features explanation and interpretation of the early use of photography in archaeology, the career of Harry Burton, and the connection between these photographs and the infamous curse of Tutankhamun's tomb! Tours are available Friday, February 13, Saturday, February 14, and Sunday, February 15 from 9 AM until 5 PM. Admission is a $7 donation. For more information, visit the Carlos Museum's website.


If you have an outdoor bent and you're looking for something a little different to do this
Valentine's Day weekend, the Bird Photo Contest at Crooked River State Park in St. Mary's will fit the bill! Running from Friday, February 13 through Monday, February 16, visit the park and photograph blackbirds, herons, cardinals, and more of your favorite avian friends. Then enter the photo contest! There is a $3 parking fee. More information is available at Crooked River Creek State Park's website.



For the space enthusiast, this weekend visit the Museum of Arts and Science in Macon, which is featuring Beyond: Visions of Planetary Landscapes. Raw data from the NASA archives and breathtaking photos from the Magellan, Voyager 1 and 2 probes and the Viking Landers are presented and give visitors the chance to see breathtaking images from space like they've never seen before! The Museum of Arts and Science is open from 10 AM to 5 PM on Saturday, February 14, and 1 PM to 5 PM on Sunday, February 15. There is a small admission fee. For more information, click here!

And those are just a few of this weekend's highlights. For more information, check out the new http://www.exploregeorgia.org/ website!

This Weekend in Georgia

This weekend, take a drive to historic Madison, Georgia, home to the Holiday Tour of Homes. The tour is sponsored by the Friends of Heritage Hall and the Morgan County Historical Society. Guests will tour five historic and private homes decorated for the Christmas season. While you're in town, also consider a stroll through Madison's downtown, which is home to delicious reatuarants and interesting shops. Morning tours and evening candlelight tours are available Friday, December 5, and Saturday, December 6. For more information, visit the Holiday Tour of Homes website.



Santa Claus is coming to town! That's right, Santa will make a personal appearance in Bremen, Georgia on Friday, December 5, from 6 to 8 pm. In addition to pictures with Santa, you can also enjoy the lighting of the town, cookies, hot chocolate, and other children's activities. Best of all, parking is free! For more information on Bremen, visit their website.


For our music fans, head out to Macon for Live at Five on First Friday. Don Erdman's Hotlanta Dixieland Jazz starts things off with music made famous by Fats Waller, Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton, and other early jazz legends. Country enthusiasts are not left out either! Cowboy Envy will be onhand to perform numbers made famous by Gene Autry, the Sons of the Pioneers, and Patsy Montana. Kids are welcome! Vist the Georgia Music Hall of Fame's website for more information.




And those are just a few of this weekend's highlights. For more information, check out the new
http://www.exploregeorgia.org/ website!

This Week: Coast South (St. Simons) and Historic South (Macon)

On this episode of Georgia Traveler, its off to Georgia's beautiful southern coast. St. Simons Island is the destination city where we explore mysterious tree spirits, historic Christ Church, colonial foundations at Fort Frederica and a lighthouse that dates to 1872. David Zelski shows us how millionaires once vacationed on Jekyll Island. Discover Georgia's first British outpost at Fort King George in Darien and follow Phil Proctor as he invades Brunswick's annual Stewbilee.

GeorgiaTraveler Episode 101- Coast South (St. Simons) airs this Friday, October 10 at 9 PM, Saturday, October 11 at 7 PM and Wednesday, October 15 at 7:30 PM.

AND ON THE NEWLY LAUNCHED GPB KNOWLEDGE

On this episode of Georgia Traveler, its off to Georgia's Historic South. Macon is our destination city which we visit during the famous Cherry Blossom Festival. Gerald Bryant explores the Music and Sports Halls of Fame and finds the geographic center of Georgia, we think. David Zelski visits Fitzgerald and meets some interesting residents. Phil Proctor helps cook that old southern classic- chicken and dumplings- at the Blue Willow Inn in Social Circle. Keely Muse takes us on a tour of historic Milledgeville, and its off to Perry for the Georgia National Fair.

Georgia Traveler 106- Historic South (Macon) airs on GPB Knowledge this Saturday, October 11 at 8 PM and Sunday, October 12 at 8 AM.

For more information, check out our website at:
http://www.gpb.org/georgiatraveler/

Georgia Traveler is produced in partnership with the Georgia Department of Economic Development. Check out the new Georgia Tourism website at http://www.exploregeorgia.org/