Exploring the Swamp

The boat tour through Okefenokee Swamp was the highlight of our weekend. Finding a mother gator with her little ones in a gator hole was quite exciting. I didn't realize alligators could hiss, which they do as a warning not to come any closer. The US Navy put on quite a show at Jacksonville Beach the first weekend in November. Some old planes were also doing skywriting. The weather was perfect for a long walk on the beach.

Quick Tips:

Jacksonville, FL, is a convenient place to fly into to explore the Georgia/Florida border region. From Houston, anyway, it is pretty easy to snag a good fare.

Best Way To Get Around:

A car is necessary to get around this region, as it is quite rural. Rental cars are, of course, available at the Jacksonville Airport.

Holiday Inn Waycross is a small-scale hotel with meeting rooms, valet laundry, exercise room, and outdoor pool. The lobby is nicely decorated. It is two stories with exterior corridors and no elevator.

Our room was a standard unit with king bed, table, chairs, and TV. The room and bathroom were clean, the furnishings fine, but nothing special. The whole place seemed a little old-fashioned. The people at the desk were friendly.

You do receive a ticket for a breakfast buffet with eggs, bacon, some fruit, biscuits, and the ever-present Southern grits. The food was OK. The drinks, however, were served by a waitress, necessitating leaving a tip.

All in all an adequate lodging--just nothing special for $90.

The Ramada was the cheapest 3-diamond lodging in Valdosta listed in the AAA book. We got what we paid for. The motel has outside corridors and little curb appeal. The room was clean and some updating had been done, but it still seemed on the "old" side. An iron and hair dryer were available. It was too cold in November to use the outdoor pool. You could park in front of your unit.

A continental breakfast was served with typical fare.

When my husband checked out and handed me the bill I noticed they had charged us considerably more than our reservation stated from AAA's website. The clerk didn't know how we had gotten that rate, but she did honor it when we produced the rate confirmation sheet.

Valdosta itself was a charming Southern town. There were numerous Southern mansions and a beautiful college campus, Valdosta State, with huge old trees. Downtown looked interesting, but we didn't have time to shop.

This is the best restaurant that we have just "happened upon" in a very long time. It looks like a cottage on the outside, but the interior is log. It is romantic and family-friendly at the same time. There is a fireplace in the main room. Their menu stated the cuisine is "New Southern." They have all the Southern dishes - fried chicken, meatloaf, mashed potatoes, okra, broccoli, etc. They also had sandwiches and a Sunday dinner buffet. Portions were huge!

We chose not to eat the buffet for $12 because I didn't feel that hungry. I had a turkey sandwich - very large - and sweet potato chips. They were new to me, but quite tasty. My husband had fried chicken (4 pieces) with 3 side dishes. Neither one of us could eat all we had so we got a box, and then ordered cobbler for dessert!

There are side rooms for private parties.

Okefenokee Swamp Park, a 1600-acre wildlife sanctuary, is the northern entrance to Okefenokee Swamp. The park has a butterfly garden, boardwalks, boat tours, canoe rentals, train ride, and animal exhibits.

The Swamp Creation Center has exhibits explaining the evolution of the swamp. Other centers have wildlife observation areas, including a bear observatory. At Pioneer Island, a stop on the train ride, there are outdoor museum displays of life as it was for early settlers, animals, and a country store.

While the train ride is included in your ticket, the boat tours are extra. Don’t miss one of the boat tours into the swamp to see the plants and wildlife up close. We visited in November so the wildlife activity wasn’t at its highest, but we saw numerous gators, turtles, and birds during our 1-hour tour. The guide had lived in the area all his life so he was quite knowledgeable and very adept at maneuvering the boat in narrow places at a relatively low water level. I was very glad he kept his end of the boat nearest the mother gator who hissed to let us know we were getting too close to her babies! The fall colors of the vegetation were beautifully reflected in the black water of the swamp.

The fall weather was wonderful, and bugs were not a problem. I’m sure the story is quite different in summer! Spring is the recommended time to visit.

A number of different animals were in natural exhibits near the visitor center. We especially enjoyed watching a river otter. We were there early in the day, and he was quite interested in the food we purchased from the machine in his area.

The visitor center had your usual t-shirts and other souvenir items. As a teacher I was interested in the tubs of insects, reptiles, animals, etc. that were for sale. I also purchased a 36" plush gator for the "pond" in my school library—a big hit for the 1000 Gators who like to read with him each day.

Food was available for purchase, as well as a nice picnic area. There is a AAA discount. Check current information at Okefenokee Swamp Park.

Lake Park Mill Store Plaza is the largest outlet mall in Georgia. It is actually 14 miles south of Valdosta on I-75 very near the Florida line. There are approximately 50 stores featuring designer and national brands. Among the outlets are Dansk/Lenox, Claiborne, Jodi's Accessories, Rack Room Shoes, Leggs/Hanes/Bali, and the Gap. In November there were good buys on my Christmas china at the Lenox outlet. Liz Claiborne is one of my favorite brands, and the outlet had a great selection from all the different Claiborne brands--men and women.

There is a country restaurant and an ice cream shop on site. A very-nice looking RV park was also nearby--seen from the interstate.

So many outlet malls have numerous closed shops anymore, but this one seemed to be thriving. Great stop on a leisurely weekend along the Florida/Georgia border.