Along US 301, where the sign for the park is located
there is another sign for a local BBQ joint. Hillbilly’s Grill & BBQ some
locals call it Hungry Hillbilly Grill & BBQ. The reviews are good and the
prices are average. Next time, we will have to check it out! Both of these are just south of Jesup. Jesup, Georgia is home to the oldest Drive-In Movie Theater
in Georgia. It is very well maintained and is playing current movies! Their motto
is “See the Stars under the Stars.” The current owners have owned it since 2012.
Renovations they completed were all to improve the experience of the Drive-In
by enhancing the nostalgic ambiance. They added décor from the 1950s era,
including carhops (dressed in 50’s attire) who can take food orders from your
car. The Jesup Drive-In is a real treasure! In 1958, there were more than 4,000
drive-ins in operation across the US, today only 338 remain.
GOD was watching over us today, and that was evident
in the rays of sunshine that peaked out through the early morning clouds. It
was a perfect morning to travel. It was light, but the sun was not beating down
on us. Some of the roads we drove on today had seen rain last night, but we
were dry where we stayed. Some of the rains must have been heavy, because we
had standing water on some side roads.
In downtown Glennville, there is a mural on the
wall that depicts all that makes Glennville great, including the cotton crop, the
train that moves the goods and the famous Vidalia Onion. Tattnall County, which
includes Glennville, is the largest and grows more Vidalia Sweet Onions than
any of the other Vidalia Sweet Onion growing counties, contributing
approximately half of the entire state crop each year.
US 301 takes us through Glennville Georgia. Glennville’s
biggest annual event, the Glennville Sweet Onion Festival, is in its 40th year
in 2016. We are just a few days ahead of the big event … I am sad, but Charlie
is glad! It is held on the second Saturday of each May and celebrates the harvesting
of the famous Vidalia sweet onion crop. The day begins with a “sweet” onion run
and walk and a downtown parade, then on to the State Farmers’ Market on Highway
301 South for an array of arts and crafts, delightful entertainment, children's
rides and games, delectable food (that includes fried sweet onion rings and
blooming onions) of course!
We passed by many freshly plowed fields. Baby wanted to know why the dirt was red? There are over eighteen Georgia Grown Trail 301 locations in
and around Glenville and Tattnall County. I found the Armstrong’s Cricket Farm,
fresh produce at Georgia Grown U-picks DC Durrence Farms and Ray Farms. Just
off 301 is the Watermelon Creek Vineyard. Hmmmm, sounds good to me! Isn’t there
a country song about the Watermelon Crawl … could that be from Watermelon Wine?
I would love to drive the whole trail and stop at each place, but it would have
to be without the camper … let the Adventure Begin!
I wish I could have gotten a picture of this one! It had “Vinny’s
Bargain Barn” stenciled on the roof. It is located on US 301 just outside Statesboro,
Georgia. All I can say, is “one man’s junk, is another man’s treasure” … Vinny
either had a bunch of junk or a million treasures! The piece that caught my
attention was a Shoney’s Big Boy a top one of the roofs of the building, plus all
the other large pieces of “treasure” around the building. I would be afraid to
enter … but the American Pickers might venture inside!
As you cross the Savannah River, you can see the
old swing bridge that used to be used to cross the river. This closed off
section of the old highway has been converted by the state of South Carolina
into a nice pedestrian walkway. At one time it was nicely shaded by the trees,
now it is more overgrown and those branches have overtaken the bypassed highway
and elevated bridge. The almost 3 mile pathway would allow you to walk right
out onto the old bridge and look down into the Savannah River.
Before crossing the GA / SC State line, you see
the Georgia Welcome Center. Surviving many rounds of budget cuts, Sylvania's
welcome center, believed to be the nation's oldest continually operating
roadside visitor center, soldiers on. It celebrated its 50th birthday in
January of 2012. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places at
the end of 2011. This old 1962 relic perfectly captures the space age architecture
that was so prevalent in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
Along the embankment of Interstate 26, where US 601
crosses over the Interstate you can see a patriotic rock formation of “USA” and
an American Flag. This tribute to the US was created by SC Department of
Transportation workers after 9/11. It looks as vibrant and alive today as it
did the year they created it. Being a retired military officer, it warms my
heart every time I see something a patriotic as this!
We followed along the back side of Fort Jackson
and ended the day at Columbia Camden RV Park, just outside Ft Jackson SC. When
we pulled into this park, we remembered that we had been here once before. It
was when we had our truck camper and we were driving after dark. We found this
place and paid at the “honesty box” check in and went to a site. Getting here
in the daylight revealed that it is a quaint, well maintained family owned
park. They have 83 sites with a few pull through sites, perfect for our
overnight stop. 
Each site even has 2 Adirondack chairs, which we enjoyed this
afternoon in the nice breeze and sunshine. Maudine and Maynard enjoyed them
too! Good Night!
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