Industrial warehouses are filled with unmatched creativity with numerous studios and galleries. I love seeing the variety of art. Hurricane Helene wrecked this area but it is once again a thriving area along the French Broad River.
175,000 square feet and 250 rooms define the former residence of the Vanderbilt’s estate. The construction began in 1890 and required so many laborers. Art and antiques from Gilded Age fill this museum. The grounds are spectacular and house several buildings across the expansive property including an exhibit hall, winery, hotel and more.
The gardens are equally spectacular and the conservatory was packed with beautiful plants and flowers.
15 minutes from Asheville is the cute town of Black Mountain. The air just felt fresher here! The downtown area is a few streets but galleries, craft stores, jewelry stores and cafes were plentiful. I had a tasty cafe con leche and guava pastelito, too!
Asheville is an easy three hour drive from Atlanta driving through north Georgia, a sliver of South Carolina and climbing to an elevation of about 2,100 feet to land in this quaint area.
We dropped our belongings at the hotel and found a cute lunch place for a small bite to eat. We then walked around and explored the downtown area including the Asheville Urban Trail and the Basilica of St. Lawrence. The Basilica is not open for tours but from pictures it looks stunning. We meandered and visited the many shops, galleries and cafes. The downtown area is larger than I expected but easy to navigate and very walkable.
I visited the Center for Craft today in Asheville, NC. It supports the crafts through grants, exhibits, materials library and an exploration area.
Today I visited an amazing national park focused on MLK Jr.’s life and teachings. The park consists of his birth home (where he lived until he was 12 years old). It was located on the east side of Boulevard, which was the dividing marker of a white vs. Black neighborhood. Auburn Avenue was a desirable area for Black citizens. In 1906 a race riot occurred and then Blacks were able to buy homes in the area, which MLK Jr.’s grandfather purchased. The home is currently closed for repairs, as was the visitor center. The visitor center is temporarily in the historic Fire Station No. 6. Blacks were not allowed in the fire house until the 60’s!
I also visited The King Center, which had a small exhibit inside and, outside, a reflection pool and the tombs of Dr. and Mrs. Martin Luther King Jr. I attended a tour with a park ranger of the Ebenezer Baptist Church. The church is 140 years old this April and has had only five senior pastors in that entire time. The ranger’s presentation was interesting and informative and I learned a lot. Did you know that MLK Jr’s name was Michael until he was five years old, when it was changed to Martin?
The tour started in the fellowship hall (basement) and then moved to the sanctuary where the church is still in its original state. Even the pews are original, as is the piano that Mama King would play until she was shot and killed in 1974. This NP is a must-see and is even free, believe it or not.
I arrived in Atlanta almost a month ago. I’ve spent all my time helping a friend but today I visited the High Museum. It was the last day of the Viktor & Rolf exhibit and it was stunning. I did not realize fashion could be so creative and even a little crazy!
I’ve been in Atlanta less than three weeks and it feels like months. Granted, I’ve been busy cleaning, organizing and running errands. But a routine is forming, too. I joined a gym for the next three months and it offers a bevvy of activities such as open play Pickleball, Barre, Pilates, Yoga and even trivia night (which we placed third – amazingly – given my lack of erroneous knowledge).
My day starts (and ends) with walking three dogs…wowzah! Anyone watching must be waiting for a catastrophe to happen. All three dogs sleep with me nightly, too. I am wedged in the corner of the bed – the dogs sleep comfortably.
Being in one place means being able to cook again. Yesterday at the grocery store, I felt a tap on my shoulder. When I turned, someone kindly said, “You are beautiful”. Whoa, that hasn’t happened in 30 years!
I’ve met several Turkish people. That never happens. I recognized the language immediately and one of them is helping me reinvigorate my lacking command of the language.
I survived the ice storm. We lost power for four hours and ice coated the roads. The daytime highs range from 16 to 28 degrees…not exactly the warm, Southern weather I anticipated. Snow is forecasted again for this Saturday but should not be as debilitating as the ice.
I am getting braver about driving here. Yes, I drove across the country but am timid in Atlanta due to the myriad of the spiderweb tangle of I-285, I-20, I-75 and I-85 and the smaller side roads like 140. It’s intimidating but I will figure it out since next week my car is being serviced. I will drive the farthest distance, yet, in the city.
This weekend we are renting a U-Haul to move belongings from an assisted living unit to the storage unit. Once this happens, I should have more time to explore Atlanta and beyond. My immediate exploration list includes Asheville (scheduled for February 26-March 1), Charleston, New Orleans and Montgomery (to see The Legacy Museum).
Life is not flawless (even if social media tries to convince us otherwise) and my experimental journey stretches me on a daily basis. But I know that I am lucky to have this freedom and am enjoying this unburdened time. Having a stopping point for three months is a great break from being in a different location nightly. I have a temporary address so I can complete some larger tasks. Come visit me.
This morning I left Camden (goodbye!) and headed to Gee’s Bend. Gee’s Bend refers to the area historically known as Gee’s Bend (but currently listed as Boykin, AL on maps). This is an extremely remote area with not even a coffee shop. I did drive by an assembly of double wide trailers with a Hunting Club sign. Private. Keep out. Clearly hunters outweigh coffee drinkers here.
My friend told me about this area a couple of years ago and I was intrigued. The quilters of Gee’s Bend are currently residing in the area or are descendants of folks from that area. The Quilters Collective is located within Boykin. These quilts have received worldwide acclaim.
https://www.geesbend.org/history-of-gees-bend
My plan was to complete the self-guided tour and then meet up with one of the quilters. The signage isn’t great so it took me a bit to find it (and a few phone calls to my friend). Unfortunately, the person I was supposed to meet did not show up so I drove around and read the panels and looked at the beautiful photos of the quilts. I had forgotten that Sundays in the South are extremely quiet. I am sure my quilting meeting would have happened if it were not a Sunday.
My plan was to move on to Selma and I secured a short-term rental for the night. It was about a 45 minute drive and I arrived around noon in Selma. The perimeter of the city was lovely so I was really surprised when I drove down Broad Street. Buildings were empty, boarded up and some were falling down. Glass was everywhere. I couldn’t imagine leaving my rental at night (even during the day was sketchy). I decided to walk Pete over the famous Edmund Pettus Bridge. As I was walking over the bridge I realized I did not feel comfortable enough to stay the night.
My dilemma became what to do next. The three museums I wanted to see in Montgomery are closed Monday and Tuesday, which meant Sunday until Wednesday I would need to figure out how to fill the time. I looked at the map and realized a drive to Atlanta would only be about 3.5 hours. And so that is what I did.
With travel, flexibility is key and with a car I can pivot easily. Pete is thrilled to be out of the car and running around in a large backyard. I look forward to creating a routine and digging deeper into Atlanta. I can visit Montgomery during a day trip or a quick overnighter while I am here.
The night was filled with thunder, lightening and rain. So much rain that the hotel’s kitchen flooded so breakfast was a minimal affair. There was even a tornado watch, but fortunately it did not materialize. I drove 235 miles today which took me from Vicksburg to Jackson and then Camden (yes, I crossed the Alabama line).
Jackson was on my list because I wanted to visit the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum. I got a bonus of visiting the Museum of Mississippi History since they are housed in the same modern, architecturally-interesting building. The focus of the museum is the civil rights movement in Mississippi from 1945-1970. There were eight galleries that each focused on a topic. In the middle was a beautiful, colorful rotunda that highlighted the names of Blacks killed (as opposed to lynched which was in one of the galleries). The amount of information presented was overwhelming at times but the photos, films and multimedia presentations helped make the concepts more digestible.
I was fortunate to meet Hezekiah Watkins while I was in the museum. He shared his story of being arrested at the age of 13 because he entered the bus station entrance that was for whites only. In reality his friend pushed him but that detail was irrelevant to the police. He was sent to prison without a trial or even informing his mother. He was later released because JFK got involved with the Mississippi governor at the time. Mr. Watkins joined the Freedom Riders and was arrested 109 times! Watkins was nonchalant and humble and we talked openly about the state of the country today as racism continues. He wrote a book, “Pushing Forward” and I cannot wait to read it.
The Museum of Mississippi History shared nine galleries beginning with13,000 BC to joining the U.S., the cotton era and so much more. Although not as riveting as the Civil Rights Museum, it was interesting and the displays were informative.
I then drove around downtown Jackson. It was quiet and spotless and had a lot of beautiful buildings. I was surprised how quiet it was on a Saturday morning – truly not a soul around.
At 3 p.m. I landed in Camden, AL, which is truly in the middle of nowhere. But it is the jumping off point for tomorrow’s adventure: Gee’s Bend to see the Heritage Trail and Heritage Builders.
seniyegroff 