The "Empire State of the South" may have several gifts to give the nation, but some things you can do only in Georgia.
For natives, these sites, tastes and sounds give us a feeling of home, while leaving others jealous they can't hold claim to them.
Whether we're talking football rivalries, roads or running a tank over a car, Georgia has it all. These 15 different items only give the nation a taste of what to expect when they come to Georgia.
Visit the Tree That Owns Itself
Athens has plenty of unusual sites around. There's the randomly shaped bus stops, a gravesite for all UGAs and the Tree That Owns Itself. A former colonel and professor cherished memories of this tree and before he died, he declared the oak to own its property. The original tree passed in the 1940s, but the property is now owned by the Son of the Tree That Owns Itself.
Providence Canyon
Providence Canyon is known as Georgia's Little Grand Canyon and is known as one of the south's best kept secrets.
Get your Cabbage Patch on at Babyland General Hospital
Want to know from where Cabbage Patch babies come? Visit Babyland General Hospital in the north Georgia town of Cleveland. Alongside watching the ceremonies and adopting the Cabbage Patch Kids, you can also check out the history of the company, see paintings done by Andy Warhol and buy slightly more affordable souvenirs.
See 7 states from Rock City
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Yes, we know that Chattanooga, Tenn. likes to claim this attraction as much as we like to attempt to claim the Tennessee River as ours. The attraction, advertised by many farmers on their sheds, is actually located in Lookout Mountain, Ga. The highlight of the attraction, aside from the gnomes and other oddities, is Lookout Mountain itself. From there, it's claimed you can see the states of: Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina, Kentucky and Virginia.
Experience the Oldest Sports Rivalry in the South
The Georgia Bulldogs have many rivalries within their conference. There's the World's Largest Cocktail Party against the Florida Gators and the Oldest Rivalry in the South against the Auburn Tigers of Alabama. Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate, the annual match against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, is kept entirely within Georgia's borders. Everybody has a side, but Georgia usually wins.
Eat the 'White Trash' Snack
Something a bit more specific to Central Georgia is the really unhealthy (but delicious) snack known as white trash. Everybody has their own version of it, but the key ingredients are Chex Mix, peanuts, M&Ms and melted white chocolate. The dish is easy to make and is commonplace during church events.
Drive down all the different Peachtrees in Atlanta
According to out-of-towners, Georgia's capital city has too many roads named "Peachtree". That's probably the most common thing we hear about Atlanta aside from how big the airport is and hearing the city called "Hotlanta" (don't do that). Over 50 roads throughout the city have the word Peachtree in it. If you're traveling here though, the only ones you should be concerned about are Peachtree St. and West Peachtree St., which run parallel with one another through Midtown.
Watch a stuffed opossum be dropped on New Year's Eve
Every year in Brasstown, N.C., the folks at Clay's Corner drop a live opossum in a box down from a street pole to ring in the New Year. Well, the fine people in Tallapoosa, Ga. didn't think that was enough, so they've taken it a step further. Every year in this small town that borders Alabama, you can watch a stuffed opossum be dropped to ring in the new year. Take that, Tar Heels.
Get your feet dirty in red clay
What may seem disgusting to people in other states, is a rite of passage in Georgia. Sure, ultisols can be found in other states, but it's all over Georgia and near impossible from which to get away. The good news though, as any farmer will tell you, the soil is great for growing crops.
Visit the Spring of Faith
There isn't a shortage of folklore in Georgia, so it's no surprise that Epworth has a spring that supernaturally moved. Legend goes that a farmer wouldn't allow congregants of a nearby church to use his water. During a rainstorm, the stream moved from his property to the property of the United Methodist Church. The stream remains there to this day.
Do the Watermelon Crawl in Cordele
Everyone knows that if you drink, you shouldn't drive. Instead, do the Watermelon Crawl. Cordele holds the annual Watermelon Festival and is proclaimed the "Watermelon Capital of the World". The Tracy Byrd song mentions a fictitious Georgia county, but the town of Rhine is located just south of Cordele. I guess that's what happens when you have a Texan sing about Georgia.
Read More: Country Flashback: Tracy Byrd Brings the Party With 'Watermelon Crawl'
Run over a car with a military tank
Perhaps the best (yet fairly expensive) novelty you can do in the Peach State is drive over a junk car with a military tank. That experience is provided by Morganton's Tank Town USA. For $75, you get to drive the tank around for 10 minutes. For $500, you drive the tank around for 20 minutes and destroy a car as the finale. I dare you to name anything more American.
Two Words: Brunswick Stew
Never tell a Georgian Brunswick Stew is from Virginia, because that is false. Any barbecue joint in the state will have "Brunswick Stew" but much like Georgia's Vidalia onions, Brunswick Stew is only authentic in Glynn County. The dish consists of shredded chicken, pork, vegetables, barbecue sauce, ketchup, potatoes, tomatoes, beans and hot sauce. Bon appetit!
The Jimmy Carter Peanut
Travel an hour northwest to Jimmy Carter's hometown of Plains and you'll be able to stand by the Jimmy Carter Peanut. Georgia's lone president grew up in south Georgia as a peanut farmer and the statue pays homage to him. When former president Carter won the Nobel Peace Prize, the owners also carved a Peanut of Peace medallion.
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