Vacay in a day

Depending on whether you gauge the end of summer by school’s start or the arrival of cold weather, we only have two weeks or three months left. And if you’re like me, the most glamorous vacation you’ve had in months was a wedding in Statesboro. But there’s still time to make the summer count and visit weird places in our beautiful state that are just a day trip away!

1. Pasaquan, Buena Vista – To make a long story short, Eddie Owens Martin left his Marion County hometown for New York at age 14 and became “The Wizard of Greenwich Village.” In the fifties he returned to Georgia to his family farm, and, with the guide of spirits from a land called Pasaquan, rechristened himself St. EOM and began construction on an earthly Pasaquan. The result – a dazzling four acres of psychedelic structures influenced by Native America, pre-Columbian Mexico, Africa, Hinduism, Easter Island, and East Asia. Pasaqusan is only open to the public once a month, and it’s open this Saturday!

2. Paradise Gardens, Summerville – Howard Finster‘s folk art compound has fallen into disrepair over the past several years due to the cost and work of the required maintenance, but I think you can still visit it.

3. BabyLand General Hospital, Cleveland - When your child starts asking where babies come from, take him or her to the birthplace of Cabbage Patch Kids. All questions will be answered when they see a nurse pull a naked doll from a fake cabbage.

4. Alpine Helen – When I tried to explain the Bavarian appeal of this mountain town to my British friends, they incredulously asked, “You mean we fought two world wars so you could put rubbish in a German boy’s mouth in Georgia?” It’s hard to explain to outsiders. But tubing down the Chattahoochee makes sense to everyone.

5. Georgia Guidestones, Elberton – Thirty years ago, an “unknown group” commissioned these giant stones (sometimes called “America’s Stonehenge”) be engraved with ten guidelines written in eight different languages for civilization’s benefit. Are these instructions from a peaceful and wise alien race? No one knows for sure.

Roadside America has many more creepy spots to visit no matter where your travels take you, and here’s a site that lists all the castles in Georgia. Georgia Mysteries keeps track of all the Bigfoot sightings in north Georgia so you can plan your next camping trip accordingly.

And if it’s just not possible to get out of the city, escape to fabulous Bacon County through Harry Crews’ absolutely wonderful autobiography A Childhood: The Biography of a Place. Boy, will you ever be glad you didn’t grow up in south Georgia during the Depression.

Tags: alpine helen, babyland general, georgia guidestones, harry crews, howard finster, paradise gardens, pasaquan, road trip, st. eom, tourist attractions, vacation