Henry County, GA from Reel to Real (part one)

Henry County, Georgia, comprised of four major communities, Hampton, Locust Grove, McDonough, and Stockbridge, is situated 20-miles from downtown Atlanta. It was named in honor of Patrick Henry upon its creation in 1821 on land obtained through a treaty with the Creek Indians. The county was rural and heavily dependent on agriculture until the Civil War created a railroad boom and post -Civil War impoverishment was ameliorated with a second railroad boom and the cotton industry. The economy crashed in the 20s, recovered again during WWII and with increased accessibility and a growing Atlanta, Henry County has flourished ever since. visithenrycountygeorgia.com

Each of the four communities has a unique history and a large selection of restaurants, shopping opportunities and attractions. Many of pivotal scenes in blockbuster films and television programs have been shot in the county, including A Madea Christmas, Black Panther, Furious 7, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Logan Lucky, Spider-Man: Homecoming, and Season 6 of The Walking Dead. A self-guided walking tour is available online. #visitHenryCoGa

Stockbridge, founded in 1829, was relocated to its present site in 1882 to provide a railroad depot. In 2014 it became part of the Main Street Program resulting in a historic and revitalized thoroughfare filled with 8-blocks of one-of-a-kind shops, historic and dining establishments. Empson’s Deli and Café is a great place to begin your tour with your choice of southern classics. www.cityofstockbridge.com

BarnBeautiful owner Greg Horton crafts furniture and decorative items from reclaimed barn wood. A complete history of the barn accompanies each registered piece. A selection of local craftsmen also display their work here. www.barnbeautiful.com

 “Daddy” King was born in Stockbridge and The M. L. King Sr. Heritage Trail was inaugurated in 2015 in recognition of the origins of the King legacy. King Sr. was called to preach and was ordained at the age of 14 in the Floyd Chapel Baptist Church along the trail. While visiting his sister in Atlanta he stayed at the home of the minister of Ebenezer Baptist Church and his daughter Alberta, mother of King Jr. She convinced him to go to Morehouse and become a minister. A plaque in City Hall recognizing the King family contributions anchors the trail.

The Green Front Café  was constructed in 1947 and served the community, both black and white, for over 50-years. The café is being restored. Exterior plaques retell its history.

If you need one for the road as we proceed, Drip-Thru Coffee is the place to go. This drive-thru kiosk serves specialty coffee, pastries, tea and smoothies in biodegradable containers using organically grown ingredients. Here you can really drink responsibly. @DripThruCoffee

McDonough, situated on the site of an Indian trading post, was founded in 1823 and named in honor of War of 1812 Commodore Thomas McDonough. The existing 1897 courthouse is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Heritage Park Veterans Museum is dedicated to relating the larger story of United States’ conflicts through the stories of  individual veterans. Tours are led by a volunteer staff of veterans who infuse their personal experience and expertise making each visit unique. The collection consists of 20,000 donated items. Highlights of a tour include a Buffalo Soldiers display, a Vietnam bunker replica, vehicles (all functional) and a variety of armaments and uniforms. The most singular item is a seemingly unremarkable Vietnamese woven hat that, when lit inside, reveals a map. A Wall of Honor showcases deceased Georgia veterans. Free. Donations accepted. heritageparkveteransmuseum.com

The fifth generation Southern Belle Farm was a dairy farm 1938-1986. In 2006 it reopened for agritourism and catering business and in 2015 a market was added. This is a premium family destination that has grown each year. Seasonal activities include u-pick-it fruit, a 7-acre corn maze and Christmas trees sales and visits with Santa. Games, tours and their famous homemade peach cobbler and peach ice cream are available seasonally. They are true to their motto, ”We grow family traditions.” @SouthernBelleFarmGA

Locust Grove is believed to have been named after a grove of locust trees. The railroad arrived in 1882 and Main Street began to be built up. Today visitors can shop and dine along the street and stop at the Locust Grove Train Viewing Platform to picnic and watch the trains pass. visitlocustgrove.com

Lovin’ Oven Pizzeria, home of made to order pizzas and other signature dishes, has outdoor seating within train view. Guests can opt to sit inside and watch the pizza makers toss the dough. @lovinovenpizzeriaoflocustgrove

The 250-acre, non-profit, Noah’s Ark Animal Sanctuary is the jewel of Locust Grove. This is a true sanctuary for more than 1,500 abused, neglected and unwanted animals in a series of natural settings with marked paths. Highlights of the 90-minute tour include a visit with “The Motley Crew,” and “Baloo” the bear, the only remaining member of the famous bear, lion and tiger trio that were found together as babies and uncharacteristically remained nonaggressive mates as adults. Each animal is named and has a remarkable story. Self-guided tours are free. @NoahsArkAnimalSanctuary

Chef Paul Lewis owns and operates Southern Fusion Dining and it is a must! All of the dishes are a fusion of French and southern cooking and homemade on the premises. Breakfast and lunch are served Wed.-Sun. and every dish is spectacular but the cinnamon rolls, barbecue biscuits and shrimp and grits are mandatory. @SFusionDining

                  

Nicole Silver, who has appeared on ABC’s Great American Baking Show 

and won the televised Christmas Cookie Challenge, owns Crumbles by Nicole in Locust Grove. Her creations are on display in the form of creative cookies, imaginative cupcakes and huge shakes. Decorating classes, parties and “Camp Crumbles” can be scheduled. crumblesbynicole.com

Locust Grove’s newest accommodations, Hampton Inn, is ideally located for a county visit and is accessible to I-75 to Atlanta. Amenities include courtesy WIFI, free parking and complimentary hot breakfast. The hotel is one-block from the Tanger Mall with more than 70 outlet stores. hamptoninn3.hilton.com

Montréal Tech Trek

                  Jacques Cartier reached the island at the confluence of the Ottawa and St. Lawrence Rivers in October 1535 and became the first European to explore the area. A fortified indigenous village,Hochelaga, preexisted on the island and was described as having about 1,500 residents and 50 longhouses. The natives accompanied Cartier the crest of a small mountain on the island he named Mont Royal and from which Montréal gets its name. #mtlmoments

                  By law no buildings can be higher than the mountain and the view from Mount Royal Park Lookout is breathtaking. The park was designed by Olmstead and offers an array of outdoor activities including the Mount Royal Stairs, 400 steps that ascend from Peel Street to the top, skiing, and biking. In 1643 Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve prayed to the Virgin Mary to avoid a flood. He placed a wooden cross atop the mountain when his prayers were answered. In 1924 a 103-ft. cross was erected on its spot. It is LED lit each evening.

Gallup, New Mexico’s Tangible Tourism (Part Two

New Mexico’s current state flag was adopted in 1925 as the result of a contest won by an archeologist. His design interprets the state’s history, culture, artistic traditions and the currents of spirituality that permeate the state. A design, pictured in the flag’s center, was found on a clay pot crafted by a woman from Zia Pueblo, New Mexico and represents the sacred Sun. It is encircled by 4 groups of 4 rays each. The Zia considered 4 a sacred number because it corresponded with the 4 directions, seasons, divisions of the day and stages of life. The Zia believed that individual’s lives should be focused on developing 4 principles, an unblemished spirit, strength of body, clarity of mind and a commitment to aiding others. The colors of the flag itself are red and yellow, the royal colors of Spain.
     

Just as the flag provides a symbolic overview, Gallup offers tangible tours of the history, arts and culture beginning with public art. The artistic WPA Murals of Gallup date from the 1930s and are the state’s largest collection exemplified by The History of the Gallup Region, 10-ft. murals located on the 2nd-floor of the McKinley County Courthouse. In 2005 the city commissioned a series of outdoor murals downtown. A Second Street mural depicts the Code Talkers and their unbroken code. Maps are available. thegallupchamber.com

Gallup is internationally recognized as the place to purchase authentic, high quality, arts and crafts created by area Native Americans. August’s annual Gallup Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonial is an event that incorporates a juried art market and is believed to be the oldest such even the country. galluprealtrue.com

Government licensed traders entered Navajo country in 1852 and in 1865 the first permanent trading post was constructed. Standard practice between traders and tribes was to barter goods for items and/or pawn hand crafted valuables in the winter to be redeemed in the spring. Modern “pawn” shops function as banks, vaults to secure heirlooms, post offices and community centers. Each of Gallup’s numerous trading posts is different and worth a visit.

Women always played pivotal but often overlooked roles in the trading posts as partners, translators, vendors, etc. Recently female traders of the Gallup region are basking in the spotlight. Emerald Tanner, of Tanner’s Indian Arts, has been involved with the acquisition and trading of native art pieces since she was 5 as a 5th generation trader. The founder, Seth Tanner, arrived with the Mormons and began by consumables and tools. Today Tanner’s is internationally recognized for the quality and provenance of the artworks they sell, more than 75% handmade in the Gallup area. Emerald has held exhibitions worldwide including an invitation to display at the Met in New York. Tanner’s is open by appointment and is both a museum and shop specializing in natural, gem quality, turquoise. tannersindianarts.com

Sheri Burnam, a 5th generation trader, helms the family business, R.B. Burnham Co. Burnham’s is in the forefront of trading and expertise in Navajo textiles as well as dealing in other indigenous crafts and crafting materials. A complete list of online and on-site exhibits and auctions is found on their website including The Friends of Hubbell Native American Arts Auction. It generates funds to support native arts and artists. Eighty-five percent of the profit goes to the artists and 15% funds Native American scholarships. More than 300 items are auctioned during the May and September, internationally renowned, free events. rbburnhamtrading.com

Route 66 sparked the establishment of trading posts along the road. The handcrafts sold included basketry, woven blankets, silver and turquoise jewelry, kachina dolls, pottery, sandpaintings and rugs. Many of these crafting traditions grew out of utility, items necessary for storage, ceremony and personal decoration and became fine art and collectibles. Southwestern Native American art is so tribe and region specific that as early as 1935 the government attempted to regulate and monitor authenticity and sales. A 1990 Indian Arts and Crafts Act regulates and establishes punishments for fraudulent sales. Gallup is an international collector’s destination because of the quality, value and number of reputable dealers.

Ellis Tanner: Highlight- many affordable treasures and souvenirs. The 1994 Circle of Light Mural featuring contemporary Navajo role models is displayed on the walls.

Perry Null Trading Company: Highlight- fine jewelry displays arranged by artists’ name.

Richardson Trading Company: Highlight- the Rug Room with hundreds of unique rugs on view.

City Electric Shoe Shop has been making authentic moccasins, saddles and leather belts since 1924. Tours are available that include the 1976 original electric shoe machine.

        Navajo Spirits custom designs and creates contemporary fashion from traditional Navajo patterns. Their award-winning fashions, designed by Virginia Yazzie-Ballenger, have been showcased in the Met catalog and on QVC. navajospirit.com

The 640-acre Red Rock Park offers stunning red cliff vistas, campsites, hiking trails and a museum interpreting the culture of the Anasazi, Hopi, Navajo and Zuni. Each December the Red Rock Balloon Rally, the 2nd largest in the world, is held here for 3 days on the first weekend in December. redrockballoonrally.com

         The Navajo refer to themselves as the Diné, “The People”, and their 27,000-sq. mile reservation is the largest in the continental United States. Window Rock, in nearby Arizona, is the capital of the Navajo Nation and home to the Navajo Nation Museum & Zoo. A tour of the 5 galleries begins with outstanding artistic renderings of the creation stories. Other areas relate the harrowing story of the Long Walk, the Navajo holocaust, paintings, photographs, jewelry and textiles. The museum’s jewel is an original copy of the Tappan Treaty of 1868. It is currently on display but can only be exhibited 6 months every ten years because of its rarity and fragility. The museum was constructed and is 100% staffed by Navajos. Adjacent to the complex visit a hogan, a traditional Navajo dwelling. www.facebook.com/NavajoNationMuseum

          Reach out and touch history in Gallup. galluprealtrue.com

Gallup, New Mexico’s Tangible Tourism (Part One)

A postal clerk once told me that I needed to pay international postage to mail a letter to New Mexico. She was surprised, as many people are, to learn that it gained statehood in 1912, has a documented history that spans thousands of years and is literally a microcosm of southwestern history. It benefits from the unique characteristic of featuring tangible sites and offering immersive activities that bring the history, arts and events to life in fresh and exciting ways. www.newmexico.org

                  

Gallup, New Mexico is the perfect place to begin your explorations because it has been at the heart of the culture, even prior to European contact. Of the approximate 22,500 population 54% are Native American and the blending of cultures, religions and ethnicities has resulted in a tolerant and welcoming atmosphere. The city is LGBTQ friendly and is the home of the University of New Mexico’s LGBTQ Resource Center. 

                  

Gallup is recognized as the “Native American Capitol of the World” and the “Gateway to the Native American Experience”. It is surrounded by the Navajo Nation, the size of West Virginia and close to the Zuni Pueblo and Hopi Reservation. The 662.4-mile Trail of the Ancients Scenic Byway, known to be in use in 850 AD, runs through Gallup and takes visitors to ancient ruins, sacred sites and unique landscapes that served as western movie sets. Chaco Cultural National Historic Park, a 1987 UNESCO World Heritage site, is a mere 2-hour drive. This ancient pueblo functioned as a ceremonial center  for 400-years. Other significant pre-Columbian ruins are even closer.

Zuni Pueblo (Hawikuh), 37-miles from Gallup, is believed to have been one of the Seven Cities of Gold sought by the Spanish. It was here that Estevanico, a “negro” man and the first nonnative to reach Arizona and New Mexico was killed as a spy by the Zuni in May 1539. Of the 19 New Mexican Pueblos Zuni is the largest. A variety of tours of are offered. zunitourism.com

 In 1880 David Gallup established a pay station, near a stage stop, for the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad workers in the area. Workers were “going to Gallup” to collect their earnings and in 1881 the town was founded and named after Gallup. More than 100 freight and passenger trains continue to pass through daily. 

The Gallup Cultural Center is situated on the 2^nd-floor of the Santa Fe Depot. The station was revamped to look like the 1918 El Navajo Hotel, once a nearby Harvey Hotel. Displays in the museum showcase Native American art, artifacts, kachinas and provide a comprehensive overview of regional history. A gallery is devoted to WWII’s Navajo Code Talkers and a 10-ft. sculpture of a code talker at the entrance depicts him in action. This is the station from which the first 29 men departed for service. There is a gift shop and café. southwestindian.com/service/center.cfm

Coal was discovered in 1885 and the town grew rapidly. A series of ghost towns, once coal mining camps within a 10-mile radius,  dot the area around the city as a result of the end of the coal era. The Rex Museum, a former brothel, interprets the history of the area mining and coal industries.

Route 66 was commissioned in 1926 and rapidly became America’s “Mother Road”. It is the spine of Gallup and new constructions and glimpses of historic attractions continue to lure travelers. The Rico Auto Complex was established in the 1920s and, in addition to being a functioning dealership, items on display relate the history of Route 66. Handmade, antique, rugs are displayed and a buggy that once belonged to the President of the Navajo

Nation are featured in the showroom. ricoautocomplex.com

    Comfort Suites, the 2018 New Mexico Hospitality Top Hat Award winner, is one of the gems of the region. The 51-room hotel offers free WIFI, parking, fitness center, full buffet breakfast. and exemplary service. Gallup is knownas the “America’s Most Patriotic Small Town” and in keeping with its designation the hotel features a moving Veterans Museum in the lobby. Korean War Medal of Honor Recipient Hiroshi “Hershey” Miyamura, featured in 

 

Netflix’s “Medal of Honor”, is highlighted. choicehotels.com/ComfortSuites/Gallup

In 1937 R. Griffith built the El Rancho Hotel and it was the hotel of choice for stars filming nearby. The public spaces are filled with memorabilia and regional arts. Take a self-guided tour of the premises including the stained glass window tableaus. elranchohotel.com

Carl Boller designed the 1928 historic El Morro Theater. In 2015, after restoration, it reopened as a movie theater and performance center. Many of the architectural elements are original and tours are available. elmorrotheatre.com.

   McKinley Courthouse Square is the site of the Veteran’s Pillars inscribed with the names of  local veterans who served from WWI onward. There are individual pillars honoring the Bataan Veterans, the Navajo Code Talkers and Congressional Medal of Honor recipient Hiroshi “Hershey” Miyamura. 

            Free nightly Indian Dances are performed  from Labor Day to Memorial Day in the Plaza from 7PM to 8PM. The traditional dances and are accompanied by explanations of the attire and traditions and an opportunity to participate. Many of the dances were banned until the 1930s. 

Gallup has a variety of dining options and Sammy C's Rock 'n' Sports Pub & Grille should be on your list.  CNN named it one of the "101 Best Sports Bars in the U.S". The burgers are noteworthy and the music and ambiance notable. sammycsgallup.com

If you are a southwest traditionalist Virgie’s is the place for you. The dish to order is the enchilada, taco, tamale and burrito combination plate. This is a local favorite.

Earl’s Family Restaurant has been a staple since 1947. The signature dishes here are the Navajo taco and the smothered steak burrito. It is customary for native craftsmen sell their wares at your table. You can shop and dine at the same time.

Immerse yourself in all things southwestern in Gallup, New Mexico. www.galluprealtrue.com