Michael on the Map

from LAUREL of Northeast Georgia - March 22

Pet Health

In this series I will be traveling to the towns of northeastern Georgia and western North and South Carolina, sharing my adventures and discoveries as I meet the locals who make up the area. Hop in my Jeep and let’s hit the road!

Take 3: Tallulah Falls

As your trusty journeyman geared up for this month’s chronicle entry, our piece of southern Appalachia welcomed gloriously milder weather than what we had witnessed in weeks before. Mother Nature had just previously

pounded parts of Rabun County (and much more) with over a foot of snow, rendering thousands of people homebound and without electricity or running water. It was during three trying days that this still sophomoric backwoods mountain man learned to use a gas-powered generator in what would have otherwise been a modern-day manifestation of Little House on the Prairie. Nellie Oleson would not have had it, not that she was generally agreeable under any circumstance. The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia, indeed. But on today’s adventure the skies were clear, and the temperature topped out at a gorgeous 56 degrees. All smiles, I set out down the mountain for the town of Tallulah Falls. It was a Led Zeppelin kind of day. Incorporated as a town in 1885 and straddling Rabun and Habersham counties, Tallulah Falls is a hamlet of only 8.6 square miles and 199 permanent residents but boasts one of the most striking geological formations in this part of the country. As the indisputable centerpiece of the town of Tallulah Falls – and somewhere I have visited many times throughout the years – breathtaking Tallulah Gorge at Tallulah Gorge State Park is a sight to behold. Plunging nearly 1000 feet into the earth, “The Deepest Canyon East of the Mississippi” stretches for nearly two miles of the Tallulah River basin. It is the water that runs through this gorge that creates the community’s namesake. What once appeared more as one colossal cataract, but due to the controversial construction of a hydroelectric dam in 1913 (built to operate Atlanta’s then streetcar system), is now a series of smaller waterfalls, with Hurricane Falls – at 96 feet – being the biggest. Formerly known as “The Niagara of the South” visitors can go back in time to witness the original behemoth totality of Tallulah Falls in the first two weeks of April and November each year, when the dam is opened, and the water is released. On these days the gorge becomes a very popular recreation area for more advanced kayaking and whitewater rafting. It was here in its natural capacity that Burt Reynolds famously broke his tailbone performing his own stunts in 1972’s Deliverance. Also of Hollywood note, classic stage and screen star Tallulah Bankhead was named after her paternal grandmother, who was named after Tallulah Falls. Recalling my trips to the gorge in years past, I wanted to find the roadside vantage point (with vintage coin-operated viewfinders) that was cemented in my memory from childhood, so I set out for the iconic Tallulah Point Overlook. With lament, I discovered it is temporarily closed. But coming soon! Rambling around in my Jeep, what I found instead was the former owner of that exact place, Mary Beth Hughes, who has been a part of this community for 31 years. And check this out. In a serendipitous but organic twist of fate, Mary Beth beams, “I was able to relocate my old store – the feel, ambiance, and products, from Tallulah Point Overlook – to another old store in Tallulah Falls built by the same man – J.E. Harvey – to what was actually the original general store for the community. And I was just blown away. This was the perfect place for me to land.” Renewing this legacy, aside from offering sundries such as reproduced antique tin toys and other nostalgia items, regional books and hiking guides, locally hand-made candles and soaps, jewelry, and more, Mary Beth stocks historically “general store” items such as local eggs and local

milk, where the “local kids run down here and get milk and eggs for their momma”. (Did I mention local?) She puts it on their tab or subtracts from a cash envelope in the drawer. What is old is new again. This same principle rings true in today’s embodiment of the original Tallulah Falls Railway station. Now eloquently named Tallulah 1882 – of her tea house, and coffee and bake shop in the historic building at the corner of US 441 and Main Street – creative partner Christine Potter stated, “The main thing for me is the connection of people.” This structure, which in days long passed connected people filling passenger cars by rail line, now connects locals and visitors alike, over a cuppa of the area’s widely varied selection of organic herbal and caffeinated teas and nootropic elixir sidecars, coffees, baked goods, and small bites. Upon my arrival, I asked Christine’s daughter, Evangeline, to create me something “mood elevating”. The task came to pass without pause, and I thoroughly enjoyed my hibiscus-hued iced symphony of goodness. My sandwich (I doubt you can go wrong with any given day’s special) – which Christine herself grilled up for me – was also sensational. And the atmosphere is enchanting. Mood elevation in tow, today’s journey to beautiful Tallulah Falls was one I won’t forget. Whether you choose to trek the 750 steps to the suspension bridge spanning across it, or also the additional 450 to the bottom, any visit to this area demands a trip to the gorge. Any inaugural trip to the gorge should include the Jane Hurt Yarn Interpretive Center. If you are craving southern fare such as fried pickles or fried green tomatoes, you can’t go wrong with Main Street Grill & Barbeque, just around the corner. And speaking of food, Mary Beth is coming over for dinner this weekend. Her favorite classic rock band is The Allman Brothers. Cheers!