Go South to Pine Mountain

Pine Mountain and Warm Springs beckon visitors

By Collin Kelley and Kathy Dean

A mountain getaway usually means heading to north Georgia, but why not head south instead? Pine Mountain and the historic town of Warm Springs are perfect for a weekend away from the city.

Located about 80 miles south of Atlanta, Pine Mountain is both scenic and activity-filled, whether you’re an outdoor or history enthusiast. There’s also plenty in the way of accommodations, from resorts to campgrounds.

Warm Springs

The town of Warm Springs takes its name from the nearby springs — 88 degrees F and full of minerals — that edge Pine Mountain. Creek and Iroquois Indians used the springs to heal their sick and wounded, and in 1832, David Rose built the area’s first resort around them.

Roosevelt Warm Springs Institute for Rehabilitation

6135 Roosevelt Highway, Warm Springs, GA 31830 706-655-5000, gvs.georgia. gov/roosevelt-warm-springs-0

The town’s original name was Bullochville, and today, tight alleys lead visitors to Old Bullochville, a reconstructed homage to Warm Spring’s past, found behind Bulloch House and the many shops on Broad Street.

Warm Springs gained national recognition in 1924 when President Franklin Delano Roosevelt visited the area to treat his polio-related paralysis. The springs are no longer open for public use, but they are used therapeutically by the Roosevelt Warm Springs Institute for Rehabilitation, founded by FDR.

Since the invention of the polio vaccine, the institute provides Vocational Rehabilitation programs for people with disabilities. The pools were recently refurbished by Georgia State Parks and a touch pool allows visitors to feel the warm spring waters and learn about its history.

The Little White House

Built in 1932 by then-Governor of New York Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the Little White House became FDR’s home while he visited the area to take advantage of the springs. The people he met and experiences he had in Warm Springs prompted some of his programs once he became president, such as the Rural Electrification Administration.

The Little White House Historic Site

401 Little White House Road, Warm Springs, GA 31830 706-655-5870, gastateparks. org/LittleWhiteHouse

In 1945, while posing for a portrait, FDR suffered a stroke and died shortly afterwards. The “Unfinished Portrait” is one of the many exhibits in the museum, as is his 1938 Ford convertible with hand controls.

The Little White House has been carefully preserved much as FDR left it. Visitors are welcome to visit the home, museum and pools.

Warm Springs National Fish Hatchery

5308 Spring Street, Warm Springs GA 31830 706-655-3382, fws.gov/ warmsprings/FishHatchery

Warm Springs National Fish Hatchery

Established in 1899, the warmwater hatchery restores and manages fish such as striped bass, alligator gar and lake sturgeon. It’s also used to recover species that are listed under the Endangered Species Act and restore freshwater fish habitats. The hatchery includes a public aquarium and visitors’ area with walkways amid a beautiful, natural environment.

F.D. Roosevelt State Park

Georgia’s largest state park is set among the Pine Mountain Range. The 9,000-plus acre park offers more than 40 miles of trails, winding through pines and hardwood trees, over creeks and past small waterfalls.

Dowdell’s Knob offers a breath-taking view. It’s a spot that FDR was known to sometimes picnic and ponder national and international issues. He was so fond of the spot, he had a brick oven installed for barbecues. The overlook now features a life-size sculpture of the president gazing out over the mountains.