GEORGIA GROWN

Detour off Interstate 95 along the Georgia Coast and you’ll find a scenic highway meandering through marshland, historic downtowns and old plantations. U.S. Highway 17 was the original auto route to Florida, once known as the Dixie Highway. Today, it’s known as the newest “Georgia Grown Trail” officially designated by the Georgia Legislature. Drive along the 100-mile stretch, spanning from Kingsland on the Florida border to Savannah crossing into South Carolina, to experience the bounty of harvest from both the land and sea.

To understand the coast, and its heritage of agriculture and aquaculture, one must look at the terrain—of marsh and islands, forests and rivers. Rice fields and sugarcane once dotted the landscape. Ruins of the McIntosh Sugar Mill Park, built in 1825, are still evident in St. Marys, while Hofwyl-Broadfield Plantation—a rice plantation dating back to the early 1800s—is now a state park north of Brunswick. Rice was cultivated here until 1913, and then fifth-generation Dent sisters started a dairy farm to keep the land and preserve their family’s legacy. A walk of the expansive grounds with marsh vistas and century-old live oaks leads you to the antebellum home where a guided tour gives a glimpse into plantation life. At the

bountiful harvests. Visitors and residents alike reap the benefits of the local fisherman through great local dining and fresh seafood available from one of the many seafood markets open year-round. Family-owned City Market in Brunswick has been selling fresh catch—local grouper, flounder, trout, oysters, scallops and shrimp—daily since 1948. Shell Creek Seafood in Townsend specializes in Wild Georgia Shrimp and other coastal seafood. Both businesses will pack up your order to go, or ice down your catch for home. While aquaculture makes this Georgia Grown trail unique, there’s plenty of places to sample the flavors and edible treats made in the Peach State. At Georgia Peach World in Townsend, you’ll find all things peaches at this country store—ice cream, jam, shine, smoked peach BBQ sauce—plus boiled peanuts, homemade salad dressings, Vidalia onion salsa, pecan treats and other Georgia products. Turnip Greens in Darien and Uncle Don’s Market on St. Simons Island also offer fresh produce and Georgia-made edibles. The Salt Table in Savannah sells a wide collection of salts, seasoning blends, teas and other Georgia Grown products. For a sweet treat to enjoy or take home, stop in to Sugar Marsh Cottage in Darien for specialty confections including sumptuous shortbread coquilles, chocolate-shaped shells, and artisan toffee flavored with sea salt. Pick up the original benne wafer or famous key lime cooler at the Byrd Cookie Company in Savannah, makers of fine candies since 1925. Spirits abound on the coast, as well. Richland Rum recently opened in historic downtown Brunswick, offering tastings and tours of the local distillery. A free tour of Ghost Coast Distillery in Savannah shares how hand crafted spirits are created; try the B&H Honey Whiskey featuring Savannah Bee honey or sample small batch vodkas in The Cocktail Room. And if wine is your beverage Steffen’s in Kingsland choice, try Rabbiteye Winery & Market in downtown Brunswick; third-generation Bell Farms grows and harvests Richmond Hill History Museum, learn how auto icon Henry Ford (who wintered blueberries in nearby Bristol, then turns their crop into a collection of awardhere for more than 25 years) attempted to grow rubber and iceberg lettuce as winning blueberry wines. Golden Isles Olive Oil Gourmet Market & Wine Bar, on experimental crops. At the Pin Point Museum, located in the old A.S. Varn & Son St. Simons Island, now offers wine flights and cheese boards in addition to oil and Oyster and Crab Factory, you can experience the distinctive Gullah/Geechee African balsamic pairings, gift baskets and Georgia-made treats. American culture (whose ancestors were enslaved plantation workers) through Explore Georgia’s coast by traveling the Georgia Grown US Highway 17, interactive exhibits and expert guided tours. then take home a distinctive local product that will keep Georgia on your mind

Shrimp harvesting has been a mainstay for generations along the coast. Annual long after you visit. To plan your Georgia Grown holiday on the coast, visit festivals in Brunswick and Darien “bless the fleets” to ensure safe passage and ExploreGeorgia.org (www.exploregeorgia.org/region/the-coast)