When I was a kid I would often ride with my parents on trips between Macon GA and Atlanta GA and sometimes to points north such as Ellijay GA. All places where my parents had homes or businesses or both. To keep from traveling on the boring Interstate all of the time my parents would often jump off to ride a state highway. Because, face it--Interstate highways are not known for beauty and variety. If you ride the backroads you get to see isolated parks and rivers and lakes and encounter quirky villages tucked away in the country. One spot that would always cause us to pause in our journeys was a restaurant called Fresh Air Barbecue in Jackson, Georgia. The place was legendary by the time I was a kid. We'd pull over into their big parking lot, go in and usually order sandwiches and chips to go, with drink. I know everyone says this a lot, and everyone has their favorite barbecue joint...but the barbecued pork at Fresh Air is the best I have ever tasted. It is indescribably delicious in every way. No barbecue I have ever tasted comes close. So, when Carole and I were staying at Indian Springs State Park, we made sure to ride up to the old Fresh Air Barbecue and order a couple of meals. Carole was dubious about my stories concerning the unmatched quality of the barbecue, but she was soon singing their praises, too. I had not been there in decades, and the flavor of their food was everything I had remembered. Seriously. If you ever get even the slightest chance to eat at this place, do it. The world's best barbecue.
The place hadn't changed! Pretty much as I recalled it.
We ended up staying at three different campgrounds on our latest road trip to Florida. Heading right down from Charlotte, we drove straight on to the Suwannee River State Park in the northern part of the state, pretty much out in the middle of nowhere. The park was quiet with some nice scenery and excellent access to the Suwannee River. We have nothing but good things to say about any of the parks and the campgrounds that we used. After about a week at Suwanee River SP, we headed westward and slightly north toward the Florida/Georgia border where we got a spot at Three Rivers State Park. This one is on the shores of the man-made Lake Seminole, which is an attractive body of water full of fish, waterfowl, and big alligators. It has so many alligators that they don't allow swimming. Again, the camping experience was flawless and our hats are off to the park and its employees. After a few days there we packed up and headed toward Middle George where we got a spot at Indian Springs State Park. I had spent many a day there as a kid when my parents would take me, and staying there brought back some good memories. Again, this park is well maintained and quite beautiful and has extremely nice amenities with some interesting historical aspects. Two days there and we finally had to load up and zip on back to Charlotte, NC and home. All three state parks and their campgrounds come highly recommended. Suwannee River State Park. Three Rivers State Park. And Indian Springs State Park.
Our campsite at Suwannee River State Park. The site was relatively level. We did see a few sites in the park that are not level and which should likely be avoided. The sites here have full hookups, including sewer. It's so nice not to have to use the dump station when you pack up to leave.
Nicely landscaped campground. The bathhouse is located at the front of the campground and includes sinks, flush toilets, hot showers, and laundry.
Breakfast with our sometimes camping friends, Bobby and Sharon Childers.
Our campsite at Three Rivers State Park. Very level campsite. Water and electric hookups. No sewer hookup, but a nice dump station that was really easy to use.
The dam that forms Lake Seminole on which Three Rivers State Park is located.
Bull gator not far from our campsite at Three Rivers. This is one reason you can't go swimming in Lake Seminole.
This is our campsite at Indian Springs State Park. Again, a nice, level site. Gravel surface with landscaping timbers. Water and electric hookup, plus cable TV service. Wooden patio and a very nice picnic table. The bathhouse was located just across from our campsite and had sinks, flush toilets, hot showers, and a laundry.
The rocky shoals at the entrance to Indian Springs State Park.
Indian Springs State Park and the nearby High Falls State Park.
