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A More Perfect Union

The New Georgia Encyclopedia is supported by funding from A More Perfect Union, a special initiative of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

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Tallulah Falls Lithograph

Tallulah Falls Lithograph

In the early 1800s many American sought out "the sublime"—those natural attractions that provoked feelings of terror, awe, and beauty. Environmental tourism reemerged as an important industry in Georgia during the late nineteenth century. In 1926 state librarian Ella May Thornton first published in Atlanta Georgian magazine a list of Georgia's natural wonders, among them the Okefenokee Swamp, Providence Canyon, Warm Springs, and Tallulah Gorge.

Courtesy of Edwin L. Jackson

Amicalola Falls

Amicalola Falls

Located in Dawson County, Amicalola Falls derives its name from the Native American word meaning "tumbling waters." Just one of many waterfalls in Georgia's Blue Ridge Mountains, Amicalola Falls is the highest, with a drop of 729 feet.

Photograph by Ryan McKee

Amicalola Falls

Amicalola Falls

Amicalola Falls in Dawson County is one of Georgia's most popular attractions.

Photograph by Darren Duke

Okefenokee Swamp

Okefenokee Swamp

Alligators, which are native to Georgia, are among the hundreds of animal species to make their home in the Okefenokee Swamp.

Great Egret

Great Egret

A great egret perches on a branch in the Okefenokee Swamp.

Photograph by Siddharth Sharma

Providence Canyon

Providence Canyon

The unconsolidated sandstone bluffs of Providence Canyon in Stewart County were formed during the Cretaceous Period and are among the oldest exposed Coastal Plains rock formations in the state.

Courtesy of Matthew M. Moye

Providence Canyon

Providence Canyon

Providence Canyon, pictured in 1893, is a network of gorges created by soil erosion in Stewart County. Historical accounts indicate that the canyon began to form in the early 1800s as a result of poor farming practices.

Courtesy of Georgia Archives, Vanishing Georgia, #
stw002.

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Radium Springs

Radium Springs

Radium Springs, one of Georgia's Seven Natural Wonders, was the site of a casino that had its heyday during the 1920s. The casino was demolished in 2003.

Courtesy of Georgia Archives, Vanishing Georgia, #
dgh004.

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Memorial Lawn at Stone Mountain

Memorial Lawn at Stone Mountain

The Memorial Lawn at Stone Mountain is used as a viewing area for the park's summer laser show. During the winter the park provides snow tubing for visitors on the lawn.

Photograph by Chris Yunker, Wikimedia

Stone Mountain Yellow Daisies

Stone Mountain Yellow Daisies

The "Confederate Daisy," or "Stone Mountain Yellow Daisy," grows in the shallow soil on the granite outcrops of Stone Mountain. The flower is so named because it is found only within a sixty-mile radius of the mountain. The species was discovered in 1846.

Photograph by Lee Coursey

Stone Mountain Carving

Stone Mountain Carving

The carving of Confederate general Robert E. Lee's head is unveiled at Stone Mountain on January 19, 1924. Some of Georgia's earliest tourist attractions were Civil War battle sites and memorials. Most sites dedicated to the conflict favored narratives of battlefield glory and commemoration of fallen soldiers, and downplayed the history of slavery and emancipation.

Courtesy of Gary Doster

Tallulah Falls

Tallulah Falls

In 1992 the state, in partnership with Georgia Power, created Tallulah Gorge State Park, one of the most popular in Georgia's park system. Controlled releases from the dam allow visitors to hear the roar of the falls on selected weekends in the spring and autumn.

Photograph by Jeno

Tallulah Falls Hiking Party

Tallulah Falls Hiking Party

Tallulah touted attractions that vacationers seeking a place for healthful respite desired—clean, cool air and water, a plethora of outdoor activities, and remarkable vistas. Tourists not only hiked to the falls, but swam in the river, lounged on rocks, and enjoyed horseback riding.

FDR at Warm Springs

FDR at Warm Springs

Franklin D. Roosevelt eats a meal with seven other men beside the springs at Warm Springs, in Meriwether County. Considered one of Georgia's Seven Natural Wonders, the natural springs maintain a temperature of 88 degrees Fahrenheit.

Courtesy of Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum

Warm Springs Institute

Warm Springs Institute

In the 1930s polio sufferers flocked to Warm Springs, the site of U.S. president Franklin D. Roosevelt's treatment center. Georgia Hall is pictured.