Hiking in Chewacla State Park and a Visit to Auburn Alabama

As we ambled down the road another 132 miles we arrived at our next destination at Chewacla State Park near Auburn, AL. We only reserved a few days because University of Auburn had a weekend home football game and we had to leave by Thursday or pay a hugely inflated price!

Chewacla State Park is an older park in need of a little love but still nicer than most private parks. We even found an old trail that meandered through the woods which became our morning walk during our stay.

During the 1930s, the CCC built many of the features found at this park. Most notable are the beautiful stone guest cabins, the bridges, and the stunning dam designed such that it creates a nice waterfall feature departing a small lake.

Wanting to see the dam I read about we planned to hike the trail around the lake which would take us by the waterfall. Knowing that we had to cross the tail waters we were glad to know it was late in the season and thus, less water would be leaving the lake making it (hopefully) easier to cross.

The trail started out along the shoreline of the small lake but began to go deeper into the wood where. Loblolly Pine, Sweetgum and various Oaks and hickories abound. A mile or so along the trail we found the waterfalls. With less water leaving the lake they weren’t as impressive as they would be during the rainy season when more water is let out. However, the CCC creation of the dam was exquisitely designed to look as natural as possible.

We found a way a bit down stream to cross the water without getting wet and were able to continue around the lake on the trail. We crossed through a few acres of American Beech thickets and eventually came upon one of the CCC built bridges. They did amazing work back then. The 2.8 mile hike around the lake was a worthwhile endeavor and one we surely would recommend it.

Being close to Auburn we had to once again visit the University. This too made for a great urban hike to explore the campus and the thriving businesses nearby.

We also got in a nice round of disc golf near Opelika Alabama. We can usually find some nice courses in the east so we are playing as much as we can before we arrive out west where they are a bit scarcer.

Historical Macon GA and the Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park

Macon is another town we had yet to visit so we planned to spend a few nights there at the Al Sihah Shriners' RV Park. While the sites aren’t anything to write home about the park was really nice and very quiet.

We hadn’t done a lot of research on Macon so we were surprised to learn of its history. Macon was one of the few southern cities that wasn’t burned to the ground during the Civil War. As a result it has more historic structures listed on the National Register of Historic Places than any other city in Georgia. It was founded in 1823 and it is home to the oldest private university in Georgia, Mercer University, founded in 1873.

We were touring the Mercer Law School, a beautiful building modeled after Independence Hall, when we met a fellow and his kids. He began telling us all about the history of Macon and was a wealth of knowledge. Turns out he was a historian who used to live in Macon, now Atlanta, and was showing his kids the history of Macon.

He told us to make sure to see the Hay House Lovingly nicknamed "The Palace of the South," a 7-level Italian Renaissance Revival mansion built in the mid-1800s. This 18,000-square-foot mansion is four stories and is crowned by a two-story cupola. Construction began in 1855 and lasted four years.

What’s fascinating is that it had hot and cold running water, central heat, gas lighting, a speaker-tube system, in-house kitchen, and an elaborate ventilation system. All of this was done in the mid 1800’s, unheard of at that time. Imagine having running water and air conditioning in the 1800’s!

Another interesting building is the St. Joseph Catholic Church which rises 200 ft. into the air. This church is not only huge but is quite elaborate as well. There are many other fascinating historical buildings in town but I’ll leave those for you to come see for yourselves.

Another day in Macon we decided to check out the Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park. With over 17,000 years of continuous human habitation, this prehistoric American Indian site has an Earth Lodge with original floors dates to 1015.

 

There are hiking trails throughout the park and that is how we decided to tour it. The trails took us through the whole park where we were able to see all the mounds that were built between 900 and 1100. They were crafted out of dirt and clay.

The largest mound is the 55-foot-tall Great Temple Mound where the societal leaders watched over the village and out across its forested-swamp surroundings. There are several other mounds that the trail took us by. In all there are eight earthen mounds there and the remains of a ceremonial earth lodge. It was certainly a worthwhile visit.We are both more than glad we decided to visit Macon.