Congaree National Park and Columbia, SC

In March we took a weekend trip to Congaree National Park near Columbia, South Carolina. This is one of the newest National Parks, established in 2003. Congaree has one of the highest temperate forest canopies in the world (mostly due to the fact that nearly all temperate forests on Earth were cut down at some point in their history). The forest canopy and old growth forest makes this a unique park, and gives visitors an idea of what much of eastern North America must have looked like before European settlement and clear-cutting.

For this trip, we were joined by our Atlanta friend, Jenny (you may recall her from our Puerto Rico adventure) and a friend that recently moved from Texas (we visited her in Dallas last year) to Raleigh, Lindsay. We stayed in Columbia for two nights and took in some of the sights and tastes of this southern capital city.

The first day of the trip we stopped by a small roller coaster in Augusta and toured some of downtown Columbia, before eating at a local brewpub near our hotel. The beer wasn't the best, but the building was really cool and it's good to see beer culture spreading throughout the south.

On the way we stopped in Augusta for Paul to get a Wacky Worm coaster credit. Jenny rode too!

University of South Carolina Campus

South Carolina State Capitol grounds

Statue of a palmetto in the Capitol grounds

South Carolina... you so racist

Monument to African American history, from slave ship to post Jim Crow

On Saturday morning we got up early and went to Soda City Market, a cute farmer's market on main street. We got breakfast and some snacks to bring to Congaree. David found homemade kimchi too! After the market, we drove down to the national park to meet a guide for our kayak trip. Congaree has lots of water; a large portion of the park is basically a swamp. We kayaked on Cedar Creek for about three hours. The middle of March is a great time to go. There aren't any mosquitoes yet and the weather isn't too hot. There was a big ice storm in February that knocked down a lot of trees, so at times it was like kayaking through a maze trying to avoid downed trees and branches. It made for an exciting trip! When it was time to turn around and head back, we got a bit turned around and we got lost. Fortunately, we found our way back in one piece, with the added bonus of an extra hour of kayaking. We had a fantastic time and highly recommend Adventure Carolina for your kayak needs. To complete our day in Congaree, we took a 4 mile hike in the park. Part of it was on elevated boardwalks, and part was on dirt trails. It was neat walking past swampy areas and huge loblolly pines. Because of heavy flooding, there were some areas covered in water - but we only got a little bit muddy.

Downtown Columbia farmer's market

Where does this door go!?  Narnia I bet!  I'll bring kimchi.

New style of National Park sign.  Fancy!

Kayaking crew

Beautiful day to be outside

No leaves yet, unfortunately, but also no mosquitoes!

Congaree is basically a swamp...

...with some massive trees!

Paddle!

Lots of trees had "knees." Interestingly enough, botanists aren't really sure what they're for.

The kayak crew!

Avoid the tree!

We were some of the only people out in Congaree this day

Nature... you crazy!

Jenny, we love you, but if you fall in that water you're on your own, girl!

Recent flooding (common in the spring) made some of the boardwalks impassable

After a day full of hiking and kayaking, we went back to Columbia for a showers and a nice dinner. We went to Motor Supply Co. Bistro for dinner in the Vista neighborhood, a short distance from our hotel. This area of town is home to lots of restaurants and bars and they were all hopping. The city had a big St. Patrick's day party in Five Points and people spilled over into nearby neighborhoods to keep the festivities going. When you see people that drunk at 8PM you know it must be St. Patrick's day!

The following day we had hoped to explore more of Columbia outdoors, but nature had another plan. It rained all day. So instead, we took a little driving tour to see some of Columbia's historic houses and quirky Americana, then went to the South Carolina State Museum. The museum was nice and was a combination natural history and state history museum. They're adding on a large planetarium later this year, so next time we pass through we'll be sure to return.

We parted ways with Lindsay at the State Museum, since she had to drive back to North Carolina. On our way back to Atlanta we stopped in Augusta for dinner and met David's aunt Marianne and cousin Will at Whiskey Bar/Kitchen. After catching up for a bit we crossed the bridge back into South Carolina to seize a photo-op with an awkward statue!

World's largest fire hydrant.  Check!

It would look more real if there weren't a car parked right in front of it

Giant prehistoric North American mammals are the best prehistoric mammals!

Being such an avid ice cream connoisseur, Paul stopped in for a bite at Paradise Ice

On the way home we visited David's cousin and aunt in Augusta for dinner and a jump!

The area around Columbia is an interesting visit. While the city itself is just OK, the real attraction is Congaree National Park. The huge trees and unique biosphere are really worth visiting. So grab a kayak and get going!

Westview Cemetery and Atlanta History

In September of 1864, Atlanta was burned to the ground after General William Tecumseh Sherman captured the city in one of the major Southern campaigns of the Civil War. The city's seal reflects this major event, with a phoenix rising from the ashes, the dates 1847 (incorporation of the city of Atlanta) and 1865 (reconstruction), and the Latin word "resurgens," meaning "rising again."

After the Civil War, Atlanta quickly grew in importance. In 1868 it became the state capital, and by 1880 it was the largest city in Georgia, surpassing Savannah. Georgia Tech was founded in 1885, and ten years later Atlanta hosted the Cotton States and International Exposition, which had an attendance of 800,000 and promoted what the Atlanta Constitution newspaper editor Henry W. Grady called "the New South." Commerce and industry replaced agriculture; Coca-Cola and streetcars proliferated.

Much of Atlanta's early history is reflected in historic Westview Cemetery. Founded in 1884, and located just 3.5 miles west of city hall and the state capitol building, Westview is the largest cemetery in the Southeast. It's full of names that any Atlantan would recognize: Grady, Candler, Woodruff, Egleston and others are etched onto the tombstones and vaults. The Civil War Battle of Ezra Church was fought on July 28, 1864 on the site that would become the cemetery just 20 years later. Three thousand Confederate soldiers and 642 Union soldiers died in the battle.

Atlanta's more recent history is also represented in the cemetery. Mayor William B. Hartsfield (of Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport fame, and promoter of "the city too busy to hate" slogan) is laid to rest in Westview. Vivian Malone Jones, one of the first two African Americans to enroll at the University of Alabama, is also buried in the cemetery. Fifty years ago in 1963, segregationist governor George Wallace tried to block her from registering by standing in the doorway to the University auditorium in the famous "stand in the schoolhouse door." On a sad note, Alice Hawthorne, the only person to die in the Centennial Olympic Park bombing during the 1996 Olympics, is also buried at Westview.

Atlanta is often criticized as a city that lacks substance. Observing this sprawling metropolis replete with strip malls and parking lots, sometimes I think the city's detractors have a point. Just within walking distance of our apartment, the recent demolition of the Crum and Forster building and a Neel Reid apartment building show the lack of reverence for the past that sometimes occurs in Atlanta. But a visit to Westview Cemetery helps to uncover some of the rich history of our city. A lot of locals are familiar with historic Oakland Cemetery, but Westview is an under-rated gem that every Atlantan should visit.

The original entrance gates

Last Supper relief. 

Confederate memorial. 

Confederate graves.

The water tower.

Candler family plot.

Asa Griggs Candler, Coca-Cola magnate and mayor of Atlanta.

Candler Park and the Candler Building are named after him.

The Grady Vault. Henry Grady described General Sherman as "an able man... though some people think he is a mite careless about fire."

Jesse Parker Williams, Confederate army captain and lumber and railroad magnate.

Ernest Woodruff led the Trust Company (SunTrust  bank). His sons Robert Woodruff and George Woodruff ran Coca-Cola from the 1920s to the 1950s. In 1979 the brothers donated $105 million to Emory University, at the time the largest single donation ever to an institution of higher education. The Woodruff Foundation has since donated nearly $600 million more to Emory.

In a bit of overlapping history, the Woodruff brothers attended the high school that would later be named for Henry W. Grady, and bought the Coca-Cola company from Asa Griggs Candler.

"She hath done what she could."

Born in 1797.

The Adair family plot, namesake of Adair Park. George Adair was the conductor on the first train entering Atlanta over the Georgia Railroad in 1845. He founded the first streetcar system in Atlanta in 1871. His son (also named George) worked with Asa Candler to establish the Druid Hills neighborhood.

While Hezekiah Cheshire (of Cheshire Bridge fame) is buried in Rock Spring Presbyterian Church Cemetery, at least one of his children is buried at Westview. 

Children's Healthcare Egleston Hospital is named after Henrietta Egleston.

In yet another bit of connected history, Egleston Hospital has a George Woodruff pavilion.

James Joseph Haverty founded Haverty's furniture company in downtown Atlanta in 1885. There are now more than 100 stores in 16 states.

Joel Chandler Harris, author of the Uncle Remus and Brer Rabbit stories.

Very odd statue in one of the vaults.

Another odd vault set-up.

The mausoleum, built in 1943,  is the largest structure of its kind.  It contains space for 11,444 entombments.

Weather vane on the mausoleum/abbey.

City seal on the mausoleum.

Mausoleum entrance