Discovering the Deep South - Georgia

Most of Florida isn’t truly in the “South.” Most of the Atlantic coast tilts toward beach culture with more Caribbean as you head south. A huge portion of Florida residents some from elsewhere, primarily the North. From ~Orlando on down it’s palm trees and beaches, Disney and Cuba and Margaritaville. Many Floridians don’t even have a southern accent, though the panhandle area is more like South Georgia
 

With that in mind, I head for a week in Georgia. First days are north of Atlanta, where I’ve been before. Very red-state, very church-oriented, but not too rural since it is not THAT far from Atlanta. Local food is great if you know where to find it and avoid the national chains.
 

The next couple of days is in downtown Atlanta, which is pretty much like any other large city (as far as overall culture shock goes), but with a Southern accent. Locals pronounce it “Atlanna.” In Atlanta is everything is named “Peachtree” without a single tree with peaches around. 

I’ve spent time in downtown Atlanta before, and will get around via MARTA (Atlanta is a real, grown-up city with public transit.). My last days will be new, as I head south to Macon.

Macon, GA is a decent-sized city, but the vicinity is more rural, and I expect to see more Confederate flags. You don’t see a lot of Confederate flags in Florida, with the notable exception being the World’s Largest near Tampa. Seems out of place there.
  

A site I found on the Internet states:
“Confederate American Pride refers to that unique class of people, native to the Southeastern states, who define themselves as being, firstly, Confederates and, secondly, as Americans, and who are proud of bearing those distinctions. The Confederate Nationalist needs to defend himself and his heritage in the war that is constantly being waged against that heritage.”
 

Some “Georgia Tips” I found on the web:

• Going outside at anytime during the summer instantly guarantees a minimum a 7 bug bites.
• Honey Boo Boo was born and raised here.

• It’s called a “rag” not a “washcloth”.
• In Georgia when someone ask, “Where you from?”, people usually reply with a county, not a city.
• In Georgia it’s not a shopping cart, it’s a buggy.
• Georgia gets more inches of pollen in a week than inches of snow in a full year.

•  You say Georgia, we say Jawja.
• There’s a Waffle House in walking distance of every Waffle House.

Macon will be interesting. I hope I can find a local food joint and visit enough with some folks who live in the area. Perhaps I can find a keychain.

I'll let you know next week how it went.