I Saw The Signs
Plenty of highway signs dot the road sides to get
us where we are going. Obviously the
highway department in any given state provides multiple notifications before an
exit because sometimes drivers miss one or two as they cruise along the road. The green ones tell us where we are headed
and what is coming up next. The blue
ones provide us with services and the brown ones share with us the cultural and
historic sites along the way. The yellow
ones caution us, the white ones remind us the rules of the road. Highway markers for interstates, US highways,
state roads, county roads, and cross roads direct us as we move from place to
place. But is it really possible to see
them all?
The Peach State always reminds me of the old
South, of cotton plantations and giant oak trees, and a few of these sprawling
estates still stand to provide a glimpse of the state’s history. The peaches and the cotton, and the way of
life that has long since ended transitioning into a modern agriculture boom
that ingrains itself in the state. Giant
groves of pecan trees (pronounced pē’-can,
of course) add to the charm of the new south and the sweetest of pies. Its native son, first its governor and then
US President Jimmy Carter, brought Georgia peanuts into the limelight. And who doesn’t cry at the site of Vandalia
onions when slicing and chopping them?
Plenty of highway signs dot the road sides to get
us where we are going. Obviously the
highway department in any given state provides multiple notifications before an
exit because sometimes drivers miss one or two as they cruise along the road. The green ones tell us where we are headed
and what is coming up next. The blue
ones provide us with services and the brown ones share with us the cultural and
historic sites along the way. The yellow
ones caution us, the white ones remind us the rules of the road. Highway markers for interstates, US highways,
state roads, county roads, and cross roads direct us as we move from place to
place. But is it really possible to see
them all?
When traveling solo, I often read as many of
these signs as possible, seeing them as friendly faces along the way greeting
me, speaking to me and teaching me as I drive.
And I certainly learned a new term as I drove through Georgia:
Agritourism. When I first saw the word
on a small blue sign, I spent several miles tossing the idea around in my
brain; the mix of southern agriculture and tourism seemed comical – wouldn’t
that just be a summer trip to an extended family’s farm? Do plants really produce a vacation
industry? I like pineapples and
pistachios, but they fall pretty low on the list of reasons to travel to
Hawaii. Nevertheless, the word continued
to generate steam in my gray matter the farther I drove.
Georgia On My Mind
The Peach State always reminds me of the old
South, of cotton plantations and giant oak trees, and a few of these sprawling
estates still stand to provide a glimpse of the state’s history. The peaches and the cotton, and the way of
life that has long since ended transitioning into a modern agriculture boom
that ingrains itself in the state. Giant
groves of pecan trees (pronounced pē’-can,
of course) add to the charm of the new south and the sweetest of pies. Its native son, first its governor and then
US President Jimmy Carter, brought Georgia peanuts into the limelight. And who doesn’t cry at the site of Vandalia
onions when slicing and chopping them?
Perhaps the sign, small in comparison to others, represents the twenty-first century
South – a South that’s growing and alive,
that has variety and vitality and flavor and fluidity, that’s tasty and
tempting and touristy. While I still
don’t think I am motivated to travel to Georgia to savor its bounty, I
certainly like having it at my disposal.
And in tribute to the full range of Agritourism Georgia provides, I stop
on my way out of the state at a southern winery where I sample and purchase my
own bottle of vintage Agritourism at its finest.
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