We just wrapped up a road trip through Georgia, Alabama, and Florida to explore some blank spaces on our map. We had nothign special on our itinerary, just seeing what there is to see in some of these rural counties. Here’s what we saw:

Trip posts

Our third attempt at a brewery after landing in Georgia found us at Scofflaw Brewing in Columbus, with dinner from Moe’s BBQ next door.

A brewery entrance with a sign reading Scofflaw Brewing Co. and people gathered inside.Two cups of beer sit on a table in front of a graffiti-style wall with the word SCOFFLAW.A plastic cup filled with beer from Scofflaw Brewing Co. is placed on a reflective surface with a small, decorated Christmas tree and a brewing setup in the background.A meal consisting of pulled pork with barbecue sauce, pickles, macaroni and cheese, toasted bread, and drinks in plastic cups is set on a table at Scofflaw Brewing Co.

The Smallest City Block in the World (allegedly), here in Dothan, Alabama.

A granite marker commemorates the smallest city block in the world in front of a stop sign, with wet streets and buildings visible in the background.A dimly lit street corner features a triangular patch of grass with a stone marker displaying inscriptions, set against a backdrop of buildings and a wet road, accented by a stop sign.

Dothan’s Golden Peanut - there are no fewer than 100 peanut sculptures to find in Dothan and surrounding communities (yes, of course I have the list).

A large, golden peanut sculpture is displayed outdoors in front of a building, surrounded by neatly trimmed bushes.

I finally made it to the infamous Boll Weevil Monument in Enterprise, Alabama.

It’s the only monument erected to an agricultural pest! Weird, right? But the tragedy shifted the local economy from cotton to peanuts. And the boll weevil became a revered symbol of turning disaster into opportunity.

A MOTHAFUCKIN BOLL WEEVIL statue surrounded by festive decorations stands in the center of a small, decorated town square with various shops in the background.A small cityscape features a roundabout with a festive, decorated statue of a MOTHAFUCKIN BOLL WEEVIL, a mural on a brick building, and an Italian restaurant called Cafe Roma.A mural depicting an agricultural scene with a farmer, crops, and large peanuts serves as the backdrop for two parked cars on a street.

A motto for so many of our road trips these days—especially this one. 🤪

Checked out Folklore Brewing this evening. Not great, but not bad.

We started the day at the National Infantry Museum. Military museums aren’t really my thing, but they’re always very well done, and this one was no different. There were hundreds of new soldiers wandering around, and that always adds a bit more to the experience. May they never see combat!

A large building with a dome and columns stands at the end of a paved walkway, surrounded by a grassy area.A statue of a soldier in a dynamic pose stands on a pedestal, adorned with a wreath and red ribbon.A museum exhibit depicts a World War I trench scene with artifacts and displays along the walls.A museum exhibit displays detailed dioramas of soldiers in a wartime setting with sandbags and mountainous terrain.

When you come across a place called Museum of Wonder, billed as the “World’s First Drive-Thru Museum,” which boasts free admission no less—well, you’ve gotta stop, right? I still have no idea what the hell this place was about, but we drove thru it anyway.

We missed the festival, but still stopped for the World’s Largest Peanut.

We visited Florida’s highest waterfall today. Definitely an unusual one—worth a quick stop!

Some additional photos

Auto-generated description: A small waterfall cascades through a lush, autumnal forest with vibrant red and orange foliage. Auto-generated description: A waterfall cascades over a rocky cliff surrounded by lush greenery.

This part of Florida sure loves ‘em some possum…

Yesterday, we visited the John Gorrie State Museum to pay homage to the inventor of the ice machine, later recognized as an early step towards air conditioning. Thank you Dr Gorrie, every Phoenician salutes you!

I marked off Florida on my State Capitol Buildings quest. I have just 3 left, 2 of which I’ll likely visit later this month.

This one is about as boring as Alaska’s. The interesting building here is the historic Capitol, with the (intentionally nondescript?) office building the “official” one. Gah.

I need to write a longer post about our visit to El Weirdo Brewing yesterday. But I’m going to offer this up right now.

This old payphone behind the bar not just works, but it’s the actual landline for the brewery. How cool is that?! And customers can use this other payphone, which also works!

Stopped by T-Vélo Brewing in Thomasville, GA today. Nice little place with a great patio that would have been fun in better weather.

A brewery's entrance showcases Tap Room and Brewery signage, with decorative plants and festive lights.A glass of beer sits on a bar counter, with a background of colorful chalkboard menus.

Back road night views

Saved this for the end of the night. Kinda expected more though, tbh…

A brick sign with flowers and a red fire hydrant nearby welcomes visitors to Climax with a date marked 1905 below.

I finished up my remaining unvisited counties in Florida today—my 12th fully completed state.

I have another 10 states with less than 6 counties remaining. I also only have three states left that are under 50% done—my interim goal—and I’ll erase two from that list in July. Making progress!

A color-coded map of Florida highlights certain counties in green and others in blue.

We had a blast catching up with Grant and Bonnie of Wander-Filled Life at DEEP Brewing in Tallahassee on Sat (always fun to catch travel friends away from home). Bummed we somehow forgot to get a photo.

They’re currently working on a new edition of their Moon Guide on US RV Adventures.

Our first stop today was the Kolomoki Mounds archaeological site, home to one of the largest ceremonial mounds in the US, and perhaps the most important in the Southeast.

Unfortunately, the park museum—often pretty important for understanding mound-builder cultural sites—was closed for renovation.

A historical marker provides information about the Kolomoki Mounds Archaeological Area in Georgia.

Finally made it to Providence Canyon, after missing it on a few prior trips. Quite the vista! Probably the most scenic thing we’ve visited on the trip. Interestingly, it played a role in the 1930s push for soil conservation.

We stopped by the site of Charles Lindbergh’s first solo flight, as it was just down the road. Not exactly a fan, but a historic site nonetheless.

A historical marker commemorates Charles Lindbergh's solo flight in May 1923, featuring text detailing the event, with a grassy field and cloudy sky in the background.A statue of a man with a fishing rod is mounted on a tall pedestal surrounded by landscaped grass and trees.

Floating trees

Not sure why, but this is the third brewery we’ve been to on this short trip that featured a payphone. 🤔

We enjoyed our stop at Crooked Finger Brewing. Beer was okay, but the brisket nachos were quite tasty and the conversation with locals was good.

A pint of beer is placed on a wooden bar counter in a busy pub with patrons and televisions in the background.

Today was primarily about driving back to Atlanta to fly home, but we did make a few stops along the way.

One of those was Rock Hawk Effigy Mound site. Yes, it does require a bit of imagination, as it’s degraded quite a bit over time. But still fun to see, especially from the viewing platform.

An informational sign details the changes over time to the Rock Hawk Effigy with diagrams and text.A yellow information board provides details about the history of the Rock Hawk Effigy, featuring images and a description.

We also made it to Rock Eagle Effigy Mound, Hawk Rock’s more notable sister site. Its design was a bit more pronounced, and I was surprised at the substantial height of the rock mound. We call these rock-based designs “intaglios” in the Southwest. The site also featured a cool stone viewing tower.

A historical information sign details the Rock Eagle Effigy, including images, maps, and text about its construction, history, and excavation.

Our final stop before the ATL airport was Arches Brewing, part of the Atlanta Utility Works family.

That’s a wrap on the road trip fun, folks! Back to the salt mines.

Edit: kinda fun restroom walls, which feature old invoices, schematics, and other docs from the old Atlanta Utility Works company.

Did some solid work on my US Counties quest, marking off 51 total counties (dark green) and revisiting a bunch of others (lighter green).

I finished off Florida, got Georgia up above 50%, and completed a good chunk of Alabama, too. Not bad for six days and 1515 miles, even in constant rain.

A map highlights certain counties in Alabama marked in dark green and light green, against a backdrop of blue, with white outlining remaining areas.