During our stay in Destin we caught up we friends Pat and Billy (more on them in later blog). Pat grew up in Thomasville, Georgia (a 3 hour drive from our campground in Destin), and she said if we wanted to see some typical antebellum homes or check out a plantation, then Thomasville would be a good place to visit. She also mentioned Jonah's Fish & Grits as a good place to eat. A few days later I saw Jonah's written up favourably in a travel magazine - decision made - we planned a day trip to Thomasville.
Yesterday was the day - we left home at 9am and realised that with the hour time difference, it would be 1.30pm Georgia time before we would arrive for lunch (taking into account a 30 minute stop off for morning tea of course). The roads were great, but there was no scenery to speak off, as the highways were lined by trees. Although we did see LOTS of Spanish Moss dripping from the trees en route. Spooky!
First stop was Jonah's - I was tempted to try the grits as they offered a cheese version, but decided to stick with the blackened catfish, and Murray got the black grouper. Both delicious. Pat's mum's neighbours run a beautiful store in the main street - so we called into 'At Home' and had a chat with Rob. Sadly his wife Sylvia wasn't in the store at the time. Wish we had more time to hear their story, as they had made an interesting life/employment switch from their home in Venice, Florida to here.
Next stop was to hug a tree - a 334 year old Live Oak tree to be exact. This tree is so big and so old that the city has intervened to assist in preserving the outstretched limbs. See supporting structure on one of the limbs in this photo. |
| Isn't it something! |
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| John Dyson House 1850 |
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| Lapham-Patterson House |
We enjoyed driving around and seeing the beautiful homes. This one on the right is the Lapham-Patterson House, and sadly it wasn't open for a tour, but as you can see it is pretty spectacular. It was built in 1884 as a winter cottage! Some cottage. It had gas lighting and indoor plumbing, and was noted for the asymmetry of the house - none of the windows or doors are square, and there are at least 50 exits - the owner was scared of being trapped in a burning building.
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| Spanish Moss |
Spanish Moss is often seen growing on oak trees here in the south - believe it or not it also grows back home in Queensland! It needs warmth and humidity to grow, and while it is called a moss, it is actually a flowering plant of the bromeliad family! Thanks wikipedia.
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| Murray holding a small amount of Spanish Moss |
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| Pebble Hill Plantation |
Our last stop in Thomasville was the extensive Pebble Hill Plantation. Hailed as one of the South's most 'spectacular and lovingly cared for country estates', it is now used as a museum (including a collection of Audubon bird paintings) and is a popular location for weddings as you can see by this photo borrowed from a wedding website (weddingbee). The last owner who lived in the house loved her horses and dogs, and was a collector of special horse and dog paintings, carvings etc. They are all on display.
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