Just a day after returning from an incredible winter wonderland trip to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, I overheard a middle aged man at the grocery store commenting to his wife that he was cold. I considered providing the fine gentleman a bit of commentary on “cold,” like minus-7 degree cold in the Victor, Idaho and Jackson Hole area.
However, I bit my lip, walked to my truck, turned the ignition, and the outside temperature light read 62 degrees. Most would agree that’s a comfortable temperature for Northeast Georgia, particularly in January.
But if you asked the good folks in Jackson, Wyoming, if 62 degrees was cold, they’d probably think you’d lost your mind. Someone once said, “There are truths on this side of the Pyrenees (mountain range between France and Spain) which are falsehoods on the other.”
Clearly, context is important.
For more than 10 months, Lisa planned our family trip to Jackson Hole. We heard great stories of the quaint, picturesque, Northwestern town and the surrounding Teton area, and had talked for years about vacationing there. But this year, we decided to make it our Christmas gift to our children.
Like most, they didn’t need any more “stuff,” but perhaps they’d appreciate ole’ mom and dad taking them on a winter expedition. And that’s exactly what we did. While we weren’t headed west for the skiing adventure, although the slopes were absolutely breathtakingly beautiful, we were more interested in the 310,000 acre Grand Teton National Park, the wildlife tours, the entertaining horse-drawn sleigh ride through the snow amongst a herd of some 700 elk.
Then to top it off, we enjoyed the hospitable westerners and the fantastic restaurants and shops in Jackson that made these southeasterner hillbillies feel right at home. Honestly, it was so much more than I’d dreamed. From the moment we stepped off the plane in Jackson Hole until we left eight days later, these people were accommodating and treated us like family. In Northeast Georgia, we call such people “good folk.”
But the Habersham County, Georgia area with its seven, unique, rural municipalities is the Southeastern equivalent of the Northwestern Teton Valley area in many respects. Like Jackson, we have some wonderful award-winning restaurants, the best fly fishing east of the Mississippi, and the spectacular Tallulah Gorge, one of the most beautiful canyons in the eastern U.S. The rural, Habersham area made national headlines when the great Karl Wallenda walked 1,000 feet across a high-wire stretched a nail-biting 750 feet above the Tallulah Gorge canyon floor in 1970. Our museums in Habersham and surrounding areas highlight hometown baseball legends Johnny Mize and Ty Cobb. Local wineries paired with dazzling landscapes, antique shops, farm-to-table peaches and fresh vegetables, and global poultry producer Fieldale Farms make rural Habersham County, Georgia and the surrounding area a place tourists love to visit and often end up calling home.
Yes, Jackson Hole and the Habersham County areas are unique in their own right, but parallel in the pride locals take in welcoming guests. In Jackson, you may enjoy northwestern elk or bison at the dinner table. In Habersham County, you’ll enjoy the delicious, local-grown peaches and southern fried chicken.
Either way, you’ll be fed well and feel right at home.