Day 3
• Departure for Albany
• Chehaw
• Downtown & Ray Charles Plaza
• Albany Civil Rights Institute
• Thronateeska Heritage Center
• Flint RiverQuarium
• Dinner at Blackbeard’s
The third day of this FAM began with a short drive from Thomasville to Albany, a town about 60 miles north. On arrival, the group toured the 100-acre zoo at Chehaw, the city’s large nature park. Next was a stop at the Albany Welcome center, in a historic building on the banks of the Flint River, and a visit to Ray Charles Plaza to see the iconic statue of the famous Georgia native. After lunch, the group toured the area’s most famous attraction — the Albany Civil Rights Institute — and enjoyed a private concert with one of the original Freedom Singers. Later, participants toured a pair of area museum attractions — the Thronateeska Heritage Center and the Flint RiverQuarium — before enjoying a lively farewell dinner of seafood and barbecue at Blackbeard’s, a favorite Albany restaurant.
Chehaw
Chehaw is a city-owned park that spans 800 acres of woodland. Part of that space is a 100-acre zoo that features large free-range animal habitats. The FAM group toured the zoo with a guide and saw some of the 21 alligators in the swamp area, including “Big Charlie,” who is more than 13 feet long. They also saw an interactive demo with a pair of Bactrian camels. Visitors can watch alligator and rhino feedings or take a safari-style ride to see African animals roaming a 40-acre area of the park.
Downtown Albany
The Flint River runs through Albany, and the city’s downtown district sits on the riverbanks. The group stopped to see the Albany Welcome Center, which occupies a historic building connected to a bridge over the river, then took a short stroll down the Flint River Walk to Ray Charles Plaza. Charles was born in Albany, and the city honors this local son with a larger-than-life statue of him singing at a piano. The statue slowly rotates on its base and plays Charles’ music around the clock.
Albany Civil Rights Institute
Perhaps the most famous attraction in town is the Albany Civil Rights Institute. The city was the birthplace of the Albany Movement, a form of mass protest that became a staple of the civil rights efforts of the mid-20th century, and the museum uses images, newspaper articles and oral histories to teach visitors about the struggle that took place in Albany and throughout the South. The FAM group toured the museum and the adjacent Old Mount Zion Baptist Church, where Martin Luther King Jr. once spoke, and enjoyed a private concert by Rutha Harris, an Albany local who toured the world as one of the original Freedom Singers.
Flint RiverQuarium
Groups touring Albany should include time to visit the Flint RiverQuarium, which highlights the fish and animals that are native to the Flint River, as well as creatures from the Gulf of Mexico, where the river ends. The highlight of the aquarium is its 175,000-gallon, open-air blue hole spring exhibit that features hundreds of different aquatic species. FAM participants enjoyed seeing snapping turtles, oysters, octopuses, tropical fish and the aquarium’s rare albino alligator. Visitors can also walk through a new on-site aviary that serves as home for rescued birds indigenous to the area.
Day 4
• Departure for Valdosta
• Return home
The final morning of the trip gave participants the chance to enjoy a leisurely breakfast at the Merry Acres Inn in Albany before boarding the motorcoach and making the hour-and-a-half drive back to Valdosta. From there, some continued on to explore the Plantation Trace region on their own and others began their return journeys home with fond memories of Georgia on their minds.
For more information on a trip to Georgia contact Lacey Cameron with Georgia Department of Economic Development at 404-962-4175, by email at lcameron@georgia.org or go to www.exploregeorgia.org
