Our first stop took us outside Atlanta to a growing suburb called Canton, a vibrant community attractive to young families with a localvore feel coupled with kid friendly stuff. Just a few miles out lies Sweetwater Campground. HUGE sites right on the water in a bucolic forest that was sparkling clean, which brings me to an RV topic. We always prefer a state or county park over an “RV Resort.” They range $25-40/night and give you plenty of elbow room along with trails and that lil ole thing called ‘nature.’ The only downside, if you can call it that, is that you might not have a sewer hook-up, but they will have a dump station. However, we have never run out of water or needed to dump in a 4-5 night stay. (be wary of poop pyramids, tho – google if you are curious, and yes, we had one once!). Alternatively, RV Resorts range from $65-95 and really only offer a few added amenities like laundry and sewer…and be prepared to be VERY close to your neighbors (see comparison photos below). All that said, we had a lovely visit with Jim’s daughter and SIL but totally forgot to take any photos!
Onward to Greensboro and Raleigh/Durham to visit family and friends and have our first ‘light’ dating of a few cities, both of which we decided aren’t for us for different reasons. Greensboro is an absolutely lovely college town with outstanding green spaces, locally sourced food, an adorable farmers market and independent bookstore, cute beer scene and outstanding affordability, etc. If you pass through do NOT miss their Civil Rights Museum that ends inside the Woolworths’ lunch counter where 4 brave young Black men started sit-ins that spread across the country. Why did we say no? It was just too “sprawly” and not walkable enough, which is a key criterion for me given my ability to drive has become limited.
Durham edged onto the list due to a local friend’s recommendation. While we really appreciated a lot of what they have to offer, particularly the food, the Bull Durham baseball team and some really great musicians in smaller venues, we found the condos more $$$ than what we are willing to spend for such a small downtown footprint without much green space in walking distance. However, that same friend invited us to Hyco Lake for the weekend where we camped right on the water and enjoyed a lazy afternoon at his lake house boating and catching up. Another gem to hit if you are on the road.
