 This is the SF Productions Podcast Network. We wanted to get another road trip in before the weather turned, which gave us an excuse to see some relatives and friends by driving down to Atlanta, then down to the coast and back. We also decided to visit as many state capitals as we could, something we started on our last trip. Kentucky's capital in Frankfurt is rather elaborate, but it also overshadows the small town it's in. Librarian Halloween humor. The chair recognizes Bobby McCool, then a quick bite at a classic drive-in. Shrimp and pork tenderloin. Gorgos attacking the city, actually a mascot for a now burned down firework store. We finished the day at the Norris Dam, the first major project from the Tennessee Valley Authority. The next day we headed to the Museum of Appalachia. A strange combo of history museum and collection of oddities. The latter being 250,000 objects archived by one man. This is a perpetual motion machine built during the Civil War. The inventor always took a few parts out when he left it to avoid someone learning the secret, so we still don't know. The museum included some troubling objects of the past. Here's Daniel Boone's cabin from the TV show of the late 50s. Daniel Boone was a man, yes a man. And here's pigs and peacocks living in harmony. This is the fabulous sunsphere of World's Fair and Simpson's fame. Okay, lunchtime at a diner. Thank you brave exterminators fighting atomic mice. This was a fascinating rock garden city built behind a church, Georgia, where we met our niece at Big Chicken. Finally, a dinner of tacos and margaritas. Our second state house in Atlanta. Still cranking out houses. By law, every state house must have a mutant. We then went to Pond City Market and hopped chicken for lunch. A long wait, but very good. By the end of the day, we made it to the most wonderful town of the year, Santa Claus, Georgia. A farmer wanted to drum up interest for his stand, so he built a festive village. We stayed the night in Vidalia, just so we could visit the fabulous Onion Museum there. After picking up our mail, we made it to Savannah. It reminded us of a cruise port, very touristy, but still lovely. Lunch was held at the British Tea Company, Cornish Paisley, and Chicken Curry, plus some shortbread. That afternoon, we went goth. Here's the Bonaventure Cemetery, where midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil is based. And the ruins of a church that burned down in two different wards. Finally we made it to Charleston and dinner at TOA. We kicked things off at the Edgar Allen Poe Branch Library, an old military bunker with two-foot-thick walls where Poe was one station. You go over a lot of bridges in the Charleston area, as it's mostly islands. We worked our way down to the Charleston Tea Plantation, the only place in the U.S. that cultivates and processes tea. A custom harvester cuts off the top few inches of the plant after 21 days during the growing season. It only takes four people to run the huge place. There's a 450-year-old angel oak nearby that's being held together with wires and supports. Very crowded. We then stopped at the birthplace of Sweet Tea. This is one of 28 murals in South Carolina, documenting the Swamp Fox, a local hero of the 1700s. Here's a place I wasn't sure I'd ever make it to. South of the border, Cheesy Nirvana. We spent most of this day with an old friend from college and our niece and their families, but here's a few things from Raleigh. This big acorn is dropped every New Year's Eve in Raleigh, Allah Times Square. This is our great nephew getting drone training from his dad. Back into Raleigh, RGB on board. To see our third state capital of the trip, rather small for a statehouse, seemed more like a county courthouse. Perhaps more interesting than the building was the event outside. A film crew shooting a production. There was a fascinating and free history museum across the street, including two exhibits tailor-made for us, quilting, and classic toys, completely safe and harmless. On the way to Roanoke, we reached Shangri-La, our second tiny rock town of the trip. This one was built in the owner's front yard, now deceased, using stones from the local quarry. Once in Roanoke, we went into the hipster district for a slice. A big slice. Read about the Roanoke Star, so we drove up a long, spooky mountain road to see it. It's the largest man-made star. Here's a view from the star, looking down on the valley. A quick snack at Blue Cow Creamery, then off to bed. Our final day involved a long drive across mountain roads, made longer due to a bad GPS setting. Mexican lunch at Plaza Maya. Our fourth and final state capital in Charleston, West Virginia this time, actually the most impressive of them all, a U-shaped affair, which means employees easily get their daily steps in. The rotunda was under reconstruction, so we saw a lot of hallways. The AG really doesn't want visitors. Our final stop of the road trip was a bizarre, big boy restaurant museum in the middle of a parking lot. Well that wraps things up, thanks for watching.