Everything OddWay knows about. Narrow it down by what you're after, or where you're going.
Stories a place tells about itself, passed down and still repeated.
Dawsonville, GA
A loud siren on the Dawsonville Pool Room is traditionally sounded when a local Elliott family driver wins a major NASCAR race. The custom became part of Dawsonville identity, turning an ordinary downtown restaurant into a living piece of racing folklore.
Chatsworth, GA
A long, low stone wall snakes across the summit of Fort Mountain, and its original builders and purpose remain uncertain. Archaeologists have rejected many of the more extravagant legends attached to it, but the unexplained prehistoric or early historic structure remains one of North Georgia's best genuine mysteries.
Eatonton, GA
Thousands of stones form a giant bird-shaped effigy on the ground, one of only a small number of large stone effigy mounds known in the region. Its exact age and purpose are not completely resolved, making Rock Eagle a genuine archaeological mystery rather than a modern roadside sculpture.
Eatonton, GA
Another large stone bird effigy lies east of Eatonton, surrounded by trails and interpretive displays. Like Rock Eagle, the original context of the stone figure is uncertain, but the preserved form is clearly distinct enough to justify its own OddWay route point.
Fort Gaines, GA
Stop on Spook Hill, north of town, put the car in neutral, and it appears to roll uphill. The slope is an illusion — the surrounding land hides the true horizon, so a gentle descent reads as a climb — which has never once stopped anyone trying it with a bottle of water. A public road, so pull over sensibly and watch for traffic.
Savannah, GA
A historic Savannah restaurant occupies buildings associated with the city's early maritime district and generations of pirate and shanghaiing stories. Its tunnels and legends are part of local lore rather than proof of literal pirate kidnappings, but the building remains one of the city's classic strange-history landmarks.
Athens, GA
Local tradition holds that a University of Georgia professor loved this white oak so much that he deeded ownership of the tree and surrounding land to the tree itself. The original tree fell in 1942; the present tree was grown from one of its acorns and continues the beloved legal-fiction legend.
Dahlonega, GA
Motorists traditionally add stones to this roadside cairn, which local legend identifies as the grave of a Cherokee woman named Trahlyta. Historical scholarship has not established the popular story as authentic Cherokee tradition, so OddWay treats it as a long-running regional legend rather than documented tribal history.
