- [Announcer] Funding for "Georgia Outdoors" has been made possible in part by the Imlay Foundation and from viewers like you.

- I adopted my Goldendoodle when she was five months old.

I didn't expect her to get quite this big, but since then, Jessie has been my constant companion at home.

I was afraid to travel with her, worried that she would get loose and lost.

Well, I decided to get over my fears and get myself a new companion to hit the road.

(cheerful music) First stop is Red Top Mountain State Park on Lake Allatoona.

It's close to Atlanta, and I was able to rent a dog-friendly cabin.

I drove around the park to get my bearings.

Jessie was happy with her head out the window because I won't let her do that in Atlanta traffic.

I pulled into the driveway of our home away from home.

(chime dinging) All right, let me get your seatbelt off.

Come here.

Wait, wait, wait.

Wait, Jessie.

Let me get off your seatbelt.

Hold on.

You ready?

Come on.

Just crawl across my seat.

The car is so dirty, it doesn't matter.

Come on.

Let's go.

You need to go potty?

Nope.

Okay.

All right, you ready?

You smell smells, huh?

All right, we're gonna stay in here.

(gentle music) Come on.

Nice.

Once we settled in, the porch became our favorite place.

It's so calm here.

And Jessie was on her best behavior.

Come here, Jess.

Jessie, Jessie, come here and sit down.

Jessie, sit.

Sit.

Down.

Now stay.

You stay.

(ice clinking) Jess, come here.

No.

Are you a sweet girl?

Hmm?

You a sweet girl?

Yes, you are.

There are 20 cottages on the water's edge.

Not all of them are dog friendly, so if you want to rent, make a reservation ASAP.

I chose to go in the middle of the week and it was like we had the park to ourselves.

Later we met up with assistant manager, Sean Kelly, who gets to call this his office.

So how cool is it to work at a park every day?

- It's one of the biggest blessings you could imagine.

My commute to work is very minimal.

One of the compensations that I have with my job is we actually live here on park.

So for us coming to work in the morning usually takes five, 10 minutes at the most.

- Ah, nice.

- So there's no traffic, no headache with road work or construction.

But also when I come to work, I'm at work in the woods, and that's one of the most peaceful things that you could even ask for.

- And this is kinda special.

You don't find many hardwood parks anymore, do you?

- No.

Due to a lot of urban areas, also logging, and activities even from the 1800s, people were using wood for all sorts of resources.

It's real hard to find a natural hardwood forest like you see at Red Top Mountain State Park.

It's one of the fortunate things that we have here.

You get a rustle of the leaves in the wind that's real peaceful as well.

- [Sharon] How many dog lovers do you have, 'cause I know, I know like I'm staying in a dog-friendly cabin, but a lot of people camping bring their dogs.

Am I right?

- Yes ma'am, that's right.

We see lots of folks with dogs out camping, whether they're in RVs, or they're out tent camping, even, especially.

The RV folks seem to always have an animal, whether it's a cat or a dog.

We've even seen birds out on perches and cages out by the campsite fires, and things like that.

But we do have dog-friendly cottages for folks who wanna travel with their animals.

We always want you to be sure and check out reservations for those things.

You can make reservations for the cottages 13 months in advance.

- There are 93 tent or RV camp sites.

And because this park is only about two hours from Atlanta, and less than three miles from Interstate 75, things can fill up fast.

This is the first trip I've taken with Jessie, so you were our first choice.

- Perfect.

Perfect.

I'm glad you decided to come here, Jessie.

Thanks for coming.

Yeah, all of our trails here at Red Top Mountain are dog-friendly.

We do have a trail that has multi-use, it's our Iron Hill Trail.

People are allowed to mountain bike on that trail.

So if you have a dog that's sensitive to tires, or things moving rather quickly with them, just be aware of that if you decide to come out and hike the Iron Hill Trail at Red Top Mountain State Park.

But the most of the trails here are very peaceful.

There's a chance you'll see deer or bunny rabbits crossing the trails.

- [Sharon] There are more than 15 miles of trails here.

Red Top got its name because of the reddish soil caused by a high iron ore content.

I didn't see the red, but iron is still in the ground.

And there used to be a lot of iron mines here.

It's a beautiful park now, and you just don't think about mining when you look around.

All the state parks in Georgia have a unique charm, and all of them are dog-friendly.

Kim Hatcher handles public affairs for the parks.

- Well, we know that your dogs are your four-legged family members, and we want you to be able to bring them to the state parks and enjoy being outside.

They like hiking just as much as we do, and they like exercise.

They need exercise just like we do.

We hear a lot from dog owners.

They especially wanna come and spend the night inside the parks.

They wanna be able to bring their dogs with them.

So all of our campgrounds are dog-friendly.

We actually have almost 100 cabins that are dog-friendly all across the state.

So you know ahead of time that that you can bring your dog with you.

- [Sharon] You can join the Tails on Trails club.

It challenges you to hike at 12 of the 42 participating parks.

- So you buy a membership card, and it's $20, and it challenges you to hike at 12 of 42 participating Georgia state parks.

And you go on your own.

There's no time limit.

- And there is a nifty t-shirt for you, and a scarf for your pup.

Thank you for the t-shirt.

I love it.

- Good.

Good, good.

- Plus it matches her leash.

- Yeah, well, I wondered if you had planned purple on purpose.

- [Sharon] No.

I mean, even her bling like her collar, is all.

- [Kim] That's cute.

- [Sharon] Often the parks have ranger-led hikes so people who like hiking with their dogs can explore it with a park expert.

But all the parks ask you keep your dog on a leash.

- Even if your dog is the type that's gonna stay right with you and is used to hiking without a leash, we still want you to keep it on leash because you don't know what's gonna happen when you come upon somebody else who has a dog while they're hiking, or wildlife.

They might see a deer or a fox that might get them really excited, and you never know if your dog's gonna go off trail and chase them.

- Yep.

I was just lucky Jessie didn't see this.

She would've been hard to handle.

(gentle music) I know.

Get back in the car, get back in the car.

Our next venture was just a day trip to a waterfall off the beaten path.

No, this way.

Come on, Jessie.

Pull your old mama up the trail.

I know we've never done anything like this before.

Up you go, come on.

Come on.

Up, up, up.

All right, now we're on the trail trail.

Come on.

Up you go.

Let's go.

Let's go.

(water rushing) And there she is.

Minnehaha.

In my opinion, one of the prettiest waterfalls in this state.

Not the tallest, not the most famous, but a staircase of beauty tucked away off of a dirt road near Lake Raven.

Minnehaha Falls is a series of cascades located on Falls Creek in Raven County.

The waterfall descends about 100 feet down the rock formation.

Jessie wouldn't even look at it.

Your first waterfall.

You see it?

You don't look impressed.

Look how pretty it is.

All this and you don't even look at the waterfall?

There you go.

Come on, Jess.

Up, up, come on.

Come on, up you go.

No, you stay up here.

Now I've got you.

You're not gonna get hurt, okay?

Once all the drama of getting here was over, it paid off with some peaceful time in a magical spot.

Hey Michael, thanks so much for coming up to meet us.

- Sure.

- I asked Michael Crow of Bear Gap Outfitters to join us.

So what's it like to have an outfitter company.

You've got boats, and all kinds of stuff.

- It's a joy all the time.

And here, we tend to do things we like to do.

We meet people from all over the United States.

Canoes, kayaks paddleboards, pontoons.

It's a great time.

It's certainly an endless supply of things to do, especially here in Raven County.

- They also do waterfall tours.

North Georgia is known for its falling water.

There are more than 120 waterfalls in that region.

Few are as tempting to approach as Minnehaha.

Michael always worries about people climbing on the rocks.

So I've been up here in August when there were kids playing on those rocks.

- Yes.

- 'Cause you also do search and rescue, right?

- I volunteer, with search and rescue, and fire department.

Unfortunately the beauty of the waterfalls, and all of our waterfalls that we have here, is a little misleading.

Very slippery.

And then of course we do have our incidents.

So if our guests decide to come to Minnehaha, we always recommend don't climb the waterfall.

- Yeah, climbing a waterfall just doesn't make much sense, but I saw little kids, and their parents were watching them.

- Yeah.

That's about 90 feet to the top, and it's very slippery.

- [Sharon] You have had to rescue people from the- - Yes, we have had quite a few that have fallen off the top of the waterfall all the way to the bottom, yep.

So among the beauty of all the falls that we have in and around Raven County, safety first.

I think that's paramount.

- It's also the reason I keep Jessie on a tight leash.

There are plenty of waterfalls with boardwalks and paved trails, but this day trip seemed a little more adventurous.

I thought you might wonder how the big Goldendoodle fits in my tiny little car.

Well, I bought this foam rubber cube, and it backs right up to the edge of the seat.

And she just jumps up in here and curls up in a ball and goes to sleep.

I bought this to hook onto her harness so when I open the door, she doesn't go flying out.

But she's comfortable, has a good time, sleeps.

And that's a good thing because we're gonna go to Savannah next, and that will be a haul.

(cheerful music) (alarm chiming) You stay.

Hang on.

I know it's been four hours in the car.

Good girl.

No.

Do you need my keys?

- [Valet] Yes, ma'am.

- Okay.

I got some junk to get out.

- This how you get the key back from us.

Our service is 24/7, thank you.

Come and go as much as you please.

- Okay.

- We'll be right over.

If you need anything, just bring that ticket right down us and we'll get it pulled up for you immediately.

- You know I'm gonna lose it.

- (laughing) Take a picture of it, just in case.

- [Sharon] I took his advice.

A good thing because I did lose that little ticket.

We're staying at the Kimpton Brice, one of the first dog-friendly hotels in Savannah.

- [Clerk] Hi.

- Hello.

- Welcome the Brice.

How are you?

- I'm fine, thanks.

How are you?

- Good, good.

Last name on reservation?

- Collins.

- All right.

Hi pups.

What's the pup's name?

- [Sharon] Jessie.

This is Jessie.

- [Clerk] Hi, Jessie.

Can I give Jessie a treat?

- Of course you can.

- [Clerk] Treat for you Jessie.

- [Sharon] There are dogs everywhere.

I wasn't sure how this would work out, but all the dogs were well-behaved and friendly.

I didn't know how Jessie would handle this, but she did not embarrass me.

Watching other guests with their dogs is part of the fun at this hotel.

- [Man] What's her name?

- [Sharon] Jessie.

- [Man] Jessie.

This is Lex.

- And so it goes in the hotel.

People who have dogs want to meet dogs that belong to other people.

It makes for a great social setting, but at this point I was ready to collapse.

Driving for hours, the stress of the unknown, and maneuvering a suitcase and a big dog through the hotel was enough for one day.

Yes, I know you've had a rough day today, haven't you?

It was a long drive.

Yes, such a good girl.

You're a good girl.

That afternoon, we hired Savannah Pedicab for a tour in the historic district.

Dave Wiseman has been doing this for a long time.

So David, how often do you have dogs come along?

- Every once in a while.

I'd say the first route I ever had, there was a big old Rottweiler on the back.

I still remember the guy.

His name was Paul.

Paul was a big old dude.

I got him from the side of the river, all the way to Forsyth Park, and we had a good old time.

He hopped right up in.

Some dogs are really ostentatious about it.

Other times- - Oh, I brought treats, so I figured she would jump right in.

- The treats would work, absolutely.

All right guys, all set?

- [Sharon] I'm all set.

- Perfect.

(whimsical music) - [Sharon] This is probably best way to get around town.

I saw people laugh when we rode by.

A big Goldendoodle on the bench of a bike.

- Wanna see the tiniest door in Savannah?

Look at this red door.

- Oh, good grief.

(Dave laughing) - The people were smaller back then.

- All these little, like that yellow house tucked back in there.

All these little, they all have a different kind of charm.

- Yes, very seldom do you see driveways in Savannah.

Most of 'em have cottage houses.

- As we bounce along the cobblestone streets, Dave has stories I've never heard before.

- This is the old Kehoe House.

Mr. John Kehoe was our first iron worker.

His iron worker plant, the actual building itself is still here and adjacent to the pedicab shop.

We get to see it every day.

- Oh wow.

- This is his biggest accomplishment.

He wanted to build a house out of wrought iron that he could- - That's built out of iron?

- Iron, yes.

All the white that you see on the outside of it is all hand-carved wrought iron.

- [Sharon] That's pretty cool.

As we end to the ride, a little haunted house story.

- So this is 432 on Abercorn before it got refurbished and looks as beautiful as it does today.

But a number of years ago, the original owner who lived to be very old, she lived in Florida, but owned the property and wanted nothing to do with it due to the nature of the story behind it.

The original family inside, most of them perished of unknown circumstances.

But the one that I know of, of the little girl that was in the sunroom up top up there, and she actually was left up there and died in that room due to the sun.

- [Sharon] Wow.

- [Dave] And due to dehydration and from, I'm not sure the circumstances surrounding how she died.

But she was thought to haunt this place, and pretty much anyone that walked inside of it.

- [Sharon] So the owner didn't even wanna live here?

- Didn't wanna live here.

She lived to be very old, died recently.

City bought it up and refurbished it all in about maybe eight months.

It was probably one of the fastest restorations of a building I've seen done in Savannah.

But it was an eyesore, and now it's magnificent, Happy old family living inside.

- [Sharon] As the story goes, once the city bought the house, fixed it up and sold it, the hauntings stopped.

Savannah is known for stories like this, and is increasingly known as a dog-friendly city.

Eric Enriquez with Kimpton Brice says allowing dogs just about everywhere has paid off.

Has this really boosted your business?

- It has.

It definitely has.

Especially during COVID.

I think a lot of, Savannah is kind of like a middle city between Florida and the Northeast.

So we have a lot of families that are traveling, either north to south, or south to north.

And they obviously bring their furry friend with them, and it's been great.

It's been really great to be able to welcome them, to accommodate them as well.

I think just the ability to have such a transparent dog program and pet program has allowed us to really gain a lot of business and welcome a lot of guests here to this hotel.

- [Sharon] A tip that you need to know: a lot of hotels and tours allow dogs, but many of them specify only small dogs.

Here, you can bring a Great Dane.

Size doesn't matter.

But in many other places, Jessie would not be welcome.

- Well, Kimpton was one of the first brands to institute a very pet-friendly dog program.

And when I say dog program, it's not really designated to just dogs.

It's really pets in general.

People bring cats.

We've had little piglets.

We've had birds.

We've even had a snake here once before.

But obviously, dogs most often come to our hotel.

And Kimpton as a brand just felt that pets, in general, are an extension to someone's family, and they wanted to welcome them as we welcome all of our guests, and make it easy for them as well to travel.

- [Sharon] Later the next day we took Oliver Bentley's historic dog tour.

Eric Zimmerman and his dog Abby were our guides.

And I was intrigued with the way Savannah handles waste in historic squares.

- With the 22 squares in the historic district, each has two of these, little poop dispensers.

Pop the lid, put it down, close it, keep Savannah smelling fresh.

- It's good for the residents too, right?

- It's brilliant.

All right, let's go to Chippewa Square.

- [Sharon] On the way to the square, we made two stops.

One at the home of a woman who founded a famous organization.

- Juliette Gordon Low.

What's fascinating is this house, this mansion, isn't known for the builder of it, James Moore Wayne, who was a Supreme Court justice and congressman from Georgia, or the railroad industrious William Washington Gordon, this house is known for a granddaughter that was born in the Gordon family in this house on Halloween 1860, which means she was about four years old when Sherman rolled into town.

They named her Juliette.

But as a widow on March 12th, 1912, Juliette, nicknamed Daisy, Gordon Low, she founded the Girl Scouts of America.

This is her birth house.

This church received its original land grant in the colony in 1750 as the Church of Scotland.

When we became a royal colony in 1752, the first wave of immigrants who came over all traced their roots and heritage to Scottish Highlanders.

The McIntoshes, one of the original signers of the Declaration of Independence.

The Telfairs, the wealthy Telfair family, all Church of Scotland, which we know through the Reformation evolved into what we now know as the Presbyterian Church.

But by the turn of the century 1800, these Scots were the wealthiest families in town.

They bought this corner lot and they built their masterpiece.

But what's interesting is, this church is known in town, not necessarily as the Church of Scotland founded here in 1755, or the congregation in which General Lachlan McIntosh attended.

This steeple is known for the opening scene of a famous movie that was filmed here a number of decades ago now.

And what was the opening scene?

This steeple and a white feather trundling through the air, floating until a lands on the ground next to a beat-up pair of Nike sneakers.

And a gentleman picks up the feather, and with a box of chocolate on his lap, he starts narrating.

What's the movie?

- "Forrest Gump."

As we enter Chippewa Square, it takes on a new meaning.

This is where Tom Hanks sat on a bench with a box of candy and said, "My mama always said "life was like a box of chocolates.

"You never know what you're gonna get."

And this statue is seen throughout that movie.

- That's the founder of the colony of Georgia, James Edward Oglethorpe.

Statues with their subtle symbolism: posture, positioning, orientation.

Turns out Oglethorpe laid out Savannah on a compass.

That's street, that's due north.

That's east, that's south, that's west.

Real easy to get around Savannah on a sunny day.

The river's to the north, the ocean's to the east.

So which way's Oglethorpe facing?

He's facing south.

Why?

Because in the 1730s, when he founded the colony, the British Empire's mortal enemy was the Spanish Empire.

And where are they?

South of here.

Now the sculptor wants us to know a few things about Oglethorpe.

He'll never be surprised, he's always at the ready, and he's very dismissive about how easy it's gonna be to rebuff Spain if Spain comes up here.

How do we know all this?

Little subtleties.

First, there's daylight between his index finger and his thumb on that sword.

He's not white-knuckling that sword.

He's not scared in the least bit.

Is he facing south?

Yes, but they don't have him in a Davy Crockett, Daniel Boone lookout position.

He's facing south on guard against Spain.

But as you can see, he's attending to his affairs.

Life goes on.

The sculptor has Oglethorpe's battle coat blown open to show us that underneath the battle coat, you can see he's wearing a very finely stitched and ornate top coat.

Now you don't wear a finely ornate stitched top coat going into battle.

Now we know why he's wearing a wig.

He's wearing his parliamentarian powdered wig, 'cause James Edward Oglethorpe was not just a general in King George's army, he was also a member of Parliament.

This is just like James Bond coming outta the ocean in a wetsuit after putting a bomb on the hull of the ship in the harbor.

When James Bond comes back to shore after putting a bomb on the hull of the ship in the harbor, and he unzips that wetsuit, what does he always have on underneath?

A tuxedo.

Oglethorpe is so confident in is abilities to rebuff Spain, he's already dressed for a session of Parliament.

You don't wear a powdered wig going into a bloody battle.

That's how confident he is to rebuff Spain.

- Well, I will never look at a monument the same way.

This is such a walkable town, and dogs are always in the squares.

We ended our visit on River Street, which runs along the Savannah River.

It's a great place to sit and watch the boats go by.

If you're in the mood, there are plenty of restaurants that are dog-friendly.

And there's always something going on along the river.

It was time for us to head home, but I would definitely bring her back here.

Now I'm planning more trips, and Jessie will be in the passenger's seat.

We had a good time.

I hope you did too.

I'm Sharon Collins.

We'll see you next time.

(relaxing music) - [Announcer] Funding for "Georgia Outdoors" has been made possible in part by the Imlay Foundation and from viewers like you.