The Seven Wonders of Georgia are seven of the best places to visit across the state. For context, this list was first created by librarian Ella May Thornton and published in the Atlanta Georgian magazine in 1926 when she was asked by a journalist where the best places in Georgia were found. Her list included these seven sites:
• Amicalola Falls, the tallest waterfall in Georgia
• Jekyll Island Forest, a thriving ecosystem for various types of wildlife
• Marble Vein in Longswamp Valley, the world’s largest vein of marble
• Okefenokee Swamp, the largest blackwater swamp in America
• Stone Mountain, the world’s largest exposed granite formation
• Tallulah Gorge, a large gorge containing six waterfalls
• Warm Springs, naturally warm springs used by FDR to help ease pain from polio
At the time of the list’s creation, Thornton acknowledged that there are a few questionable picks as there are several places of equal importance that could have been chosen instead. And in 1997, there were a few adjustments made to the list by Georgia Voyager magazine. On this list, the Jekyll Island forests and marble vein of Longswamp Valley were removed and replaced by the following:
• Providence Canyon, a large canyon reminiscent of the West created by mistake
• Radium Springs, the largest spring in Georgia, flowing at 70,000 gallons per minute
As one of the most diverse states in the country, it’s no surprise that Georgia has a lot of locations that could be considered for this list, and after visiting all seven wonders (both the new and old lists) as well as most of the best places to visit throughout the state, I have decided to put together my own list of Georgia’s seven wonders. As you might imagine, this was no easy task.
Let’s start with my criteria. This is a list of the seven natural wonders of Georgia, so as impressive as some of the old historic architecture, British forts, or even Hindu temples across the state may be, they will not be considered on this list. This is also meant to be a checklist of places to visit, so places that are off-limits to tourists (St Catherine’s Island, for example) will not be considered. And finally, it has to make sense for a place to make my list. As cool as I think someplace like Raven Cliff Falls is, it doesn’t really make sense for it to be included on a list like this, so I will not consider it.
Now that I have gone over my criteria, I’ll quickly go over my opinions of the current seven wonders:
• Amicalola Falls makes a lot of sense to be here considering its significance. I don’t see it being removed.
• Okefenokee Swamp also makes a lot of sense and is a vitally important ecosystem in Georgia that will likely not be removed.
• Providence Canyon is an otherworldly landscape that feels out of place in Georgia. But is it actually a natural wonder if it was accidentally created?
• Radium Springs makes sense from a scientific perspective, but from every other perspective, it does not belong here in my opinion.
• Stone Mountain is one of the more questionable picks in my mind, but it makes a lot of sense to be here.
• Tallulah Gorge is certainly one of the most beautiful places in Georgia. But does it makes sense on this list?
• Warm Springs is another that makes sense scientifically (and even historically), but from a visitor’s perspective, there’s no reason for it to be included.
For sure, the two springs will not make my list of seven wonders. In both scenarios, you can’t really access the springs themselves as they’re underground and off limits to visitors. While both have some neat historic sites to visit, it’s not enough to warrant their inclusion on a list of natural wonders. The other 5 are good for now, but there may be room for adjustments to take place.
Next, I’ll go over a few places that I’m NOT considering for this list:
• Arabia and Panola Mountain – these two monadnocks are impressive, but Stone Mountain is larger than both. If any make my list, it would be Stone Mountain.
• Georgia’s Mounds – Georgia has several mound sites across the state, including Ocmulgee, Etowah, and Kolomoki. While these look and feel natural, they’re a little too manmade to be considered in my opinion.
• Most Other Waterfalls – Georgia is home to many incredible waterfalls, from Anna Ruby to Panther Creek. But with the tallest waterfall already on the list, it would be hard to add another (with one notable exception that I’ll get to soon).
• Phinizy Swamp – This is a cool swamp in Augusta, Georgia, but there’s no comparison between this and Okefenokee Swamp.
• Rock City – Yes, I know this could technically be added. But it just feels so fake due to the over-tourism aspect of it.
• Wormsloe State Historic Site – This is a cool place to visit, but it doesn’t really make sense for me to consider it.
Now, let me list the places that I’m considering that are not on the current list.
• Brasstown Bald, the tallest mountain in Georgia – Its inclusion could be representative of the entire Blue Ridge region, one that definitely shouldn’t be overlooked.
• Chattahoochee River, the longest and most important river in Georgia – Its inclusion could bring in the entire national recreation area, which has a lot of unique natural and historic sites.
• Cloudland Canyon, deep canyon along Lookout Mountain that contains three impressive waterfalls – Alternatively, I could consider Lookout Mountain as a whole.
• Cumberland Island, a barrier island overtaken by wild horses – This is potentially my favorite place I’ve visited in the state.
• Driftwood Beach, an ancient forest overtaken by the Atlantic Ocean – this could put Jekyll Island back on the list after being removed.
• Ellison’s Cave, the deepest pit cave in the United States – the only strike against this one is its accessibility.
• Lake Lanier, the largest lake in Georgia – This lake is the most iconic in the state, but as a manmade lake, does it really qualify?
• Longswamp Valley, an original entry that was later removed – The marble is still there though not quite as large as it once was. Should it be added back to the list?
• Toccoa Falls, the tallest single-drop waterfall east of the Mississippi – This is the only waterfall other than Amicalola Falls that has reason to be considered.
Now with that out of the way, I’m going to start discussing each of my considerations, both on and off the current list.
I want this list to accurately illustrate the diverse landscapes of Georgia, so it’s hard for me to put multiple similar sites on there together. For example, should I put both Amicalola Falls AND Toccoa Falls on the list or limit it to just one? And if so, which do I choose? On one hand, you have Amicalola Falls, which is the tallest waterfall in Georgia, period. But on the other hand, there’s Toccoa Falls, which is the tallest single-drop waterfall, not just in Georgia, but on the entire East Coast! Then there are the canyons: Tallulah Gorge, Providence Canyon, and Cloudland Canyon are all worthy entrants, but would three canyons be too much? I tend to think so… Really the only place I’m willing to give an automatic pass to the final list is Okefenokee Swamp, which is an obvious choice all around and has no similar sites competing for the same spot.
1. Okefenokee Swamp is the first to be locked in for my list.
Let’s also look at the mountains. I have both Brasstown Bald and Stone Mountain in my considerations. One is the tallest mountain in Georgia (similar to Everest’s inclusion on the seven natural wonders of the world) while the other is the world’s largest exposed granite formation, giving both the significance needed to be considered. I honestly think this one will come down to the overall experience of visiting, but if I decide to consider Lookout Mountain as a whole in an attempt to give Cloudland Canyon a pass, then that could put either of these spots in jeopardy. I’m going to go ahead and make two cuts though: Chattahoochee River and Lake Lanier. Both of these are significant, but from a pure travel perspective, neither give that “wow” factor that I’d like to be present on this list, even if portions of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area may. Plus, Okefenokee Swamp can fill the body of water slot.
There are four more considerations I haven’t discussed yet. Two are island locations: Driftwood Beach and Cumberland Island. I love both of these places, but I really only have room for one (if that), unless I decide to combine them and consider Georgia’s Barrier Islands as a whole. Next is Longswamp Valley. While the marble here is cool, it’s mostly off-limits to visitors, so I should probably cut it. The other place I haven’t discussed yet is the one that I’m debating the most: Ellison’s Cave. To be completely transparent, this is the only consideration on my list that I have not personally visited, and I likely never will. From my travel criteria, you’d think this shouldn’t make the list due to its difficulty in visiting. Only skilled cavers with significant climbing experience should ever attempt to visit it (and even then, it is still dangerous). But on the other hand, it’s the largest pit cave in the United States and from pictures, it seems like this is one of the most impressive sites in the United States to see for yourself. I have visited Pettyjohn’s Cave, which is a neighboring cave, so I have a good idea of what a lot of the cave looks like. (There’s also a decent chance that the two caves do connect at some point, though if they do, it hasn’t been discovered yet). I think that due to the dangerous nature of visiting Ellison’s Cave, I probably shouldn’t bring too much attention to it, so I will hesitantly leave it off this list. Though if you ask me, it probably should be a shoo-in for a list like this.
I really need to start adding other sites to my list, and looking at the list as a whole, I believe two of them are obviously moving on:
2. Tallulah Gorge really is one of the best sites in the state.
3. Providence Canyon is so unlike anywhere else in Georgia that it’s hard to leave out.
Here are the locations that are still in consideration for the final four spots:
• Amicalola Falls
• Brasstown Bald
• Cloudland Canyon
• Cumberland Island
• Driftwood Beach
• Stone Mountain
• Toccoa Falls
And here are a few adjustments I’m going to make… I don’t have room for another canyon, so I’ll group Cloudland Canyon in with the entire Lookout Mountain. Brasstown Bald, while an important site, just doesn’t make as much sense to include, so I’m removing it. If it were more than just the tallest mountain in Georgia, then I’d reconsider, but I don’t think that’s enough to warrant its inclusion. Then I can’t decide between Driftwood Beach and Cumberland Island, so I’ll combine them and consider the Barrier Islands as a whole. If you do the math, that brings me down to just five places left and four spots available.
4. Stone Mountain can move on. It’s touristy, but it’s arguably the most iconic natural site in Georgia, so I can’t leave it out.
5. The Barrier Islands will make my list. This is a very significant ecosystem that I really can’t exclude from my list.
6. Amicalola Falls really can’t be excluded either. It’s the tallest waterfall in the state!
Which means my last spot will either go to Toccoa Falls or Lookout Mountain. Part of me really wants Toccoa Falls on the list. It’s very impressive to visit, and I mean, it’s the tallest single-drop waterfall in the eastern United States, so that can’t go unnoticed! But when I said Stone Mountain was arguably the most iconic natural site in Georgia, the “arguably” comment was added because the other one you could say fits that description is Lookout Mountain. Sure, Lookout Mountain is also found in Tennessee and Alabama, but for this list, only the Georgia portion will be considered. (Similar to how Okefenokee Swamp is also partially in Florida). Lookout Mountain includes the aforementioned Cloudland Canyon as well as the beautiful Lula Lake Land Trust. It also includes the Lookout Mountain Flight School, one of the best places to go hang gliding in the United States. If you include the Pigeon Mountain extension of Lookout Mountain, both Ellison’s Cave and Pettyjohn’s Cave would also be part of it, along with the impressive Rocktown. And I guess I ended up including Rock City on this list after all! All things considered, the more I thought about the possibility of including Lookout Mountain, the more it made sense to me.
7. Lookout Mountain takes that final spot.
With all that said, here’s my full list of the Seven Wonders of Georgia (if it were up to me):
• Amicalola Falls
• Barrier Islands
• Lookout Mountain
• Okefenokee Swamp
• Providence Canyon
• Stone Mountain
• Tallulah Gorge
What do you think of my list? Do you agree with it? If not, what did I miss? Either way, I hope you enjoyed reading about my thoughts on many of the best places to visit across the state of Georgia. If you want more information on how to visit any of these places, you can find everything you need to know on my Georgia Travel Guide by clicking here. Thanks for reading!
Tyler's Travels 