Welcome to Georgia where the tea is sweet, the accents are sweeter, ya’ll is a proper noun and southern charm is as plentiful as the moss hanging off the live oaks.
So, go ahead, leave all your preconceived southern notions aside, grab a glass of sweet iced tea and put up your best southern drawl as we cruise the Georgia Peach State – the sweetest southern state east of the Mississippi.
(By the way, it’s pronounced JAW-Juh by the locals.)
Here are a few fun, funny and uncensored truths about what it’s really like to live in Georgia.
It’s a place where…
Summers are hotter than blue blazes. No really… it’s hotter than a pot of collards. Most people sweat so much, they lose five pounds in the summer.
Deep southern folks might be hard to understand. Words like “sheeeuuutt” (shit), “daaahummm” (damn) and “duuurrrn” (darn) confuse the heck out of most out-of-towners.
We’re known for our peaches, peanuts, pecans, sweeter than sweet Vidalia onions and watermelon (yup… watermelon! Most people don’t know that!)
Words like Okefenokee (the largest swamp in North America), buggy (the shopping carts we push around at the local Piggly Wiggly grocery store), caddywonked (a more fun way to say sideways), skedaddle (get movin’) and persnickety (someone who’s acting uppity) roll off our tongue like butter slidin’ off a hot biscuit.
Southern belles can charm the dew right off the honeysuckle. But don’t let ‘em fool you. They know how to throw a verbal punch better than a boxer. Phrases like “sweetie pie,” “honeybun,” “darlin’,” and “cutie pie,” mean they like you. Watch out though…“Bless your sweet little heart” is a nice way of calling you an idiot.
Deep-rooted Georgia mamas know how to whip their kids into shape.
“You’re actin’ like you were raised in a barn!”
“Are you talkin’ back to your mama? Boy, you better quit your lip or I’ll send you out to sleep with the chickens!”
“You’re about as useful around the house as a screen door on a submarine!”
Driving in Atlanta will test your patience, your skill and the condition of your heart. Word of advice? If you’re driving anywhere close to the city of Atlanta, take the Uber, leave the van. Atlanta is the only place on earth where you’ll feel like 1,000 people are trying to kill you (simultaneously) and your GPS is totally useless.
More than 55 streets in the city have the name “peachtree.” In fact, the freeways are so confusing they named one interchange spaghetti junction. There is one perk, though. Traffic is so slow in Atlanta that it gives you a chance to catch up on e-mails, text all your friends (which is illegal, by the way, but everyone still does it when they’re stuck in traffic), get all your online shopping done and eat your entire lunch without ever having to put your hands on the wheel.
Delta, Home Depot, Coca-Cola and UPS call home and more than one million people travel through the busiest airport in the world – Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. It also happens to be the home base for Arby’s, Waffle House, (where locals love to eat no matter what time of day it is), CNN and Chick-fil-A (offering up the best waffle fries anywhere, ya’ll).
Legends and leaders considered themselves local including Martin Luther King, Jr., Jimmy Carter, Burt Reynolds, and Bobby Jones. It’s also where you’ll find the most famous golf course in the world – the August National Golf Course – home of the annual Master’s Tournament.
Football isn’t just a sport… it’s a religion. In fact, people have been known to plan weddings and the births of their children around football season. And, tailgating? Let’s just say Georgia folks take their tailgatin’ parties seriously! (A little secret… there’s so much tailgate partying goin’ on, most folks never make it to the game – Go Dawgs!)
We’re passionate about BBQ anything, fried everything, 4-wheelin’, muddin’, Sunday church, supper at lunchtime, breakfast at the local waffle house and grits that actually taste way better than they look.
We love history, ghost stories, (in case you’re wondering, yes, Savannah is haunted), Christmas, family traditions, southern festivals, hush puppies and boiled peanuts. We visit a massive granite rock called Stone Mountain just for fun, we stroll plantations on Sunday afternoons, we take long hikes up in the Georgia mountains so we can feel closer to God, we treat our neighbors like family, we watch the horses roam free on Cumberland Island and we love huntin’, fishin’ and crawdaddin’.
Folks are never bored. From cool waterfalls perfect for dippin’ your toes and gorgeous sunsets atop mountain peaks to happening places like the Georgia Aquarium, Atlanta Botanical Gardens, and Centennial Olympic Park, Georgia packs in more fun than just about any other southern state on the list. (Oh, and we have enough restaurants, bars, and shopping venues to keep people snackin’, sippin’ and strollin’ for days on end.)
We hate rude folks, pollen season when the entire state turns yellow, humidity (trust me, northern folks have no idea what humidity is), sitting in traffic for an hour just to drive a mile, transplants who try to change the way we do things, the number of strange bugs that live in Georgia and snow (it’s true… we’re clueless about driving in the snow).
Life is sweeter than a Georgia peach. Here you’ll find the sweetest iced tea, (if you order unsweetened iced tea in Georgia they’ll know you’re an out-of-towner, so don’t… just don’t), sweet peach pie, a sweet ice-cold glass of Coca-Cola (sold for the first time in 1886 at a soda fountain in Jacob’s Pharmacy in Atlanta for five cents a glass), sweeter than sweet southern ladies and the smell of sweet magnolias, jasmine, cherry blossoms and azaleas that fill the air in the springtime.
We say things like “Lord have mercy,” are you shittin’ me,” “ya’ll git in the car,” “yes, ma’am,” “no, sir,” “I might’n can do that,” “excuse you,” “down yonder,” “he’s gone to the Piggly Wiggly,” and “nah, I’m gonna hang back and chill with the dogs.”
We’re always fixin’ things.
“I’m fixin’ to make some fried Okra,”
“I’m fixin’ to take a nap.”
“I’m fixin’ to go swimmin’.”
“I’m fixin’ to fix the barn door.”
Our laws are just a tad twisted…
In the town of Acworth, every citizen is required by law to own a rake. (Yep, it’s actually true.)
In Jonesboro, the term “oh, boy” is illegal. (Don’t ask.)
In Gainesville everyone is required by law to eat their chicken two-handed – no forks allowed. (Grab the napkins!)
And, if you’re thinking about taking your giraffe for a stroll in downtown Atlanta, don’t tie it to a telephone pole or a street light. Yup… you got it. It’s illegal.
Despite the crazy traffic, crushing humidity, strange bugs and a few “rednecky” laws, Georgia is filled with hardworking people from all walks of life.
We’re a melting pot of races, cultures, languages, preferences, ideologies, and interests and yet, we mesh together like carrots and potatoes in a southern home-cooked stew.
Everything from big city life filled with theater, culture, and entertainment to charming southern towns along gravel country roads can be found here.
It’s where days can be spent at a museum in the hustle of the city or on a hammock swaying under the moss of a live oak.
It’s where life feels slower, manners are taken seriously, true southern charm abounds, and folks go out of their way to make you feel welcome.
It’s a place where no matter how long you live here or how short your visit is, Georgia will always be on your mind.
If you’re cravin’ a little taste of Georgia, find yourself a cool spot to sit and sip on this southern sweet tea!
Southern Style Mint Sweet Tea!
Ingredients:
- 12 cups water
- 6 bags tea (Lipton’s tea bags work great)
- 1 cup fresh peppermint leaves
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 cups water
Garnish:
- Fresh lemon slices
- Mint sprigs (optional)
Instructions:
- Bring the 12 cups of water just barely to a boil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven. Remove from heat and add tea bags. Let stand until cool; remove tea bags.
- While tea is cooling prepare mint syrup: Place the mint leaves, sugar, and 2 cups water in a small saucepan. Heat to boiling, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Cool completely. (If you like your tea sweeter, add a tad more sugar!)
- Strain the sugar syrup into the cooled tea; refrigerate until cold. Pour cold tea into tall glasses with ice. Garnish with lemon slices and mint sprigs, if desired.
- I hope ya’ll enjoy it!