June 30, 2025 • 31 mins
General Coffee State Park in Georgia celebrates the rich agricultural history of our country. The park showcases its late 1800s farm and diverse recreational activities.
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(00:01):
Celebrating our richagricultural history.
This Southern State Park willtake you back with its
historical charm and diverserecreation.
Join me as we explore GeneralCoffee State Park.
I'm your host, Missy Rentz, andthis is the Park's podcast.
Missy Rentz (00:21):
Today we are so lucky to have Mikayla Spencer,
who is the park manager atGeneral Coffee State Park in
Georgia with us today on thepodcast.
Mikayla, welcome to the Parkspodcast.
I.
MiKayla (00:32):
Thank you for having me.
Missy Rentz (00:34):
So we start every episode with some park stats, so
let's just get into it.
This park is located in Nichols,Georgia.
It was donated to the state byCoffee County in 1970.
The park is 1,511 acres and someinteresting facts.
It was named for General JohnCoffey, who was a planter, a
(00:56):
congressman, and a militaryleader.
It celebrates the park,celebrates the southern
agriculture history with goatsand sheep, pigs, a corn crib, a
tobacco barn, and so much more.
And it's home to severalendangered species, including
the pitcher plant, the shyindigo snake and the gopher
tortoise.
And I have to say, I hunted andhunted to see a gopher tortoise
(01:18):
and never got to see one.
But this is a great park.
MiKayla (01:22):
Yeah.
And when it comes to the Gophertour too.
That's something I'll talk aboutwhen we talk about planning your
trip, the gopher tortoise, more,they'll start to come out
whenever it starts to reallywarm up.
When we get to springtime andsummer, like right now, they're
everywhere.
Missy Rentz (01:36):
Oh, I just missed it then.
MiKayla (01:37):
yeah.
Yeah.
Missy Rentz (01:39):
So
MiKayla (01:39):
to come back.
Missy Rentz (01:40):
I will and I will though for sure.
Okay, so there are so many parksin Georgia and they're all great
and they're all very diverse.
This is one of'em that reallycelebrates a different part of
culture and and shares a littlebit more of the history of what
was happening there in, in thatarea.
Can you tell us a little bit ofthe history of General Coffee
(02:02):
State Park?
MiKayla (02:03):
Yeah, I think that there's a.
There's so many things, like yousaid, even just not all our
parks, but their parksthemselves are so diverse.
We have so much to offer hereand I think that's a really cool
thing about our parks.
As you said, it was donated in1970 and I think that was a big
testament to how the communityfeels about this park.
(02:23):
And the reason for them donatingthat land is the community
wanted a park, that still showsthrough today.
We still have a lot of communityinvolvement and people really
seeing this as their park.
We have the Chamber of Commerce,local organizations the City of
Douglas, DOT, our friends group.
(02:46):
We have an impeccable friendsgroup.
They support us in so many waysand we have, experienced a lot
of that with Hurricane Helene,some of that relief, we wouldn't
have been able to make itwithout some of those
organizations really stepping inand helping us out.
And I think that's, like I said,a testament to how the community
(03:07):
feels.
So when it comes to the namesakeof the park, it's John Coffee
and it's of course CoffeeCounty.
So it's also John Coffee isnamed after the same guy.
So there's two John Coffees.
When people look them up, theyget confused.
There's John E Coffee, which isours, and then there's his
cousin, John R Coffee.
John R Coffee was part of theTennessee militia.
(03:30):
Our John Coffee was part of theGeorgia state militia.
And then he was part of theGeorgia Senate and then he was
part of US Congress.
And the interesting thing aboutJohn Coffee in his time with
Congress is he was actuallyreelected.
1836, but he was reelected afterhis death because they didn't
(03:52):
hear Yeah, they didn't hearabout his death until after his
reelection.
So he was already, he hadalready passed, but he was
reelected.
So that's interesting.
Missy Rentz (04:03):
It is.
MiKayla (04:05):
So the reason that he's got the namesakes here in
Georgia.
He really oversaw theconstruction of what's now Old
Coffee Road, but it served as asupply road from Jacksonville,
Georgia, down to Florida.
So that's where we get thatnamesake of him being for the
county and the park itself,
Missy Rentz (04:26):
For this wasn't his farm.
MiKayla (04:28):
no, the likelihood of him ever being here, it is slim.
It's more of a just a namesakefor the things that he
accomplished while.
Missy Rentz (04:37):
Okay.
MiKayla (04:38):
And part of the Georgia Senate and Georgia militia,
Missy Rentz (04:42):
Got it.
And then but he was he was aproponent of agriculture in the
state.
MiKayla (04:47):
correct?
Yeah.
Big proponent of agriculture.
And our farm kind of covers mid18 hundreds to late 18 hundreds.
Agriculture.
The farm itself has severalelements to represent several
different things during life andagricultural life of that
(05:08):
timeframe.
So we have historical structureslike the Meeks Cabin, which was
actually a cabin in CoffeeCounty that was moved here.
We had the Kirkland TobaccoBarn, that's another one.
That was a local tobacco barn.
Moved here.
We had the Han Cabin, which wasa another local cabin that was
moved here.
Then we have reconstructedbuildings to offer a glimpse
(05:31):
into how those things were done.
So like our smokehouse, ourblacksmith shop, our corn crib,
we have turpentine implements ondisplay and that a really huge
industry here, turpentine.
If you go through the park, Idon't know if you noticed while
you were here, but all the, or alot of the pine trees, you'll
see cut scarring in it.
(05:51):
Yeah.
So that's from turpentine.
So that's a relic and a remnantof the past history here of
naval stores and turpentine.
Missy Rentz (05:59):
Oh, that's fascinating and I love it.
'cause it is like a arepresentation of that time that
you've pulled together
MiKayla (06:05):
Yeah,
Missy Rentz (06:06):
into the.
Yes.
Yes.
And okay I wanna get into thatin the planning of the park, but
first I also wanna talk about,you all were hit very hard by
Hurricane Helene.
And when I was there, it wasshortly after you opened.
Partial partially open so Icould stay in the campground.
I did the, I did a couple of thetrails that that were open at
(06:29):
the time, and certainly thishistoric area was open, but it
was it was really sad to seewhat the hurricane did to the
park and the community.
MiKayla (06:42):
And there's still some things that we are, we're
recovering from the trails beingone of them.
We are thankful to have onetrail open and that's definitely
continuing process and we planto have them back opening and
fully operational.
But we closed.
For evacuation the day beforethe hurricane, and then we
partially opened June 31st.
(07:04):
So that's the campground wherewe opened, and then the farm
itself.
And then we've been slowlyopening things as it goes along.
But in that community support,like I was saying, there was so
many people that really cametogether to help, including like
our sister divisions, such aslike wildlife resources, our
(07:25):
leadership.
Was instrumental in making surethat we could get back open.
We had my staff man, they workedthemselves to get us in a good
spot and they're continuallytrying to catch us up.
So it took a lot of hands and alot of people putting in a lot
of work to help us out.
Missy Rentz (07:44):
And it does.
I, when I went, it's still superenjoyable.
You just really do notice thatthere are parts of it that are
still a work in progress.
And I wanna get into thehistory, but I wanna do it
through the planning a trip tothe
MiKayla (07:57):
Yeah.
Missy Rentz (07:57):
So as we plan.
This park is I calculated it'sabout two to two and a half
hours from the coast just togive people like, visually,
where are you in the park?
And Georgia is so fascinatingbecause you have mountains and
you have ocean, and you haveeverything in between.
And so this kind of, this is farfrom the mountains, it's inching
towards the coast.
(08:18):
What do you recommend people doto start planning a trip?
MiKayla (08:23):
So for us, so our section of the state, like
you're saying, we have themountains and we have our
coastal region, and then we're.
The Wiregrass region and that'splays into where we're talking
about the gopher tortoise.
That's their habitat is thewiregrass region where we're
located and it plays into whatagricultural life looked like at
that time as well.
So all of it's really wiregrassregion history.
(08:45):
So my view on planning a trip toa park, all about planning what
time you want to go.
It always to me goes back totime.
So like you wanted to see agopher tortoise, if that is your
plan, you wanna see a gophertortoise, you need to make sure
that you're going in a warmermonth around, spring,
summertime.
So in that it also, because it'sGeorgia and we have such
(09:08):
variable weather, it also meansthat you know what supplies you
need to bring.
So you're looking at what youwanna do and what supplies you
need to bring, and all that'sdependent on time.
So I think the biggest thing isdeciding.
What time of year you wanna goand for Georgia State Park
especially, is making sure thatyou plan ahead so that you can
get a reservation.
Because sometimes on theweekends it's hard to get in, so
(09:29):
you need to make sure you knowwhen you want to go.
Missy Rentz (09:33):
That even starts in the springtime.
'cause it's so beautiful that Iwent in the spring and it was so
beautiful and it was packed.
MiKayla (09:40):
yes.
Yeah it's a little bit more warmhere in the summertime.
So we really see our heaviestvisitation being around the
holidays and springtime,especially spring break.
Missy Rentz (09:52):
Okay.
MiKayla (09:52):
So those are really big times and for us personally, if
you wanna visit our park,knowing our events is another,
goes back to that time thing, isknowing what event you might
wanna attend.
So we've got several that we doevery year.
We do in the springtime, aturpentine festival and Pioneer
Skills Day turpentine, ofcourse, surrounding that naval
stores industry that was here.
(10:14):
Then pioneer skills on thatparticular one.
We focus in on goods that weremade sheep shearing of the time.
'cause we have sheep on thefarm, what that wool was used
for and how they really madethings and survived.
So then if you wanna look morein like wintertime kind of thing
or fall time.
(10:34):
Then we have our kids carnivalin October.
We have games and things for thekids to play.
It's really centered on ouryounger visitors.
Then we have fried on the Farm,which is our Halloween event.
We have our 45th Pioneer HarvestFestival that's really centered
on cane syrup, and we actuallymake cane syrup on sites and
(10:56):
teach that.
And it's another one where wecan teach those old ways of how
things were produced and howwe'd usually have like candle
making, soap making.
We usually have, they usually,like I say, cook syrup.
We have plants that are plantedin the garden.
We've got anything you can thinkof, we've probably got, we got
(11:17):
broom making.
We try to make corn hu dollswith the kids.
So any, yeah, anything you canthink of that's kinda like that,
either domestic or agriculture,how they did it during that
timeframe that we try torepresent in the wiregrass
region.
That's a big event for that.
And like I said, it's the 45thcoming up, so that's gonna be on
November 8th.
This coming year?
And then we usually do aChristmas on the farm as well,
Missy Rentz (11:42):
I, i'm looking at parks all the time, and I think
it was the agricultural appealfor this one, for me because it
was so different and you all doa really good job of that
recreation.
And while I don't know that thebuildings were really as close
as they are in the recreationspace, I got a sense of this is
what this is where somebodywould live and this is what
(12:02):
their barn would look like.
And I, oh, and then the chickencoop and, the rooster calls and,
just really set the stage forshowing what was life like.
On the, as I go back to my airconditioned rv,
MiKayla (12:18):
Right.
Missy Rentz (12:19):
That was tough.
It was a tough life for them.
And so when we, when you'recoming, you have actually have
lots of options for how to
MiKayla (12:25):
Mm-hmm.
Missy Rentz (12:26):
Camping cottage, the Burnham house.
Let's start with camping andwhat you can do from a camping
perspective There.
MiKayla (12:33):
So we have 50 standard campsites, which you can either
camp with RV or tents.
They're all electric and water.
And then we have two pioneersites.
Those are no electricity, soyou're doing more of a
traditional kind of camping tripon those.
And then we have our cottages.
So we have four standardcottages.
(12:54):
Then we have our Hawk's Nest,which is like a smaller kind of
tiny house situation.
And then our Burnham cottage.
And that one is actually, like Isaid, a historic structure that
was moved here on site.
So you can stay in somethingthat get an idea of what it
would be like inside of it.
Now it is a very large cabincompared to our meets cabin.
It's not, typical of a smaller,what you would see in this
(13:17):
county kind of cabin.
It's two story but it is.
Historic And moved here.
Missy Rentz (13:23):
It's really beautiful.
It feels like a special occasiontype of.
MiKayla (13:26):
Yeah.
Missy Rentz (13:28):
I also wanna go back because the camping you
talked about a little bit aboutwhat's on the tent, but you also
have really great facilities asfar as, you've got this great
bathhouse, there's great laundryfacilities that I was very
grateful for on the site, soit's it's a really.
Nice, equipped campground foryou.
Also the way it's situated,there was like a playground in
(13:48):
between the two Camp Lakes and,so it was a great place for kids
were running around constantlyand it was a really how do
people book either campsites orcottages or the Burnham house.
MiKayla (14:00):
So GA state parks.org/general Coffee is our
specific site and there's a bluebutton that says reservation, so
you can easily do it onlinethrough Reserve America.
But GA state parks.org/generalcoffee for reservations, there's
a blue reservation button.
You ever have any questions oranything?
Staff is here in the office.
(14:21):
Our office is open seven days aweek, eight to five, and We're
definitely ready for yourquestions and help any way we
can here on site itself.
Missy Rentz (14:29):
super helpful.
I had to do that and you can getall of that information on the
website which is great.
When they come to visit, we'vetalked a little bit about the
agricultural part and I wannatalk more about it, but there's
also things that you can do thatyou would expect in a park
hiking and things like that.
Let's talk a little bit aboutwhat people can do when they
come to visit.
MiKayla (14:46):
Yeah, I think, and that's.
Another part of the charm forus.
Like I said, the whole parkitself has so much diversity in
what it offers.
I think it's a hidden kind ofthing for South Georgia that you
don't really, until you gethere, you don't realize it's
such a large park with so manydifferent things.
So we do boat rentals.
We have a four acre pond onsite, and we do pedal boats,
(15:09):
canoes, kayaks, bicycles offerrent.
We do it through the office.
We have our trails of course.
Now only one of'em is open, butwe are working to make sure the
rest of'em get open and thatreally offers some cool wildlife
opportunities.
Biggest one being the go fortortoise, of course, but really
birding too, especially wheneverwe're able to get those trails
(15:30):
closer to the 17 mile river.
The 17 Mile River does gothrough our park.
But it's more of a ephemeralkind of situation.
It's not full of water yearround.
Sometimes you might be able towalk across it and sometimes
you, it might be, waist deep.
So it's really dependent uponrainfall and such as that.
(15:52):
So it's more of a birding natureopportunity than it is anything
for paddling or anything likethat.
Missy Rentz (15:59):
But on the lake man, there were so many people
out paddle boating and you had,I think, I think you had like
canoes and kayaks and all sortsof options.
And then can people also bringtheir own if they want?
MiKayla (16:09):
Yeah, absolutely.
And the fishing around the pondis also really good, especially
if you're wanting to catchcatfish.
We actually stalk catfish andeverything too there, there's
plenty of opportunity to catchsomething in our pond
Missy Rentz (16:23):
Yeah.
It looked like so much fun.
There's times I wish I had mykayak with me and that was one
of'em, but my dog does not likethe water as much as.
MiKayla (16:32):
that's understandable.
We we also have picnic shelters.
So we have seven picnic sheltersand those get used pretty
heavily and frequently and theycan be rented out, parties,
family reunions, things likethat.
And if you have a larger group,we also have our group shelter
that people use for things likeweddings.
Family reunions, birthdayparties, graduation, you name
(16:54):
it.
Missy Rentz (16:55):
And then you guys have an equestrian trail,
correct?
MiKayla (16:58):
We do have equestrian trails and that's part of that
system that we really wanna getback up and going, and we're
definitely gonna put a lot ofeffort into it to get it where
we can have it to be at thatresource again, that it was
before.
Missy Rentz (17:10):
And I will say your website is excellent at updating
on what's open and what's not.
So I think as you're planning,and I think this goes, whether
someone's, a park recoveringfrom a hurricane or just in
general, it's always good tolook and see what is happening
on the park website becausethere are alerts so that you.
You go and you're not surprisedby closures or, programming
opportunities and things likethat.
(17:31):
So you guys do a great job ofit.
When you go, when we talk aboutthe agricultural, historical
part, so you're driving down thepark road and then you make a
right and you have the massivelake and there's picnic tables,
and then just off to the side isthis area that.
Has the historic places, can wejust do a verbal tour of what
(17:52):
can people see when they'rethere?
MiKayla (17:54):
Yeah, absolutely.
So you painted a really greatpicture.
It's cool that it's one of thefirst things you do see when you
drive in and it's down to theright and you see the larger
expanse of what it is.
But once you get to the actualfarm, the entrance on your left,
you have our Han building.
So in our Han Museum, natureCenter building.
We actually have our reptilesand Vivians, so we have snakes,
(18:17):
turtles, a salamander.
His name's Tony the tigersalamander.
That, that became a kid thing tocall him that.
But they kinda get lessattention, I think because it's
like the farm and the farmanimals.
But in the building we do havethose really cool opportunities
for animals that are also nativeto the area.
And then we have some more stuffthat we can't necessarily keep
(18:39):
outside.
That's.
More representative ofagricultural life and domestic
life and things like that.
We have quilts on display inthere, and we actually sell
quilts here in the office.
So we have a quilting groupthat's through our friends group
that comes every Wednesday.
They do a quilting circle, andthen after they finish those
quilts, we actually sell themhere in the office and they do
it by hand.
(19:00):
So we also have older antiquequilts on display in the rail of
hand building.
And then of course on therights, the Meeks building that,
we are talking about, that cabinis a historic structure.
It was here in Coffee County,moved here, and that we really
get to utilize for livinghistory programs, whether it's a
cooking program, broom making,just what daily life would've
(19:22):
looked like.
That's what that building reallyoffers a great opportunity and
the history for the area itself.
Behind that, we have our gardenand our smokehouse, and it gives
a representation of food sourcesand how those things would've
been managed.
Then you come up to the left andwe have our chicken coop, and
we're really trying to work onrepresenting the breeds that
(19:44):
would've been indicative of thattime.
So as you get in further, that'swhen you get into our animal
enclosures, where you have oursheep and our goats.
And our sheep are actually oneof those species, it's Gulf
Coast sheep.
So they're more indicative ofwhat would've actually been in
the area at the time.
We actually just got two brandnew pigs.
(20:04):
I don't think those were herewhen you were here.
Yeah, so we have two brand newpigs.
They're new additions for us.
We're excited to have them onsite.
We have an event we're planningin the fall to really introduce
them.
And then of course we havepepper Our horse that's also
here.
So we have a wide representationof livestock here as well.
Missy Rentz (20:26):
I could have just sat and watched them all day.
I went like early in themorning, so everybody was just
waking up and they were just sofunny to, to sit and I almost
feel it felt like they knew theywere on display.
Like they, they put on a showfor me, they were super funny,
but I, it was great to see allthe kids exploring it.
And I feel like you all do agood job of kids things that,
(20:50):
that are interesting for a childand the things that are
interesting for an adult inthere.
And so that's a lot of thehistorical side of it.
And then from a recreation, wetalked a little bit about the
boat boating and hiking, butbiking.
People were biking throughoutthe park.
It feels like a very safe parkroad.
People are very kind to thebikers and so there were those
(21:12):
sorts of things.
There's just a lot to do in thispark.
Can you talk, we've talked aboutthe tortoise'cause that's what I
was looking for.
Can you talk a little bit aboutthe pitcher plant and the shy
indigo snakes?
MiKayla (21:23):
Yeah, so the picture plant, we actually have picture
plants in our bog.
So that's actually anotheraspect to our farm.
Next to our reli hand buildingwhere we have the reptiles and
everything.
There's a bog that we try tomanage through burns or moving
species that shouldn't be there.
And then within that we'retrying to make it where you can
really see the picture plantsand they have a place to thrive
in that wetland area.
(21:44):
So we, that opportunity where weoffer another sighting of
something you might not seeevery day and the indigo snakes.
So something to go hand in handwith the gopher tortoise with
the indigo snake is a gophertortoise is what's considered a
keystone species.
So there are other commensalspecies that depend.
On the Gopher Tortoise andIndigo Snake is one of those
(22:07):
when it comes to living in theirburrow.
So that's where gopher tortoiseslive.
They dig their burrows and theylive underground.
There's other species that seekshelter in those areas.
So that's why it's so importantthat we manage here for the
Gopher Tortoise so that we don'tlose other species.
Like in Indigo Snake, that'sone.
The indigo snake is a protectedspecies.
That's one reason that we havethat is because we have to
(22:29):
manage for the Gopher Tortoiseto make sure we have.
In the future?
Missy Rentz (22:35):
It is fascinating the more I learn, the more parks
I talk to about how much workand how much thought goes into
the conservation of theendangered species and how
important that, one of theprograms that you all offer on
your website is geocaching.
Can you tell us about thatprogram?
I'm fascinated by it.
MiKayla (22:53):
Yeah.
So if you're not familiar withGeocaching, there's the
Geocaching website.
You sign up.
It's free.
Of course you can do add-ons andeverything, but it's free to use
the site and to do geocachingitself, create an account.
And if you're looking forgeneral coffee itself, you just
look at geocaches near the area.
We actually have eight cacheslisted on site.
(23:13):
We've had to do some redos afterthe hurricane to really make
sure we have a good number onsite.
But the thing and the purposeabout this cache is you get your
coordinates from the geocashingwebsite and you might get some
hints.
Some people do.
Clues and riddles and thingslike that to make it really fun
and involved.
To find the cash, you find thecash and usually there's a log
(23:37):
book.
You sign your name to show thatyou found the cash and if it's a
large one, usually there's a boxfull of things and you can take
one out and leave something,whether it's a coin.
A lot of people leave coins thathave their name and everything
on it.
You take theirs and leave yours.
But it's really just to showwhere you've been and have a
cool experience and really getto go around that area.
(23:59):
And like I said, we have eighton site and then we plan to add
and have more as we get ourtrails and everything back
online.
So
Missy Rentz (24:06):
I love the kind of the gamification of it to maybe
look and find things that youwouldn't otherwise see.
I think it's really a neat ideato
MiKayla (24:16):
I think it really makes you.
Spend a lot of time in one areaand take your time in that area
to see what's around than youmight have before just walking
past it.
Missy Rentz (24:27):
Ah, that's a great idea.
I find that sometimes I'm in a,I'm like rushing through,
through seeing things, the park,and it's, I also love junior
Ranger programs for that becauseit, adults can do those too
sometimes, and.
Geocaching is a great idea.
Is there anything else about thepark that we wanna make sure
visitors know as they'replanning a trip?
I.
(24:48):
As you're thinking, I do wannasay that where it's located,
it's great because there's a,there's the ability to quickly
go to a general store orsomething for supplies.
And the the visitor center hassome great supplies.
So if you're camping and youforgot your marshmallow sticks
or whatever the case may be,there's a lot that you can do
and get right there, which isreally handy.
MiKayla (25:09):
I think that goes back into what we were talking about
before when it comes to ourwebsite and everything, like
really preparing.
To go to the area and the parkthat you're going to, one,
checking any updates, like yousaid on the park website and
what might be going on, but alsolocally, how far is your park
from the nearest larger townthat has grocery stores and ways
(25:32):
to get supplies and what otherplaces are nearby to experience
other new things.
So for us, like you said, we'retwo and a half hours from the
Georgia Coast.
Then we also are 45 minutes fromWaycross, which is one of the
entrances to the Oki Foc Swamp.
So there's another addition to atrip if you're really trying to
(25:54):
make a big trip out of it.
And there are local events thathappen in Douglas in October.
They have their Gopher TortoiseFestival.
So if you're really planning fora time of year, like I said, to
me, it always goes back to time.
If you're planning for a time ofyear, you can look at what's
going on in local places.
South Georgia always has somekind of festival going on,
especially in the fall andspring.
Missy Rentz (26:14):
Yes, and it's, it, there's so much to do there.
So even, if you go and spend acouple of days at General Coffee
and you've soaked up all ofthat, there's a ton of things
right within s throat from it.
As we wrap up every episode, wedo a speed round of questions,
and I'd love do this with you.
Just let, just say what firstcomes to mind.
MiKayla (26:33):
Now I am a super indecisive individual, so
there'll probably be like threeanswers.
Missy Rentz (26:38):
Got it.
You're okay.
That's okay.
What is your earliest memory?
MiKayla (26:43):
So my parents made sure we got to experience parks and
it was really Georgia State Parkheavy.
So camping at places like Georget Bagby, the Yurts at High
Falls, FDR, little White House.
And I grew up right outside ofre Bingham, so swimming in Reed
Bingham and gonna Reed Binghamevery week was a big part of my
childhood.
Missy Rentz (27:05):
And what made you love the parks?
MiKayla (27:07):
I think just that the memories that I had and wanting
to be able to know that I cankeep those resources available
for other kids as they grow up.
Missy Rentz (27:19):
And what's your favorite thing about General
Coffee State Park?
MiKayla (27:23):
I think it's a hidden kind of gym.
I.
That really is diverse andoffers a lot more.
And once people get here, theyreally understand and see how
much there is to offer.
Missy Rentz (27:36):
What's your favorite thing to do at General?
Coffee State Park.
MiKayla (27:40):
I think fish is one of, like I said, we have, we stalk
our pond and it's always a goodtime to fish here.
And the animals are a huge.
Plus for me in managing thispark, especially the reptiles I
really enjoy, snakes are one ofmy favorite animals to, to teach
on.
Missy Rentz (27:59):
What park have you yet to visit, but it's on your
bucket list and why?
MiKayla (28:03):
I'm ashamed to say it, but I haven't been to Cloudland
Canyon yet.
That's a Georgia State Park thatI really need to go to.
And then Yosemite, I'd like togo there and experience that.
Missy Rentz (28:14):
What are three must haves you pack for a park visit?
MiKayla (28:18):
I know I always forget my stinking lighter to make the
campfire every time I alwaysforget it.
So that is one that I always tryto make sure a water bottle,
'cause please stay hydrated.
And then usually if you're inSouth Georgia, probably some bug
spray.
Indoor sunscreen.
Missy Rentz (28:35):
What's your favorite campfire activity?
MiKayla (28:39):
It falls on me anyway, but I really enjoy it.
It's making the fire.
I really enjoy making the fireand keeping it going.
I like that.
I'm given that task
Missy Rentz (28:50):
Tent, camper or cabin.
MiKayla (28:53):
really.
I really like to stay in Gurts.
I think that's a good likemidway point, but then cabin
intent or a close second.
Missy Rentz (29:02):
And when you hike, are you going with or without
trekking poles?
MiKayla (29:05):
I think it really depends.
I don't want to be so overprepared for a mile and a half
hike, but if I were to do astrenuous hike, I think trekking
pole are a good thing to have
Missy Rentz (29:18):
What is your favorite trail snack?
MiKayla (29:21):
jerky and then shelled pistachios so we can practice
our leave.
No trace with
Missy Rentz (29:26):
Oh, yes you can.
What is your favorite animalsighting?
MiKayla (29:32):
I think any kind of snake, a love, snakes, ated,
woodpeckers, water birds, andbirds of prey are some really
cool things I think to see.
And you can see those all here.
So
Missy Rentz (29:44):
What's your favorite sound in a park?
MiKayla (29:47):
I really like when we've got.
A really good crowd here and youcan really hear the visitors
chatter and really enjoyingtheir time at the park.
And I think when it's a quietday, the birds that you have the
chance to see here,
Missy Rentz (30:02):
What do you think the greatest gift that Parks
give to us is?
MiKayla (30:06):
I think the fact that it's a space dedicated to our
resources where I.
It means that other generationswill be able to experience them
for years to come, and they'reprotected because of that
reason.
Missy Rentz (30:20):
I love that you said two things that really I
think, resonate so deeply withme about general coffee.
You said that it was charmingand you talked about it being a
hidden gem, and I agree withyou.
It was such a pleasure to visitand spend some time in the park,
and I'm grateful to you forjoining us to talk about the
park and sharing its stories.
MiKayla (30:42):
I appreciate you having me.
Missy Rentz (30:44):
That's all for today's episode.
Until next time, we'll see youin the parks.
Thanks for listening.
If you enjoyed today's episode,please be sure to like and share
on your favorite podcastplatform.
Music for the parks podcast isperformed and produced by Porter
Hardy.
For more information, pleasefollow us on Instagram at the
parks podcast.
(31:05):
Or visit ourwebsite@theparkspodcast.com.
Celebrating our richagricultural history.
This Southern State Park willtake you back with its
historical charm and diverserecreation.
Join me as we explore GeneralCoffee State Park.
I'm your host, Missy Rentz, andthis is the Park's podcast.
Missy Rentz (00:21):
Today we are so lucky to have Mikayla Spencer,
who is the park manager atGeneral Coffee State Park in
Georgia with us today on thepodcast.
Mikayla, welcome to the Parkspodcast.
I.
MiKayla (00:32):
Thank you for having me.
Missy Rentz (00:34):
So we start every episode with some park stats, so
let's just get into it.
This park is located in Nichols,Georgia.
It was donated to the state byCoffee County in 1970.
The park is 1,511 acres and someinteresting facts.
It was named for General JohnCoffey, who was a planter, a
(00:56):
congressman, and a militaryleader.
It celebrates the park,celebrates the southern
agriculture history with goatsand sheep, pigs, a corn crib, a
tobacco barn, and so much more.
And it's home to severalendangered species, including
the pitcher plant, the shyindigo snake and the gopher
tortoise.
And I have to say, I hunted andhunted to see a gopher tortoise
(01:18):
and never got to see one.
But this is a great park.
MiKayla (01:22):
Yeah.
And when it comes to the Gophertour too.
That's something I'll talk aboutwhen we talk about planning your
trip, the gopher tortoise, more,they'll start to come out
whenever it starts to reallywarm up.
When we get to springtime andsummer, like right now, they're
everywhere.
Missy Rentz (01:36):
Oh, I just missed it then.
MiKayla (01:37):
yeah.
Yeah.
Missy Rentz (01:39):
So
MiKayla (01:39):
to come back.
Missy Rentz (01:40):
I will and I will though for sure.
Okay, so there are so many parksin Georgia and they're all great
and they're all very diverse.
This is one of'em that reallycelebrates a different part of
culture and and shares a littlebit more of the history of what
was happening there in, in thatarea.
Can you tell us a little bit ofthe history of General Coffee
(02:02):
State Park?
MiKayla (02:03):
Yeah, I think that there's a.
There's so many things, like yousaid, even just not all our
parks, but their parksthemselves are so diverse.
We have so much to offer hereand I think that's a really cool
thing about our parks.
As you said, it was donated in1970 and I think that was a big
testament to how the communityfeels about this park.
(02:23):
And the reason for them donatingthat land is the community
wanted a park, that still showsthrough today.
We still have a lot of communityinvolvement and people really
seeing this as their park.
We have the Chamber of Commerce,local organizations the City of
Douglas, DOT, our friends group.
(02:46):
We have an impeccable friendsgroup.
They support us in so many waysand we have, experienced a lot
of that with Hurricane Helene,some of that relief, we wouldn't
have been able to make itwithout some of those
organizations really stepping inand helping us out.
And I think that's, like I said,a testament to how the community
(03:07):
feels.
So when it comes to the namesakeof the park, it's John Coffee
and it's of course CoffeeCounty.
So it's also John Coffee isnamed after the same guy.
So there's two John Coffees.
When people look them up, theyget confused.
There's John E Coffee, which isours, and then there's his
cousin, John R Coffee.
John R Coffee was part of theTennessee militia.
(03:30):
Our John Coffee was part of theGeorgia state militia.
And then he was part of theGeorgia Senate and then he was
part of US Congress.
And the interesting thing aboutJohn Coffee in his time with
Congress is he was actuallyreelected.
1836, but he was reelected afterhis death because they didn't
(03:52):
hear Yeah, they didn't hearabout his death until after his
reelection.
So he was already, he hadalready passed, but he was
reelected.
So that's interesting.
Missy Rentz (04:03):
It is.
MiKayla (04:05):
So the reason that he's got the namesakes here in
Georgia.
He really oversaw theconstruction of what's now Old
Coffee Road, but it served as asupply road from Jacksonville,
Georgia, down to Florida.
So that's where we get thatnamesake of him being for the
county and the park itself,
Missy Rentz (04:26):
For this wasn't his farm.
MiKayla (04:28):
no, the likelihood of him ever being here, it is slim.
It's more of a just a namesakefor the things that he
accomplished while.
Missy Rentz (04:37):
Okay.
MiKayla (04:38):
And part of the Georgia Senate and Georgia militia,
Missy Rentz (04:42):
Got it.
And then but he was he was aproponent of agriculture in the
state.
MiKayla (04:47):
correct?
Yeah.
Big proponent of agriculture.
And our farm kind of covers mid18 hundreds to late 18 hundreds.
Agriculture.
The farm itself has severalelements to represent several
different things during life andagricultural life of that
(05:08):
timeframe.
So we have historical structureslike the Meeks Cabin, which was
actually a cabin in CoffeeCounty that was moved here.
We had the Kirkland TobaccoBarn, that's another one.
That was a local tobacco barn.
Moved here.
We had the Han Cabin, which wasa another local cabin that was
moved here.
Then we have reconstructedbuildings to offer a glimpse
(05:31):
into how those things were done.
So like our smokehouse, ourblacksmith shop, our corn crib,
we have turpentine implements ondisplay and that a really huge
industry here, turpentine.
If you go through the park, Idon't know if you noticed while
you were here, but all the, or alot of the pine trees, you'll
see cut scarring in it.
(05:51):
Yeah.
So that's from turpentine.
So that's a relic and a remnantof the past history here of
naval stores and turpentine.
Missy Rentz (05:59):
Oh, that's fascinating and I love it.
'cause it is like a arepresentation of that time that
you've pulled together
MiKayla (06:05):
Yeah,
Missy Rentz (06:06):
into the.
Yes.
Yes.
And okay I wanna get into thatin the planning of the park, but
first I also wanna talk about,you all were hit very hard by
Hurricane Helene.
And when I was there, it wasshortly after you opened.
Partial partially open so Icould stay in the campground.
I did the, I did a couple of thetrails that that were open at
(06:29):
the time, and certainly thishistoric area was open, but it
was it was really sad to seewhat the hurricane did to the
park and the community.
MiKayla (06:42):
And there's still some things that we are, we're
recovering from the trails beingone of them.
We are thankful to have onetrail open and that's definitely
continuing process and we planto have them back opening and
fully operational.
But we closed.
For evacuation the day beforethe hurricane, and then we
partially opened June 31st.
(07:04):
So that's the campground wherewe opened, and then the farm
itself.
And then we've been slowlyopening things as it goes along.
But in that community support,like I was saying, there was so
many people that really cametogether to help, including like
our sister divisions, such aslike wildlife resources, our
(07:25):
leadership.
Was instrumental in making surethat we could get back open.
We had my staff man, they workedthemselves to get us in a good
spot and they're continuallytrying to catch us up.
So it took a lot of hands and alot of people putting in a lot
of work to help us out.
Missy Rentz (07:44):
And it does.
I, when I went, it's still superenjoyable.
You just really do notice thatthere are parts of it that are
still a work in progress.
And I wanna get into thehistory, but I wanna do it
through the planning a trip tothe
MiKayla (07:57):
Yeah.
Missy Rentz (07:57):
So as we plan.
This park is I calculated it'sabout two to two and a half
hours from the coast just togive people like, visually,
where are you in the park?
And Georgia is so fascinatingbecause you have mountains and
you have ocean, and you haveeverything in between.
And so this kind of, this is farfrom the mountains, it's inching
towards the coast.
(08:18):
What do you recommend people doto start planning a trip?
MiKayla (08:23):
So for us, so our section of the state, like
you're saying, we have themountains and we have our
coastal region, and then we're.
The Wiregrass region and that'splays into where we're talking
about the gopher tortoise.
That's their habitat is thewiregrass region where we're
located and it plays into whatagricultural life looked like at
that time as well.
So all of it's really wiregrassregion history.
(08:45):
So my view on planning a trip toa park, all about planning what
time you want to go.
It always to me goes back totime.
So like you wanted to see agopher tortoise, if that is your
plan, you wanna see a gophertortoise, you need to make sure
that you're going in a warmermonth around, spring,
summertime.
So in that it also, because it'sGeorgia and we have such
(09:08):
variable weather, it also meansthat you know what supplies you
need to bring.
So you're looking at what youwanna do and what supplies you
need to bring, and all that'sdependent on time.
So I think the biggest thing isdeciding.
What time of year you wanna goand for Georgia State Park
especially, is making sure thatyou plan ahead so that you can
get a reservation.
Because sometimes on theweekends it's hard to get in, so
(09:29):
you need to make sure you knowwhen you want to go.
Missy Rentz (09:33):
That even starts in the springtime.
'cause it's so beautiful that Iwent in the spring and it was so
beautiful and it was packed.
MiKayla (09:40):
yes.
Yeah it's a little bit more warmhere in the summertime.
So we really see our heaviestvisitation being around the
holidays and springtime,especially spring break.
Missy Rentz (09:52):
Okay.
MiKayla (09:52):
So those are really big times and for us personally, if
you wanna visit our park,knowing our events is another,
goes back to that time thing, isknowing what event you might
wanna attend.
So we've got several that we doevery year.
We do in the springtime, aturpentine festival and Pioneer
Skills Day turpentine, ofcourse, surrounding that naval
stores industry that was here.
(10:14):
Then pioneer skills on thatparticular one.
We focus in on goods that weremade sheep shearing of the time.
'cause we have sheep on thefarm, what that wool was used
for and how they really madethings and survived.
So then if you wanna look morein like wintertime kind of thing
or fall time.
(10:34):
Then we have our kids carnivalin October.
We have games and things for thekids to play.
It's really centered on ouryounger visitors.
Then we have fried on the Farm,which is our Halloween event.
We have our 45th Pioneer HarvestFestival that's really centered
on cane syrup, and we actuallymake cane syrup on sites and
(10:56):
teach that.
And it's another one where wecan teach those old ways of how
things were produced and howwe'd usually have like candle
making, soap making.
We usually have, they usually,like I say, cook syrup.
We have plants that are plantedin the garden.
We've got anything you can thinkof, we've probably got, we got
(11:17):
broom making.
We try to make corn hu dollswith the kids.
So any, yeah, anything you canthink of that's kinda like that,
either domestic or agriculture,how they did it during that
timeframe that we try torepresent in the wiregrass
region.
That's a big event for that.
And like I said, it's the 45thcoming up, so that's gonna be on
November 8th.
This coming year?
And then we usually do aChristmas on the farm as well,
Missy Rentz (11:42):
I, i'm looking at parks all the time, and I think
it was the agricultural appealfor this one, for me because it
was so different and you all doa really good job of that
recreation.
And while I don't know that thebuildings were really as close
as they are in the recreationspace, I got a sense of this is
what this is where somebodywould live and this is what
(12:02):
their barn would look like.
And I, oh, and then the chickencoop and, the rooster calls and,
just really set the stage forshowing what was life like.
On the, as I go back to my airconditioned rv,
MiKayla (12:18):
Right.
Missy Rentz (12:19):
That was tough.
It was a tough life for them.
And so when we, when you'recoming, you have actually have
lots of options for how to
MiKayla (12:25):
Mm-hmm.
Missy Rentz (12:26):
Camping cottage, the Burnham house.
Let's start with camping andwhat you can do from a camping
perspective There.
MiKayla (12:33):
So we have 50 standard campsites, which you can either
camp with RV or tents.
They're all electric and water.
And then we have two pioneersites.
Those are no electricity, soyou're doing more of a
traditional kind of camping tripon those.
And then we have our cottages.
So we have four standardcottages.
(12:54):
Then we have our Hawk's Nest,which is like a smaller kind of
tiny house situation.
And then our Burnham cottage.
And that one is actually, like Isaid, a historic structure that
was moved here on site.
So you can stay in somethingthat get an idea of what it
would be like inside of it.
Now it is a very large cabincompared to our meets cabin.
It's not, typical of a smaller,what you would see in this
(13:17):
county kind of cabin.
It's two story but it is.
Historic And moved here.
Missy Rentz (13:23):
It's really beautiful.
It feels like a special occasiontype of.
MiKayla (13:26):
Yeah.
Missy Rentz (13:28):
I also wanna go back because the camping you
talked about a little bit aboutwhat's on the tent, but you also
have really great facilities asfar as, you've got this great
bathhouse, there's great laundryfacilities that I was very
grateful for on the site, soit's it's a really.
Nice, equipped campground foryou.
Also the way it's situated,there was like a playground in
(13:48):
between the two Camp Lakes and,so it was a great place for kids
were running around constantlyand it was a really how do
people book either campsites orcottages or the Burnham house.
MiKayla (14:00):
So GA state parks.org/general Coffee is our
specific site and there's a bluebutton that says reservation, so
you can easily do it onlinethrough Reserve America.
But GA state parks.org/generalcoffee for reservations, there's
a blue reservation button.
You ever have any questions oranything?
Staff is here in the office.
(14:21):
Our office is open seven days aweek, eight to five, and We're
definitely ready for yourquestions and help any way we
can here on site itself.
Missy Rentz (14:29):
super helpful.
I had to do that and you can getall of that information on the
website which is great.
When they come to visit, we'vetalked a little bit about the
agricultural part and I wannatalk more about it, but there's
also things that you can do thatyou would expect in a park
hiking and things like that.
Let's talk a little bit aboutwhat people can do when they
come to visit.
MiKayla (14:46):
Yeah, I think, and that's.
Another part of the charm forus.
Like I said, the whole parkitself has so much diversity in
what it offers.
I think it's a hidden kind ofthing for South Georgia that you
don't really, until you gethere, you don't realize it's
such a large park with so manydifferent things.
So we do boat rentals.
We have a four acre pond onsite, and we do pedal boats,
(15:09):
canoes, kayaks, bicycles offerrent.
We do it through the office.
We have our trails of course.
Now only one of'em is open, butwe are working to make sure the
rest of'em get open and thatreally offers some cool wildlife
opportunities.
Biggest one being the go fortortoise, of course, but really
birding too, especially wheneverwe're able to get those trails
(15:30):
closer to the 17 mile river.
The 17 Mile River does gothrough our park.
But it's more of a ephemeralkind of situation.
It's not full of water yearround.
Sometimes you might be able towalk across it and sometimes
you, it might be, waist deep.
So it's really dependent uponrainfall and such as that.
(15:52):
So it's more of a birding natureopportunity than it is anything
for paddling or anything likethat.
Missy Rentz (15:59):
But on the lake man, there were so many people
out paddle boating and you had,I think, I think you had like
canoes and kayaks and all sortsof options.
And then can people also bringtheir own if they want?
MiKayla (16:09):
Yeah, absolutely.
And the fishing around the pondis also really good, especially
if you're wanting to catchcatfish.
We actually stalk catfish andeverything too there, there's
plenty of opportunity to catchsomething in our pond
Missy Rentz (16:23):
Yeah.
It looked like so much fun.
There's times I wish I had mykayak with me and that was one
of'em, but my dog does not likethe water as much as.
MiKayla (16:32):
that's understandable.
We we also have picnic shelters.
So we have seven picnic sheltersand those get used pretty
heavily and frequently and theycan be rented out, parties,
family reunions, things likethat.
And if you have a larger group,we also have our group shelter
that people use for things likeweddings.
Family reunions, birthdayparties, graduation, you name
(16:54):
it.
Missy Rentz (16:55):
And then you guys have an equestrian trail,
correct?
MiKayla (16:58):
We do have equestrian trails and that's part of that
system that we really wanna getback up and going, and we're
definitely gonna put a lot ofeffort into it to get it where
we can have it to be at thatresource again, that it was
before.
Missy Rentz (17:10):
And I will say your website is excellent at updating
on what's open and what's not.
So I think as you're planning,and I think this goes, whether
someone's, a park recoveringfrom a hurricane or just in
general, it's always good tolook and see what is happening
on the park website becausethere are alerts so that you.
You go and you're not surprisedby closures or, programming
opportunities and things likethat.
(17:31):
So you guys do a great job ofit.
When you go, when we talk aboutthe agricultural, historical
part, so you're driving down thepark road and then you make a
right and you have the massivelake and there's picnic tables,
and then just off to the side isthis area that.
Has the historic places, can wejust do a verbal tour of what
(17:52):
can people see when they'rethere?
MiKayla (17:54):
Yeah, absolutely.
So you painted a really greatpicture.
It's cool that it's one of thefirst things you do see when you
drive in and it's down to theright and you see the larger
expanse of what it is.
But once you get to the actualfarm, the entrance on your left,
you have our Han building.
So in our Han Museum, natureCenter building.
We actually have our reptilesand Vivians, so we have snakes,
(18:17):
turtles, a salamander.
His name's Tony the tigersalamander.
That, that became a kid thing tocall him that.
But they kinda get lessattention, I think because it's
like the farm and the farmanimals.
But in the building we do havethose really cool opportunities
for animals that are also nativeto the area.
And then we have some more stuffthat we can't necessarily keep
(18:39):
outside.
That's.
More representative ofagricultural life and domestic
life and things like that.
We have quilts on display inthere, and we actually sell
quilts here in the office.
So we have a quilting groupthat's through our friends group
that comes every Wednesday.
They do a quilting circle, andthen after they finish those
quilts, we actually sell themhere in the office and they do
it by hand.
(19:00):
So we also have older antiquequilts on display in the rail of
hand building.
And then of course on therights, the Meeks building that,
we are talking about, that cabinis a historic structure.
It was here in Coffee County,moved here, and that we really
get to utilize for livinghistory programs, whether it's a
cooking program, broom making,just what daily life would've
(19:22):
looked like.
That's what that building reallyoffers a great opportunity and
the history for the area itself.
Behind that, we have our gardenand our smokehouse, and it gives
a representation of food sourcesand how those things would've
been managed.
Then you come up to the left andwe have our chicken coop, and
we're really trying to work onrepresenting the breeds that
(19:44):
would've been indicative of thattime.
So as you get in further, that'swhen you get into our animal
enclosures, where you have oursheep and our goats.
And our sheep are actually oneof those species, it's Gulf
Coast sheep.
So they're more indicative ofwhat would've actually been in
the area at the time.
We actually just got two brandnew pigs.
(20:04):
I don't think those were herewhen you were here.
Yeah, so we have two brand newpigs.
They're new additions for us.
We're excited to have them onsite.
We have an event we're planningin the fall to really introduce
them.
And then of course we havepepper Our horse that's also
here.
So we have a wide representationof livestock here as well.
Missy Rentz (20:26):
I could have just sat and watched them all day.
I went like early in themorning, so everybody was just
waking up and they were just sofunny to, to sit and I almost
feel it felt like they knew theywere on display.
Like they, they put on a showfor me, they were super funny,
but I, it was great to see allthe kids exploring it.
And I feel like you all do agood job of kids things that,
(20:50):
that are interesting for a childand the things that are
interesting for an adult inthere.
And so that's a lot of thehistorical side of it.
And then from a recreation, wetalked a little bit about the
boat boating and hiking, butbiking.
People were biking throughoutthe park.
It feels like a very safe parkroad.
People are very kind to thebikers and so there were those
(21:12):
sorts of things.
There's just a lot to do in thispark.
Can you talk, we've talked aboutthe tortoise'cause that's what I
was looking for.
Can you talk a little bit aboutthe pitcher plant and the shy
indigo snakes?
MiKayla (21:23):
Yeah, so the picture plant, we actually have picture
plants in our bog.
So that's actually anotheraspect to our farm.
Next to our reli hand buildingwhere we have the reptiles and
everything.
There's a bog that we try tomanage through burns or moving
species that shouldn't be there.
And then within that we'retrying to make it where you can
really see the picture plantsand they have a place to thrive
in that wetland area.
(21:44):
So we, that opportunity where weoffer another sighting of
something you might not seeevery day and the indigo snakes.
So something to go hand in handwith the gopher tortoise with
the indigo snake is a gophertortoise is what's considered a
keystone species.
So there are other commensalspecies that depend.
On the Gopher Tortoise andIndigo Snake is one of those
(22:07):
when it comes to living in theirburrow.
So that's where gopher tortoiseslive.
They dig their burrows and theylive underground.
There's other species that seekshelter in those areas.
So that's why it's so importantthat we manage here for the
Gopher Tortoise so that we don'tlose other species.
Like in Indigo Snake, that'sone.
The indigo snake is a protectedspecies.
That's one reason that we havethat is because we have to
(22:29):
manage for the Gopher Tortoiseto make sure we have.
In the future?
Missy Rentz (22:35):
It is fascinating the more I learn, the more parks
I talk to about how much workand how much thought goes into
the conservation of theendangered species and how
important that, one of theprograms that you all offer on
your website is geocaching.
Can you tell us about thatprogram?
I'm fascinated by it.
MiKayla (22:53):
Yeah.
So if you're not familiar withGeocaching, there's the
Geocaching website.
You sign up.
It's free.
Of course you can do add-ons andeverything, but it's free to use
the site and to do geocachingitself, create an account.
And if you're looking forgeneral coffee itself, you just
look at geocaches near the area.
We actually have eight cacheslisted on site.
(23:13):
We've had to do some redos afterthe hurricane to really make
sure we have a good number onsite.
But the thing and the purposeabout this cache is you get your
coordinates from the geocashingwebsite and you might get some
hints.
Some people do.
Clues and riddles and thingslike that to make it really fun
and involved.
To find the cash, you find thecash and usually there's a log
(23:37):
book.
You sign your name to show thatyou found the cash and if it's a
large one, usually there's a boxfull of things and you can take
one out and leave something,whether it's a coin.
A lot of people leave coins thathave their name and everything
on it.
You take theirs and leave yours.
But it's really just to showwhere you've been and have a
cool experience and really getto go around that area.
(23:59):
And like I said, we have eighton site and then we plan to add
and have more as we get ourtrails and everything back
online.
So
Missy Rentz (24:06):
I love the kind of the gamification of it to maybe
look and find things that youwouldn't otherwise see.
I think it's really a neat ideato
MiKayla (24:16):
I think it really makes you.
Spend a lot of time in one areaand take your time in that area
to see what's around than youmight have before just walking
past it.
Missy Rentz (24:27):
Ah, that's a great idea.
I find that sometimes I'm in a,I'm like rushing through,
through seeing things, the park,and it's, I also love junior
Ranger programs for that becauseit, adults can do those too
sometimes, and.
Geocaching is a great idea.
Is there anything else about thepark that we wanna make sure
visitors know as they'replanning a trip?
I.
(24:48):
As you're thinking, I do wannasay that where it's located,
it's great because there's a,there's the ability to quickly
go to a general store orsomething for supplies.
And the the visitor center hassome great supplies.
So if you're camping and youforgot your marshmallow sticks
or whatever the case may be,there's a lot that you can do
and get right there, which isreally handy.
MiKayla (25:09):
I think that goes back into what we were talking about
before when it comes to ourwebsite and everything, like
really preparing.
To go to the area and the parkthat you're going to, one,
checking any updates, like yousaid on the park website and
what might be going on, but alsolocally, how far is your park
from the nearest larger townthat has grocery stores and ways
(25:32):
to get supplies and what otherplaces are nearby to experience
other new things.
So for us, like you said, we'retwo and a half hours from the
Georgia Coast.
Then we also are 45 minutes fromWaycross, which is one of the
entrances to the Oki Foc Swamp.
So there's another addition to atrip if you're really trying to
(25:54):
make a big trip out of it.
And there are local events thathappen in Douglas in October.
They have their Gopher TortoiseFestival.
So if you're really planning fora time of year, like I said, to
me, it always goes back to time.
If you're planning for a time ofyear, you can look at what's
going on in local places.
South Georgia always has somekind of festival going on,
especially in the fall andspring.
Missy Rentz (26:14):
Yes, and it's, it, there's so much to do there.
So even, if you go and spend acouple of days at General Coffee
and you've soaked up all ofthat, there's a ton of things
right within s throat from it.
As we wrap up every episode, wedo a speed round of questions,
and I'd love do this with you.
Just let, just say what firstcomes to mind.
MiKayla (26:33):
Now I am a super indecisive individual, so
there'll probably be like threeanswers.
Missy Rentz (26:38):
Got it.
You're okay.
That's okay.
What is your earliest memory?
MiKayla (26:43):
So my parents made sure we got to experience parks and
it was really Georgia State Parkheavy.
So camping at places like Georget Bagby, the Yurts at High
Falls, FDR, little White House.
And I grew up right outside ofre Bingham, so swimming in Reed
Bingham and gonna Reed Binghamevery week was a big part of my
childhood.
Missy Rentz (27:05):
And what made you love the parks?
MiKayla (27:07):
I think just that the memories that I had and wanting
to be able to know that I cankeep those resources available
for other kids as they grow up.
Missy Rentz (27:19):
And what's your favorite thing about General
Coffee State Park?
MiKayla (27:23):
I think it's a hidden kind of gym.
I.
That really is diverse andoffers a lot more.
And once people get here, theyreally understand and see how
much there is to offer.
Missy Rentz (27:36):
What's your favorite thing to do at General?
Coffee State Park.
MiKayla (27:40):
I think fish is one of, like I said, we have, we stalk
our pond and it's always a goodtime to fish here.
And the animals are a huge.
Plus for me in managing thispark, especially the reptiles I
really enjoy, snakes are one ofmy favorite animals to, to teach
on.
Missy Rentz (27:59):
What park have you yet to visit, but it's on your
bucket list and why?
MiKayla (28:03):
I'm ashamed to say it, but I haven't been to Cloudland
Canyon yet.
That's a Georgia State Park thatI really need to go to.
And then Yosemite, I'd like togo there and experience that.
Missy Rentz (28:14):
What are three must haves you pack for a park visit?
MiKayla (28:18):
I know I always forget my stinking lighter to make the
campfire every time I alwaysforget it.
So that is one that I always tryto make sure a water bottle,
'cause please stay hydrated.
And then usually if you're inSouth Georgia, probably some bug
spray.
Indoor sunscreen.
Missy Rentz (28:35):
What's your favorite campfire activity?
MiKayla (28:39):
It falls on me anyway, but I really enjoy it.
It's making the fire.
I really enjoy making the fireand keeping it going.
I like that.
I'm given that task
Missy Rentz (28:50):
Tent, camper or cabin.
MiKayla (28:53):
really.
I really like to stay in Gurts.
I think that's a good likemidway point, but then cabin
intent or a close second.
Missy Rentz (29:02):
And when you hike, are you going with or without
trekking poles?
MiKayla (29:05):
I think it really depends.
I don't want to be so overprepared for a mile and a half
hike, but if I were to do astrenuous hike, I think trekking
pole are a good thing to have
Missy Rentz (29:18):
What is your favorite trail snack?
MiKayla (29:21):
jerky and then shelled pistachios so we can practice
our leave.
No trace with
Missy Rentz (29:26):
Oh, yes you can.
What is your favorite animalsighting?
MiKayla (29:32):
I think any kind of snake, a love, snakes, ated,
woodpeckers, water birds, andbirds of prey are some really
cool things I think to see.
And you can see those all here.
So
Missy Rentz (29:44):
What's your favorite sound in a park?
MiKayla (29:47):
I really like when we've got.
A really good crowd here and youcan really hear the visitors
chatter and really enjoyingtheir time at the park.
And I think when it's a quietday, the birds that you have the
chance to see here,
Missy Rentz (30:02):
What do you think the greatest gift that Parks
give to us is?
MiKayla (30:06):
I think the fact that it's a space dedicated to our
resources where I.
It means that other generationswill be able to experience them
for years to come, and they'reprotected because of that
reason.
Missy Rentz (30:20):
I love that you said two things that really I
think, resonate so deeply withme about general coffee.
You said that it was charmingand you talked about it being a
hidden gem, and I agree withyou.
It was such a pleasure to visitand spend some time in the park,
and I'm grateful to you forjoining us to talk about the
park and sharing its stories.
MiKayla (30:42):
I appreciate you having me.
Missy Rentz (30:44):
That's all for today's episode.
Until next time, we'll see youin the parks.
Thanks for listening.
If you enjoyed today's episode,please be sure to like and share
on your favorite podcastplatform.
Music for the parks podcast isperformed and produced by Porter
Hardy.
For more information, pleasefollow us on Instagram at the
parks podcast.
(31:05):
Or visit ourwebsite@theparkspodcast.com.
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