Another Mile Another Destination Blog: George L. Smith State Park, Twin City, Georgia

“In nature, nothing is perfect and everything is perfect. Trees can be contorted, bent in weird ways, and they’re still beautiful.”

Alice Walker

This state park is only about an hour and a half from Augusta, Georgia and is a nice drive through some of Georgia’s most rural areas. When we came to the small town Twin City, it wasn’t much of a town and appeared as if the economy wasn’t doing well here. The town land mass is only 3.61 miles and the population was listed as 1,760 in 2018. The people wandering around town seemed nice enough but there really wasn’t anything happening in this town.

We turned and headed down George L. Smith Park Road to get to the state park and we were pleasantly surprised by how beautiful it was and to see such a well taken care of park. This park is in Emanuel County, Georgia and was named after a former speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives. The park has 1,634 beautiful, remote, and peaceful acres.

We went in the visitors center first and spoke to the rangers who were both very nice and helpful. We paid our $5 parking pass and headed to what George L. Smith State Park is known for – the Parrish Mill which is a combination of gristmill, sawmill, and covered bridge. After we crossed the road we were heading straight towards the mill which was absolutely gorgeous and in good shape. It was built in 1880 and has been refurbished.

Inside the mill/covered bridge were many artifacts from what the mill was used as in the early days. It was once a saw mill, grist mill, and cotton gin in its heyday. As we walked through the bridge, you could hear the roaring water beneath us. There were windows overlooking the beautiful 412 acre Mill pond that had loads of cypress tree growing up out of the water. The water appeared to be brackish water and was very still that day on the pond side even with the winds gusting through the trees above.

When we got to the other side of the mill, there was a map showing the trail goes in a circle near the edge of the lake. We headed on down the path clockwise. The first sign we saw explained this is gator country and beware. We looked but didn’t see any gators while on our walk. The trail winds about through a bird sanctuary and tortoise habitat and has beautiful fauna to observe along the walk. There were sections where there was mostly long leaf pines, wire grass, turkey oats, pretty green moss growing along the path, and there was even a forest of dwarf oaks. The most interesting part for us was seeing the thick stands of Cypress and Tupelo trees draped with Spanish moss. It is fascinating seeing how the cypress grow and just shoot up out of the lake making such a dense forest.

There were signs stating what to look for throughout the walk including, osprey, turtles, alligators, and various types of trees. While we were walking, it was absolutely silent with the exception of hearing the sound of a vehicle every now and then going by way off in the distance. Even the birds weren’t singing. Total silence. Strange. We wondered if it was because of the time of year or if a predator was lurking, keeping them quiet. We had an amazing walk and saw many beautiful sights as we strolled along the silent path.

We finished our walk back near the mill and walked back through it. We sat down near the rushing foaming water coming through the mill from Mill Pond. I had seen pictures of this place before but never with the rushing water like we saw. I imagine this was because we had so much rain this winter. We observed the water making whirlpools near the mill and wondered if we would continue to circle around and around if we were on a raft in the water.

After enjoying the mill and watching the rushing water, we walked up the hill and saw there was an enclosed building called the Group Shelter. It looked like a new building and a great place to book for parties or reunions. There was an outside porch where you could sit, rock, and look out over the mill and pond. It was just lovely.

Laying on the bank up against the lake we saw canoes, kayaks, and Jon boats that can be rented. If it wasn’t as cold and windy as it was that day, we would have gone out and checked out the Cypress trees close up. That will have to wait till our next visit.

The park has 8, two bedroom cozy cottages that can be rented with a few right up against the lake. Each cottage has two double beds in each bedroom, kitchen, and bathroom and can sleep 8 people. They looked new or refurbished. They spread them out nicely so your neighbor is not too close. The cabins that are not on the lake also have beautiful settings nestled in the trees.

There are also 24 tent, trailer, and RV campsites. Some of the campsites are right next to lake. They also have some pull through RV sites as well. There are four primitive campsites and one group primitive campsite that you have to walk to with your gear to get set up. They also have four picnic shelters that you can rent for that special occasion and nice picnic tables built into the landscape. There is also a nice playground if you are bringing children.

This is a great park to go bird watching, fishing for brim or bass, or just want a remote location to just relax and enjoy the peace and quiet. There are seven miles of trails to enjoy if you prefer to hike and of course, you can boat around Mill Pond. The also have a nice fishing pier where you can sit and enjoy the spectacular views of the pond and maybe catch a fish or two.