Anna Ruby Falls - Helen, Georgia

Anna Ruby Falls in Helen, Georgia, is one of the most picturesque and photographed waterfalls in the United States.

Hot Springs National Park - Hot Springs, Arkansas

If the cold weather that swept across the South this week has you dreaming about warmer places, there is a place in Arkansas where the steam rises from the mountain sides 365 days a year.

Hot Springs National Park, located in the heart of downtown Hot Springs, Arkansas, preserves the famed "hot springs of the Ouachita." The stunning historic site is considered by many to be America's first national park, and with just reason. The U.S. Government set aside thousands of acres surrounding the springs in 1830 to prevent their exploitation by private developers and preserve them as a national resource.

Long before the action was taken, however, the hot springs had gained fame. They are mentioned in documents relating to the Hernando de Soto expedition of the 1540s and by the 1700s were frequented by early French explorers and fur trappers. President Thomas Jefferson sent an expedition to find the springs in 1804 and by the 1820s visitors from across the United States were already making the trek into the Arkansas mountains to soak in the mysterious waters that many still believe hold healing powers.

By the time of the Civil War, Hot Springs had become a major resort area. Soldiers marching past during the Red River Campaign described a community evacuated due to war. In the years following the War Between the States, the resort rebounded quickly and even attracted the likes of Frank and Jesse James, who vacationed - and committed at least a couple of robberies - in the area.

They were not the only unsavory types who made their way to Hot Springs. The community became known for its gambling and nightlife during the 1920s and 1930s and attracted the likes of Al Capone before Governor Winthrop Rockefeller finally shut down the gambling and cleaned up Hot Springs in 1967. Since then it has developed as a marvelous family resort and treasured historic site.

Steaming water flows down the mountain year round and visitors can even enjoy a soak in slightly cooled water from the springs in a restored historic bathhouse and at several other spas in Hot Springs. As a result, the city is popular year-round. Garvan Gardens in Hot Springs also boasts one of the finest Christmas lighting displays in the South.

To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/hotspringsindex.

Waterfalls of the Cheaha State Park Area - Alabama

The Talladega Mountains of Alabama are rich in scenic beauty, particularly in the area around Cheaha State Park.

These mountains are the highest in Alabama and offer a variety of historic sites, hiking opportunities, scenic vistas and other features rarely found so deep in the South.

Of particular interest to many visitors is the array of waterfalls found in the area immediately surrounding Mt. Cheaha. Three of these - Cheaha Falls (seen here), High Falls and Devil's Den - can be accessed via hiking trails and are relatively easy to reach.

To learn more about these falls, see additional photos and obtain directions to them from Cheaha State Park, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/cheaha2.

Historic Sites of Branson, Missouri - Part One

We turn our focus today on the major Southern resort city of Branson, Missouri.

Known around the world for its music and live entertainment, there is also a great deal in Branson for the history minded visitor.

The city is located in the beautiful and mysterious Ozarks region of southern Missouri. These mountains, hills and valleys fostered a lifestyle unique in the South during the decades before the Civil War, during and after the Civil War.

As they drifted west from the east, settlers roamed into the mountains and established small farms, mills and trading stores. They were tough, determined people who scratched a living from the mountain soil and developed a culture unlike any other in America.

Union and Conferate forces moved through this region during the Civil War, as did irregular bands of guerrilla fighters. Jesse James is among the names often mentioned in the area. There were also regular armies, however, and the Battle of Wilson's Creek was fought just 50 miles north of Branson on the outskirts of Springfield.

Over the next few days we will be looking at a wide variety of historic sites in and around the Branson area. I think you will find this to be a fascinating journey into the Missouri Ozarks and hope you will check back often.

Until the next post, you can learn more by visiting www.exploresouthernhistory.com/branson1.

Spring Travel Part Fifteen: The Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas and Oklahoma

One of the most beautiful regions in the South can be found in western Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma.

While many people are familiar with the Ozarks, located a bit to the north, fewer know about the spectacular Ouachitas (pronounced Wah-she-Tahs).

Rich in history and natural beauty, the Ouachitas are the tallest mountains between the Great Smokies and the Rockies. They stretch from the area of Hot Springs, Arkansas west for more than 100 miles across the border into eastern Oklahoma. Filled with history, legends and mysteries, they are among the most intriguing of America's mountain ranges.

To learn more about the Ouachita Mountains, Hot Springs, the Talimena Drive, Queen Wilhelmina State Park, the Ghost Story of Rich Mountain and even an 1897 "UFO Report," please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/ouachita1.

The Blue Ridge Parkway - North Carolina and Virginia

Stretching from Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina north to Shenandoah National Park in Virginia, the Blue Ridge Parkway is America's most popular national park area.

Stretching 469 miles across the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains and reaching heights of over 6,000 feet, the parkway is more than just a road. It is a fascinating way to journey into the cultural and natural history of the South.

Our new Blue Ridge Parkway pages are now online at www.exploresouthernhistory.com. To learn more, just follow the link and scroll down the page to the Index section and look under both the Virginia and North Carolina headings.

Robbers Cave State Park - Oklahoma

If you like natural beauty and the outlaw history of the Old West, Robbers Cave State Park in eastern Oklahoma is a must see. This photo was taken looking out from the inside of the cave that gives the park its name.

According to legend, the cave and surrounding rock formations in the Sans Bois Mountains of Oklahoma were used as a hideout by outlaw gangs during the years following the Civil War. The names Jesse James and Belle Starr are among those linked with the cave, which definitely as a Wild West feel to it.

If you would like to read more about Robbers Cave, just go to www.exploresouthernhistory.com and look for the link under the "Oklahoma" heading at the bottom of the page.