Two Hours to Paradise: Tips for a Trip Way Out There
Although some have disappeared, many one-of-a-kind, art-filled wonderlands like Howard Finster’s Paradise Garden still remain open for visitors — so what are you waiting for?
By Eva Berlin, Digital Content Specialist, High Museum of Art
There’s nothing like driving down country roads in Georgia in the springtime. Spring in the South means bright green leaves against blue skies, soaring tree limbs shimmering with sunlight, and a soft, warm breeze that makes you want to get out there — way out there.
Jonathan Williams, a fantastically irreverent poet from North Carolina, had that same urge back in the early 1980s. He called up his photographer friends, Guy Mendes and Roger Manley, and invited them along for the ride. They hit the road “to document what tickled us, what moved us, and what (sometimes) appalled us in the Southeastern United States.”
On their trips, they ate, drank, talked, laughed, sang, and made merry with all manner of folk they met along their way. They sought out unconventional artists whose explosive creativity could only be hidden by the remoteness of their homes.
These adventures await you, too, if you just know the right corners to round.
“If you ever travel the Deepest South, please take a respectable guidebook with you.”
Williams advised, “If you ever travel the Deepest South, please take a respectable guidebook with you.” We suggest Walks to the Paradise Garden: A Lowdown Southern Odyssey — the book that accompanies the High Museum of Art’s exhibition Way Out There: The Art of Southern Backroads.
The book and the exhibition showcase the artists and works Williams, Manley, and Mendes encountered on their journeys and jaunts across 7 years and thousands of miles.
Way Out There is on view at the High for just one last weekend (closing Sunday, May 19, 2019). So, come see the show and get inspired for a trip of your own.
One of the many art environments featured in the exhibition is Howard Finster’s Paradise Garden. Unlike many other backroads arts spaces, Finster’s incredible Garden is still open for visitors.
So, grab a friend, your trusty guidebook, and our itinerary ideas, and get out there.
About Paradise Garden
For minister and artist Howard Finster (American, 1916–2001), more was more. After a vision from God in 1976 commanded him to create sacred art, Finster got to work creating more than 46,000 paintings and a multi-acre art environment called Paradise Garden.
Located about two hours north of the heart of Atlanta, the Garden remains an awe-inspiring place filled with mosaic walls, towers, and unique buildings like the World’s Folk Art Church.
Today the High owns the largest public collection of objects from Paradise Garden.
Some of Finster’s works are on view in the Way Out There exhibition, and many more are always on view in the High’s permanent collection. Among them is his showstopping Gospel Bike, which exemplifies Finster’s interest in turning anything and everything — from briefcases to rotary phones to old dental molds — into art.
2 Hours to Paradise Itinerary:
- Etowah Indian Mounds, Cartersville, GA| You must see this 54-acre archaeological site and former home to thousands of Native Americans of the Mississippian culture from 1000 CE to 1550 CE. This important site features 6 earthen mounds, nature trails, a museum, and more. Explore the site and learn about the mounds and the prehistoric indigenous peoples who built them. Open Tuesday–Sunday, 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Closes at 4:30 p.m. on Mondays.
- James H. Floyd State Park, Summerville, GA| Visit this park for some easy to moderate hikes, including the Marble Mine trail — a 1.7 mile hike with a scenic view of the old entrance to a marble mine. Parking is $5 at the Pinhoti Trail parking area. Open Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–5 p.m. View the park trail map here.
- Trade Day Flea Market, Summerville, GA| Flowers, fruits, vegetables, or a painting of Elvis — you never know what you’ll find at this flea market run by the owners of Folk America Gallery. “Trade Day is a true southern tradition since 1976. You can find almost anything at this one-of-a-kind market!” Open Tuesdays and Saturdays, 6 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Paradise Garden, Summerville, GA| Explore Finster’s garden full of sculptures, buildings, and hand-ornamented objects. Come see it for yourself, and you can even stay the night in their eclectic Garden Suite AirBnBs. Open Tuesday–Sunday, 11 a.m.–5 p.m.
If you’d like to extend your trip, travel onwards to camp in the phenomenal Cloudland Canyon State Park, see Rock City (a favorite family vacation destination for the Finsters), and spend the night enjoying all that Chattanooga, TN, has to offer. You can reach all these spots in 1.5 hours from Paradise Garden.
