Atlanta to Asheville: A Soulful Journey

About the Journey

School bus graveyards, soul food, and Native American folklore await travelers who know where to stop between Atlanta, Georgia and Asheville, North Carolina. Join Host Oneika Raymond on a Southern road trip full of culture, food and characters.

First along Highway 85 in Alto, Georgia, Alonzo Wade Auto Parts, where owner Walter Wade reveals a School Bus Graveyard, a sprawling art installation painted on old buses that was started by artist Nick Morris.

Next, head to Toccoa, GA to meet Shirley Combs, owner of Shirley’s Sole Food Cafe. Her cafe is famous for cabbage casserole, mac n’ cheese, cornbread, peach cobbler, and Shirley has been feeding both hungry locals and the homeless for over 20 years.

Finally, we’ll take a hike in Tallulah Gorge State Park, visiting the waterfalls at the North and South Rim Loop Trail. There, we'll hear from Robert Lewis, a member of the Cherokee, Navajo and Apache tribes. He’ll tell us an ancient legend surrounding Lake Burton, Lake Rabun, the Tallulah River, and Tallulah Gorge.

We’ll end our journey in Asheville, NC, where there’s plenty to see like the Biltmore Estates. While there, stay at Grand Bohemian Hotel Asheville Autograph Collection. Stop by the hotel bar Red Stag to admire artwork by Mitch Kolbe.

Thanks to our guests on this episode for sharing their stories along the route. You can learn more about the School Bus Graveyard by visiting their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Art/School-Bus-Graveyard-1693627533992939/.

Check out Shirley’s Sole Food Café on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/shirleyssolefoodcafe/.

Get more information about Tallulah Gorge’s North and South Rim Loop Trails on the Georgia State Park website, https://gastateparks.org/.

And, to find out more about the Grand Bohemian Hotel, Asheville, visit https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/avlak-grand-bohemian-hotel-asheville-autograph-collection/.

For more about this route – and to get other road trip ideas – visit Marriott Bonvoy Traveler traveler.marriott.com/road-trips/. If you enjoyed this episode of About the Journey, please be sure to rate, review and subscribe.

About the Journey is a podcast produced by Marriott Bonvoy Traveler, AT WILL MEDIA, MNTRA, and Oneika Raymond. Listen and follow the show here.

To read full episode transcripts from About the Journey and see photos of each featured destination, head to About the Journey on Marriott Bonvoy Traveler. Starting this season, you can watch full videos of each episode on the Marriott Bonvoy YouTube channel.