A travel piece for niche Affinion Group publication, Sojourns.

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Sojourns coast-to-coast n Cue up that bootleg recording of the Grateful Dead performing “Green River” with John
Fogerty, and head on down to the Green River Reservoir State Park Nature Preserve.
This unique park (located about an hour away from Highgate in Hyde Park, Vermont)
features remote campsites that can only be reached by canoe — some are up to a 2-
mile paddle away from the launch site. Green River Reservoir also boasts nearly 19
miles of shoreline, just about the longest in the state. Parking is limited, so be sure to
arrive early to claim your spot in this secluded wilderness. Photolibrary / Andre Jenny
FOREVER
We were young, we wanted experiences,
and we wanted to travel. And, we shared
AN AMERICAN ADVENTURE a love for the music of the Grateful Dead.
What better way for friends to see parts of
the country than through music?
It was the early 90s and we had been out
of college for only a short time. Most of us
had jobs, although we weren’t exactly doing
what we wanted. We were doing what we were
supposed to do. So, we made a pact to save up
By Karen Pasacreta
and travel together when we could.
From Vermont’s Northern Kingdom to Georgia’s peachy capital, the experiences
HIGHGATE, VERMONT
of travel, friends, and The Grateful Dead leave indelible memories.
Our first stop was Highgate, Vermont in the
summer of 1994. Three friends packed into one
little Volkswagen Jetta and drove over 300 miles
on the two-lane rural Connecticut highway
known as Rte. 7.
We heard the Dead would be playing in a barbeque. But that’s what people said it was like up here in the small
Vermont airfield, but we didn’t know what to town of 3,400 people.
expect. It was a beautiful day in July, the sun The show itself seemed to mimic the view of Highgate, with welcoming
was shining, and we felt free. This sleepy town people everywhere dressed in their tie-dyes, walking around offering
Lead art photography: Shutterstock / (clockwise from bottom right) Chris H. Galbraith, Scott Leman, Kenneth Summers, David Burrows
seemed so out of character from the hustle of hellos to fellow “friends.” But that’s also the way it was at shows. A
our busy Fairfield County, Connecticut lives. common love for the band made you an instant friend. And in a place
We welcomed the fresh air, blue skies, and like Highgate, it was easy to make them.
pastoral scenery — actually, we craved it. Part of the storied “Northern Kingdom,” Highgate sits along the border
Finding our way onto a neighborhood cul-de- of Quebec, Canada in northwestern Vermont. With more than 30 dairy
sac, we parked in front of an owner’s raised farms, agriculture is its signature industry. In the village area of
ranch, hopped out of the car, and walked up Highgate Falls sits a grouping of historic homes, the most noteworthy
to the venue like we were headed to a backyard among them being Highgate Manor.
(Grateful, continued on page 12)
Truckin’ through Vermont
The bucolic town of Highgate, Vermont is nestled among dairy farms and lush
landscapes near the border of Canada. Each summer, the town hosts a large county
agricultural fair in the same field where the Grateful Dead performed on July 13, 1994.
Franklin County Field Days is a Highgate tradition, featuring live music, arts and
crafts, livestock, food, and all the maple products you can possibly imagine.
This year’s fair runs from July 29 through Aug. 1. But if you’re just passing through
the area or you’re taking a long weekend visiting this gorgeous countryside,
northern Vermont offers dozens of opportunities brimming with Green
Mountain State character.
Stop by Waterbury, Vermont and take a tour of the famed Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream
Factory. Only about an hour south of Highgate, this iconic frozen treat purveyor is
a perfect way to spend an afternoon.
While you’re there, be sure to sample Cherry Garcia, the company’s delightful
flavor homage to the Grateful Dead’s beloved front man, Jerry Garcia.
Jerry Garcia photo: CORBIS / Henry Diltz
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Atlanta Botanical Gardens
(Grateful, continued from page 9) pancakes. But, we were still young enough to If you loved wearing flowers in your hair at a
Through the years (and many owners), this beautiful, Second Empire- retain our youthful quest for the extraordinary, Dead show, you’ll enjoy the incredible 30
style house had been home to an exclusive vacation resort, and during and we made a pact to do it all again. acres of blooming beauty at Atlanta’s
Botanical Gardens. There’s always something
the Civil War, it served as a stop on the Underground Railroad. Many Next stop: the capital of the Peach State, Atlanta.
waiting to come alive, whether it’s in the
famous people are reputed to have been patrons: Al Capone, during conservatories or the country’s largest orchid
the era of prohibition and bootlegging; and Benny Goodman, during ATLANTA, GEORGIA house. And in the summer, there’s also famed
the Big Band Era. There are also rumors that it is haunted by the musical guests. Last year, honorary Dead
I think Little Feat, a contemporary of The
ghosts of children who once lived under its roof in the late 1800s. Its keyboardist Bruce Hornsby, accompanied by
Grateful Dead, is my next-favorite band. his band The Noisemakers, stopped by to
beauty was certainly a site to behold. Recently, the manor has become
Although the band’s founding member, Lowell share his impromptu, spontaneous stylings
a popular destination for weddings and banquets, and is currently
George, had died in 1979, I had seen the re- with fans. The three-time Grammy winner had
between owners. For more information on Vermont’s haunted inns,
formed band open for the Dead many times. toured extensively with the Dead after the
go to vermonter.com.
Though I’m too young to remember Lowell’s untimely death of Brent Midland.
Since we were in Vermont, we weren’t able to leave without having death, we nonetheless played Little Feat’s AGPIX / Laura McElroy Getty Images / Aurora / Andrew Kornylak
our share of maple sugar candy. And since the Dead had played one southern anthem, “Oh Atlanta,” all the way
of our favorite tunes, “Sugar Magnolia,” we were reminded to stop at down to Georgia.
a local store to cure our sweet tooths.
At the time, Atlanta was gearing up for the
Maple, the official flavor of Vermont is actually celebrated each spring 1996 Summer Olympics. Construction was
in Highgate’s bordering town of St. Albans. For three days, people everywhere. Our transplanted Connecticut We started at Freedom Park. With the Dead in town, we had a backstage wrote her Pulitzer-Prize winning book, Gone
gather to celebrate, taste, and indulge at the Annual Vermont Maple friends became our expert tour guides. There pass to the Deadhead culture phenomenon. People were everywhere, With the Wind — had been damaged by a fire.
Festival. Food, fun, and all sorts of down-home entertainment is to be was a kind of youthful Atlanta migration dancing to music by makeshift bands, playing hacky sack, and gathering I couldn’t believe my luck. To this day, I’ve still
had with parades, exhibits, and of course, maple galore! For more happening from all over the country, and our around eating falafel and listening to bootleg tapes. If it sounds like a yet to see it. In 1996, the house was hit by fire
information on next year’s celebration, go to vtmaplefestival.org. friends’ excitement for a new beginning was cliché, it was. But how else do you describe this life? It was controlled, again, just 40 days prior to a renovation. But in
It was hard to leave Vermont and the quaint bed and breakfast we contagious. And for us, there were so many it was peaceful, it was a trip. From the psychedelic T-shirts to the 1997, it re-opened to the public and is still
found on our journey home. I don’t think I’ve ever had better new things to see! blanket tents, to the ribbons adorning dreadlocks and the colorful known as one of Atlanta’s most treasured
conversation — Freedom Park was the perfect place to house fans. landmarks and tourist attractions. It will always
Freedom Park is one of Atlanta’s urban landmarks. With a rich American be on my list of places to visit. For more
history that extends back to the Civil War and then to the Civil Rights information, visit margaretmitchellhouse.com.
n A favorite gathering of Dead fans during the days of the Omni concerts, this mountain boasts the largest bas relief sculpture in the world. Movement, it now spans 210 acres and serves as the main connection to
Wanting to conclude my trip to Atlanta on a
The Confederate Memorial Carving depicts three Confederate leaders of the Civil War: President Jefferson Davis, and Generals Robert E. Lee and the Martin Luther King, Jr., National Historic Site, the Old Fourth Ward,
Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, and their horses. It is one of the great sculptures of the South. There’s much to do year-round at Stone Mountain Park,
journalistic note, we went downtown to get a
Inman Park, Poncey-Highland, Central Atlanta Neighborhoods, the
which surrounds the Confederate memorial. Go for a hike, take a boat ride, or check out the summertime laser light show. At dusk, hundreds view of CNN’s headquarters. Although I
Carter Center and the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library.
of onlookers hang out on the grassy hill celebrating their American and Southern heritages to a coordinated laser musical compilation. couldn’t convince my friends to go inside, years
Celebrate the Georgia’s Music Hall of Fame with tunes like “Devil Went Down to Georgia” and “An American Trilogy.” Music lovers of all genres will later I returned with my daughter for a tour of
not be disappointed. Shutterstock / Christopher Meder JUST PEACHY the newsrooms. (On that trip, I got to fulfill a
We wouldn’t be acting our age if we didn’t hit the Peachtree area. childhood dream of reading the news at the
Lit up like a neon birthday cake, everywhere you turned you could anchor desk in front of a room full of people –
have your slice of the nightlife. We decided to have our fill. We lived it at the request of my sister, I stuck to writing.)
up with old friends that night, sharing experiences we still talk about I’ve been back to Atlanta four times now, and I
to this day. don’t think I could ever tire of all that this city
Atlanta was incredible, so steeped in rich history. But there was still has to offer. “Oh, Atlanta is right…”
something I had to do.
When we were young, my sister and I had seen the movie version of THE GIFT OF TRAVEL, MEMORIES
Gone With the Wind together. It was then I began to research
There are so many places in America the
everything about author Margaret Mitchell, and I grew to be a
Grateful Dead has taken me, from New York
lifelong fan. I had idolized Mitchell since my youth, and having grown City to Washington, D.C. These are places I
up to become a writer, this was a dual-purpose visit for me. It was would have never seen quite in this way. I was
pilgrimage to Tara. And I couldn’t wait to see her house. able to share these travels with friends and
As we grazed the area on Peachtree the next day, my friend pointed create memories that will last us all a lifetime.
the famed property out. The house — the same house where Mitchell And for that, I am forever grateful. U
2010 ISSUE SOJOURNS 13
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