One fine summer day, as I was aimlessly scrolling through my Instagram feed, I happened across a curious picture posted by a friend of mine. I knew he was in Athens at the time, so I was thrown off by the photo of water cascading into a pool below in a perfectly straight line. "Where in the world could that be?" Which is exactly what I asked in the comments. To my dismay, he replied, ”It’s a secret.” I spent the next month or so in frustration trying to gather information about this so-called secret place, somewhere within the realm of Athens-Clarke County. It wasn’t until prerecruitment, when I was discussing fun summer things to do in Athens with a few of my older friends, that I learned the name of this mystery place: Redneck Beach...It didn’t seem like an appropriate name for a secluded waterfall. My curiosity would not be satisfied until I had found it, which brings us to this past weekend.
Last Friday afternoon, my boyfriend, a friend of mine, and myself set off on a mission to find the ever-elusive Redneck Beach with the following information: it is found along Macon highway, behind an abandoned gas station, and we were to park at the real estate office across the street. Well, we found the real estate office, and the gas station certainly was abandoned. It quickly became apparent that the beach would take a little longer to find, so we began walking down the highway. Eventually, we came across a footpath which led into the woods. Without any other options, we decided to follow it. Soon enough, there was clear evidence that college kids had visited the area - crushed beer cans, handles, and empty Cane’s boxes abound. We were headed in the right direction. The trail was getting hot.
We followed the trail through the woods, up hills and over fallen trees. Finally, we walked into a clearing holding the idyllic waterfall that I had seen in pictures, spilling over a long, mossy wall into a little pool of muddy water that flowed into a creek. Alongside the creek, there was a sandy beach and a sagging, tattered volleyball net. Accompanied by a black lab that decided to follow us, we jumped into the pool amid schools of tiny fish and sparkling micah stirred up by our feet. Heads up: the water is freezing cold. Off to the side, there is a very unstable bridge made of a few wooden beams. It rocks back and forth as you cross, and dips down towards the creek once you reach the middle. If you cross it, though, you’ll find another trail that leads to an upper section of the pond and a tree with the leftover portions of dry rotted rope swings. Looking out across the water, it was perfectly flat and a little too murky for any of use to risk swinging out over it, especially with the overhead remnants of ropes that had given way. Perhaps I’ll save that adventure for next time.
As for you, you should try to make it to Redneck Beach while it’s still hot (even though the water won’t be). It’s a Classic City Summer Tradition that you don’t want to miss, but you have to find it first. Good luck!
