Sweet water, man

A few weeks ago, we made a discovery. And it changed everything.

Well, ok that may be a little dramatic, but I think we have found our new favorite spot to visit. Sweetwater Creek State Park is a 215 acre park located just minutes from downtown Atlanta. 

The visitor's center is actually a LEED Platinum building, which because my husband is a LEED AP certified architect, I know is an extremely rare feat. Craig was a little starstruck with that little fact. By the way, having a LEED certified building means you have to hit a number of credits in sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, and indoor environmental quality. There are four levels of this certification, with Platinum of course being the highest. source 

For the record, I did advise against the handkerchief/doo rag, but he is ever the adventurer and could not allow anything to get in his way - including sweat.

Our little navigator is really starting to love maps...or maybe he just loves being the leader and being in charge. Yeah, it's probably that.

I am well aware of the phallic nature of this mushroom's head, however I can't help but love the color so deal.

We hiked over rocks to get this view. No, scratch that. We mountaineered our way through the rocky terrain while I held a death grip to Canon to ensure that he didn't fall into the rushing water. The view was amazing, though.

Nestled in this beautiful state park are the ruins of a textile mill that was burned during the Civil War.

And now we've come to the reason I have only so many pictures from this amazing day. We found a place in the river that we could have a picnic and cool off with a swim. This water felt so amazing and the rushing over the rocks provided a perfect spot for a nice massage. This, of course, didn't lend itself to having my camera in hand and I gladly accepted the challenge to let it go for a little while.

After a relaxing time in the water, we began to head back to the car. I got to witness a different side of the ruins. Definitely happy about that.

We so loved this park and will definitely be back to experience it many times over.