~ The Goat Man of John Tanner State Park ~

Our first day as volunteers at John Tanner State Park near Carrollton, Ga., we met the Goat Man. He lives just outside the park and every weekend he brings his two goats (Princess, 17 months and Lil' Mike, 18 months) for a walk through the park and campground. He said he just does it so the kids can see and pet the goats. He told us all about how he gives them baths, grooms them and takes them for rides in his truck. They were very tame and friendly. Princess has tennis balls on her horns because hers are a little sharper than Lil' Mike's and the goat man doesn't want any children to get scratched. Apparently he treats them just like he would treat two dogs.....just part of the family.

The Goat Man with Princess and Lil' Mike

Princess

Lil' Mike

Walking the goats

John Tanner State Park is a beautiful park in northwest Georgia. It is just off Interstate 20, west of Atlanta, and only about 20 miles from the Alabama state line. The city of Carrollton is just 5 minutes away and is home to West Georgia College. There are plenty of shops, restaurants, theatres and golfing in Carrollton.

The park itself is best known for having the largest sand swimming beach of any Georgia State Park. There are two lakes for water lovers to boat, fish, swim and rent pedal boats. There are also hiking trails, volleyball on the beach, miniature golf, horseshoes, playgrounds, and picnicking. To stay overnight or longer there is a full facility campground and even six motel-type units located near the beach with fully equipped kitchens. Events are held monthly in the park such as March's Turkey hunting and safety classes and the Triathlon in April, consisting of a 600 meter swim, 11.2 mile bike ride and 3.1 mile run.

The area is especially beautiful in the late fall when the leaves are turning yellow, orange and red. Many of the county roads have gorgeous trees in full color in November. Also nearby is Pickett's Mill Battlefield State Historical Site, one of the best preserved Civil War battlefields in the nation.

We volunteered as Campground Hosts at Tanner for the month of November, 2008. As hosts, we would greet new arrivals in the campground after the office had closed for the day, take their payments and give receipts and answer any questions they might have. We also sold firewood and ice, after hours, for the rangers. During the day, we would ride through the park in the volunteer's golf cart and pick up any trash left behind. We'd also clean out the fire pits when campers left.

We enjoyed our experience at this park so much that we have already signed up for November and December of 2009 and 2010!