u/GauntletVSLC

Took the family to Lake Winnie for the first time today. I had never been to this park, but had seen signs for it on previous trips down south. We had an absolutely fantastic time. We loved the charm of the lakefront. The historic carousel was a definite highlight. I found it very cool how the horses were in various stages of restoration. My daughter rode a beautifully painted purple horse, while I chose a crusty steed. “Crusty horses need love too.” I told her.

The Wacky Factory - An odd attraction. Far from the best “haunted attraction” I’ve been on, but it has some interesting features that make it unique. It felt like at one point there was a theme of odd vaguely spooky items. Now it feels like they shoved random Halloween decor in a couple places. I really liked how they used the fact the building is built over the lake. Open floors to glowing green lake water made for a memorable experience.

Boat Chute - A classic attraction from a different time. My 5 year old found the long dark tunnel creepy and was thrilled when we came back into the light. The splashdown was refreshing without soaking us, though I got some lake water in my mouth and I can’t recommend that.

Tour Train - Who doesn’t love a miniature railroad? Especially when it is a functional transportation ride that has a stop at the waterpark?

Wacky Worm - It’s a Wacky Worm, nothing really spectacular, but it will be special to us because it was my nearly 3 year old’s first roller coaster! She has loved looking at rides since she was a baby, but up to this point she has (understandably) always chickened out. She really found her courage this trip!

Cannon Ball - This was my biggest draw for the park. Wooden coasters are always a favorite for me, and as Wild One is SBNO I really wanted a classic out-and-back coaster fix. I got the non-wheel seat in the back car and enjoyed my ride. It was no Wild One, as the train crawled over some of the “airtime” hills. However, any wooden coaster I feel like I could ride for hours without needing immediate chiropractic care is a win.

Soak ‘ya Waterpark - 10/10 name. The water park really saved the day, as by noon we were melting in the Georgia sun and humidity. We spent a decent portion of our day in the lazy river, which was great. I had my first experience with a mat racer waterslide and why do they make anything else? Those were faster and more fun than 90% of waterslides I’ve ridden in my life.
Sadly their midsized splash pad wasn’t operating today.

And finally, the highlight of the trip: The Alpine Way skyride. Despite melting heat yards away leaving the waterpark, there was a nice breeze and enough shade from the ride to make the ride experience quite pleasant. The views were spectacular, and we enjoyed looking at the monster carp(?) below. Especially seeing them in comparison to the paddle boats.

Gift Shop - Great shirts, hoodies, and pins. We ended up with a pin, a couple postcards, a t-shirt with a retro style graphic and skyline, a 100th anniversary pin, a couple 3D printed animals that the girls picked out, and a bumper sticker. I also liked looking at some of the signs and vintage items they had displayed for their 100th anniversary last year.

Overall, we had a blast. Fun park, some unique experiences, and pleasant atmosphere.

Cons: For as hot as it was there were maybe two water fountains in the park, and the food stands said they couldn’t give us cups of water. So your options were basically heat stroke, or $3/bottle water/powerade. Souvenir Cups - $10, but refills are still $4.
New Ride for 2026 - the track is complete, but the entry area is mostly dirt with no signage yet. No sign of a train yet. I highly doubt this is opening in 2026.
Confusing Ride schedules - Several rides were just closed today, that happens. The weird thing was the number of rides that had weird opening times. Like the Wacky Worm said it was open 10-12 and 2-4, and the drop tower had the same sign. I never saw the drop ride open until around 3 and missed out on that one. Somehow we rode the Wacky Worm at 1:30. 😂

Definitely worth a visit, just because it’s different.

I found this album in a dumpster a few years ago. About a year after I found it I finally noticed a name on one of the pages - turns out it belonged to Major General William J Witte. I posted about it on r/wwiipics and somehow a family member saw the post! I’m on vacation this week and took the album with me, because on my way home Saturday I will be meeting with his grandson (who is named after William) to return the album to those who will appreciate it most! I’m super stoked about this! Apparently the album was with an uncle and when he passed his items were all thrown out without this family branch being aware.

It never came to my area, but I found it at Kroger in Farragut TN while on vacation!

Copper, aluminum, a good sized motor, and heavy steel scrap today.

One broken rivet and someone decided the chair was done. My kid will get at least one more year out of it!

Technically they weren’t in the dumpster, but they were headed there. We cleared out an attic before it was being insulated, and the owner wanted nothing that was up there. I saved four pairs of old jeans and two shirts. Unfortunately all the sweaters were eaten by bugs or ruined by nesting rodents.

Transcription (keeping spelling and grammar as close as possible to the original.)

“In memory of Margaret Annetta Payne.

The world that you made for us was a beautiful one. In this world you gave us more than a home, love, happiness, and responsibility you gave us a mother and a father. There were times when things got to the point were it seemed that you couldn’t go on, but the love that you had to give, gave you the courage and the strength to carry on. You taught that everything is possible.
Moma you would say the Lord wount put no more on you than you can bare. There aren’t enough words to say or express the love you gave us or the many nights you sat awake careing for us where we couldn’t turn to no one else. We all have mother’s and father’s but they’ll never be the parents you were to us. As you climb the stairway to heaven, our hearts, love and memories go with you. Rest on in you world of peace because within us your always livin. Margaret Annetta Payne the love you gave us and your friend will live within their hearts as well as ours.

The Children
Larry(?)
Douglas
Shelia
Peter
And the Nichols Family

It was pretty much the only thing in there so far, but I’ll check again next time I pass. 😂