South Wallenda Tower
Karl Wallenda, founder of the famous Flying Wallendas, was hired to reignite Tallulah Falls tourism by “tightroping” his way across Tallulah Gorge.
Reverend James Turpin, pastor of Tallulah Falls United Methodist Church, gave the invocation for Wallenda before his walk. “We prayed him across, we just prayed him across,” Turpin later recalled later. Praying with him were 30,000 spectators, who paid $5 each for the privilege. Children were admitted for $2. The entry fee was waived for Georgia Governor Lester Maddox.
The huge crowd watched as Wallenda gingerly stepped along a 5/8-inch-thick steel cable, strung more than 1,000 feet across the Gorge. He interrupted his walk with two handstands. After 18 minutes, he hopped off the cable on the other side, where his wife handed him a congratulatory martini despite the fact that Rabun County officially was dry.
One of the towers embedded in a concrete platform that held the wire is still visible along the trail on the north side of Tallulah Gorge. And the suit Wallenda wore for his crossing is on display at the Tallulah Gorge Interpretive Center.
rabunhistory.org/articles/karl-wallendas-walk-across-tall...
TL;DR
Karl Wallenda tightroped across Tallulah Gorge. 30,000 people paid to watch. Wallenda did handstands mid-walk. He got a martini after.
Tallulah Gorge
Bear in a tree. Click to enlarge.
https://gastateparks.org/TallulahGorge
https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/geography-environment/tallulah-falls-and-gorge/