Valdosta Mall, Valdosta, GA

An extant asset

Valdosta in southern Georgia is really nothing more than a quick stopover between the larger cities of the southeast and the sunny holiday destinations of Florida. In fact, we were on one of these runs when we decided to take a somewhat spontaneous diversion. But we weren't just there to eat and get gas, oh no. We were also planning on spending a couple of days at the nearby Wild Adventures Amusement Park, a respectable collection of thrill rides and water slides that made its debut on the big screen playing the role of Pacific Playland in the living dead comedy, Zombieland. While this attraction is probably the main reason that most people who aren't just hopelessly lost make more than a fleeting stop in the town, I suppose another would be Valdosta Mall.

 
Valdosta Mall Mallmanac, ca. 2007. View the full PDF version here.

Valdosta Mall opened in 1983 and is now home to anchors Belk, JCPenney and Sears, though I'm not sure if all of these were there from the mall's opening. In the early 2000s, the center was taken into the Colonial Properties Trust portfolio and they, as they did with most of their properties, changed its name to Colonial Mall, [The-name-of-the-town-where-it's-located]. In 2006, an outdoor element was added to the structure's forward face, bringing Ross, Office Depot and Old Navy, among others, into the lineup. In 2007, Colonial divested this and other properties, and the name was reverted to Valdosta Mall.

Valdosta Mall as of this writing.

We were too busy riding mediocre roller coasters and eating overpriced cotton candy during that 2007 trip for us to ever actually pay the Valdosta Mall a visit, but I don't reckon that we missed much. But at least I was able to get my hands on a mallmanac at the Georgia welcome center just north of the state line.

Valdosta Mall's official website