Musings: Naomi Harris’s Quirky Culture Swap

Fanny packs and visors, cameras and maps—these are the notoriously goofy trappings of tourism. But what does it look like when, rather than traveling to foreign lands, curious folks bring different cultures to their own soil? Photographer Naomi Harris stumbled on just that bizarre phenomenon. Spoiler alert: Lederhosen T-shirts and coonskin caps are up ahead.

In January of 2008, Harris was working on a story in the mountains of Georgia when some people suggested she visit a nearby town called Helen. They offered no explanation as to why, but as soon as she arrived the reason became obvious. “When I got there I discovered a quaint little village with buildings covered in gingerbread resembling Bavaria, yet the gift shops sold

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