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Attractions, Historic Sites, Victorian Village... A Southern Surprise!
ore than a century ago, Thomasville was celebrated as one of the most fashionable places in the world to visit. During the Victorian era, many wealthy northern socialites and pleasure seekers traveled by rail to enjoy Thomasville as their grand winter resort. Attracted to the genteel life of south Georgia, many made Thomasville their winter home and built "grand winter cottages". Although this era quickly faded in the early 1900s, more than fifty of these grand historic homes still grace Thomasville's streets. Visit Thomasville and take a step back in time to this enchanting Victorian era.		Rave reviews for more than a century! Photographer: Hansell Watts, Photo provided by: Thomas County Historical Society   "The best winter resort in three continents." -- Harper's Magazine, 1887 "World travelers proclaim there's no other place on earth quite like Thomasville." -- Tampa Tribune, 1991

Located in the red hills of southwest Georgia, Thomasville was established in the 1820s with the introduction of cotton plantations. Today, 71 of these plantations, encompassing 300,000 acres, still exist. Thomasville later emerged as a prosperous Victorian-era resort town and winter haven for wealthy northerners, many of whom built showy winter "cottages" that now function as elegant bed and breakfasts, museums, and private homes. Today's visitors find Thomasville is home to majestic oaks and world-class rose gardens (there are more than 100 gardens located throughout town), numerous Victorian-era historic sites, affordable, friendly lodging, charming restaurants, and southern hospitality.

History is foremost in Thomasville, and groups have multiple options to experience this firsthand. Local step-on guides are available for tour groups, and provide informative commentary about Thomasville's Victorian-era architecture and the area's African-American heritage. Also available are tours of the two plantations that are open to the public, Melhana, The Grand Plantation, and Pebble Hill Plantation. Some fine examples of "grand winter cottages" available for touring are the Hardy Bryan House and the Lapham Patterson House. And don't miss the informative tour provided by the Thomas County Museum of History.

The National Main Street Center, a National Trust for Historic Preservation program, honored Thomasville with a 1998 Great American Main Street Award. Thomasville was considered one of the first cities in Georgia to recognize the importance of historic preservation. To date the Thomasville Main Street program has restored more than 100 buildings.

Thomasville's Victorian downtown district offers a plethora of distinctive shops and antiquing opportunities--all within a two-block radius along brick-paved, tree-lined streets. And whether you come in the spring for the Rose Festival or the fall for the Plantation Wildlife Arts Festival or Victorian Christmas, you will most certainly discover why Thomasville is "Worth the Trip."

 

Thomasville Attractions

Melhana, the Grand Plantation

Just four miles south of Thomasville on US Hwy 319, moss-laden oaks and fragrant magnolias line the entrance to historic Melhana, the Grand Plantation. Over forty landscaped acres provide the backdrop for dozens of historic buildings, including a private theater, the Showboat, where "Gone with the Wind" was first screened in 1939. Melhana Sporting adventures include hunting, fishing, shooting and world class entertainment. Special events at Melhana include weddings, receptions, meetings and private parties from four to three hundred. Melhana is a full service luxury property featuring thirty-eight elegant suites and cottages, along with a fine dining restaurant featuring regional southern cuisine (reservations and jackets for gentlemen requested). 301 Showboat Lane. For more Information, Contact (229) 226-2290 or (888) 920-3030   Web Site
 

Historic Walking & Driving Tour

View more than 50 homes and buildings on a historic self-guided walking or driving tour of Thomasville. Available for purchase at the Thomasville Welcome Center, 135 North Broad St., Thomasville, GA 31792. Hours of operation: Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., and Saturday, 9 a.m.- 4 p.m. Charge: $3. 135 North Broad St. For more Information, Contact 229-227-7099   E Mail
 

Thomasville Rose Garden

Located near Cherokee Lake at the corner of Smith Avenue and Covington Drive, the city rose garden provides a setting to enjoy more than 500 individual rose bushes. Hours of Operation: Open daily, best viewed during daylight hours. Admission: Free to the public. For more Information, Contact 229-227-7099   E Mail
 

Thomasville Cultural Center

Relax and enjoy a leisurely tour of this historic arts center. The three-story brick building was constructed as the Eastside Elementary School in 1915 and renovated and reopened as the Cultural Center in 1986. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The galleries house exhibits by local and regional artists as well as nationally toured art exhibits. There is also an impressive permanent gallery you are welcome to tour on your own or you may schedule a guided tour. Visual and performing arts classes are offered year-round. Theatrical and musical productions are performed in the Center's newly renovated auditorium. Hours of Operation: The galleries are open Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., and Saturday-Sunday, 1-5 p.m. Offices are open Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Free to the public. 600 East Washington St. For more Information, Contact (229) 226-0588   Web Site
 

Country Oaks Golf Course

You can enjoy this par 71 golf course with 6,200 yard of tight fairways and Bermuda greens in a beautiful wooded setting. The course is accented by three lakes and surrounded by beautiful wooded areas of wild azaleas, dogwoods, pines, oaks and magnolias. Small undulating greens. Hours of Operation: Monday-Friday, 7:30 a.m. until dusk, Saturday-Sunday, open at 8 a.m. Admission Charge: Daily green fees - $13, Weekends daily green fee - $17; Cart fee (per person); 18 holes - $11; Cart fee (per person); 9 holes - $5.75. Located four miles from town on Ga. Hwy. 122 (Pavo Rd.) For more Information, Contact 229-225-4333
 

Thomasville Black Heritage Trail Tour

This self-guided tour will introduce you to historical sites significant to Thomasville’s African-American history, complete with pictures and an easy-to-follow map. You will see the grave site of Lt. Henry Ossian Flipper, a slave born in Thomasville, who was the first African-American to graduate from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1877. Hours of Operation: Monday-Friday, 8a.m.-5p.m., and Saturday 9a.m.-4p.m. Admission Charge: $1 Booklets available at the Welcome Center, 135 N. Broad St. For more Information, Contact 229-228-6983   Web Site   E Mail
 

Thomasville Genealogical History and Fine Arts Library

This library is a major repository of materials for family research in the Southeast and the Mid-Atlantic states. Library resources include family histories, marriage and death records, state and county histories, census records and indexes covering the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast regions. The Hopkins and Singletary collections are housed here. Hours of Operation: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Free to the public, 135 North Broad Street. For more Information, Contact (229) 226-9640   Web Site   E Mail
 

All Saints Episcopal Church

Visit the oldest standing church in Thomasville. Moved by Landmarks, Inc. to prevent demolition, it was originally built as a Catholic church. Jacqueline Kennedy attended Mass here following President John F. Kennedy's assassination. Lovingly restored and enlarged in 1981-82, the parish adheres to the traditional liturgies prescribed by the angelican communion. The organ (II Ranks) was designed and built by the A.E. Schlueter Company in 1999. The memorial garden and columbarium, one of the most handsome of its kind, was consecrated by the Bishop of Georgia in October 2000. Hours of Operation: Tuesday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission Charge: Free to the public, but please remember this is a house of worship while enjoying your tour. Worship Services: Sunday at 10:30 a.m. and 6 p.m., Tuesday at 10 a.m. 443 Hansell St. For more Information, Contact 229-228-9242
 

Lapham-Patterson House

This home is a monument to the imagination, creative engineering and craftsmanship of the Victorian Era. Built in 1885 as a winter cottage for prosperous shoe merchant Charles Lapham of Chicago, the house includes fish-scale shingles, oriental style porch, and a remarkable double-flue chimney with a walk through staircase and cantilevered balcony. Hours of Operation: Tuesday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Sunday 2-5:30 p.m. Tours begin on the hour and last 45 minutes. Closed on Monday (except legal holidays but closed Tuesday after being open on a Monday for a legal holiday), Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day. Admission Charge: Adults, $4, Children (6-18) $2, Seniors (65 +), $3.50. 626 N. Dawson St. For more Information, Contact 229-225-4004
 

Birdsong Nature Center

Located 15 miles south of Thomasville, 565 acres of lush fields, forests, and swamp provide a pristine haven for birds and other native wildlife. There are 10 miles of trails, Butterfly Garden, Bluebird Trail, and original Bird Window. Open to the public. Nature programs offered year-round. Hours of Operation: Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, 9 am-5 pm, and Sunday, 1 pm-5 pm. Admission: $5 nonmember adults, $2.50 children (4-12). 2106 Meridian Rd. For more Information, Contact 229-377-4408   Web Site   E Mail
 

Pebble Hill Plantation

Pebble Hill is located just five miles south of Thomasville on US Hwy 319. Prepare to be amazed and captivated while touring Pebble Hill Plantation, the South's premier plantation-the only one of its kind open to the public. Pebble Hill covers more than 3,000 acres and the stately main house has more than 40 rooms. Hours of Operation: Tuesday-Saturday, 10 am-5 pm, and Sunday 1 pm-5 pm. Last tour begins at 4 pm. Tour length: 2 hours. Closed Monday, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, New Year's Day and the month of September. Admission: Grounds, Adults $3 and Children $1.50. Main house, Adults $7 and Children (6-12) $3.50. Children under 6 not admitted to the main house. For more Information, Contact 229-226-2344   Web Site
 

The Hardy Bryan House

Considered the oldest two-story house in Thomasville, this home was built in two stages, in 1833 and 1837. In 1980, it was fully restored and furnished and is now used as the Thomasville Landmarks, Inc. headquarters and house museum. Hours of Operation: Friday only 2-4 p.m. Admission: $2 per person. 312 North Broad St For more Information, Contact 229-226-6016
 

The Big Oak

Located on the corner of Crawford Street and East Monroe Street, Thomasville's mighty and majestic 322-year-old oak tree stands as one of the show spots of the city and one of the marvels of benevolent nature. This Quercus Virginiana is wider than the Niagra Falls is deep and is the largest live oak tree east of the Mississippi. It was enrolled as a member of the National Live Oak Society in 1936. Free to the public. For more Information, Contact 229-227-7099  
 

Farmer's Market

Come enjoy a unique shopping experience for fresh, in-season fruits and vegetables. Homemade jams, jellies, relishes and pickles are also here and sure to please! Local cookbooks, handmade white oak baskets and select souvenirs also available. Georgia's only auction market! Auctions held May through November. Hours of operation: Monday-Saturday, 7 a.m.-2 p.m. Free to the public. 502 Smith Ave(U.S. Hwy. 84).
 

Thomas County Museum of History

Step into the past at the Museum of History. Learn why wealthy Northerners flocked to Thomasville in the 1880s creating the great Winter Resort Era, which lasted nearly 30 years. Also learn how Thomas County's antebellum cotton plantations were transformed into magnificent quail-hunting retreats. Exhibits include memorabilia from the grand resort hotels; ladies' costumes from the 1820s to the 1940s; military relics from the Civil War through World War II; antique vehicles. Hours of Operation: Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-noon and 2-5 p.m. Last tour at 3:30 p.m. Closed last week in September, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve & Christmas Day, New Year's Day. Admission Charge: Adults - $5, Children under 18 - $1. Call for information on group rates and step-on guide service. 725 North Dawson Street For more Information, Contact 229) 226-7664   Web Site   E Mail
 

Myrtlewood Hunting Plantation

Myrtlewood is located a few miles outside of Thomasville on Lower Cairo Road/Campbell Street. We offer fishing, quail and white-tail deer hunting. A compact sporting clay course is available for lodge guests or large groups. Private lodges are available for meetings, reunions, weddings, rehearsal dinners, receptions and overnight accommodations. Hours of business: Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Please call for more information. P.O. Box 2627 For more Information, Contact 229) 228-6232.  
 

Contact
Destination Thomasville Tourism Authority
PO Box 1540 Thomasville, GA 31799
Web Site   229-227-7099   E Mail

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Southwest Georgia Tourism Association
225 West Broad Ave.     Albany, Georgia 31701-9901