Day Trips from Peach
Peach County's central location makes the rest of Georgia Highly accessible. In fact, the list of things to do within two hours of Peach County is lengthy. Here are just a few of the attractions, festivals, fairs and sporting events within easy driving distance of Peach County.
Museums, Gardens, Parks,
Other Nearby Attractions
Andersonville Prison and Cemetery - Andersonville
Abundantly rich in history, the site includes 13,669 graves in the Andersonville National Cemetery, Prisoner of War Memorials, a partial reconstruction of the prison stockade of the Confederate "Camp Sumter" and a Civil War Museum. Also, be sure to visit the Civil War Village of Andersonville, Pioneer Farm and Drummer Boy Museum.
Atlanta Botanical Gardens - Atlanta
The Atlanta Botanical Garden, a 30 acre garden in Piedmont Park in Midtown Atlanta, contains several different landscapes to display a variety of plants including formal gardens, such as the Japanese garden, the herb garden, and the rose garden. Two woodland areas, the 5 acre Upper Woodland and the 10-acre Storza Woods feature large trees and shade-loving flowers and undergrowth. The Children's Garden features whimsical sculptures, fountains, and interpretive exhibits on botany, ecology, and nutrition. The 16,000 square foot Dorothy Chapman Fuqua Conservatory contains indoor exhibits of plants from tropical rainforests and deserts. The rainforest room of the Fuqa Conservatory is also populated by tropical birds, turtles, and an exhibit of poison dart frogs, which are part of a collaborative effort between the Atlanta Botanical Garden and Zoo Atlanta. Adjoining this building, the Fuqua Orchid Center contains separate rooms simulating the tropics and high elevations in order to house rare orchids from around the world.
Atlanta Cyclorama and Civil War Museum - Atlanta
Nowhere can the true drama of the Civil War battle of Atlanta be more appreciated than at the Cyclorama. The thrilling Cyclorama allows visitors to step back to July 22, 1864 and experience the Battle of Atlanta. The heroism of soldiers fighting bravely for causes they believed in is brilliantly portrayed as the painting, foreground figures, music and narrative combine to astonish the visitor. The Atlanta Cyclorama has been on display in Atlanta since 1893. It is the longest running show in the United States.
CNN Studio Tour - Atlanta
Experience World News Live on the CNN Studio Tour. Immerse yourself in CNN on a guided tour offering a dramatic look at the history of the CNN News Group networks, their coverage of events that shape our world and the state-of-the-art studios responsible for bringing the news to more than one billion people around the globe.
Fernbank Museum of Natural History - Atlanta
The Fernbank Museum of Natural History offers many public programs meant to entertain as well as educate, promote an understanding of science and technology, and communicate to everyone the harmony and order of the natural world. Fernbank contains hundreds of exhibits, including dinosaur skeletons. In addition, Fernbank is home to a full-size IMAX theatre. The nearby Fernbank Science Center, operated by the DeKalb County Board of Education, hosts additional exhibits and educational activities, as well as a planatarium, telescope, and 65-acre natural forest.
Fort Benjamin Hawkins - Macon
Fort Hawkins is a three-story museum (located in the reconstructed blockhouse), filled with information on the fort, Benjamin Hawkins, the Creek Indians and period artifacts. It is maintained by the city of Macon and located in the appropriately named "Fort Hill" section of Macon, near the Ocmulgee Indian Mounds. The Lower Creek Trading Path, which is now known as Emery Highway, ran directly in front of the fort.
Georgia Aquarium - Atlanta
A lot goes on at the Georgia Aquarium, the worlds largest and most engaging aquarium experience and one of the top attractions in Atlanta. The Georgia Aquarium features more than 8 million US gallons of marine and fresh water, 1.5 million pounds of instant salt, 328 tons of acrylic windows, 290 plumbing fixtures, 200 floor drains, 53 roof tops, 61 miles of wires and pipes, 100,000 yards of concrete, and more than 100,000 animals of 500 different species. The aquarium's notable specimens include young whale sharks and beluga whales. Funded mostly by a $250 million donation from Home Depot founder Bernie Marcus, the aquarium was built on a 20 acre site north of Centennial Olympic Park in downtown Atlanta. Marcus credited his 60th birthday dinner at the Monterey Bay Aquarium in 1990 as among the inspirations behind his desire to build an aquarium in Atlanta.
Georgia Capitol Tours - Atlanta
The Georgia State Capitol is the working center of Georgias state government. Listed on the National Park Service's National Register of Historic Places it was constructed between 1884 and 1889> This monumental neoclassical structure with its gilded dome is the perfect expression and symbol for the capitol of the New South as Atlanta considered itself to be after the Reconstruction. Along with many state capitols, its design and form follow architectural precedents established by the United States Capitol. The Georgia State Capitol is open to the public 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and is closed on weekends and holidays. Guided tours are available Monday through Friday at 10 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m., and 2 p.m. The Georgia General Assembly is in session beginning the second Monday in January and continues for 40 working days.
Georgia Music Hall of Fame - Macon
When it comes to music, few states can lay claim to the number of influential acts that Georgia has produced. Opened in 1996, the Georgia Music Hall of Fame has since inducted such music greats as Ray Charles, Little Richard, Otis Redding, the Allman Brothers Band, James Brown, Lena Horne, Gladys Knight, Johnny Mercer, Ronnie Milsap, Curtis Mayfield, Issac Hayes and Chet Atkins. The tradition of music continues with more current acts like R.E.M. and the B-52s, two bands who introduced the genre "alternative" to the music industry. The 12,000-foot exhibit hall includes a virtual Tune Town, re-creating a Georgia village at twilight, with such exhibits as a Gospel Chapel, a Soda Fountain, and the Skillet Licker Cafe. Music, photos, instruments, and memorabilia can be found at every turn, including the shoes that Otis Redding was wearing the day he died in a plane crash, as well as a classic James Brown costume. A delightful children's wing, the Billy Watson Music Factory, opened in late 1999, with interactive drums, keyboards, and the like.
Georgia Sports Hall of Fame - Macon
The Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in Macon is the largest state sports hall of fame in America at 43,000 square-feet. The Hall of Fame houses more than 14,000 square feet of exhibit space broken down into sections including Hall of Fame Inductees, High School, Collegiate Sports, Olympic, Paralympic, Professional Sports, and Great Moments in Georgia Sports History areas. Interactive exhibits in the museum include NASCAR simulators, basketball and football games, and computer programs. The Hall of Fame is owned by the state of Georgia and operated by the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame Authority. It is governed by an 18 member Authority appointed by the Governor, Lt. Governor, and Speaker of the House of Representatives of the State of Georgia.
Jimmy Carter National Historic Site - Plains
Plains High School serves as the park museum/visitor center. Visitors find a restored and furnished classroom, principal's office and auditorium. Other rooms feature exhibits that explain the Carters' lives in Plains, including political and business careers, education, family, religion and post presidency. There is a 25 minute video that focuses on the life and accomplishments of Jimmy Carter told by those who know him best, his friends, neighbors and family. The Plains Train Depot contains a self-guided museum with exhibits focusing on the 1976 Presidential Campaign. The building was opened in 1976 as Jimmy Carter's Presidential Campaign Headquarters and during that time approximately 10,000 people a day came to Plains to find out about candidate Carter. The Boyhood Farm was owned by Earl Carter, Jimmy's father, from 1928 until the late 1940s. Jimmy Carter lived here from the age of four until he departed for college. The farm is restored to its appearance before electricity was installed in 1938.
Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site - Atlanta
Martin Luther King Jr.'s birth home, church, and grave site comprise this National Historic Site and Preservation District along with the previously National Register-listed Martin Luther King Jr., Historic District and the historic black commercial area, the Sweet Auburn Historic District. All of these properties are important in understanding both the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and the civil rights movement.
Museum of Arts and Sciences - Macon
A visit to the Museum of Arts and Sciences is like a trip around the world! Where else can you see works of fine art, observe animals that live in tropical forests, study the culture of different civilizations, and even explore the wonders of outer space, all at one location? As Georgias largest museum to feature to arts, sciences, and humanities in one facility, the Museum seeks to engage visitors, evoke wonder, stimulate curiosity, and open minds to new worlds of discovery.
Museum Of Aviation - Warner Robins
Visit the fastest growing military aviation museum in the Southeast. Situated on a beautiful 43 acre site, there are more than 85 historical aircraft in its collection. Exhibits of aviation memorabilia date from World War I through modern times. Included among the displays are an original Norden bombsight, the "secret weapon of WW2": Rosie the Riveter; the WW1 and WW2 ace Gen. Frank "Monk" Hunter collection; Georgia's Black Eagles; German Luftwaffe items and the General Robert L. Scott (author of "God is My Co-Pilot") collection. Don't miss the newly retired SR-71 "Blackbird" spy plane. A snack bar, I-MAX Aviation Theater and Aviation Gift Shop are also featured in this 100,000 square foot museum. There is no admission fee to the museum.
Ocmulgee National Monument- Macon
Ocmulgee National Monument is a memorial to the relationship of people and natural resources in this corner of North America. We preserve a continuous record of human life in the Southeast from the earliest times to the present. From Ice Age hunters to the Creek Indians of historic times, there is evidence here of more than 12,000 years of human habitation. A diversity of natural and cultural resources combines to provide an abundance of reasons to visit. Ocmulgee National Monument commemorates no great hero or single dramatic event. Instead, it is a tribute to untold numbers of people who interacted with their environment, and with each other, over a vast span of time at a place now known as the Ocmulgee Old Fields.
Six Flags Over Georgia - Austell
Six Flags Over Georgia is a 230-acre theme park located west of Atlanta, in Austell. Opened in 1967, it is the second park in the Six Flags chain, after the original opening in 1961 in Texas. Six Flags Over Georgia and its two sister parks, Six Flags Over Texas and Six Flags St. Louis, are the only three parks in the Six Flags Theme Parks chain to have been founded by Angus G. Wynne, and thus they are the only parks to have used the "Six Flags" name since their original grand openings. As with the other Six Flags parks, Six Flags Over Georgia hosts characters from the Warner Bros. animation library, notably the Looney Tunes characters and Justice League from DC comics. Like its sister park in Texas and others, the initial design and theming of Six Flags Over Georgia was inspired by six different flags that have flown over the state (or, perhaps more accurately, the lands that are now part of it) during its history. The six flags in question are those of Spain, France, Great Britain, the United States of America, the Confederate States of America and the state of Georgia. It can be argued that France's involvement in Georgia's history was very limited, at best; it can be further argued that Georgia was never a sovereign nation, as Texas once was. However, with some poetic license, the intent of the name can be considered valid. Over the years most of the original historical themes have been dropped in favor of cartoon and superhero themes.
Stone Mountain Park - Stone Mountain
Stone Mountain is a granite dome located in Stone Mountain, a suburb of Atlanta. It is the world's largest exposed piece of granite, and the third-largest monolith in the world, behind only Mount Augustus in Australia and Pee Bernal in Mexico. At its summit, the elevation is 1,683 feet and 825 feet above the surrounding plateau. Stone Mountain Park, which surrounds the Confederate memorial, is owned by the state of Georgia and managed by the Stone Mountain Memorial Association, a Georgia state authority. Stone Mountain Memorial Association has entered into a long-term public/private partnership with Silver Dollar City, Inc., a private corporation, to manage all commercial operations in the Park -- lodging, attractions, retail and special events. SMMA supervises the lease with Silver Dollar City and retains the right to review and approve any proposed new development to ensure that it is consistent with the Park's goals.
The Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum - Atlanta
The Library consists of an archives and a museum and is approximately 69,750 square feet in size. This includes 15,269 square feet of exhibit space and 19,818 square feet of collection storage space. It is not a library in the usual sense but is a research facility and a museum. The archives is a repository of approximately 27 million pages of Jimmy Carter's White House material, papers of administration associates, including documents, memoranda, correspondence, etc. There are also one half million photographs, and hundreds of hours film, audio and video tape. President Carter's Nobel Peace Prize is on display.
World of Coca Cola Pavilion - Atlanta
The NEW World of CocaCola is located at Pemberton Place, a 20-acre complex located across Baker Street from Centennial Olympic Park. The NEW World of CocaCola shares Pemberton Place with the Georgia Aquarium and is situated on the corner of Baker St. and Centennial Olympic Park Drive. Approximately twice the size of the current World of CocaCola, the facility will feature more than 1,200 artifacts from around the world that have never been displayed to the public before. In fact, only about 50 artifacts from the current World of CocaCola will be showcased at the NEW World of CocaCola. You can also expect to see great new interactive exhibits such as a thrilling 4D movie experience and a gallery dedicated to Coke and pop culture. And of course, a World of CocaCola favorite - the tasting experience, will provide visitors with a refreshing opportunity to sample more than 70 different products from around the world. All this plus much more make the NEW World of CocaCola a unique and must-see Atlanta experience!
Zoo Atlanta
The 40 acre zoo, founded in 1889, is located in Atlanta's Grant Park and attracts around one million visitors a year. The Zoo features almost 1,000 animals representing 250 species from around the world.
Among the Zoo's most notable holdings are three giant pandas, Lun Lun, Yang Yang, and Mei Lan, on loan from China's Chengdu Zoo until 2009. Lun Lun had been the focus of a captive-breeding program for seven years before finally giving birth to Mei Lan on September 6, 2006. The $4.5 million Ford African Rain Forest habitat is home to 24 western lowland gorillas, one of the two largest collections of the species in North America. The Zoo was also home to the popular Willie B., a gorilla named for former Mayor of Atlanta William B. Hartsfield (as was the Hartsfield International Airport). Recently, one of Willie. B.'s former mates gave birth to twins, a very rare occurrence among gorillas in general, and extremely rare in captive ones.
Festivals and Fairs
Cherry Blossom Festival - Macon
For ten days each March, festival-lovers are treated to one of the most extravagant displays of springtime beauty and hundreds of unparalleled events and attraction as Macon celebrates the magnificent beauty of 300,000 flowering Yoshino cherry trees in the "Cherry Blossom Capital of the World." During the International Cherry Blossom Festival, delight in the splendor of hot-air balloons, breath-taking air shows, a heart-pounding marathon, colorful parades, historic tours, an unforgettable bengal tiger show, dazzling fireworks displays, and amusement rides that thrill all ages. Nightly concerts feature top national and regional recording artists from every musical genre, and military bands. From stylish fashion shows and gala balls to dancing in the streets of Macon at the street party, the Cherry Blossom Festival features fun and adventure!
Mossy Creek Barnyard Festival - Perry
The semi-annual Mossy Creek Barnyard Festival was named one of the Top 20 Events in the Southeast, and also one of the Top 100 Events in North America. Come and see nationally-acclaimed artists, craftsmen & entertainers. This is where you will see "the way things used to be." The arts and crafts festival is staged on the third weekend in April (moved for Easter) and the third weekend in October of each year. It is located six miles East of Interstate 75, in deep piney woods near Perry and Warner Robins.
Georgia National Fair - Perry
The state-sponsored Georgia National Fair in Perry is Georgia's celebration of its youth, agriculture, and heritage. The fair has been designated at 'Top 50 Fair in North America" by Amusement Business magazine. Fairgoers will be treated to one of the state's best family-oriented, entertainment values showcasing education and fun. A record 431,499 fairgoers attended the 17th annual Georgia National Fair in 2005. in Perry, October 5-15. Since 1990, the Georgia National Fair has won 63 awards from the International Association of Fairs and Expositions for its agricultural events, competitive exhibits, and communications programs. The Georgia National Fair has been designated a Southeast Tourism Society "Top 20 Event for October" 10 times. The Fair has received one "Special Events Directory and Events Business News Top 200 Event" award. In 2002, the Fair was designated one of Southern Living magazines "Our Best 202 Things About the South First-Prize Fair."
Major League Sports
Atlanta Falcons Football (NFL)
Atlanta Braves Baseball
(MLB)
Atlanta Hawks Basketball (NBA)
Atlanta Thrashers Hockey (NHL)
