Literally Great people. Awesome products! This is a must see! Local produce and educational!read more

I took a group of 25 seniors to the museum for a Daytrip recently. Sarah at the Visitor center was…read moremy contact and was waiting for us on arrival. Super tour guide Jeff was so informative and passionate and we all enjoyed getting a history lesson of Watkinsville. Definitely worth a trip!

A cool old historic museum. I'm glad it's still kept up and has beautiful grounds. I wanted to go…read morethrough but it's closed on Sunday. I'll edit this review when that day comes. You should check it out.

As a first timer, I was extremely nervous. Libby and Courtney gave me such great reassurance it…read moremade my first experience so much better than I ever could have imagined! Thank you Libby for all your patience! I can't wait to come back

A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO SUPPORT A SMALL BUSINESS AND THE LOCAL COMMUNITY!…read more Well, it is Saturday in Georgia and that can only mean one thing: Festival time! Today we headed over to the small town of Grayson to check out the Grayson Day Festival. This is an annual festival that occurs on the last Saturday in April. It is a great time for the community and visitors to come out and provide support to local businesses and for local businesses to educate the community regarding their services. We arrived very early this morning just before 9am and had time to make the rounds and check out the vendors prior to the start of the parade at 10am. Vendors included food, crafts, businesses, and churches. Although the music was pumping early when we arrived, I was disappointed to know that the performances would not start until 11:30. We were actually done an hour before this time and would have had to stand around for an hour and that just was not practical. I really love it when the entertainment begins earlier in the morning. By the time the parade ended at 10, we were ready to go as we had seen it all and it suddenly started to get warm. Attending festivals is the ultimate way to support small businesses. Listen up Yelpers! When you find a good festival vendor or happen to eat a good meal, shout it out! Get a name, take some photos and create a Yelp page to show support. It is a great way to help a small business get recognized and it is effortless. I actually met a vendor, (from Marietta), who made her own delicious English toffee. It was so good that I had to create a Yelp page and write a review. Well, her friend saw the review and told her about it so when I happened to just be strolling through an art show in Decatur, she recognized me and gave me a big hug. She was so appreciative and this was such a "feel good" moment that she made MY day. I later learned that she only does indoor shows and festivals. This is the only way for her to offer her chocolate because chocolate and heat spell disaster. Think about it and think about writing a review the next time you find a worthy vendor. *** Grayson won a live work play city award in 2017. This means that the city embodies well-rounded communities that benefit residents and businesses alike and that officials in these cities have demonstrated advanced problem-solving, exceptional management and teamwork to increase the overall quality of life for all residents. Congratulations Grayson!

When you tire of city living and need an escape, point your car toward the perimeter and start…read moredriving. Keep going until you see some good road kill. Squirrels don't count -- you see those in the city. I'm talking about possums, armadillos and porcupines. Chances are you'll bump into some kind of festival in a nearby small town. And that's how I discovered the Sunflower Farm Festival in Rutledge, GA over the 4th of July weekend. Barely 45 minutes away from my condo in downtown Atlanta, but a world apart, it's billed as a "Good Old Fashioned Family Fun Time In The Country!" And despite my lack of family, I did have fun. I arrived early enough on Sunday morning to catch some of the Sunday Morning Jubilee, featuring fine bluegrass gospel tunes by the Rocky Creek Band. I didn't feel so guilty about skipping church as the sweet sounds of "Just A Closer Walk With Thee" wafted through nature's own cathedral of tall pines. With barely 6,000 people in attendance over three days it's more relaxed and less crowded than the massive festivals held in the city. There's a real charm to the artists and crafters market, unlike the slick juried shows at big city festivals. I delighted in choosing between buying corn cob jelly or banana nut bread jam. The bird feeder I purchased, made from a vintage cup and saucer, will make a unique gift. Like any good festival, there are food vendors, including the requisite junk food purveyors selling funnel cakes, and get this, fried Oreos, Twinkies and Snickers. I did my cholesterol a favor and took a pass. Activities for kids included pony rides, a petting zoo and a hay ride. And instead of sand, the kids play box was filled with corn kernels. Isn't that cute? The signature event allows you to wander through 15 acres of sunflowers and cut as many as you can stuff into a bucket for $15. That's a lot of smiles and sunshine to carry home. The thing about small town festivals is that you hear about other festivals too, like the Cotton Gin Festival and the Christmas In The Country Weekend and even the Loachapoka Syrup Sopping Festival in Loachapoka, AL. If the Sunflower Farm Festival is any indication, I see more small-town festivals in my future.

BEST "COTTON PICKIN" FESTIVAL THIS YEAR!…read more Well, I was off to explore yet another festival this weekend and it was a blast! The Cotton Gin Festival was started back in the late 80's as a fundraiser to save the historic Agnes Hotel. It proved to be very successful and now occurs annually. The drive to the town of Bostwick was great because it is very scenic and quaint. We love the things that we saw on the way: baby goats playing in a front yard like they were little kittens, horses,cows and awesome cotton fields . I love cotton and I am just fascinated with touching raw cotton and borrowing samples from certain museums. My husband thinks it's like stealing a Van Gogh but I only grabbed a little to put in my pocket. However, I am happy to say that today I was actually able to PURCHASE my very own sample. Our favorite experience at the festival was touring the historic cotton mill. We were able to tour the mill and see that awesome gin at work. We actually saw the cotton vacuumed into the machine and transported throughout where it was cleaned, de-seeded, compressed and packaged for transport. It was the coolest thing ever!! Every single bale has a sample removed and sent to a government agency where it is inspected and evaluated. This tour was not just about seeing a cotton gin, it was a great opportunity to educate the public about the cotton industry. This festival is a great event for the entire family. Along with tours of the cotton mill, there was also an early morning race and a parade. The festival featured various vendors selling, clothing, jackets, jewelry, handmade soaps, wood crafts, winter accessories and more. I found a great hooded wool poncho that was handmade and super warm. It was sold by a Native American vendor who had great outerwear, bracelets, necklaces, hand puppets and more. Unfortunately he did not have a business card or the name of his business posted. This is not uncommon but it causes these small businesses to miss out on getting recognized with a Yelp review. I really like being able to "shine the light" on these small businesses so that they get the attention they deserve. In addition to vendors, there was a parade of various antique tractors and a few classics. It was incredible because there were so many tractors that it was just dizzying! Some of them were very rustic while others were beautifully restored. It was just great to see so many classic vehicles still loved and appreciated. Love it! Every festival has to have good food and great music and this one did not disappoint especially when it came to the music. I do not know the name of the band but they were so professional and so good that I would absolutely pay to hear them play again anywhere. They kept everyone thoroughly entertained. As we actually sat down to watch them, we noticed that we were sitting under a pecan tree. So we had fresh pecans to snack on while we jammed to the music. Perfect! For lunch we actually had some deliciously smoked ribs which is one of our favorite festival foods and a slice of buttermilk pie. In addition to all of the activities and businesses to interest adults, there was also a petting zoo and a huge play area for the kids. This festival absolutely had something for everyone and is highly recommended for all. ***Now to the issues that need to be addressed: During the festival, one should never run out of water and soap. This is just unacceptable. One should also never, ever run out of tees so early in the day, especially when it comes to the larger sizes. Additionally, tees should be designed to fully embrace the tractors and the cotton gin theme as in prior years and be available in complimentary colors. It is really not that difficult. I look forward to attending next year and having a great time! Just have my t-shirt ready please. PS If you are a vendor who sells clothing, outerwear or accessories, please consider bringing a mirror along so that customers can conveniently see themselves in the items they are wanting to purchase (instead of trying to rely on their phone). Thank you!

its the first weekend in nov. every year good food,music , tractors ,ex. very good festival to go…read moreto. see ya there

SOUTHLAND JUBILEE FESTIVAL…read more The Southland Jubilee Festival in the town of historic Greensboro is now in its nineteenth year. It features arts and craft vendors, entertainment, a classic car show and community service groups and businesses. It was a great way to spend a very comfortable Saturday morning. We arrived early and started with the classic cars. Gorgeous! Oh my gosh, those classics are incredible and it is always nice to speak with the owners and hear the story of their prized possession. Sometimes you go to a festival and you really can't see the town for the festival. However, this was not the case in Greensboro because many of their historic buildings were on full display and prominently featured. For example, the historic jail was open and available for touring while the former school auditorium is now their Festival Hall which held an art display and puppet show. That huge courthouse was at the center of it all because it was not easily missed and was prepared with tables so that we were able to sit, enjoy a cool breeze and great conversation with other attendees. When you visit the downtown shops you immediately notice the brick walls, wooden floors and other cool historic details. This festival had a cute little stage with straw bales for seating. We enjoyed sitting on the bales and watching the young dancers, Sole Momentum. They performed a Philippine folk dance using sticks and an American Folk dance featuring clogging and drumming. They created a very positive and contagious energy which totally engaged the audience. Although there were other performances, we did not see many because we were too busy exploring the town and other elements of the festival. When it came to the food, there were a variety of options from traditional fried options to barbecue options with sides. We decided to go "old school" so we targeted the non-descript tent with a simple white sign. As we looked around, we saw this huge group of people in matching tees, just chilling in chairs and listening to old school R and B while they monitored two huge smokers. This was the food I wanted to eat. I decided to go with the smoked wings because when eating out, I tend to just keep it simple and clean. These wings were delicious, perfectly smoked and seasoned. There were so good that I had to take an additional order to go. Yes! For our special treat, we decided on a large bag of kettlecorn. Although we love kettlecorn, we have not purchased it in a while because it suddenly became too salty for our taste. However, we found a vendor, Blueberry Gardens, who prepared a special bag just for us with no added salt. It was delicious and perfectly seasoned without the added salt. Winning! Thank you Greenboro for hosting such a lovely festival and making us feel so welcomed. We had a very nice time and look forward to seeing you again next year!

Great Dachshund Event for Little Paws Dachshund Rescue. 14 years. Family fun! 14 years and still…read moregoing!