This marker stands in front of a building that today operates as one of the Upson County…read morecourthouses. But for over 100 years, this building had a different, educational, purpose. The marker reads, "Education in Upson County grew from small private schools in 1824 to a public school that was chartered R. E. lee Institute in 1882. Graduates distinguished themselves by becoming doctors, lawyers, Senators, State Representatives, athletes, famous soldiers and one an Assistant Attorney General of the United States. There were literary figures, who claimed national fame, and a few were presented at the White House; some on national news, in the motion picture business, and others became authors of several books. Football reigned as king of sports winning one state championship, two state runners-up and 12 regional championships. Baseball produced two national league players while basketball provided the school with the Jaycee Invitational and one state championship. Lee's ROTC Rifle Team won eighteen state and eleven national championships. After integration in 1970 and consolidation in 1973, Lee closed its doors in 1992. Three of the nine buildings became the Thomaston-Upton Government Complex in 1998. The remaining buildings are currently serving in community capacities." Interesting phrasing at the end. It almost seems like the author is suggesting that it was integration that led to the doors closing. Or maybe that's just my Yankee interpretation. Regardless, the building is impressive and it's nice that it's being used purposefully today. [Review 16697 overall - 471 in Georgia - 209 of 2022.]

What a great historical site. This is a diamond in the rough. A hidden Gem of a site…read more This site is north of Macon, Georgia by about 15 miles. It is off of the Jarrell Plantation road. Once you turn off the road, it is a very short drive to the visitor's center. There is a small parking lot (about 10 cars). The center is a very nice building with a counter manned by a ranger, a small movie about the site, and a gift shop. You enter and pay at the counter and then go on the self-guided tour around the site. The tri-fold brochure was very well done and describes the various parts of the site. There are signs at each of the various locations to describe the buildings and activities nearby. The site has houses from different eras. You can actually walk through them. There are engine house, blacksmith shop, evaporator house, wheat house, and more. There are paths to go around the site but some of them are steep so be careful. The entire sight was extremely informative and had a lot for any student interested in history. The staff was extremely friendly and helpful. I highly recommend this site to anyone interested in the history of the area. Enjoy.

Neat little place for a day trip. A lot of history. You self tour these grounds so you can take…read moreyour time and take pictures. Not a huge place, but it does give you a view of what plantation living was like.

There aren't many covered bridges left, destroyed during the Civil War, carried away by the rivers…read morethey cross, or perhaps just collapsed due to age over the years. Red Oak Creek is the oldest and longest remaining covered bridge in Georgia so it must be visited while it is still standing (and I hope it does so for many years to come!). The adjacent marker points out that the bridge was built in the 1840s by a freed slave, Horace King (1807-1885). This is his only surviving bridge of this design. The marker points out that it is a Town lattice that consists of planks crisscrossing at 45 to 60 degree angles fastened with wooden pegs. Viewing the construction from inside the bridge, it is no wonder that it is still standing - it would take quite some effort to take it down. The bridge was open to vehicular traffic when I visited in 2022. There are some steel frames on the approach to ensure that oversize vehicles can not get to the bridge and possibly damage it. If you're visiting in an RV or large van, you'll need to park there and walk down. Including the approaches - there is some low water on the east side that also needed to be bridged - it is 391 feet long. It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1973. There is a parking area with some trash cans on the western side of the bridge. Signage out by the highway points the way to the bridge. [Review 16696 overall - 470 in Georgia - 208 of 2022.]

Very cool bridge made in the 1800s It was put together with…read morewood pegs. A few years back there was flooding from a massive storm, there is a steel plate about 6 feet up on the inside of the bridge just to the right when you inter the bridge, it shows the height of the water table that engulfed the bridge. It's amazing that this bridge survive that. Enjoy the pics.

Okay--what I want to know is why there are only four reviews, including this one? Come on,…read moreYelpers--you've reviewed gas stations, car rentals and dry cleaners in Macon. What's up? A gas pump more interesting than this gem of a museum? Get with it, folks!!! Ah, that felt good! Our senior's group from Kerrville, TX was on its way home and the Cannonball House was our only stop of the day. The majority of us were appreciative of all things Southern, so this was a special treat. The house's name is derived from a Union cannonball that crashed into the house during the Battle of Dunlap Hill on July 30, 1864. The Cannonball House was owned by Judge Asa Holt during the Civil War and is now owned by the Sidney Lanier Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy who saved if from demolition by the City of Macon. Thanks to these ladies, you're able to visit a Greek Revival mansion and not a parking lot! The House also hosts Father/Daughter Dances and Mother/Daughter Teas. And then there's--thank the Powers That Be--Miss Elizabeth's Academy for Young Ladies which "will instruct the girls in what it means to be a proper lady. Subjects covered: Introductions, sit like a lady, how to set a proper table and table etiquette, walking with confidence and Art of the Fan." And, lest you think the boys will escape, there's a co-ed course, too. My stogy old Southern heart sings with joy; civility and gentility are not dead!!! But I digress. The House is less a museum in the formal sense and more of a time capsule of Ante- and Post-Bellum Georgia. Architecture and period furniture buffs will be right at home here. The House consists of seven rooms. The Main Foyer with its period wall paper and imposing grandfather clock. The Family Room contains period furniture and portraits of the Holt Family. The Formal Dining Room houses a heavy wood table and silver serving sets including a large sterling punch bowl and ladle which survived the invasion of the Union Army only because it was buried. The Ladies' Bedroom contains period clothing, a hand-cranked sewing machine and a bed complete with a hand-tatted spread among other objects. Depending on when you visit, a collection of antique dolls may be displayed. Two Parlors display the furnishings of the founders of the Adelphean and Philomathean Societies which were organized at Wesleyan College, in 1851 and1852 respectively. These are the two oldest female societies in the world and continue to this day. Last, but certainly not least, is Judge Asa Holt's bedroom with its grand four-poster bed, marble-top table and chairs and a large bureau and chest of drawers. In my opinion, the Cannonball House should be on every tourist's itinerary. Seldom does one get such a personal glimpse into the lives of one of Macon's influential families. And if you're traveling with children, this is the perfect opportunity to make history come alive. For only $8.00 (as of this writing) you gain not only admission to the House but a guided tour as well. It's a bargain!

We enjoy civil war history and ole time ways of life. Our tour guide took us thru each room of the…read morehouse explaining the history of the house and the happenings of the time when the house was hit by a "cannon ball." It was really more of a large bullet like mortar. The house is in mourning-- all of the mirrors are covered by black cloth. There's even a casket in one of the parlor rooms. The tour guide says they do something different each month to highlight different traditions that were kept back in the day. The highlight of the tour for us was entering the servant's house and kitchen. Just as we walked in the room, we heard a squeaky toy sound. When I asked what that noise was - thinking it was a dog playing with a squeaky toy, she kinda hestitated and said we call him Matt. I thought, maybe that it was her grandson that she was watching during the summer. No. It's the little child that they hear playing sometimes. The ghost child they hear playing sometimes! Wow! Thanks for a terriffic tour!! We'll be back to investigate more of Macon history

I loved this place it is so peaceful can see why he loved it. we had a wonderful man to tell us…read moreabout everything he was very informative and had a great speaking voice.

After spending a few days in Atlanta, we were on to the Florida coast. My wife had recently…read morediscovered the "Little White House" while looking for things to do on our drive. It was mostly "on our way", so we took the small detour to see what was there. SUPER interesting if you're into that sort of history. A bit disappointing when you realize what "really nice" was back in the day (tiny rooms, small house, etc). Like - this was a president's retreat. It was very peaceful there, and I can see why FDR loved it. I found it very informative. The staff were very friendly and helpful. We could have spent more time here, but had to get back on the road. I'd recommend it for an educational stop if you're in the area.

Upson County is located in the west central Piedmont portion of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the…read morepopulation was 27,153. The county was created on December 15, 1824. It was named after Stephen Upson (1785-1824) who represented Oglethorpe County in the Georgia General Assembly. The marker is located in the center of Thomaston in front of the Courthouse. It points out some of the history of Upson County. It reads, "This County, created by Acts of the Legislature December 15 and 20, 1824, is named for Stephen Upson, a well known lawyer of Lexington, Ga. Lt. Gen. John B. Gordon, famed Confederate leader called "second to the great Lee" was born in Upson County at the settlement of Black Ankle near the Flint (or Thronateeska) River. Among the first County Officers were: Sheriff Martin W. Stamper, Clerk of Superior Court James W. Cooper, Clerk of Inferior Court and Treasurer James P. Portis, Tax Receiver Amos McLendon, Tax Collector Joseph Rodgers, Coroner Shadrach Ellis and Surveyor William Silman." There is parking all around on the street. [Review 16722 overall - 487 in Georgia - 234 of 2022.]

If you want to get iconic views the Atlanta city skyline or make out after prom away from your…read moreparents: this is the place. I'd highly recommend visiting at night, with a tripod and a lens somewhere in the 24-50mm range. Apparently some iconic scenes from the Walking Dead were filmed here. I've only seen the first episode though.

If you are looking for fabulous views of the Atlanta skyline, you must check out Jackson St bridge!…read moreIt's located slightly east of downtown Atlanta. My friend and I went around sunset, and it was stunning! There's technically no parking allowed on the bridge, but tons of people park there anyway. There's also street parking available near by, but spots can be hard to find. Overall rating: 10/10

We visited as a family of 4 to this park. An interesting park to learn about the mounds. Friendly…read morestaff at the visitor center. The visitor center has a museum, a theater and some artifacts from historical finds from this place and some recreation from early times. It has a restroom and gift shop. After you have done visiting the visitor center don't miss exploring the recreation of the earth mound. The path to it is narrow but it's worth the passage. Don't miss exploring all the other mounds. You have options to go on a hike from visitor center or u can drive by to different places with parking lot nearby.

I can't believe this park is free. There's a very informative museum with lots of displays and…read moreinformation. There are even some interactive displays. They also offer a 17 minute movie. There is a gift store inside the museum as well. Then there are miles of trails that you can walk to get to the mounds or you can drive to designated parking areas if you prefer to walk less. Some of the trails are concrete/paved, others are dirt, some are just mowed grass, but ALL of them are beautiful. It's easy to see why the Native Americans chose that spot. In additional to the epic mounds, the land was just gorgeous and We even saw a deer while we were walking. You could spend an entire day here, easily. We were at the park for about 2 hours. During that time, we went through the museum very quickly (we had a 7&8 year old with us), then walked about 2.5 miles of trails and still only saw/walked about half of what was there. If we lived in the area, we would probably be there several times a week just to enjoy the trails.

The downtown is a little smaller than I expected and I can't believe there isn't more shops/places…read moreto eat but it is sooo cute. So much history and so many movies and shows were filmed here! Known as Hollywood of the South™, Covington has become a mecca for the television and film industry. Dukes of Hazard (1978) You can see the General Lee on Elm Street in Covington jumping 157 feet into the air in the first episode. The Cannonball Run (1980) The city of Covington had to remove power lines around the square before filming the iconic plane landing scene. Friday the 13th VI (1986) The iconic hockey masked killer could be found stalking the Covington area and surrounding towns during this installment. My Cousin Vinny (1991) This Oscar winning film utilized many locations around Covington and Newton County to create the setting of a small town in Alabama. ‍ In the Heat of the Night (1988-1994) Covington was known as Sparta and home to Police Chief William Gillespie and police detective Virgil Tibbs in this long running crime drama. Black Dog (1997) Featuring Patrick Swayze, Meatloaf and Randy Travis, Black Dog disguised Covington as North Carolina for this truck driving, gun hauling action film. Remember the Titans (2000) This inspirational film starring Denzel Washington was partially filmed in Covington. Sweet Home Alabama (2002) Sweet home Covington, Georgia was one of the filming locations for this 2002 romantic comedy starring Reese Witherspoon. Halloween 2 (2009) The Myers House and Haddonfield Town Square were really historical Covington transformed for this Rob Zombie horror film remake. ‍ The Vampire Diaries (2009-2017) Covington transformed into "Mystic Falls" for 8 seasons of The Vampire Diaries. Footloose (2010) The courtroom scene in Footloose was filmed in the historic courthouse on Covington's square. Flight (2011) A church was erected and a broken aircraft was placed in Green Valley Farms fields, just a few miles outside of downtown Covington, to create the plane crash scene. Selma (2014) The iconic courthouse served as the Hotel Albert in the historical film recounting Dr. Martin Luther King's bid to secure voting rights for African Americans in Alabama. Vacation (2014) The sorority house scene in Vacation was filmed at one of Covington's many beautiful historic homes. ‍Dolly Parton's Coat of Many Colors (2015) Covington was the perfect picturesque backdrop for the television movie inspired by Dolly Parton's life story. Dr. Sleep (2018) The sequel to Stephen King's "The Shining" was filmed in Covington. The Jungle Cruise (2018) This live action movie inspired by the ride at Disney features Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Emily Blunt. Sweet Magnolias (2020-present) shows small town Southern lifestyles/stores. Other popular films shot in Covington include "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay," "The Accountant," and "Ant-Man and the Wasp."

Amazing! Had a good time walking around downtown. Lallsmsmwmwkwmwkwmwmwmwmsmsm bananasread more