All suggestions below are within 15-20 miles of the gallery, some much less. For more information, just scroll over the name of the business. Hope to see you soon!
So …are you hungry?
On the Main Street of Molena is Wild Daisy Farm and B&B – open for lunch Wed-Sat with a menu that changes daily depending on farm-to-table ingredients. They are also open Friday and Saturday for supper – 6-8. Next door is the Tipsy Daisy if you’d like a cocktail before dinner, or light fare instead of a full meal.
If seafood is your thing, you can’t beat The Oyster House in Pine Mountain, Ga., and don’t let the “Waffle House Architectural Design” fool you – these people know how to cook!
Southern food, complete with an array of local vegetables, served buffet style, can be found in Warm Springs at the historic Bulloch House – OR – just up the road from Molena in Concord at the Concord Café (open lunch only, Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday). The South is known for its BBQ and routinely stages competitions to judge who’s best. The Oink Joint in Zebulon displays regional and national awards they’ve taken home for their stellar roasted pork and beef.
And then to work it off…
You could start with one of the hiking trails in F. D. Roosevelt State Park on Pine Mountain. There are 7 well-marked trail hikes ranging from 3 to 8 miles. It’s hilly, but the views are well worth it. Just don’t set off without a map (they give them out at the ranger stations) as GPS can be iffy deep in these woods. Or if you’d rather ride a bike Callaway Gardens is a fine place to do that on narrow, paved roads winding through 6500 acres of woodlands, lakes, and recreation areas. There’s also golf, water sports, zip lines and the Day Butterfly Center, just to name a few of the other activities on offer at Callaway’s. Sprewell Bluff is a 1300 acre state park that runs along the Flint River. The park features a three-mile walking trail that winds along the bank of the river and up rocky bluffs, offering exquisite views of the park below.
For history buffs…
The Little White House was the personal retreat of Franklin D. Roosevelt, the 32nd President of the United States, located in the Historic District of Warm Springs, Georgia. He first came to Warm Springs in 1924 for polio treatment, and liked the area so much that, as Governor of New York, he had a home built on nearby Pine Mountain. The house was finished in 1932. Roosevelt kept the house after he became President, using it as a presidential retreat. He died there on April 12, 1945, three months into his fourth term.
And if shopping is your preferred relaxation…
Antiques can be found in most of the small towns in the area – but start with Woodbury, only 7 miles away. Main Street houses a few stellar antique stores. Main Street in downtown Pine Mountain does also, with other gift shops, restaurants and specialty stores scattered in between. For Big Box shopping Peachtree City is hard to beat – a full array of local and franchise shopping and dining is found here.
Local Farmer’s Markets …
are held in the towns of Zebulon (Sat), Woodbury (Sat), and Peachtree City (Wed & Sat) during harvest months. McCrary Farms in Molena is open year-round Mon-Sat.
The Piedmont is known for its peach orchards. Gregg Farms in Concord and Fitzgerald Farms in Woodbury offer freshly picked peaches as well as homemade peach ice cream.
And at the end of the day, a place to lay your head …
South x Southeast Photo Gallery Barn doubles as an AirBnB with one bedroom suite upstairs, a kitchenette and full bath downstairs. A big patio overlooking the 5 acre field and woods, complete with an outdoor fireplace is behind the barn. And if you’d rather have the comfort of a screened in porch the breezeway along the side of the barn has a day-bed and dining table. Just email nancy@sxsemagazine.com for availability and prices.
If we can help with your visit please let us know. And we hope to see you soon!