This popular weekend getaway is one of the best places for hikes around the manmade lakes or teeing off at the award-winning golf courses. But there are some things you can only have here.

Georgia’s Lake Country is centered around lakes Oconee and Sinclair with Eatonton, Milledgeville, Madison, and Greensboro located nearby. The popular weekend getaway is one of the best places for hikes around the manmade lakes or teeing off at the award-winning golf courses. But there are some experiences you can only have here. 

Eatonton

1. See a rare Native American effigy at Rock Eagle
Georgia’s Native American history is all over the state, but Georgia’s Lake Country is home to the only two Native American effigies east of the Mississippi River. Rock Eagle is a mound in the shape of a bird built over 2,000 years ago of quartzite, which is able to be viewed from an observation tower. Located at a 4-H Center, there’s also educational programming throughout the year. Rock Hawk is another effigy nearby with surrounding trails.

2. Learn about Georgia’s notable authors in their hometown
Alice Walker, award-winning author of The Color Purple, was also born in Eatonton. Fans can take part in the self-guided Alice Walker Driving Tour, which makes stops at her birthplace, childhood home, church, and the cemetery where her parents were buried. Joel Chandler Harris, Eatonton native, is best known for the Uncle Remus Stories. Visitors can stop by the Uncle Remus Museum to hear some of the tales of Brer Rabbit. The Georgia Writers Museum, also in Eatonton, focuses on these writers, along with Flannery O’Connor, who grew up in the area.

Greensboro

Founded in 1803 for Revolutionary War general Nathanael Greene, Greensboro was one of the state’s top cotton-producing areas before the Civil War, later turning to textiles and garment production. The quaint downtown is one of many reasons that Greensboro is known as Lake Oconee’s hometown. 

3. Get pampered at The Ritz Carlton Reynolds, Lake Oconee
Greensboro is home to the only lakefront Ritz-Carlton in the United States. The luxurious lakeside retreat is known for its world class golf courses, relaxing spa, and kid-friendly activities. The resort just reopened after undergoing a multi-million dollar transformation to its guest rooms, suites and cottages.

4. Take a walk on the spooky side at the Old Gaol
Built in 1807, the Old Gaol (or jail) is believed to be the oldest standing jail in the state, assembled from local granite with two foot thick walls. Following the design of European bastilles, the cells resemble creepy catacombs with chains, no light, and no windows. There were also gallows that was the main method of execution until 1924. A new jail was built in 1895 and today the building is used as a museum open by appointment.

Madison

The charming town of Madison gained popularity when it operated as a stagecoach stop between Charleston and New Orleans. It has one of the largest historic districts in the state of Georgia and hosts community events like its popular holiday season festivities. 

5. Tour Georgia’s filming locations
Madison has often been used in Hollywood films. The incredible Madison Morgan Cultural Center is a Romanesque-style building that served as the town’s school for many years and was used in the 2015 movie Goosebumps starring Jack Black. The Morgan County Courthouse was used in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and Bonar Hall was used in The Vampire Diaries.

6. Dine on farm fresh products 
Farmview Market started as a family farm selling grass fed beef and Berkshire hogs. Today it’s grown to a thriving market and cafe with fresh produce and artisan ice cream. They also offer cooking classes and events.

Milledgeville

Once the capital of Georgia, Milledgeville is known for its historic architecture, charming downtown district and diverse recreational experiences. Today, two colleges border the vibrant downtown shopping and dining area where traditional spots and new ventures offer family fun with a laid-back vibe.

7. Commune with the peacocks at Andalusia Farm
Southern Gothic writer Flannery O’Connor lived in Milledgeville for the majority of her life, crafting stories based on her experiences of the South in the mid-1900s. She stayed at Andalusia Farm, a vast property just north of downtown Milledgeville that operated as a dairy farm and then a beef farm under the direction of her mother and uncles. On the farm, she raised peafowl or peacocks and studied their behavior, even welcoming guests onto the porch with them waiting in the front yard. When not tending to her pets or attending Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Flannery wrote multiple short stories and books while at the property. In 2023, the current owner of Andalusia and Flannery’s alma mater, Georgia College & State University opened the Andalusia Interpretive Center where artifacts of the historic land are on exhibit from various iterations of its storied history. Andalusia is open for tours Tuesday- Saturday 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. and Sunday 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. with tours happening every hour at the top of the hour.

8. Visit the historic buildings of the former capital
Milledgeville was Georgia’s fourth state capital from 1803 to 1868 as the state expanded westward following the Revolutionary War. Many homes and government buildings from the antebellum time period are scattered throughout historic downtown Milledgeville, the most grand of which are Georgia’s Old State Capital Building and Georgia’s Old Governor’s Mansion. Georgia’s Old State Capital Building is not open for interior tours, but visitors can ride the weekly Historic Trolley Tour which includes a walking section around the Old State Capital Building. The Mansion has been pristinely preserved to its time as the Governor’s home and is open for tours of all three levels, including where General Sherman rested during his infamous March to the Sea. The Historic Trolley Tour is a one-hour tour offered at 10:00 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Georgia’s Old Governor’s Mansion is open for tours Tuesday- Saturday 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. and Sunday 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. with tours happening every hour at the top of the hour.