By SHERRI SMITH BROWN

Georgia > Southwest Region > Tift County > Tifton

At the Agrirama in Tifton, you can experience a typical day of life in a rural farm community of 19th-century Georgia. 

If you are planning a trip to Florida and will be traveling down I-75 or if you just would like to spend a weekend giving your child a unique experience, consider a trip to Tifton and the Agrirama, Georgia’s Museum of Agriculture and Living History Museum.

The 95-acre complex consists of a traditional farm community of the 1870s, a more progressive farmstead of the 1890s, a rural town, an industrial sites complex, a national peanut complex, and the Museum of Agriculture Center.

Costumed interpreters perform the daily activities of life at the more than 35 restored and preserved structures that have been relocated to the site. You’ll see people working in the fields, the sawmill, the turpentine still, the blacksmith’s shop and the gristmill. On Main Street, you can visit the drug store, the print shop and the train depot. A 1.3-mile railroad system circles the site; but due to state budget cuts, the steam locomotive only runs during special events. You can walk through farmsteads of different eras as well as a mid-1890s one-room schoolhouse

These are just a few of the many, many experiences you can have at the Agrirama.

There’s easy access to the Agrirama—it lies right along the west side of I-75 just north of the Tifton downtown exit. You’ll find more information about the Agrirama here at Brown’s Guides. You can also find information on other things to do and see in the Southwest Georgia Travel Region as well as information on accommodations and lodging in Tifton.

 Georgia > Northwest Region > Fannin County >Blue Ridge

The Mercier Orchards store sends your senses into overdrive. Bushels of apples, fresh from the surrounding orchard, invite you to taste. Bottles of fresh cider, jams, jellies and other gourmet treats are ready for you to take home.

Mercier Orchards nestled in the North Georgia Mountains is a family owned and operated apple orchard. Started back in 1943 by Bill and Adele Mercier, Mercier Orchards is now celebrating 66 years of fruitful harvests. Bill, an agricultural agent, knew that the sunshine, rainfall, cold nights, and good soil of the Georgia mountains would produce the sweet, tart, juicy apples that Mercier Orchards is known for.

One stop at Mercier Orchards sends your senses into overdrive. Bushels of apples, fresh from the surrounding orchard, invite you to taste. Bottles of fresh cider, jams, jellies and other gourmet treats are ready for you to take home. Share the harvest with fortunate friends and family. Also while visiting, stop by our bakery and try a famous fried apple pie or at the deli and sample our home made pecan chicken salad. We also offer a unique variety of farm toys, pet items, kitchen paraphernalia, home decor and a meat and cheese shop.

Links:

• Read more about Mercier Orchards.

Georgia > Coastal Region > Camden County > St. Marys

The McIntosh Sugar Works. The 75′ x 120′ building was divided into three rooms with a boiler boom in the middle that held four large vats. Draft animals powered the mill.

Few signs lead to this early 19th-century sugar refinery, Yet, here stands one of the largest and most visually stunning displays of tabby ruins on the entire Georgia coast. A jumble of windows, doorways, columns, rooms and walls, the sugar works resembles a labyrinth, weathered and worn as if from antiquity. One can feel the sharp edges of oyster shells or watch the light of the afternoon sun, flickering and spreading in a changing kaleidoscope on the walls opposite the cracks and crevices.

Although slightly eroded, the ruins reveal much of the sugar work’s original functions. At the time, it was believed the thick walls of the building helped insure the warmth needed for superior production of sugar. The 75 feet wide and 120 feet long building is divided into three main rooms. On the west side, farthest in the back, the two-story grinding room has many small windows, once used for ventilation. Draft animals, such as horses, mules or cattle, went up ramps from the outside through the low, wide openings onto the reinforced first floor where they powered the mill. In the middle of the building, the boiler room held four large vats. The cane juice flowered through a gutter from the mill into the first vat, a clarifier, where the sediment settled from the juice. The juice then went to the largest boiler, where it distilled into a granulating syrup. From there it went into a cooling vat. After it cooled workers poured it into hogsheads, large casks or barrels that each held from 60 to 100 gallons. The room has huge columns, which once supported the roof of the porches on the south and north sides. (more…)

 Georgia > Southwest > Thomas County > Thomasville

Sweet Grass Dairy’s present owners Jeremy and Jessica Little (with sons Aidan, with Jeremy, and Asher, with Jessica) purchased Sweet Grass Dairy from Jessica’s parents and continue the legacy of producing award-winning cheeses.

Sweet Grass Dairy is quickly establishing itself as one of the country’s premier artisan cheese producers.  Founded in 2000 by Al and Desiree Wehner on 140 acres of rolling south-Georgia pastureland, the dairy started with a small herd of 11 dairy goats, grass-based jersey cow’s milk from their herd in the neighboring county, and a mission to show people a better way.

A better way for what, you may ask?  After years in the conventional dairy business, they decided to change their style of dairying to that of a rotational grazing system in which the animals graze lush pasture in comparison to confinement barns on concrete.  This style of dairying lets cows be cows and is healthier for not only the animals themselves, but those fortunate enough to drink the milk they produce. Although it was against the grain, the Wehners were confident in their decision.

It wasn’t long until it was time for a new adventure, so they decided to start a cheese making business.  Sweet Grass Dairy first opened its doors in 2000. Demand grew quickly, and they saw the need for help and invited us, their daughter and son-in-law, Jessica and Jeremy Little to join the business in 2002. Jeremy took on the responsibility of making cheese while Jessica managed sales and marketing. Sales quickly grew from only local markets in Georgia and Florida to chefs and retailers all over the southeast while also starting small-scale distribution in major metropolitan areas. Production increased as well using milk from 150 goats and 30 cows.

In 2005, Jessica’s parents gave us the opportunity to purchase Sweet Grass Dairy from them, and very gratefully, we did.  Today, the mission remains the same: handcrafting unique old-world style cheeses while maintaining respect for the history, philosophy, and values that started Sweet Grass Dairy.  Our commitment to sustainable, earth-friendly farming and the artisanal philosophy of cheese making is as strong as it has ever been.  We are fortunate to have the ability to control production from the ground up which allows us to provide flavorful and healthful foods from our family to yours.  Thank you for supporting a small family owned and operated dairy.

We are now giving tours of the dairy.  Give us a call at (229) 227-0752 to schedule yours!  Tours are by appointment only and must be made in at least one week’s notice.

Tours are Friday mornings at 8:30 am and are $5.00 per person with a minimum of 15 people and a maximum of 30 people.  If you have less than 15 people in a group, we may need to add you to a larger tour group.  When you call to schedule your tour, we will fax or mail you an information packet that needs to get back to the dairy office before your tour date.

While on the farm, guests get the chance to see the milking take place while learning about the milking and cheesemaking process.  We also touch on the history of Sweet Grass Dairy and our values and philosophy.  Guests also get the opportunity to spend time with the goats, which seems to be the highlight for most groups!  Be prepared to make new friends, because our goats get attached very easily!

After the tour, guests usually like to take a trip to Sweet Grass Dairy Marketplace to purchase cheese with the 10% off coupon that is given for use on the day of the tour only.  So be sure to not let the coupon go to waste!

For more information and to schedule your tour, call Sweet Grass Dairy at (229) 227-0752.  Looking forward to having you!

Links

• Learn more about Sweet Grass Dairy and its tours.
• Read a story in the University of Georgia Magazine about the founding of Sweet Grass Dairy and their production of award-winning cheeses.

Find organically grown food,  farmers markets and restaurants that use organically grown food using the Local Food Guide.

The Local Food Guide 2009-2010, produced by the Georgia Organics and edited by Suzanne Welander is the state’s most complete guide to organic farms, farmers markets and restaurants that have involvement with organically grown food.

The organic farms and farmers markets and restaurants are organized geographically by county into five regions – Mountain, Atlanta Metro, Piedmont, East Coastal Plain and West Coastal Plain. So, using the guide you can organize a tour close to home or around a location to which you are traveling.

Here for example is a typical Farm listing:
Holt Heritage Farm and Supply, LLC
1235 Euharlee Road, Euharlee, GA 30145
Chaz & Georgia Holt, 770.386.8305
chaz@holtfarmsupply.com
www.holtfarmsupply.com
We offer: over 40 herb/vegetable/fruit crops throughout the year; children’s summer farm camps and school field trips on our farm; and a farm store selling exclusively organic farming supplies, plants, and sustainable living supplies.

The farmers’ markets in the Guide are all producer markets where you can buy fresh produce, meats, and dairy directly from the farmer who grew the food. The Guide does not include markets that predominately feature brokers or resellers, or markets that do not feature local producers selling locally grown food products.

Here is a typical Farmers Market Listing
Riverside Farmers Market
Riverside Park, Roswell, GA 30050
Louise Estabrook, 404.613.7670
laesta@uga.edu
The Riverside Farmers Market brings together vendors and shoppers in a celebration of farming and wholesome Georgia-grown produce. Enjoy events such as music, cook’s tours, chili cook-offs, watermelon eating contests, and a harvest festival! Open Saturdays 8am until noon, late May through October.

RESTAURANTS
All restaurants in the Guide are business level members of Georgia Organics. Some of the listed restaurants are committed to featuring fresh, locally produced food on their menus every day, year-round. Others purchase locally produced food occasionally. Georgia Organics urges you to contact the restaurants directly to find out more about their commitment
to feature sustainable and local food.

Here is a typical Restaurant Listing
Beechwood Inn
220 Beechwood Drive P.O. Box 429
Clayton, GA 30525
David G. Darugh, 706.782.5485
david-gayle@beechwoodinn.ws
www.beechwoodinn.ws
Most of our seasonal foods are from local and sustainable farms, orchards, and gardens, and much of it is organic and natural. Most of our dinner entrée meats are natural (organic, no hormones, no antibiotics, no feed lots). We are proud of our local suppliers.

Links

• Download a 88-page copy of Georgia Organics Local Food Guide.
• Read more about Georgia Organics.

The Jarrell Plantation, originally built in 1847, survived Sherman’s devastating march through Georgia and continued to operate until 1945.

This middle Georgia Jarrell Plantation, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, consists of 20 buildings dating between 1847 and 1945. It has one of the largest and most complete collections of original family artifacts from this time period in Georgia. (more…)