An Americana summer in Forsyth is all about the simple joys that make this season unforgettable. This year, as we continue to celebrate 250 years of America and welcome visitors into Atlanta for the World Cup semi-final, those classic summer moments feel even more special. An Americana summer means slowing down, savoring each moment and creating memories that last a lifetime. Come explore even more ways you can experience the sights, sounds, and flavors of summer in Forsyth with part 2 of our Americana Summer Bucket List!

4 Hikes In and Around Forsyth

Bring some zen to your Americana Summer with a hike through cool forests, past a waterfall, around a lake, or alongside a creek. Make sure to keep an eye out for some native critters too!

Monroe County Recreation Department Loop

Looking for a quick getaway into nature? Head to the Monroe County Rec Department and take a stroll on this 1.4 mile long trail which leads you through the trees and by a small pond. Keep an eye out for local flora and fauna while you walk. This trail has an easy difficulty rating.

Bonus! Visit Country Club Park and the Monroe County Rec Department to walk one of Forsyth's two Story Trails!

High Falls State Park

Take a stroll through the history of High Falls on one of High Falls State Park's three trails. The Historic Trail (which is ADA Accessible!) is 0.5 mile long and will take you by the historic sites of the Powerhouse and Grist Mill. The 1.5 mile long Falls View Trail takes you past the tallest cascading waterfall south of Atlanta and is most challenging at the park. If hiking near a babbling brook sounds more your speed, head for the 2.5 mile long Tranquility Trail.

Indian Springs State Park

Indian Springs State Park offers two different trail options. The Overland Nature Trail is 0.75 miles long and will lead you along the Aboothlacoosta Creek and offers the chance to spot various plants and animals that are native to the Piedmont region of Georgia. If you’re looking for more of a challenge then head for the Multi-Use Trail, a 3.25 mile long loop around Lake McIntosh that also connects to the 17 miles of trails around Dauset Trails Nature Center. 

Bruce Clark Memorial Trail at Dayspring Presbyterian Church

Bring your binoculars and enjoy a leisurely birding walk through the woods on this 2.4-mile-long looping trail. Bruce Clark Memorial Trail is known for its varied topography and wooded sections, this trail also welcomes mountain bikers who will enjoy the many switchbacks. This trail has a strenuous difficulty rating.

4 Spots for Photo Ops

Downtown Forsyth has a great mixture of classic Southern historical buildings, green spaces and just a tinge of urban vibes that combine to create exciting opportunities for a variety of portrait styles. Whether you pick one spot to strike many poses in or take a meandering photo stroll through multiple locations to explore the options, downtown Forsyth is “ready for your close-up”!

Foxhunt - Bess

Tucked beside the old City Hall in Lee Street Park is Bess. She is a life size bronze fox that marks the beginning of the Forsyth Foxhunt. Named for Bessie Tift (an Honored Georgia Woman of Achievement and Tift College bears her name!) Bess is a perfect partner for photos!

Caboose at Monroe County History Museum

This gateway to downtown Forsyth really packs a punch for the variety of locations in a small area! In a matter of moments you can strike poses with three architecturally interesting buildings as your backdrop, not to mention the vintage fire truck and newly restored caboose! You can stop in at the Monroe County History Museum between photoshoots to learn more about local history too!

Monroe County Courthouse

With its central location, the historic 1896 Victorian Monroe County Courthouse is the cornerstone of Forsyth’s downtown. The classic red brick and white stone details offer great portrait posing opportunities. Natural lighting is abundant throughout the day so anytime is a great time to strike a pose around the courthouse!

Welcome to Forsyth Mural

With its vibrant colors and bold graphics the "Welcome To Forsyth" mural by beloved local artist, the late Andrew Patrick Henry, provides a pleasing backdrop for a modern take on the classic portrait. Morning light makes this spot shine and the composition opportunities are many!

Fresh Looks At Wildflower Salon

Just down from the square on Harris Street (a.k.a. Paul James Historical Place) is a bright and cozy space known as Wildflower Salon & Co., owned and operated by Darby Gilvin. She and her husband Mark Gilvin Jr., along with their three daughters Hali, Dakotah, and Zoey, moved to Forsyth about nine years ago. "We wanted a quieter pace. When Henry County started getting bigger I told Mark that I was ready to move somewhere it wouldn’t take me 45 minutes just to get across town.” Darby joked. They made their home in the Monroe County metropolis known as Blount. Hali, who has two sons of her own, and her sister Dakotah both teach at The Fox Den and Zoey is a rising Freshman at Mary Persons High School. Darby has built a loyal clientele over her 20+ years of being a stylist in McDonough and Griffin. She told us about her client who comes down on Fridays so she can visit the Main Street Market and the local shops after her hair appointment. (Of course, we made sure she has our Shop & Dine Like a Local coupons and a downtown map too!) This September, Wildflower Salon & Co. will celebrate one year of being open in Forsyth. If you’re looking for a fresh summer look head on over to see Darby and her fellow stylist Bobby Jo! 

Progress Projects!

History is in the Details: Dew Drop Inn & The Dixie Highway

By: Ralph Bass, local historian

Paving the dirt road running through Forsyth from Griffin to Macon in the 1920s brought northern tourists to Forsyth and opportunities for hospitality businesses. The Dew Drop Inn located at U.S. 41 and the Dames Ferry Road was one of those.

The paving of the Macon road, now U. S. 41, resulted from the Progressive movement's “good roads program” established in the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1925. [That act also resulted in the system for numbering federal highways. North and south routes had odd numbers; east and west ones had even ones.]

U. S. 41, sometimes called the Dixie Bee Line, was also part of the Dixie Highway system. Its promoters called it “the shortest, fastest, best, most historical and most scenic route between the Great Lakes and the Florida Keys.” It was the main route for motorists traveling from Chicago to Miami. It hasn't changed much since the 1920s, the landscape still includes Pecan Trees that watch over the route.

Paving the National Highway, as the road was frequently called, was completed by the early summer of 1927, the year after O. L. and Bernice Waldrep opened the Dew Drop Inn.

Times had been difficult for the couple. He had farmed, but their 70 acres produced only 13 bales of cotton in 1921 and fewer bales in the following years. The Waldreps needed other ways to make money. In 1925, they opened their spacious home, “The Oaks,” to serve chicken suppers with home-made preserves, jelly and pickles with either butter or sweet milk to drink.

In 1926, the year before contractors finished paving the National Highway, the Waldreps built the Dew Drop Inn to better serve the locals and tourists following U. S. 41 to Florida. Their barbeque sandwiches and pecan pie with meringue were particularly popular.

The dining room was small; only two tables fit in it. Most people ate in their cars, with their food resting on hang-on trays that O. L. Waldrep had rigged. In addition to food, the enterprising O. L. Waldrep sold gas and Pennsylvania tires. Air, he said, was free.

Anxious to make money to support their family of five children, the Waldreps had, at first, rented some of the thirteen rooms in their house to tourists. Later, O.L. Waldrep built five or six cabins advertising them as having “shower and tub baths, hot and cold water and electric lights.” The baths were under the nearby big house.



Waldrep also had a small dairy with about 25 Jersey cows. Most of the milk he shipped for sale in Atlanta, but some he kept to use in the rich chocolate milk he sold at his restaurant.

A fire in 1947 destroyed the Dew Drop Inn. In 1949 the US Highway 41 Motorcade from Miami to Chicago stopped in Forsyth for a tour of Tift College before heading to Barnesville for a barbecue dinner given by B. Lloyd Woodall, US Highway 41 Association president. Twenty years later, a new highway transversed Monroe County providing opportunities of a different sort for the hospitality industry from the Waldrep's Dew Drop Inn. 



The Dixie Highway remained a significant north-south route until the 1970s when Interstate 75 (1-75) was completed: 

Tourists & Roadside Attractions

A roadside attraction is a feature along the side of a road meant to attract tourists. In general, these are places one might stop on the way to somewhere, rather than being a destination. The quirky fun roadside attraction trends started when long-distance road travel became practical and popular in the 1920s. Entrepreneurs began building restaurants, motels, coffee shops, cafes, and unusual businesses to attract travelers. Forsyth has had several hotels, restaurants, and shops visitors have relied upon over the years. One for the history books was the Dew Drop Inn. (see previous article)

With the construction of the U.S. Interstate Highway System in the mid-1950s, many roadside attractions were bypassed and quickly went out of business. I-75 came to Forsyth and Monroe County in the late 1960s. Much of today’s businesses have grown up around and because of Interstate 75. Tourism has been a major employer and good for the economy in Forsyth and Monroe County.

Today, Forsyth’s roadside attraction, Hamlin Hills Fun Farm located on I-75 at exit 185 diverts travelers from the interstate for a brief respite.

Stop in for a tour of their antique tractor collection and grab a photo with the sunflowers. If you're hungry try some of their famous BBQ or pick up some Georgia Grown products from the gift shop!

Soon, Buc-ees, which one might call a roadside attraction, will be opening in Forsyth/Monroe County! They love the supersized, "Everything is bigger in Texas" mantra and are known for being so much more than a gas station and convenience store. Their beaver looking mascot Buc-ee is slapped on almost every item you can think -- clothing, snacks, seasonings, toys, you name it! They also make fudge, sandwiches, kolaches, baked goods, beef jerky and more. For you late night travelers in need of a snack, we hear they are open 24/7 and still serve that famous Brisket sandwich after midnight! 

From the Blog:

The City of Forsyth is Georgia's Public Safety Capital, and it's no wonder why! We are home to the Georgia Public Safety Training Center (GPSTC), Georgia Fire Academy, Georgia Department of Corrections HQ, Burruss Correctional Training Center, Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice Office of Training, Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency (GEMA/HS) Training Office, and the Monroe County Sheriff's Office Training Building, just to name a few. Forsyth is also the location for the Georgia National Guard's Wesley D. Willingham Armory, and Georgia State Patrol Post 44. GPSTC alone brings over 50,000 people annually to Forsyth for training—the parking lots are always full of public safety vehicles from all over the state!

With such a focus on public safety in Forsyth, this month we wanted to explore stories from some of our own local EMS teams. Hear from former Monroe County Emergency Services Director, Glenn Dorner, and current Culloden volunteer firefighter, Dr. Margie Bryant, below!

The History of Monroe County Emergency Services

On the latest episode of Majic 100's Monroe Today, Ms. Gilda Stanbery sat down with Lieutenant Colonel Glenn Dorner (U.S. Army, Retired), author of Monroe County Emergency Services Fire Rescue EMS 1975-2025. In addition to 25 years of active duty, Lt. Col. Dorner was also a volunteer/career firefighter with Forsyth, Monroe County, and Macon-Bibb County Fire Departments from 1975 to 1983, a resident instructor at the Georgia Public Safety Training Center/Georgia Fire Academy from 1998 to 2000, and the Director of Monroe County Emergency Services from 2000-2006. 

Now the Director/Fire and Military Service Historian for the National Fire Heritage Center, he lives in Washington State with his wife Tina. But here in his hometown, he’ll always be affectionately remembered as Chief Dorner!

In Chief Dorner’s senior year of high school, he had the opportunity to become a volunteer firefighter with the new department for Monroe County, which started in 1975.

“With that, I suddenly got put into a position of serious business, you know, that was very challenging and not…we were not supported too much, you know, with no equipment really. Barely used trucks that were 30 years old and that kind of thing. But, Monroe County was starting off in the fire service. Up until that time, people said, if somebody lost their house in a fire in the county, ‘Well, they knew that when they built that house out there. There’s no fire protection, so they should just accept that.’ Well, you know, that was kind of out of the early pioneer days and the thought was, it’s just going to happen from time to time.” 

Eventually, the county commissioners saw the need and started building a fire department. There wasn’t a lot of funding to work with, so they secured loans through the Georgia Forestry Commission and recruited volunteers throughout the county. 

...Keep reading, or listen to the radio episode, on our blog!

Celebrating 50 Years with Dr. Margie

On August 1st, retired Monroe County educator and Culloden City Councilwoman Dr. Margie Bryant will celebrate 50 years as a volunteer firefighter for Culloden. Affectionately known around the community as Dr. Margie, she is one of the longest continually serving fire professionals in the county.

The Culloden Volunteer Fire Department was the first formalized fire department (a member of the Georgia State Fireman’s Association, Inc.) in Monroe County, outside of the City of Forsyth. It was co-founded in 1973 by then-Mayor Edd Norris, Samuel Bennett, and Reuben Jordan, who was appointed as the first fire chief by Mayor Norris. Edd Norris’ son Bennett joined just a year later, and still serves to this day as Culloden’s station captain. Samuel Bennett also served for over 50 years. Since his recent retirement, he has appointed himself a bit of a “Neighborhood Watchman” and canvases the town every day, twice a day. The county department wasn’t established until 1975, and while Culloden eventually merged with the county, it remained an autonomously functioning fire department for many years.

Dr. Margie joined the CVFD in 1976. She is the first African American female—the first female period—to volunteer as a firefighter, and remains the only female firefighter at the Culloden station. Although, a few other women have served there over the years for brief periods of time. When she started, she was 22 years old with a one-year-old daughter, and was already serving on Culloden’s city council. She is tenacious, courageous, and inspirational.

...Keep reading, or listen to the radio episode, on our blog!

The Story Behind the "Fox City Express" Patch

A station patch is a proud firefighter tradition you’ll find nationwide, and our guys here in the City of Forsyth Fire Department are no different. To get the scoop on Station 101’s own patch, we met up with Sergeant Hunter McLendon, the firefighter with the wicked graphic design skills behind “Fox City Express!” 

Separate from the department patch, or badge, a station patch is unique to each station within a fire department. As Sgt. McLendon will tell you, the department patch is for the community—the station patch is “for us, for our guys.” It’s all about company pride and team morale, steeped in hyperlocal symbols and inside jokes that reflect the guys on the truck. While Station 101 may be the only station in the FFD—for now—Sgt McLendon says should Forsyth ever get a Station 102, they won’t be Fox City Express #2…they’ll have a patch all their own!

So what’s the story behind Fox City Express? Sgt. McLendon describes it as an evolution of symbolism that comes from every firefighter at 101. Sgt. McLendon may have exported the vision with his graphics skills, but the patch was designed by the whole team. They went through several versions before the guys felt they got it right. There is layer upon layer of lore in the patch design:

The Fox — The first thing you’ll see in the patch is the growling Fox in Company 101 turn out gear, which if you know much about Forsyth you know represents “Fox City.” Where Forsyth gets its nickname is a story for another day!

The Train — You can’t miss the train racing full speed ahead! The railroad is a key facet of Forsyth’s landscape, both in the past and present day, and the city wouldn’t be what it is today without it.

The Bulldog — Looking to the train's cab, you'll see a fierce Bulldog peering out the window. Sgt. McLendon estimates 75%, maybe 80% of FFD’s full time firefighters are alumni of Mary Persons High School, home of the Bulldogs. As local guys, Station 101 felt it just wouldn't be a patch for Forsyth without their alma mater's mascot!

The “75 Slip-and-Slide” — You probably spotted the I-75 on the train’s face, but did you note the water under the train where tracks or a road might be? That’s not to represent the Towaliga River, but what the guys at 101 jokingly refer to as the “75 Slip-and-Slide!” A lot of FFD calls are for motor vehicle accidents, particularly on the interstate. "But when are wrecks almost guaranteed to occur? When it rains." said Sgt. McLendon and thus the nickname was born!

The “Fox City Express” captures it all. A patch like this could only be for Station 101. After rolling the design out as stickers this past December, the station patch is now proudly emblazoned on the back of their new rescue truck!

Sgt. McLendon says the plan is for the patch to be on all of the station’s trucks, as well as uniforms and gear. It’s another way the FFD is staying modern and keeping station morale high. With a near-zero turnover rate, Sgt. McLendon attributes that to "great equipment, great leadership, and staying modern."

The Visit Forsyth GA Team appreciates everything the Forsyth Fire Department does to keep the City of Forsyth safe for our residents and visitors!

From Annie's Memoirs: Days at the Cotton Gin

By: Nicole Newsom, great-granddaughter of Annie Bridges

My great-grandmother, Annie Sutton Bridges, was born in 1896 and lived to be 103 years old. She spent her whole life in the Cabaniss/Berner area. As I continue to explore the people and places mentioned in her memoirs, I find myself looking more into the homestead where she spent her earliest years, before her father, Lee Sutton, died in October 1907.

Grandmother Bridges (as we affectionately call my great-grandmother within the family) shared many stories from her days on the farm in her memoirs, such as this one about their cotton gin. There are few family photos from this time, but given the era, location, and descriptions, I imagine you could look to other nearby family farms to help visualize farmlife in this era. For example, Jarrell Plantation State Historic Site outside Juliette was farmed by generations of the Jarrell family from 1847 until it was donated to the state for preservation in 1974. They had a cotton gin among other enterprises, similar to the Sutton farm. Another nearby family, the Smiths near Blount, had a large 40-saw cotton gin operation on their farm around the same time period. Descendents donated the cotton gin and wooden gearing to the Smithsonian, and while it is not currently on display, it remains in the collection at the National Museum of American History. The Monroe County Historical Society also has an example of an Eli Whitney-style cotton gin, manufactured in Columbus, GA c. 1920s, at their museum in Forsyth’s Historic Brick Train Depot!

Papa owned and operated a cotton gin. It was amazing to me to watch that cotton dumped in a huge hopper separate itself and the lint came out in folds from one place and the seeds from another. 

Fire broke out at the gin one day, and a black boy came running to the house (as we were eating the noon meal) to give the alarm. Papa said ring the bell, and soon the hands and their families were there to fight the fire. It was a sight to see about 12 bales of cotton with bagging and tires ripped off and the cotton spread on the ground everywhere. I was told that when a bale of cotton catches on fire, there is no way to quench the fire except to tear the bales apart. It was supposed a rock somehow in the seed cotton ignited a blaze in the gin, that sent sparks of fire over the bales on the ground. 

I enjoyed watching the sharpening of the plows at our plow shop. A bellows pumped by hand kindled the coal for heating the place before they were beaten on big anvil to a sharp edge and then plunged into a barrel of water to cool. The coal was made by building a big kiln of cordwood and standing it in a cone shape in center of kiln and covering it with dirt and a fire started in the center of the cone and wood would slowly burn for days and days. Until the time was ready to tear down the kiln and scatter the charred wood which was used as the coal for heat in the shop. 

These are all memories clearly etched in my mind.

—From Annie’s Memoirs

Interested in more stories from days on the Sutton homestead? Stay tuned for more stories from Annie’s Memoirs in our August newsletter. If you're interested in researching your family genealogy, take a trip to the archives at the Monroe County History Museum where local historians are happy to help!

Visit Forsyth GA Has Gone Worldwide at the World Cup!

We've been having a blast exhibiting during Explore Georgia's "Georgia, The Whole Day Through" activation on World Cup match days at the Georgia World Congress Center.

On the first preview day of the activation Mr. Rolf Ott, Consulate General of the Swiss Confederation, was one of many who stopped by the Visit Forsyth GA booth and couldn't resist trying a delicious peach from Dickey Farms!

Of course, we will have so many stories to tell after the final Atlanta match on Wednesday, July 15th so make sure you stay tuned!

Enter to Win Tickets to "The County Fair"

The Americana Summer continues! Refer a friend to our newsletter, and be entered in our Plus One Drawing for a chance to win Two (2) Tickets to "The County Fair," the July 2026 production by The Backlot Players at The Rose Theater. Here's how it works:

1. Have your friend subscribe at this link.
2. Then, enter the drawing here — we'll need yours and your friend's name and emails to verify you are both subscribers.
3. We'll draw winners on Thursday, July 16 and if you're our lucky duo, we will reach out with next steps!

The Welcome Center and Forsyth Convention & Visitors Bureau office will observe the following abbreviated hours:

• Wednesday July 15, 2026 & Thursday July 16, 2026 FIFA/Georgia Showcase Exhibit (Show Day). Thanks to our volunteers Denise, Winifred, and Lois, we will be open those days from 10AM - 2PM

We will reopen Friday July 17, 2026 for regular operating hours