Celebrating 20 Years of Juliette's Green Tomato Festival

The Making of Juliette



Interested in learning more about the resilient story of Juliette? Check out our recent interview with Juliette locals, Mr. Tommy Moon and Mr. Robert Williams, about Hollywood's discovery of Juliette and everything that came after—including the planning of the very first Green Tomato Festival!

Juliette Before Hollywood

Juliette wasn't always "Whistle Stop" of Fried Green Tomatoes—it has its own characters and history that are just as charming! In fact, we credit the authenticity of both towns' closely aligned stories (real and fictional) with why Juliette still resonates with fans after more than thirty years! Uncover the real roots of Juliette in our blog below:

Things to Do in Juliette



What is there to see in Juliette while you're in town? Lots! We've recently updated our blog detailing all of the shops, movie landmarks, and more—including a brand new movie Easter egg you'll get to learn more about later on in this newsletter!!

New Juliette Collateral



We've not just been updating our stories online—we also have new collateral pieces hot off the press! We have updated and refreshed our popular Juliette Bucket List and Fried Green Tomatoes Rack Card, plus we have an all-new "Backpocket Guide to Juliette" brochure complete with a detailed map of Juliette you'll want to be sure to pick up from our Welcome Center in downtown Forsyth or the Visit Forsyth GA booth at GTF later this month!

New Juliette Merch



You're going to LOVE our new Juliette swag that we'll have at the Visit Forsyth GA GTF booth! From awesome new stickers and magnets to a collect-them-all wristband set with your favorite Fried Green Tomatoes sayings, we expect these hot commodities to go FAST so get 'em while we've got 'em!

Frank's Truck Returns to Juliette...

A piece of Monroe County’s movie history has found its way home to Juliette! Head over to McCrackin Street, where next to the Whistle Stop Cafe, you’ll find Frank Bennett’s truck from the iconic film, Fried Green Tomatoes. If you need a refresher, the missing Frank Bennett was a controversial character who was pivotal to Ruth and Idgie’s story.

Mr. Robert Williams got a lead from a local car enthusiast on the whereabouts of the movie prop. "We purchased it from this fella, Barry Lowe. His granddad had had the truck. He worked with the movie folks. We went all the way to Rutledge (Georgia) to get it. The town seems to love having it back. It's a 1933 Ford."

It is a perfect photo op to commemorate your visit to Juliette and the upcoming Green Tomato Festival.

Featured Spooky Season Stories

History is in the details and our dearly departed...

Cemeteries are memorials to the past that offer a unique view of our history, culture, and way of life.

Their existence adds much to our understanding of the history of our community and its people.

Today’s Forsyth City Cemetery began as a church burial yard from the 1820s, through a patchwork of land acquisitions it now encompasses roughly 26 acres.

Pick up a free copy of the Forsyth City Cemetery Guide & Tour at the Monroe County History Museum or at the

Welcome Center for a self-guided exploration. (There is a ghost dog story too!) The guide is a great spooky season activity for exploring local legends and lore. It focuses on 32 stories of our dearly departed, reflecting our local history, notable figures, and a few quirky stories too.

The Midnight Ride legend around Dr. Asa Mann’s horse is included, along with Agnes Newton’s habit of putting rattlesnakes out in her house when she traveled, plus William Hubbard, the education dynamo for African American children, and the story of Banks Stephens who would throw coins from his buggy as he drove through town.

Want more?

Photo credit: Kennyfan 63

My Encounter With Forsyth’s Beyond

When I was a little girl I spent time on the Tift College campus when I accompanied my mom at alumnae events. Being an only child, born and reared here, I got to go to a lot of places. I loved to sit and listen to the ladies tell stories about their days at the college, stories about the Round Table, working in the library, sledding on the hills using lunch trays, and of course, there were ghost stories.

The story that I remember hearing the most was about a woman who could be seen in the windows of some of the dorm buildings. She wore a long white dress and was very pale. There were two gruesome versions of her origin story. In one, she was allegedly pushed out of a window and fell to her death. In the other story, she took her own life by hanging. 

On one occasion, as I was walking past Upshaw Hall, which is the beautiful tall four-story brick building visible from Tift College Dr., I looked up and saw a woman standing in a window. She was wearing a long white dress or nightgown. At first, I brushed it off as just a trick of the light. When I shared what I had seen with my mom, she told me about her ghostly encounter. She had lived in Lies Hall. She and some of her Tift sisters, would catch the people moving in a painting that hung along the stair. So many had seen it, that it became a fact of life at Tift.

The memory of seeing my ghostly lady has stuck with me. Even now when I go back to the campus, I hope to see a glimpse of her again.

—Chelsea Bunn Kerr

Do you want more local legends and ghost stories from Forsyth?

Check out our blog Tales from Forsyth’s Beyond!

There are so many reasons why Halloween is amongst the best of holidays!

Let’s start with the scarecrows...

Then there’s the free candy just for existing and wearing a costume...

Photo credit: City of Forsyth

Photo credit: Monroe County Sheriff’s Office

Halloween is the only day when it’s 100% normal to run errands dressed as a giant marshmallow man!

Photo credit: City of Forsyth

For more Fall and Halloween fun, visit our events page.

What's New?

Friendship of the Traveling Cup

Where oh where have the Forsyth mugs gone?

Key West!

"The Friendship of the Traveling Cup" has reached the southernmost corner of the United States. 

Suey and Peter Stephen have been traveling across the country with their favorite mugs from Visit Forsyth, and are now enjoying some sips and watching the famous Key West sunset. 

The Numbers Are In! 2024 Tourism Impact in Monroe County

While the Visit Forsyth GA team was at the Georgia Governor's Tourism Conference in Savannah, September 24-26, the State of Georgia released 2024's tourism impact numbers for Georgia as a whole as well as counties across the state. Monroe County did extremely well, with visitors to our area spending a total of $80.3 million—that's a 5% increase from the year before! While local spending recirculates existing dollars, visitor spending brings new dollars into the community, significantly contributing to the growth of Monroe County's economy. And it isn't just our hotels, restaurants and attractions that benefit—those businesses in turn go and spend dollars at other local businesses like grocery stores, auto shops, law offices, and more. It all comes full circle—Tourism Works for Forsyth & Monroe County!

Making Headlines!

We have some exciting news to share! Forsyth and Monroe County got a spotlight feature in Journey Georgia, a new travel publication that covers Georgia’s hidden gems and unique spots! This incredible feature highlights our beautiful High Falls State Park and Indian Springs State Park, along with some recommendations of local places to check out, including Grits Cafe and Fox City Brewing. You can pick up a physical copy at any Georgia welcome center or take a look at the digital issue at the link below!

Springs, Falls, and Muscadine Summers

By: Nicole Newsom

Growing up, summers for me meant visiting the family farm in Forsyth (that’s the town just north of Macon, not the county north of Atlanta!). Fishing with my grandfather, four-wheeling with my dad, gardening with my grandma, eating wild muscadines and watching the sun go down from the porch rocking chairs… The TV only had one channel and the internet didn’t reach as far as our property, so we occupied ourselves the old-fashioned way out in the great outdoors. Surrounded by lakes, rivers and forests, there certainly was never a shortage of places to explore! Though the town is a bit more built up these days with eclectic shops and restaurants and the pandemic had fiber internet spreading like wildfire, Forsyth still very much feels like a step back in time, a place where the pace is just a bit slower and the best way to spend the day is out in nature.  

New on the Blog: Exploring Forsyth's Artistic Side

Looking to explore your creative side? The 1823 Artisan Guild in Forsyth is a community gathering spot where local artists can find a support system and newcomers can get started on their artistic journey! We sat down with Dr. Denise Buff to learn more about the inspiration behind founding the 1823 Artisan Guild, what classes and workshops they offer and the art community in Forsyth. Read our new blog post to learn more about Dr. Denise!

On The Calendar Highlights

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Plan Your Trip

To make sure you have all the information you need to plan a memorable visit to Forsyth, we gladly provide plenty of resources, guides and tools to help you along the way.