Didn't realize there was a Black History Museum in Thomasville! A planned trip to some museums in…read moreMontgomery was canceled and I was looking for something closer to home - and voila! I called to verify the hours of operation and Ms. Wills was so very pleasant. In calling back to inform them that a group would be coming, we were informed that there is a scavenger hunt available for the kids - which they loved! Before we started the self-guided tour, there was a video to explain how Mr. Hadley's passion came to life via the museum. Then we were told of the various sections, with some history given on a few of the exhibits. There are loads of paraphernalia packed in the space; so many sentimental items. Good news - the museum is moving to a larger space soon, which is great because everything will be more spread out to view. This tour would be wonderful for student/school related field trips (small groups). Kudos to Mr. Hadley and his staff for sharing this history and keeping us reminded. If we don't know the history, however "ugly" it may be, we will certainly repeat it - horrors and all. Of note, only $5 entrance fee for adults, $3 for kids (discount applied if there is a group).

I want to be clear from the very beginning. Visually this is not a 5-star museum, but it IS a…read more5-star effort by a man with a passion spanning more than two decades. Jack Hadley Black History Memorabilia, Inc. (a non-profit organization) was founded in 1994. It was birthed from his son's desire to continue the yearly tradition of Black History Week after local teachers dismissed hosting it one year. Jack helped his son put together a rudimentary poster board presentation with a few clippings from magazines such as Jet and Ebony. What Jack discovered by this desire to help his son was the need for black history to not only be preserved in their area, but celebrated and proclaimed. Thus his quest began to collect artifacts, stories and collectible memorabilia, amassing over 4,669 pieces of African American artifacts with emphasis on Thomasville's First Black Achievers. Originally he would partake in traveling shows before eventually landing a facility of his own located at the former campus of Douglass High School. The current set-up is in what I assume was the old gym, but as Jack explained in his brief tour of the museum, he does have full access to the rest of the school and will someday (with proper funding) expand. [ THE EXPERIENCE ] I'd only come to Thomasville to see the 400-year-old tree known as The Big Oak. While there I discovered a town loaded with history, some of which is featured here in Jack Hadley's Museum. I was intrigued since my heart's desire is to return to Washington, DC to experience the National Museum of African American History & Culture. I arrived to what looked like an abandoned school with a few men painting the doors. I wasn't sure if I was in the right place or if they were open, but one of the men pointed me towards the correct entrance door. A young gentleman greeted me and informed me it was a $5 surcharge for adults, to which I initially said, "we'll come back another time." I could see a portion of the museum and it honestly looked too cluttered for me. I'm a 'less is more' person as well as EXTREMELY detail-oriented, so places like this overload my senses. I prefer larger, simpler displays and here it felt like I was looking at 1,000 open books. Just as I was turning away, Jack came into the room and encouraged me to stay to take a tour. He was particularly interested in having my 14-year-old son come inside. He told me to forget about the admission fee, he would waive it if we would take the tour, which started with a 5-minute video. What I REALLY appreciated about his collection were the local stories you most likely will not hear about anywhere else. One story was personal to Jack, of how the plantations were taken over by investors from the north whom built homes for local blacks, one of which Jack grew up in. He told of how one woman by the name of Pansy Ireland Poe would send black children to college and pay for it herself. He also told of stories of slaves that were actually PAID for their work, something I'd never heard of! The museum also touched on sports, politics, poets, musicians and other artists but inevitably cannot escape the darker parts of our past such as slavery & the Jim Crow era. After our tour, I promptly paid double the admission fee, even though Jack had waived it upon entry. I wanted him and his staff to know I appreciate what they are striving to achieve. [ FINAL THOUGHTS ] I can't speak for all African-Americans, but I will shamefully say as for me, I've bounced back and forth being both proud and dismayed of my skin color. Not ashamed mind you, just not as proud at times as I should have been. But how could I be? Pride often comes from knowing who you are. So much of our history has never been told, lost or deleted altogether. Only in the last decade or so I've begun to discover the history that was hidden from schoolbooks and common publications. History that would have made me walk a little taller, stand a little firmer and climb a little higher had I known of the achievements of my people dating back beyond biblical times. Recent movies such as The Help, Green Book and Hidden Figures were a complete surprise to me as well as discoveries of my own. I have a passion for covered bridges, and through my quest to discover the remaining bridges still standing in the south, I came across the story of Horace King; a slave whom earned his freedom building bridges that still stand over 100 years later. He even engineered the floating staircase in an Alabama courthouse that remains in use today. It makes me think of the current term Make America Great AGAIN, to which I think "again" should be dropped. How great we would have been if all men & women of all races had been allowed to freely explore their talents, abilities and been uninhibited in their contributions. So I APPLAUD YOU Jack Hadley for what you have managed to accomplish here in Thomasville, GA. May it continue to grow, improve and spread for generations! 2019/60

We were looking for something to do for the day and decided to take a ride to the Tallahassee…read moreMuseum. It is more outside, so don't forget water to keep yourself hydrated. We loved the car part dinasaurs and the animals. The staff was friendly. The nature trail was a little boring and not well marked, but it didn't stop us from loving the experience.

Lived it. Exactly what we expected and we didn't expect too much. The visuals were worth the walk…read more Some animals are naturally shy. Staff was five stars. Great value.

Nice place! I made a video about it. It is my stuffed star named Starbo's adventure. Check it out…read morehere: https://youtu.be/hwpV_4six3A

From the owner: As the creative hub for the arts in Thomasville, we bring together over 85,000 youth and adults to…read moreexperience the arts across the community. In the fall of 2020, the Center’s historic building will open our new season with an enhanced exhibitions program featuring the works of seasoned and emerging contemporary artists, alongside educational traveling exhibits, and our notable collection of sporting and wildlife art. More than 30,000 visitors will enjoy performances in our newly renovated 480-seat theater presented by our long-time resident arts partners: Thomasville Entertainment Foundation and South Georgia Ballet. In addition to exhibitions and performances we, along with our partners, present after-school visual, dance, music, drama, and design thinking classes to over 300 students daily. Anchoring our youth programming is a multi-disciplinary fine arts program for 350 students from our neighboring Scott Elementary School during the school day. Along with programming in our facilities, we present experiences in The UnVacant Lot public art space, two large-scale arts festivals, city-wide public art projects, city arts and culture planning, and publish THOM magazine, which profiles the people and ideas shaping the creative life of our community.

Closed For Renovations Until Late 2026…read more Since Yelp requires at least 85 characters...blah, blah, blah, blah. Please don't show up and then bless them out in a 1 star review because you discover they are closed. They don't control this page on Yelp. Yelp does. I notified Yelp of the temporary closure and so far they've done nothing.

Great place! Friendly staff. Free parking. Nice cool A/C…read more You can donate and they have suggested donation numbers, but you're not forced to. It's actually bigger than I thought, so lots to explore. I was there during the alligator exhibit which was very neat. There was a life-size alligator in there and that was how I learned how big alligators really are! The gift shop sold gator sticks so I thought that was interesting

We are Very Disappointe!! I called ahead before making the 40 minute drive and asked specifically…read moreabout the planetarium shows for Today, was told there are several options and the hours of operation, only to find the planetarium shows are Not showing today upon arrival!! My children, particularly my Utistic child who is leaving in a tantrum, are Very upset!!

This is really a local treasure in Albany and almost so obscure. I remember taking a field trip…read morehere as a child, but did not visit again for many years. The last time I was there was a little over a year ago, but I took some pictures and took the time to really look around. They have so many engaging things for children to do. The planetarium is really unique in the area. They have trains in the back and even have large models inside the trains for children to look at (at their eye level too!). They have different exhibits at different times, but there is generally always something interesting and educational here. I remember there being exhibits related to dinosaurs, electricity, and old newspaper clippings all over the place with interesting stories about Albany's history. Definitely worth giving a once over if you're only visiting Albany.

Amazing! Mind blowing. Stumbled upon this and just amazed how much detail went into this priceless…read moreplace

I really enjoyed this museum and I have to start off by saying it definitely deserves five stars …read more The reason I cannot give it five stars is because it was so uncomfortably warm inside that we reached a point where we just had to get out of there. It's a shame because there is so much to see here, but we probably missed out on at least an 1/8 of the museum because we were sweating and felt so icky we just needed to get back out into the fresh air. This was in winter mind you, so saying that it was just too hot outside is no excuse. It was only around 68 degrees at the hottest point of the day we visited and we came in the morning so leaving the museum was literally a breath of fresh air. I cannot imagine how it gets in the summer. Although the temperature made us miss some of the museum, we made sure to get through all the cars before leaving. We spent around 2 hours here and could easily have stayed longer. This is not just a quick walk-through car museum. It's packed wall to wall, upstairs and downstairs, with cars, collectibles, Americana and lots of really unexpected items. I love rare and classic vehicles so seeing a tucker 48 in person was pretty cool. That alone made my day. The Oldsmobile futuramic 88 was another favorite and the limo that had been converted into a train car was just wild in the best way and blew my mind. You definitely don't see cars like this everyday. It's not just cars here though, they had a golden rococo style piano that was to die for! It was absolutely stunning. There were a bunch of gorgeous ornate antique cash registers that I really liked, interesting vintage radios, firearms, law enforcement badges, sports memorabilia and historical stuff like old medical equipment. They had a whole section of model trains and if you're into Batman they have a small section of vehicles dedicated to that. The bathroom was small but tidy and the employees were were quiet and perfunctory. It's also dog friendly, which is lovely but our dog did seem nervous walking on some of the matting on some sections of the floor so just be aware. On its face, this really is a five-star museum but the heat and humidity inside were just unexpected, and it was especially bad upstairs. We were sweating and physically uncomfortable. We really wanted to finish looking at the museum but we just couldn't take it anymore. I really hope they address the climate issue; not just for guests but for the preservation of all the items inside as well. It's was still def worth the $20 per person and I recommend a visit, just dress in layers and maybe start upstairs first.

Attended a showing of a documentary involving a local hero - Purple Heart recipient Colonel…read moreWashington Sanchez, Jr. Great turnout of folks, good conversations, well-done piece of work. The IMAX staff was wonderful; very accommodating. It has been quite a number of years since I last visited the IMAX Theater to catch a show. I didn't remember how cramped the seating was :o), though the seats themselves are comfortable. Once seated, best to stay seated until the show is over; otherwise, it will be quite a task to get out, especially if one is seated in the middle of the row and the row is completely filled. All in all though, aside from the tiny inconvenience regarding the lack of space between seat rows, I think everyone pretty much enjoyed the show and the setting. Note, the documentary is on Youtube as well! I also want to give a "shout out" to Mission BBQ for providing a complimentary meal for those attending the documentary. The food was delicious; the meal consisted of: coleslaw, baked beans with brisket, mac and cheese, sausage, pulled pork, brisket, cornbread, buns - along with tea (sweet and non-sweet), lemonade, and water! Thanks so much Mission BBQ!

Mid-sized IMAX screen, sufficient and comfortable seating, smallish concession stand…read more All in all, just the right size for our population. I've never been to a sold-out event here and, frankly, I often forget this is an option. That said, it's the best screen in the county - and if you're really looking for the larger-than-life experience, this screen yields a beautiful IMAX experience. It's no Warren Theaters IMAX - but then again - there's only one of those (in Wichita, not in NYC!).