BEST "COTTON PICKIN" FESTIVAL THIS YEAR!…read more Well, I was off to explore yet another festival this weekend and it was a blast! The Cotton Gin Festival was started back in the late 80's as a fundraiser to save the historic Agnes Hotel. It proved to be very successful and now occurs annually. The drive to the town of Bostwick was great because it is very scenic and quaint. We love the things that we saw on the way: baby goats playing in a front yard like they were little kittens, horses,cows and awesome cotton fields . I love cotton and I am just fascinated with touching raw cotton and borrowing samples from certain museums. My husband thinks it's like stealing a Van Gogh but I only grabbed a little to put in my pocket. However, I am happy to say that today I was actually able to PURCHASE my very own sample. Our favorite experience at the festival was touring the historic cotton mill. We were able to tour the mill and see that awesome gin at work. We actually saw the cotton vacuumed into the machine and transported throughout where it was cleaned, de-seeded, compressed and packaged for transport. It was the coolest thing ever!! Every single bale has a sample removed and sent to a government agency where it is inspected and evaluated. This tour was not just about seeing a cotton gin, it was a great opportunity to educate the public about the cotton industry. This festival is a great event for the entire family. Along with tours of the cotton mill, there was also an early morning race and a parade. The festival featured various vendors selling, clothing, jackets, jewelry, handmade soaps, wood crafts, winter accessories and more. I found a great hooded wool poncho that was handmade and super warm. It was sold by a Native American vendor who had great outerwear, bracelets, necklaces, hand puppets and more. Unfortunately he did not have a business card or the name of his business posted. This is not uncommon but it causes these small businesses to miss out on getting recognized with a Yelp review. I really like being able to "shine the light" on these small businesses so that they get the attention they deserve. In addition to vendors, there was a parade of various antique tractors and a few classics. It was incredible because there were so many tractors that it was just dizzying! Some of them were very rustic while others were beautifully restored. It was just great to see so many classic vehicles still loved and appreciated. Love it! Every festival has to have good food and great music and this one did not disappoint especially when it came to the music. I do not know the name of the band but they were so professional and so good that I would absolutely pay to hear them play again anywhere. They kept everyone thoroughly entertained. As we actually sat down to watch them, we noticed that we were sitting under a pecan tree. So we had fresh pecans to snack on while we jammed to the music. Perfect! For lunch we actually had some deliciously smoked ribs which is one of our favorite festival foods and a slice of buttermilk pie. In addition to all of the activities and businesses to interest adults, there was also a petting zoo and a huge play area for the kids. This festival absolutely had something for everyone and is highly recommended for all. ***Now to the issues that need to be addressed: During the festival, one should never run out of water and soap. This is just unacceptable. One should also never, ever run out of tees so early in the day, especially when it comes to the larger sizes. Additionally, tees should be designed to fully embrace the tractors and the cotton gin theme as in prior years and be available in complimentary colors. It is really not that difficult. I look forward to attending next year and having a great time! Just have my t-shirt ready please. PS If you are a vendor who sells clothing, outerwear or accessories, please consider bringing a mirror along so that customers can conveniently see themselves in the items they are wanting to purchase (instead of trying to rely on their phone). Thank you!

its the first weekend in nov. every year good food,music , tractors ,ex. very good festival to go…read moreto. see ya there

This is an excellent place to eat! Everything is always perfect and the food last time was great!…read moreIt's a must go to place every time we're at Reynolds!

This was our first visit here and from the moment we arrived, everyone and everything was…read moreexcellent. The service was great, the food was prepared perfectly and the wine was excellent. I highly recommend coming here if you want to have good food and service. The wine list selection has a lot of wonderful choices and many California wines. Enjoy!!

It's a decent neighborhood. There's a pretty fountain in the roundabout that freezes occasionally…read morein the wintertime. There are new explicit signs about not being on the golf course if you're not golfing but if it's after the course closes and you stay on the path - who cares?? Lake is nice with occasional leech type slugs depending on the time of year.

This is a review for the model homes because I can't find a review specific to the models…read more Why have signs everywhere saying "models open" and we get there and are told "only by appointment" I'm sure they've lost a sale due to this. The young woman should have said "hold on, let me call" Since I'm sure that they had agents probably just sitting around in the office.

My partner and I stumbled into the museum on our way to Madison,GA. The cute wooden carved statues…read moreoutside, in front of a rustic log cabin, made it intriguing to find out what was inside. The museum is three rooms, chock full of history and memorabilia. Ms. Pat, our tour guide was well versed in the history and items housed in the unique building. I believe we were there for about an hour, just looking and reminiscing about the early years. It's worth a stop if you find yourself in this area.

Small museum with friendly and knowledgeable volunteers. It is air conditioned which is great for…read morethe summer.

A great excursion and the owners are very personable and friendly. The blueberries were delicious…read morealong with other blueberry items for sale. The blueberry lemonade was my favorite! Definitely recommend :-)

We took our whole family last year and had an AMAZING time.. We LOVED the blueberries, blueberry…read morelemonade & homemade ice cream is a MUST!! Beautiful afternoon together!!

I finally got to cross this off my bucket list of places near me to visit. I went on Saturday,…read moreFebruary 2. First off, it's a nice little museum/bookstore in a literal brick and mortar store. There is free street parking along the strip of stores and across the street. Be advised that its on a busy(ish) street. I got there around 2:45-3 pm. I'm glad I did as the museum closes at 4 pm. When you do a search online it says they close at 5 pm, which is contrary to what their posted hours are. When you walk in it opens to the small bookstore/shop area. They carry only books by Georgia authors, which I absolutely love. To the right, the space opens up to a coffee shop but they had a partition of chairs blocking entrance because the coffee shop had closed for the day. I had no idea there was an attached coffee shop so I will definitely come back to check it out. I believe the coffeeshop closes at 2 pm. Two-thirds of the space is devoted to their exhibitions. The main exhibitions focus on Flannery O'Connor, Alice Walker, Joel Chandler Harris, and Sidney Lanier who are authors either born in or not too far from Eatonton. Overall, it's a pretty cool little museum/bookstore with an attached coffee shop. I ended up buying a book and one of the decorative glass cups. I was told by the staff person about an upcoming author/writer event they were having. Loved my time there. Will definitely pop over again especially to check out the coffeeshop. Explanation of rating: I deducted a star because of the hours which were different and not knowing they had a coffeeshop which I would have loved to check out.

Really appreciated this little space in downtown Eatonton. I've been through the town a number of…read moretimes to visit spaces associated with one of my favorite writers, Alice Walker. I'm not sure why I never took the time to see if there was an actual museum in the area, but on a recent trip I decided to take a look and found the Georgia Writers Museum. I stopped in on a Friday (the museum is only open a few days a week, so make sure to check the hours of operation before making a trip). It's free to visit, but there are ways to financially support the museum if you're able to do so. (Donations, or purchasing something from the gift shop, which actually has a really decent selection.) The museum itself was pretty small, but very well taken care of, and a really great jumping off point if you're in the area to learn about the local writers. (Both Alice Walker and Flannery O'Conner lived in the area, and there are places to visit associated with both writers for anyone wanting to learn more about them.) There was a clean restroom, and street parking was free and easy even in the downtown setting. The staff were incredibly friendly and knowledgable. A very solid little stop for anyone interested in learning about the rich history of writers from Georgia.

When you tire of city living and need an escape, point your car toward the perimeter and start…read moredriving. Keep going until you see some good road kill. Squirrels don't count -- you see those in the city. I'm talking about possums, armadillos and porcupines. Chances are you'll bump into some kind of festival in a nearby small town. And that's how I discovered the Sunflower Farm Festival in Rutledge, GA over the 4th of July weekend. Barely 45 minutes away from my condo in downtown Atlanta, but a world apart, it's billed as a "Good Old Fashioned Family Fun Time In The Country!" And despite my lack of family, I did have fun. I arrived early enough on Sunday morning to catch some of the Sunday Morning Jubilee, featuring fine bluegrass gospel tunes by the Rocky Creek Band. I didn't feel so guilty about skipping church as the sweet sounds of "Just A Closer Walk With Thee" wafted through nature's own cathedral of tall pines. With barely 6,000 people in attendance over three days it's more relaxed and less crowded than the massive festivals held in the city. There's a real charm to the artists and crafters market, unlike the slick juried shows at big city festivals. I delighted in choosing between buying corn cob jelly or banana nut bread jam. The bird feeder I purchased, made from a vintage cup and saucer, will make a unique gift. Like any good festival, there are food vendors, including the requisite junk food purveyors selling funnel cakes, and get this, fried Oreos, Twinkies and Snickers. I did my cholesterol a favor and took a pass. Activities for kids included pony rides, a petting zoo and a hay ride. And instead of sand, the kids play box was filled with corn kernels. Isn't that cute? The signature event allows you to wander through 15 acres of sunflowers and cut as many as you can stuff into a bucket for $15. That's a lot of smiles and sunshine to carry home. The thing about small town festivals is that you hear about other festivals too, like the Cotton Gin Festival and the Christmas In The Country Weekend and even the Loachapoka Syrup Sopping Festival in Loachapoka, AL. If the Sunflower Farm Festival is any indication, I see more small-town festivals in my future.

Visited during a field trip and we had a blast!…read more Farmer John and the girls did amazing teaching the kiddos and being oh so patient with them as well. It was so cool learning and seeing how dairy cows are milked. I'm still amazed to know that they don't have top teeth!! I tell everyone who'll listen now. LOL