South Georgia Spotlight: FITZGERALD, Georgia

Most people know Fitzgerald for its founding story, a Union veterans’ colony that became one of the most unlikely symbols of post-Civil War reconciliation in the entire South. But Ben Hill County’s seat has a lot more going on than its history books.

Downtown Fitzgerald is worth an afternoon. The Blue & Gray Museum and renovated Depot give history buffs plenty to dig into, while the Carnegie Center Gallery keeps the arts alive with rotating exhibits from local and regional artists. The restored Grand Theatre anchors the main strip with its classic Art Deco facade, and for shoppers, Maylee Baby Candle Company, The Ivy on Pine, and Bella Rue Plaza cluster together for a stretch of treasure hunting at prices you won’t find anywhere else.

When you need a break from browsing, the Milton “Buddy” Hopkins Nature Preserve offers a quiet one-mile trail around a pond right in the middle of town — a favorite among birders for the seasonal aquatic wildlife it draws from across Georgia. And yes, the wild chickens that roam freely through Fitzgerald are exactly as charming as they sound, so much so that the city celebrates them every year with the Annual Wild Chicken Festival, one of those only-in-South-Georgia events that has to be seen to be believed.

Fitzgerald is a small town that knows what it has. Spend a day here, and you’ll see why.