Have you visited Butts County lately? Or if you are one of the local residents, have you checked out all the cool things there are to do here these days?

Located between two of Georgia’s largest cities, Atlanta and Macon, yet far enough to get away from it all, Butts County is quickly becoming a popular tourist destination, thanks to our many offerings for outdoor recreational activity and our increasing presence in the Georgia Film Industry. With multiple state parks, lakes and trails, a major river and a first class nature center, we are Georgia’s Outdoor Capitol, located in the heart of central Georgia and we would love for you to come and see what all we have to offer. Let’s take a look at what awaits you in our community:

Indian Springs State Park, the oldest state park in the United States, offers camping, hiking, creek wading, mini-golf, boating, historical sites, cabin rentals and large group activity venues. The new Idlewild Conference Center, opening in September 2018, will have a capacity to seat 500 at tables in a beautiful new building located on the shore of McIntosh Lake.

The Indian Springs Hotel, site of the signing of the Treaties of Indian Springs in 1821 & 1825.

The Indian Springs Holiness Campground, one of the largest and oldest in Georgia, annually draws several thousand visitors from all over the southeastern US to an annual 10-day camp meeting.

The Village at Indian Springs, a private investment restoration of 19thand early 20thcentury homes, shopping venues, businesses, luxurious lodging cottages and related attractions for an awesome weekend stay or longer. A new restaurant will be opening next to the Big Chief Store, as well as more shows and events at the beautiful new Amphitheater directly behind the store.

Dauset Trails Nature Center, owned and operated by a non-profit charitable foundation as an animal and nature preserve, complete with bike and walking trails situated on several hundred acres of wooded areas. General Beauregard Lee, the South’s most famous groundhog and weather predictor makes his home here and delivers winter forecasts each February.

Jackson Lake, a 4,750 acre manmade lake with 135 shoreline miles offering boating, water skiing, swimming and many other recreational amenities, including the Lloyd Shoals Park, managed by Georgia Power.

The Ocmulgee River, which forms at the mouth of Jackson Lake Dam and winds its way through many miles of unspoiled wilderness on its way to Macon and beyond, allows for canoeing, kayaking, rafting and camping. Now part of the Ocmulgee Water Trail, this river can take you all the way to the Atlantic Ocean if you like.

High Falls State Park, parts of which are in Butts County, brings a number of visitors to the County. The proximity of High Falls, Dauset Trails and Indian Springs can easily provide a day or two of ā€œpark hoppingā€ trips, allowing travelers to visit multiple places within a short distance of each other.

The Robert Grier Historic Cemetery, burial site of Robert Grier, the creator of Grierā€™s Farmerā€™s Almanac, which is still in publication today.

National Historic Registry Sites such as the Butts County Courthouse, the Carmichael House and the aforementioned Indian Springs Hotel.

Noted Restaurants that already draw people from across the state such as Bucknerā€™s Family Restaurant and the original Fresh Air Barbecue location.

Jackson, currently ranked as the 16thsafest city in Georgia

Jenkinsburg, our fastest growing small city and gateway to the County

Flovilla, our most historically preserved city, adjacent to Indian Springs State Park.

“Stranger Things”, the hit Netflix TV Series,Ā which uses downtown Jackson as the series town of Hawkins, Indiana. Many of the buildings used have been left studio-ready and draw a lot of interest from tourists and fans of the show who want to visit “Hawkins” and see the sights of the famous TV town.

Plus we have:

  • Easy accessibility to venues, including two interstate interchanges along I-75, fourĀ state highways and one US highway, which converge in Jackson.
  • Location within the ā€œdesirableā€ radius for film and television production
  • Camera Ready Community Designation and a dedicated Georgia Camera-Ready Liaison
  • An active, modern and well-equipped Public Library, filled with historic books and documents on the history of this part of Georgia.
  • An active Arts Council that provides a number of cultural and art events through the year.
  • And much more!

With all of this to see and do, you could spend several days or weeks here and not see everything we have to offer. You will be hard-pressed to find another Georgia county that has as many outdoor recreational venues as we do as close to Atlanta and other larger cities as we are.

If you happen to come through, stop by our local visitors center, which is managed by the Chamber of Commerce. Catherine Jones became the new Director of the Chamber in July of 2018 and she is already making plans for a great autumn season of events and things to do here, plus she will be working with our Tourism Board and other local stakeholders on many other projects. We’ll be putting them here as well to make sure that no matter which website or social media platform you might land on, you’ll be able to find the information you need about what to do when you get here. You can also call them at 770-775-4839 to get help or information or stop by at 625 W. Third Street, Suite 6, Jackson Georgia.

Check back here often too…I always try to keep the latest events and festivals posted to show you all that is going on here and make sure you have good information. Most of all…come visit us in Butts County and enjoy our southern hospitality and beautiful scenery. We think you’ll want to come back again and again.

As always, thanks for checking us out and taking a look at Butts County and our communities!

Michael