This Quiet Georgia Town Is An Underrated Gem For 2026
The start of a new year always makes a great excuse for planning new adventures. Sometimes the only real challenge is deciding where to go. If you’re the type of traveler to keep your mind open and explore new places, this article is almost certainly for you! Travel down to southwestern Georgia, and you’ll find the small town of Thomasville.
With a population of just under 19,000, Thomasville has more than earned its nickname as the “Rose City.” Between the annual rose festivals and a massive rose garden, the town truly shows off what a Southern spring is capable of. Thomasville’s culture is just as impressive as its gardens, offering everything from tours of grand Victorian homes to immersive, flavor-packed food walks. Keep your planner handy, because you will almost certainly be looking for open dates by the time you’re done reading!
The Rose City: Gardens & Festivals
Travelers visiting Georgia’s “Rose City” are in for a colorful surprise, with Thomasville erupting in bloom throughout the spring and summer. The best place to view these roses is at the Thomasville Rose Garden, which is home to over 1,500 rose bushes that are in full bloom between April and July each year. Visitors can enjoy strolling along the rose-lined paths or stop and appreciate the view from one of the park’s gazebos before heading over to the adjacent Cherokee Lake Park, a recreation area with a walking trail that winds around the lake, a playground, and a pollinator garden.
If you visit town right in April, you might be able to attend the Thomasville Rose Show and Festival. Beginning as a rose show back in 1922, the event has evolved to include entertainment, an antique car show, an artisan market, a parade, and more, celebrating all things flowers and roses!
Historic Landmarks & Museums
Exploring Thomasville will feel like a trip back to the Victorian era, with many buildings wonderfully showcasing this time period. The Lapham-Patterson House is the perfect example, a 6,000 square foot home built in 1884 and 1885 that reflects Victorian craftsmanship and creativity. A few of the home’s features that you’ll notice include Fishscale shingles, long-leaf pine inlaid floors, a remarkable double-flue chimney, and a cantilevered balcony. You can even take a tour of all three floors, learning more about its residents, architecture, and technology. Afterward, visit the Jack Hadley Black History Museum to view nearly 5,000 artifacts. Inside, the exhibits highlight Thomasville's notable achievers, including the Buffalo Soldiers and those who served in more recent conflicts like Desert Storm.
Both a natural and historical landmark, you’ll also want to swing by the Big Oak, a giant southern live oak that dates back to around 1685! This ancient giant, standing for over three centuries, boasts a massive limb span of 165 feet and a trunk circumference exceeding 26 feet.
Local Flavors
Thomasville offers a food scene that feels deeply connected to the area, drawing influence from its cultural and agricultural roots. If you want to experience a little bit of everything the town’s dining establishments have to offer, you’ll love signing up for a Taste of Thomasville tour! This tour will take you through the downtown district, sampling dishes from some of its most beloved restaurants.
Travelers who prefer exploring the culinary scene at their own pace have plenty of options as well! For some handcrafted cheese, stop by Sweet Grass Dairy Cheese Shop, which serves a rotating menu of cheese and charcuterie. For some hearty southern cuisine, make sure to dine at Jonah’s Fish and Grits, a southern scratch kitchen that offers a southern twist on the British favorite, fish and chips. Finish the day with a glass of wine from the Farmer’s Daughter, a vineyard and tasting room that serves an array of award-winning wines made right in southwest Georgia!
Arts & Culture
Thomasville is just the place to enjoy a live show or search for your next masterpiece. The Thomasville Center for the Arts is, at its core, a creative hub that hosts exhibitions and performances. In the center’s historic building, you’ll find an impressive exhibit space for contemporary artists, as well as educational traveling exhibits and sporting and wildlife art. The center is also home to a newly renovated 480-seat theater that hosts thousands of attendees each year. Literary lovers should also make sure to stop by The Bookshelf, an award-winning, independent bookstore that has been part of Thomasville for over three decades! You can find all sorts of genres of books here, including mysteries, thrillers, romance, non-fiction, poetry, young adult, and children’s literature.
The Adventure Continues
If you aren’t quite ready to head back home yet, you’ll be glad to know that there are several other towns nearby that you can check out to extend your trip a few days. Heading about 45 minutes west of Thomasville, you’ll hit Bainbridge, a gorgeous small town that sits along the Flint River. Declared by the Georgia State Legislature as the state’s bass capital, the fishing here is fantastic, with both the river and Lake Seminole serving as prime spots for anglers.
About an hour and a half from Thomasville, meanwhile, lies Blakely, the self-proclaimed “Peanut Capital of the World.” This town is a fantastic stop for history lovers, who can walk the grounds of the Kolomoki Mounds, a sacred site dating back nearly two millennia. After exploring the ancient earthworks, make sure to visit the Early County Peanut Monument for a quick photo op with a tribute to the crop that drives the local economy.
A Refreshing Discovery
If you find yourself craving something fresh this year, Thomasville is well worth the trip. It might not be the first name to pop up on every travel list, but it certainly deserves your attention. The town’s culinary scene, art center, museums, and gardens offer the kind of high-end entertainment you’d expect from a much larger city, but without the overwhelming crowds. As an added bonus, it is only about 45 minutes from Tallahassee, making it an easy escape for Floridians looking to get away for a few days. So what are you waiting for? Get out there and get ready to have the best vacation yet this year!
