More Free Things to Do in Georgia
1. Don’t miss the Museum of Aviation in Warner Robins — it’s the second-largest museum in the U.S. Air Force and the fourth-most-visited museum in the Department of Defense. Explore bombers, trainers and fighter planes, including the A-26C “Invader,” used in combat during World War II.
2. Join countless others and travel to the Martin Luther King Jr National Historic Site in Atlanta to pay your respects to one of the most honored civil rights leaders in history. See where MLK was born and grew up, where he worked and prayed, and his final resting place.
3. Art historians from around the world travel to the Georgia Museum of Art in Athens to study its 12 Italian Renaissance paintings from masters such as Pietro Lorenzetti. Check out these important works, then relax in the tranquil sculpture garden.
4. If you’re a railfan, chug your way to the Folkston Funnel Platform in Folkston, where you can view and photograph dozens of locomotives, including eight Amtrak trains, every day. Radio scanners in the platform let you hear railroad-related radio traffic.
5. Visit the Thronateeska Science Museum in Albany for hands-on exhibits about archeology, paleontology, hydrology, and more.
6. Catch up on 500 years of history during the St. Marys History Walk in St. Marys. As you loop around a garden facing the St. Marys River, you’ll find 24 interpretive panels highlighting the presence of the Timucua Indians in the 1500s, the local shipbuilding industry and the town's role in the War of 1812.
7. Spot an array of birds — including blue-winged and yellow-throated warblers — during a free, guided bird-watching tour of the Dawson Forest, presented by Wild Birds Unlimited.
8. Located inside the Statesboro Visitors Center on Main Street, the Museum on Main tells the story of Statesboro’s history with fascinating artifacts like a 1920s turpentine wagon that once facilitated the town’s turpentine trade.
9. Savannah's famed historic squares — all 22 of them — are beautiful retreats in the midst of the bustling city. Read a book on a bench not unlike the one showcased in Forrest Gump, or enjoy a picnic under the shade of the Spanish moss–draped trees.
10. At the McDuffie Museum in Thomson, learn what happened when famed naturalists William Bartram and John Muir visited the land that now comprises McDuffie County. You’ll also find documents asserting this area was home to a lost 18th-century Quaker Colony.
11. Fascinated by Southern history? Then you won’t want to miss the Georgia State Cotton Museum in Vienna. Here, you’ll learn about the "snow of the South," including its role in the slave trade and how it contributed to the region’s economy.
12. Children will squeal as alligators swim, tortoises sun themselves, and venomous snakes slither about at Oxbow Meadows Environmental Learning Center in Columbus. Let the kiddos burn off extra energy on the winding nature trails.
13. There’s no charge to enter and explore the stunning Georgia Capitol building in Atlanta, the center of post-Civil War state government in Georgia. Take a self-guided tour of the Classical structure, which includes stops under the rotunda, in the legislative chambers, and in the Georgia Capitol Museum, where you can view historic battle flags.
14. Go for a treasure hunt on the Jackson County Heritage Geocaching Trail, filling your official trail passport with stickers from the 30 caches.
15. All aboard! At the train-viewing platform in Millen, watch in wonder as 15 trains a day pass by. Don’t leave before stepping inside the historic railway depot housing the Jenkins County Museum, which showcases local artifacts.
16. Serenity is available ’round the clock at Guido Gardens in Metter, which welcomes visitors to enjoy its cascading waterfalls, peaceful streams and shaded gazebos 24 hours a day. You’ll also find a prayer chapel and a replica of Christ’s empty tomb. Free tours are conducted on weekdays.
17. Tap your toes to live country, folk and bluegrass music on the second Saturday of the month at the Ringgold Opry in Ringgold.
18. Watch in awe as hang gliders launch from the top of Lookout Mountain. The deck adjacent to the launch site, called The Eagles Nest, offers an ideal vantage point.
19. Here’s a quail hunt the whole family can enjoy! Thomasville is located in the heart of quail-hunting country, and its downtown is home to 12 hidden quail statues just waiting to be found. Begin your scavenger hunt at the Visitors Center and don’t stop ’til you’ve discovered them all!
20. Sweet! Head to Homerville to begin your journey along the Clinch County Honey Trail, with eight stops at honey shacks and gift shops selling everything from whipped honey to honeycomb.
