Americus

Once known as the "Metropolis of Southwest Georgia," a reflection of its former status as a cotton distribution center, the town is graced with an abundance of antebellum and Victorian architecture. A prime example is the Windsor Hotel, a five-story Queen Anne edifice opened in 1892. Vice-President Thomas R. Marshall gave a speech from the balcony in 1917 and soon to be New York Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt spoke in the dining room in 1928. The Windsor Hotel is still in operation today and can be seen in the city-center, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Americus Historic District on January 1, 1976.

Other notables for Americus include Charles A. Lindbergh. The "Lone Eagle," bought his first airplane and made his first solo flight there during a two-week stay in May 1923. Discover the World of Habitat for Humanity at the outdoor 6-acre educational Village at Habitat’s headquarters in Americus, Georgia. Walk through an example of poverty housing. See 15 life-size Habitat houses from countries around the world~~houses built on stilts, as in Papua New Guinea; houses built of fieldstone, as in Kenya; houses built of hand-made blocks as in Sri Lanka. Learn about the devastating effects of poverty and the inspirational work of Habitat volunteers and partner families everywhere.

The surrounding area of Sumter County includes the cities of Plains, home of the 39th President Jimmy Carter; Leslie housing the Georgia Rural Telephone Museum, one of the largest collections of telephone memorabilia in the world; and Andersonville where the struggles of the Civil War and al Prisoners of War can be experienced at the Andersonville National Historic Site.