To Plan A Trip

For information on Georgia’s Antebellum Trail, including a map and a guide, call the Macon-Bibb County Convention and Visitors Bureau at 1-800-768-3401 or visit www.milledgevillecvb.com . Each town has its own local organization that can help you plan your trip; for contact information, see the Antebellum Trail guide.

Madison is a nice place to stop for the night, and I stayed at Burnett Place, a bed-and-breakfast built around 1830, where you can be a guest in one of the houses you’ve spent the day admiring (706-342-4034). The current owners, Ruth and Leonard Wallace, have a seemingly endless supply of stories about Madison, and staying with them is like getting a private history lesson. If you’d like to stay in one of the small villages that dot the trail, try the Ashford Manor Bed and Breakfast, built in 1893, in Watkinsville. The tiny town is delightful and features some nice shopping for those interested in antiques and local art. Staying at the Manor is a unique experience; one of the current owners worked as a costumer for the Metropolitan Opera before moving to Georgia, and his theatrical flare is evident (706-769-2633).

If you are interested in attending the Cherry Blossom Festival in late March, check the dates by calling the Macon-Bibb County Convention and Visitors Bureau or visiting its Web site at www.maconga.org . The festival lasts for ten days and is scheduled to coincide with both the blossoms and the birthday of William A. Pickling, who came across a Yoshino cherry —very rare in the South—in 1952 and began planting them all over Macon. Events include concerts, arts and crafts fairs, and a food fair.

For the full antebellum experience while in Macon, stay at the 1842 Inn (1-800-336-1842), where the hosts serve fresh-baked cookies to their guests every evening on the veranda and in gracious parlors filled with antiques. The inn is along the Lights on Macon walking tour and not far from the Hay House, the most impressive of Macon’s museum homes. For information on the Hay House, or Lights on Macon, call the Convention and Visitors Bureau.