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Explore Eatonton, Georgia: Where Fun and Adventure Meet!

Eatonton sits in Putnam County, Georgia, between Lake Oconee and Lake Sinclair. The two lakes cover over 50,000 acres of water between them. Joel Chandler Harris and Alice Walker both came from this town, and there are museums here for both of them. Reynolds Plantation runs 99 holes of golf across six separate courses.

Eatonton is a small town in Putnam County, Georgia, and it holds more than its size suggests. Outdoor country, art and culture are all here, and it works for a local or a visitor equally.

For history, the Uncle Remus Museum covers the life and work of Joel Chandler Harris, who wrote the Uncle Remus stories. For time outdoors, the Oconee River Greenway is the one to head for, with camping, kayaking and canoeing. And for golfers, Eatonton’s courses are the reason a good many people come at all.

There is more than that. Eatonton carries a real art and culture scene across several galleries and performance spaces. The boutiques, antique shops and restaurants handle the rest of the day.

Key Takeaways

• Eatonton, Georgia is a charming small town located in Putnam County.
• There are plenty of fun things to do and places to visit in Eatonton, from outdoor adventures to art and culture.
• Visitors to Eatonton can enjoy golfing, shopping, and dining, as well as exploring the town’s rich history and natural beauty.

A Glimpse into Eatonton’s History

Eatonton has a long history and it is visible on the ground, from antebellum architecture to Civil War monuments. What to see:

Historic Homes and Antebellum Architecture

Walk Eatonton’s historic district and the century falls away. The district holds high-style examples of Greek revival, Queen Anne, Folk Victorian and Gothic Revival, standing close enough together to compare. Pick up an Eatonton Self-Guided Historic Walking Tour brochure at the Chamber and work through it at your own pace.

Uncle Remus Museum

Joel Chandler Harris is Eatonton’s best-known former resident, and the Uncle Remus Museum is built around him. It covers the Brer Rabbit stories, where they came from and what they did to American literature. The statue of Brer Rabbit stands outside.

Georgia Writers Museum

The Georgia Writers Museum is the other literary stop, covering the state’s writing more broadly. The exhibits run to Alice Walker, Flannery O’Connor and Joel Chandler Harris, setting out their lives alongside the mark they left on American literature.

Civil War Monuments

Eatonton had a part in the Civil War and the evidence stands around the town. The Putnam County Confederate Monument stands in front of the courthouse, marking the soldiers who fought and died for the Confederacy. It is a reminder of the town’s complicated past and of what the war cost here.

Antebellum architecture, Brer Rabbit or Civil War history: Eatonton covers all three. The sites sit close enough together to do in a morning.

Outdoor Adventures in Eatonton

Eatonton, Georgia is proper outdoor country, with two lakes, a national forest and a run of trails. The best of it:

Exploring Lake Oconee and Lake Sinclair

Lake Oconee and Lake Sinclair are two of the busiest lakes in Georgia and they have the room for it, covering over 50,000 acres between them. Boating, fishing and swimming all happen here without crowding each other. Rent a boat or bring your own, and take a picnic for the shore.

Hiking and Biking Trails

For something more active, Eatonton has hiking and biking trails in quantity. The Oconee River Greenway is the one to start with, and the country along it justifies a weekend rather than an afternoon. The Rock Hawk Trail is the other, 12 miles through forest and past ancient Native American rock carvings.

Oconee National Forest Camping

The Oconee National Forest covers over 116,000 acres, which is more ground than a week can work through. It takes camping, hiking and walking, and the sites run from primitive to fully serviced.

Hunting and Wildlife Watching

For hunting and wildlife watching, Eatonton is well supplied. Deer, turkey and quail are all here, and several hunting preserves in the area take pheasant, quail and other game birds. For watching rather than hunting, the Oconee National Forest and the wildlife management areas nearby are where to go.

Eatonton, Georgia earns the drive for anyone who would rather be outdoors. Lakes, forest and trails, and the choice between a slow day on the water and a hard one in the woods.

Art and Culture Scene

Eatonton carries more culture than a town this size normally does, from galleries to literary landmarks. What to see:

Plaza Arts Center

The Plaza Arts Center is the one for anyone who follows art. The building was a school and has been restored into a performing arts centre and gallery, showing local artists alongside travelling exhibits. The building itself is worth the visit, with architecture and detail work that reward a slow look.

Alice Walker’s Literary Legacy

Alice Walker, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author, grew up in Eatonton. Her childhood home is open, and it is where the material behind “The Color Purple” came from. There is a marker in downtown Eatonton as well.

Native American Rock Effigy

Eatonton holds a substantial piece of Native American history in the Rock Eagle Effigy. The rock sculpture was built over 2,000 years ago and it is still there, in the open, at full scale. Anyone with an interest in the period should make time for it.

Art, literature or history: Eatonton covers all three properly. Give it a full day.

Water Sports and Boat Tours

Eatonton, Georgia is well set up for time on the water, whether you want to relax or work. The options:

Young Harris Water Sports

Young Harris Water Sports at Lake Oconee is the place to rent. They carry the largest selection of boat and jet ski rentals on the lake, so something will suit whatever you had in mind. The double-decker boats with water slides are the ones families end up on.

Young Harris Water Sports also runs waterskiing and wakeboarding lessons, which is the way to improve rather than simply fall over repeatedly. Pontoon boat rentals cover the slower version.

Fishing Charters on Lake Oconee

For fishing, the charters on Lake Oconee are the way to do it properly. The guides know where the fish are, and they will teach a complete beginner what to do rather than leaving you to it.

A charter is not only about the fish. Half the value is the lake itself and the country around it, seen from the water at the right pace. Sit back and wait.

A boat, a waterski or a rod: Eatonton, Georgia covers all three. Bring sunscreen.

The lakes and the literature split the trip between them. Lake Oconee and Lake Sinclair take boating, fishing and swimming, with rentals and charters running out of both. The Uncle Remus Museum, the Georgia Writers Museum and Alice Walker’s childhood home cover the writing. The historic district is a self-guided walk you pick up at the Chamber. Spring and fall are the seasons to aim for.

Golfing in Eatonton

Eatonton has some of the better golf in Georgia. Pack the clubs:

Golf at Reynolds Plantation

Reynolds Plantation is the one golfers come for. It runs 99 holes of championship golf across six courses, and each one sets a different problem, so a week there never repeats itself.

Seasoned player or beginner, Reynolds Plantation has a course for you. They are built to test every level rather than to punish the inexperienced.

The golf is not the whole of it either. The courses at Reynolds Plantation sit in genuinely good country, which makes a bad round considerably easier to bear. There are restaurants on site and a pool when you have had enough.

Grab the clubs and give Reynolds Plantation a day.

Golf Courses in Eatonton

For something more traditional, Eatonton has other courses worth playing. The Golf Club at Cuscowilla, Great Waters Golf Course and Uncle Remus Golf Course are the three to look at.

Each has its own character, so work through them rather than picking one. A demanding round or an easy one: Eatonton has both.

Get out and hit the links.

Eatonton’s Shopping and Dining

Eatonton covers shopping and eating better than its size predicts. Where to go:

Downtown Shopping Experience

Downtown is where the shopping is, running from antiques to handmade crafts across a walkable few blocks. The Uncle Remus Museum gift shop is the one for souvenirs worth carrying home.

The boutiques on the square handle clothing and accessories, and the local furniture stores and home goods shops cover the rest. Everything is close enough together to work through in an afternoon.

Dining Options in Eatonton

Shopping builds an appetite and Eatonton is ready for it. For Southern comfort food, the local diners and cafes do fried chicken, mac and cheese, and biscuits and gravy the way they should be done.

For something smarter, the upscale restaurants in town run steak and seafood through to Italian and Mexican cooking. The local bars and breweries handle the drinking.

Whatever you came for, Eatonton’s shops and kitchens will hold you for a day. Bring a wallet and an appetite.

Planning Your Visit

A little planning makes Eatonton, Georgia go considerably better. What is worth knowing first:

Best Time to Visit Eatonton

Spring and fall are the seasons to aim for in Eatonton, when the weather is mild and the foliage is worth the drive. March and May avoid the summer crowds without giving up the weather.

Pet-Friendly Accommodations

The dog can come. Eatonton has plenty of pet-friendly accommodation, from hotels through to cabins. The best of them:

• The Lodge on Lake Oconee
• The Ritz-Carlton Reynolds, Lake Oconee
• Lakefront Cabin with Private Dock

Meeting Facilities

For a business trip or a corporate event, Eatonton has meeting facilities across the range, from a small conference room to a full ballroom. The venues worth looking at:

• The Plaza Arts Center
• The Ritz-Carlton Reynolds, Lake Oconee
• The Lodge on Lake Oconee

A family vacation, a weekend for two or a working trip: Eatonton handles all three. Pack accordingly.

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the best way to spend a day in Eatonton, GA?

It depends what you came for. For history, the Uncle Remus Museum covers the author of the Br’er Rabbit stories. For time outdoors, the trails at Rock Hawk Effigy and Trails or a day fishing Lake Sinclair. And the restaurants are worth building the day around.

Where can I find the most unique shopping experiences in Eatonton?

Crooked Pines Farm is the one people miss. The family-owned farm runs a gift shop of handmade goods, local products and alpaca wool. You can tour the farm and meet the animals while you are there.

What are the top-rated restaurants in Eatonton?

The Silver Moon Restaurant is the Southern cooking, doing fried chicken and mac and cheese properly. Fish Tales Lakeside Grille is the seafood, with Lake Sinclair filling the windows. And Dairy Lane makes the homemade ice cream.

What are some hidden gems to visit in Eatonton?

The Plaza Arts Center is the one to find. The historic building holds a theater, an art gallery and a pottery studio under one roof. The Eatonton Antique Mall is the other, and what turns up in it changes constantly.

How can I make the most of my visit to Lake Sinclair?

Lake Sinclair takes fishing, boating, swimming and sunbathing without any of them crowding the others. The way to do it properly is to rent a pontoon boat and give the lake a full day. Pack a picnic lunch.

Is it true that the locals in Eatonton are the friendliest people in Georgia?

It is true, and locals will not argue with it. Strangers here start conversations and offer directions before you ask. That is how Eatonton works.

Frequently asked questions about Eatonton, Georgia

How big are Lake Oconee and Lake Sinclair near Eatonton?

Over 50,000 acres between them, which is enough water that boating, fishing and swimming never get in each other’s way at all. Rent a boat or bring your own down. Pack a picnic as well, because the shoreline is comfortably the better half of the day.

What is the Rock Eagle Effigy near Eatonton, Georgia?

A large rock sculpture built by Native Americans over 2,000 years ago, and it is still standing out in the open. The Rock Hawk Trail runs 12 miles through forest and past ancient rock carvings. Both are open to visitors year-round.

How many golf holes are at Reynolds Plantation?

There are ninety-nine holes at Reynolds Plantation. They are spread across six separate courses, which is more championship golf than most whole regions carry, and each one sets a different problem. There are restaurants on site and a pool for when the round goes badly.

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