Thomson-McDuffie County Convention and Visitors Bureau

Thomson-McDuffie County CVB
Contact: Elizabeth Vance, Executive Director
Office: 111 Railroad Street, Thomson, GA 30824
Phone: (706) 597-1000
E-Mail: evance@thomson-mcduffie.net

Website: Thomson – McDuffie County Website
Events: Thomson – McDuffie County Calendar of Events



Welcome to Thomson-McDuffie County, land of outdoor adventure and festival fun in east-central Georgia. Surrounded by natural beauty, this historic area is classic and Southern from its antebellum homes to its homespun music to its small-town festivals and lends itself to a variety of recreational pursuits: fishing, horseback riding, golfing, geocaching, hiking, hunting, camping, cattle driving, boating, picnicking and more. And with some two dozen festivals and events crowding the annual calendar, you can be sure there is always something fun going on in Thomson.


Blues Festival

10 Fun Things To Do in McDuffie County!

Have lunch at Ivery’s Restaurant
Southern buffet eating at its best with fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, squash casserole—all those down-home delicious dishes that are everybody’s comfort food favorites.


Ivery's Restaurant


Search for the oldest graves in the Wrightsboro Cemetery
Several veterans of the Revolutionary War and some who died at Gettysburg, Shiloh and Fredericksburg in the War Between the States are buried in this historic churchyard cemetery.

Hiking the easy yet surprising beautiful boardwalk Beaver Trail at the McDuffie Public Fishing Area
A variety of trails await the avid nature lover. Paths such as Blackwater Swamp Trail, Beaver Pond Trail and Longleaf Pine Trail offer a variety of geographic characteristics for their followers to enjoy. Spectators frequently see wildlife such as whitetail deer, fox squirrels and Canada geese.


McDuffie County Ga Public Fishing Area Trail

Discovering new places and learning a bit of local history while geocaching
Grab your GPS and go on a treasure hunt! There are now over 60 caches hidden in and around McDuffie County, some at historical sites.

Wakeboarding and water skiing on Clarks Hill Lake
Covering more than 70,000 acres of water, Clarks Hill Lake is the largest U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project east of the Mississippi River and one of the largest inland bodies of water in the South.


Enjoying Clark's Hill Lake

Fishing one of the ponds at the McDuffie Public Fishing Area
McDuffie PFA ponds are managed for bass, bream and catfish angling, some ponds are supplementally stocked in the fall with harvestable size channel catfish. Click here for a map.


McDuffie County Ga Public Fishing Area

Wagon rides across the countryside during the Belle Meade Hunt
Ride along on a Tally-ho wagon through historic sites and beautiful rolling countryside of McDuffie County, following scarlet-coated hunters and well-trained hounds on a simulated fox hunt. This is truly an unforgettable McDuffie County tradition!


Belle Meade Hunt

Pick up some spicy, cheese straws from Chinaberry Foods
Taste a Southern tradition: spicy, cheddar-rich cheese straws, freshly baked wafers that simply melt in your mouth, are a must at any Southern gathering.

Antiquing at Aunt Tique’s and Uncle Junks
Specializing in unusual antiques, stained glass, iron fencing and lots more. We welcome everyone to come to our store and enjoy southern hospitality while antiquing in the heart of Downtown Thomson.


Aunt Tique and Uncle Junk's

Take an African American History Audio Tour of the area
Self guided audio tour will take you through sites of historical note in McDuffie County with particular emphasis on the stories of African-Americans who lived and worked here, making McDuffie County the fascinating place it is today.


Explore the Classic South Region in East Central Georgia

Thomson is a great hub from which to explore the East Central Georgia region. Our area is a convenient 20 to 45 minute drive to several picturesque small towns, vast lakes, scenic rivers and historic state parks. Here are suggestions for a Classic South adventure!

Augusta Canal National Heritage Area
Enjoy history, recreation, & wildlife-viewing along this 160- year-old National Landmark waterway. Augusta Canal boat tours depart from the Interpretive Center located in picturesque 19th Century Enterprise Mill. Outdoor activities include hiking and biking trails, fishing and paddling.


Augusta Canal Boat Tour

Augusta Museum of History
Augusta Museum of History was established in 1937 for the purpose of preserving and sharing the material history of Augusta and the region. From a 10,000 year-old projectile point to a 1914 locomotive the collections chronicle a rich and fascinating past.

Laurel & Hardy Museum & Festival
See memorabilia of the comedy duo at this museum in the small town of Harlem Ga., where Oliver Hardy was born. On the first Saturday in October, Harlem balloons to more than 20 times its size when 40,000 people arrive for the annual Oliver Hardy Festival, which has become one Georgia’s best known events.

Beautiful Downtown Washington
Even shopping and dining in Washington seems to be from another era - you’ll find timeless treasures, shopping with a personal touch, and all at a nice small town pace. Amble around the town square - tree shaded, brick-paved, walker friendly - and you’ll find gift stores, antique stores, art galleries, specialty shops, and unique dining experiences.

Callaway Plantation
While in Washington do make sure you drop in at the Callaway Plantation which is a history museum with a difference. Rather than walk around reading tiny plaques which don't really tell you much anyway, here you get to relive a page of history. You get to tour plantation houses and actually experience plantation life as it used to be.

Georgia’s Lake Country
A truly unique area rich in offerings for both residents and guests. With award-winning golf courses, pristine lakes, historic towns, southern art and entertainment, fabulous shopping, antiques and world renown accommodations.

Elijah Clark State Park
Located on the western shore of 70,000-acre Clarks Hill Lake, this park is named for a frontiersman and Georgia war hero who led pioneers during the Revolutionary War. A recreated log cabin museum displays furniture, utensils and tools circa 1780 and is open on weekends April through November. Cottages are located on the lake’s edge, and the spacious campground is nestled into the forest.


Places of Interest

Hickory Hill
This 1865 estate, home of U.S. Senator Thomas E. Watson, father of Rural Free Delivery (a rural mail service for the nation), has been richly restored to its 1920s appearance and includes Watson heirlooms. The 270-acre gardens and arboretum, originally designed by Watson, may be explored. Tours by appointment; self-guided garden tour available.


Hickory Hill Estate

Rock House
The Dutch colonial-inspired Rock House dates back to the 1730s. Research suggests it was a trading post built by an Irish immigrant who founded one of the largest trading networks in the region. As such, this National Register Historic Structure is the oldest rock house in Georgia and one of the oldest structures overall in the state—and one of the few surviving trading posts in the South. Self-guided tour available. 706-597-1000.
The Rock House has been place on the 2009 Places in Peril list by The Georgia Trust.

Wrightsborogh Historic District
McDuffie County’s roots go back to the 1768 settlement of Wrightsborough, one of Georgia’s only Quaker settlements and the southernmost point of Quaker migration in North America. In 1768 Joseph Maddock, an English Quaker from North Carolina, founded in Georgia the Quaker community of Wrightsborough (named for James Wright, the royal governor of Georgia). Maddock and other families had been thriving in Hillsboro, North Carolina, until the British representative there established a heavy tax system. Subsequently, he and another prominent Quaker, Jonathan Sell, organized the group of forty families who moved to Georgia. Governor Wright gave them 12,000 acres, on which the Quakers built homes, gristmills, and a meetinghouse. Wrightsborough survived as a village until the 1920s, but little remains physically of the settlement in modern McDuffie County. Self-guided tour of church and cemetery available.

Pine Top Farm
Pine Top Farm is a premier eventing site listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Visit the farm during it’s ongoing horse trials to see the excitement of Olde English-style equestrian events, scheduled on selected dates in February through April and in September, November and December; and an autumn roundup with wagon train, cattle drive and cookout. Facilities include sand dressage arenas, cross country courses that utilize 200 acres of open pasture land and permanent event stabling. The eighth generation family managed farm is historic,too: It sits on a British land grant dating to the 1770s.

The Old Frontier Camp
The Old Frontier Camp, an 85-acre campsite spread out in the countryside of east-central Georgia, gives children a glimpse of the Old West through a variety of hands-on experiences including a gem mining area complete with mining flume and seeded dirt; a five-acre corn maze open for six weeks every fall. Other events include, fall horse shows on the first Saturday of each month and a 35-acre Christmas light display, open from Thanksgiving through the end of the year. Call to schedule your tour.

McDuffie Museum
The McDuffie Museum opened its doors in January of 2009 in the old Sun Trust Bank on Main Street. The Museum’s programs, exhibits and activities enable members and visitors to relive McDuffie history, become inspired and create a connection with the past.


McDuffie Museum



Watermelon Festival



Clarks Hill Lake Georgia