Deeply historic and buoyantly youthful, walkable and welcoming, Milledgeville is a city unlike any other in Georgia. You might come for the small town charm — and charming, indeed, it is — but you’ll fall for its outdoor beauty, 19th-century architecture, farm-fresh treats, and indie shops, art and antiques. Try a visit and you’ll see.
While a weekend will give you enough time for the highlights, a few days or even a week lets you explore at a gentler pace. I recommend the latter. Milledgeville isn’t the kind of place you want to rush. Go slowly and savor it all. Here’s how.
A Unique B&B in Milledgeville
The city’s heart and soul, Milledgeville’s 10-block historic district is the best place to stay, and there’s just one hotel downtown: The Inn on North Jefferson. Checking into the circa 1820 home, with its columns, wrought iron fence, rocking chairs, and flickering lanterns, feels like stepping back in time.
The house is filled with vintage touches, which, if not entirely true to one specific period, are altogether homier and more inviting. I was enchanted with the details, like the built-in bookcases in our cornflower-blue master (“The Elizabeth”), lovingly layered with bric-a-brac. A silver rocking horse. A teacup atop a stack of books. A glass candle snuffer. Two clocks. A pair of old-fashioned spectacles.
There’s a sense of coziness within. You might grab a drink from the bar in the lounge, crack open a puzzle in the gameroom, or just kick back on the sofa in the parlor as you gaze out the bay windows. Of course, you’ve still got all your modern conveniences at hand, such as remote-controlled AC, a keypad for ease of entry, and the obligatory Keurig. There are even complimentary snacks to fortify yourself for your adventures around town.
In the backyard, a pool welcomes guests when the weather’s fine. During the holidays, garlands and ornaments festoon the rooms. Of course, that’s only half of the bed and breakfast experience. We’ll come to the most important meal of the day later on.
Discovering Downtown Milly
Once you roll out of bed, you have the walkable downtown at your fingertips — or footsteps, so to speak. Antique hunters will be delighted. Newer boutiques, meanwhile, like the aptly named Eclectic, offer a curated selection of trendy and locally made gifts and souvenirs.
After shopping, see the sights. Founded in 1803 and designed as the state’s capital, a role it held for over 60 years, Milledgeville shows off a mix of Federal, Greek Revival, Victorian, and neoclassical architecture along its pretty oak-lined streets and squares. The 1807 Old State Capitol is the most visually stunning, sporting castle-like tower and crenellations, but it’s just one of more than 45 historic sites you can walk to. Pick up a brochure and map for a self-guided walking tour at the visitor’s center, itself housed in a former 1911 post office.
For an easier way to see it all, board the trolley tour departing from the center every Saturday morning. You’ll cruise by the city’s landmarks as your guide recounts their stories — like that of the Sallie Ellis Davis House, a modest weatherboard cottage that preserves the legacy of a woman who educated hundreds of Black students in the segregated South. You’ll also step inside St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, its arched windows streaming light through stained and painted glass. Built in the 1840s, the church is the city’s oldest, restored since the Civil War when Sherman’s forces stabled their horses in the sanctuary and poured syrup down the organ.
The grand dame of historic sites in Milledgeville, worth a tour of its own, is Georgia’s Old Governor’s Mansion. The beige-pink home of Georgia’s governors from 1839 to 1868 houses a museum exploring the political and social issues of that era. At Christmastime, it’s resplendent with period decor.
If you’re lucky enough to be planning a trip in October, time your visit for the Deep Roots Festival, when concerts, cook-offs, a car show, food trucks, inflatables, and more take over downtown.
Exploring the Outdoors
For a quiet walk through the historic district, the scenic campuses of Georgia College and Georgia Military College provide plenty of greenery. For something a bit more… atmospheric, let’s say, the Central State Hospital, once the largest mental health institution in the world, beckons. Derelict brick buildings from the mid-1800s, where treatments once included lobotomies and shock therapy, front a large pecan grove that yields a plentiful harvest in fall. Take a trolley tour led by a former hospital employee to learn more and wander the cemetery where patients are laid to rest.
If you’re feeling more active, you can kayak down the Oconee River (rentals in town) or hike in the shade of Bartram Forest just south of the city. A stroll or cycle along the three-mile riverfront greenway offers a glimpse of moody ruins of an 1890s grist mill. And you don’t have to be an outdoor enthusiast to enjoy the quiet beauty of Lockerly Arboretum. This 50-acre preserve features not only trails, trees, and one of the largest collections of camellias in the region but also a three-story antebellum mansion, Rose Hill.
Andalusia is yet another site blending history and nature. The former home of author Flannery O’Connor was settled in 1814 as a cotton plantation. Tour the house and its outbuildings, like the cow barn and milk cooling shed. Then hike the short Tobler Creek Trail. We spotted deer in the surrounding forest, and there’s even a resident peacock strutting the grounds.
Best Places To Eat in Milledgeville
Back to breakfast now. If you’re booked at The Inn on North Jefferson, a meal at The Local Yolkal Cafe is included with your stay (a dramatic improvement, I feel, on the more common B&B protocol of chef’s choice with strangers at dawn). Even if you’re not staying at the inn, you want to try this award-winning brunch spot. They serve breakfast and lunch, so whether you fancy a cobb salad, shrimp and gouda-infused grits, or stuffed French toast, you’re covered. Be sure to try one of their legendary benedicts, coming in seven varieties that range from Creole sardou to The Hemingway with smoked salmon.
Dinner invariably brings you back downtown. For something casual yet different, tempt your palate with the Mediterranean flavors at Metropolis Cafe. Fill up on kebabs, soft pita slathered with tzatziki or hummus, and the delicious wonton-wrapped chicken momo appetizer, steamed and grilled to perfection — unless you happen to be there Thursday when they serve Indian food, in which case, naan and curry are the way to go.
Wind down your evening at Blackbird Coffee. This is a college town, after all, where an espresso is appropriate any time of day. Sink into a couch and soak up the vibe, summed up in exposed brick walls and the smell of locally roasted beans, as you dream of tomorrow, another day for historic walks, treasure seeking, great food and new friends.
