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Sure, it's a simple thing to head down to the local market when you have a hankerin' for a fresh peach, but Georgia is such a beautiful place and, after all, it's the source for the fruit that satisfies your craving. So why not take a trip down south? Mid-May to mid-September is peach season, making summertime ideal for embarking on a peach mission, and to do a little sight-seeing while you're at it. Georgia isn't just about peaches, but there's enough peach-centered activities that you just might have to plan another trip to get it all in.
Know Your Peaches
There are more than 40 varieties of peaches grown throughout the state of Georgia, according to GA Peaches. Have you picked your favorite? Don't feel bad if you didn't know there were so many different kinds, just revel in the fact that having so many varieties means that there's a different type of peach ripe and ready to enjoy every few weeks starting around May 15. While most peaches have a creamy gold flesh beneath a blush-colored skin, Jaemor Farms grows a few types of peaches that are actually white. That means you can't judge a peach by its color—but you can tell if a peach is ripe if it has a pleasant, peachy-sweet smell, and it's soft, but not squishy, when squeezed.
Visit a Farm
Visiting a farm on your peachy adventure is a must. Lane Southern Orchards is a notable stop to make. Take a tour of the farm or packing line, enjoy live music at Jam Night on the Farm and have breakfast, lunch, dinner or all three at the Peachtree Cafe and Bakery before hitting their roadside market to stock up on all the peach products your heart desires. If you feel like taking a trip back in time, be sure to put Dickey Farms in Musella, GA on the itinerary. Boasting a community smaller than Mayberry, Musella is an experience in itself. But the Dickeys will welcome you to their peach farm for some peach jam and a tour with open arms. Bonus: there are brand-new road signs to make the journey easier.
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Georgia Peach Festival
Celebrate a peachy way of life and help Georgia honor the peach growers that put the state on the map by attending the Georgia Peach Festival. Located—where else?—in Peach County southeast of Atlanta, GA, the festival is a Mecca for peach lovers world-wide, drawing as many as 10,000 visitors each year. Every year the week-long event is the place to be for concerts, car and bike shows, theater performances, fireworks and food galore of both the peach and non-peach type. And it's the only place you'll be able to see—and help eat—the World's Largest Peach Cobbler. Measuring 11 by 5 feet and 8 inches deep, the Eating of the Cobbler is the pinnacle event of the festival.
On your way in or out, depending on your schedule, you should definitely try to check out some of the other events and attractions Georgia has to offer. Take a mile and a half full moon hike around the rim of the Tallulah Gorge, drift away on a balloon safari or explore the Augusta Museum of History. There's no end to the extensive list of things to do and see between peach "pit" stops. One trek through, and Georgia and its peaches will certainly be on your mind.
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