The Magnolia Midlands of south-central Georgia, around Statesboro, Vidalia, Douglas and Hazlehurst, has fishing lakes with accessible piers, two state parks, university gardens and small-town museums. Accessibility varies from place to place, so call ahead about specific needs; the notes below list the accessible features each site reports.
- State parksAccessible cottages, campsites and piers at many parks; $10 daily parking
- Fishing licensesRequired at public fishing areas for anglers 16 and older
- Free stopsGuido Gardens, Altama Museum, Dublin-Laurens Museum, Appling Heritage Center
Fishing Lakes & State Parks
Georgia State Parks aim to make their facilities and programs accessible to everyone. All lodges have accessible rooms, and most parks offer accessible cottages, campsites, fishing piers, trails and picnic areas. Levels of access vary, so tell the park your needs when you reserve.
Dodge County Public Fishing Area
A 104-acre lake on a 444-acre DNR property, known for big largemouth bass, plus crappie, bream and catfish. Open sunrise to sunset year-round; a Georgia fishing license is required for anglers 16 and older. Accessibility: two fishing piers and a boat ramp; accessible restrooms. Call ahead about specific features. Off U.S. 23/341 on Dodge Lake Rd., about 3 miles southeast of Eastman. 478-374-6765. Official site
Evans County Public Fishing Area
Three lakes on 372 acres: Bidd Sands (the largest), Lake Woody and Lake Longleaf, which is stocked with channel catfish several times a year. There is an RV and tent campground, event center, nature trails and archery range. Accessibility: Lake Longleaf has a fishing pier and easy bank access. Off U.S. 280 east of Claxton. 912-685-6424. Official site
Lake Lindsay Grace
A county lake of about 240 acres near Jesup with bass, bream and crappie, boat ramps, picnic pavilions and restrooms at two park areas. 1167 Griffis Rd., Screven (Wayne County). Official site
Little Ocmulgee State Park Lake
A 265-acre lake for bass, bream, catfish and crappie, with a fishing pier, boat ramp, boardwalk, lodge, golf course and campground. Parking is $10 per vehicle (Georgia State Parks ParkPass). Accessibility: Georgia State Parks have accessible campsites, cottages, fishing piers and lodge rooms at many parks; call the park about specific needs. 80 Live Oak Trail, McRae-Helena. 229-868-7474. Official site
General Coffee State Park
A quiet park near Douglas with a cypress swamp boardwalk, heritage farm, lakes, campsites and cottages. Parking is $10 per vehicle. Accessibility: accessible campsites, a cottage and restrooms. Open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. 46 John Coffee Rd., Nicholls. 912-384-7082. Official site
Parks, Gardens & Nature Centers
Georgia Southern Botanic Garden
Gardens and woodland around an early 20th-century farmstead, focused on native coastal plain plants. $5 admission. 1505 Bland Ave., Statesboro. Official site
Center for Wildlife Education and Lamar Q. Ball Jr. Raptor Center
Raptors, reptiles and native Georgia wildlife on more than five acres of habitats, with a daily wildlife program. Open Mon to Fri 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. and Sat 1 to 4:45 p.m. (Saturday hours are not offered May through August). Forest Dr., Georgia Southern University, Statesboro. 912-478-0831. Official site
Guido Gardens
Waterfalls, streams, flower gardens and the Chapel in the Pines. Free and open 24 hours a day, year-round. 600 N. Lewis St., Metter. Official site
A. Randall Tuten Environmental Park
A 20-acre park on the Appling County Middle School campus with streams, wetlands, two ponds, a floating dock, a 1-mile nature trail with a 500-foot boardwalk and an amphitheater. It is used for school tours, so call ahead. U.S. 15 South, Baxley. 912-367-8630.
Towns Bluff Park & Heritage Center
On the Altamaha River about a mile from where the Ocmulgee and Oconee meet, with RV and tent sites, yurts, a boat ramp, walking trails, picnic shelters and a heritage center. 45 Riverwood Trail, Hazlehurst. 912-379-9303. Official site
Bowens Mill Fish Hatchery
A Georgia DNR warm-water hatchery raising bluegill, redear sunfish, channel catfish and largemouth bass. Tours by appointment only; the hatchery has been under renovation, so call first. 1773C Bowens Mill Hwy. (U.S. 129), about 10 miles north of Fitzgerald. DNR Region 4 office: 912-285-6094. Georgia DNR
Museums
Georgia Southern Museum
Natural and cultural history, including a 26-foot mosasaur fossil and one of North America’s oldest whale fossils, beside the Herty Nature Trail. Open Tue to Fri 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sun 2 to 5 p.m.; $2 admission. Rosenwald Building, Southern Dr., Statesboro. 912-478-5444. Official site
World War II Flight Training Museum
The story of the pilots trained at Douglas’s Army Air Forces contract flight school. Open Thu to Sat 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.; $3 donation suggested. 3 Airport Cir., Douglas. 912-383-9111. Official site
Heritage Station Museum
Local and railroad history in Douglas’s old depot. Open most Thursdays to Saturdays depending on volunteers; call first. $3 donation. 219 W. Ward St., Douglas. 912-381-1135. Official site
Altama Museum of Art & History
One of the country’s largest public displays of Staffordshire porcelain, plus Audubon prints and Southern paintings, in the 1911 Brazell House. Free. 611 Jackson St., Vidalia. 912-537-1911. Official site
Dublin-Laurens Museum
Laurens County history in a former library, run by the county historical society. Free. Open Tue to Fri 1 to 4:30 p.m. 311 Academy Ave., Dublin. 478-272-9242.
Appling County Heritage Center
Turpentine and farm history, a Black history room, genealogy and a war room. Free. Open Tue and Thu 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 137 N. Thomas St., Baxley. 912-367-8133.
Glennville-Tattnall Museum
Local history in a 1911 school building. Open by appointment. Glennville. Official site
Hazlehurst-Jeff Davis Historical Museum
Rural Georgia antiques and artifacts in a turn-of-the-century raised cottage. Call ahead for hours. 61 E. Coffee St., Hazlehurst.
Telfair Museum of History
The Pioneer Historical Society’s county museum on farming, naval stores, timber and Telfair’s towns. It moved in 2022 from the Helena depot to the Telfair Center for the Arts. 119 W. College St., McRae-Helena. Official site
Blue & Gray Museum, Fitzgerald
Fitzgerald was founded in the 1890s as a colony where Union and Confederate veterans settled side by side. This museum in the old railroad depot tells that story with more than 1,200 objects. Open Tue to Sat 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; $5 adults, $2 students. 116 N. Johnston St., Fitzgerald. 229-426-5069. Official site
Arts & Historic Sites
Averitt Center for the Arts
A performing arts center and gallery in Statesboro’s historic bank building, home of the Emma Kelly Theater. Gallery and box office open Mon to Fri 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. 33 E. Main St., Statesboro. 912-212-2787. Official site
Hawkinsville Opera House
A restored 1907 opera house with concerts, plays and community events; tours are available. 42 S. Lumpkin St., Hawkinsville. 478-783-1884. Official site
Dell-Goodall House
Built about 1815, the only building left from Jacksonborough, Screven County’s first county seat, which legend says was cursed by preacher Lorenzo Dow. Now owned by the Daughters of the American Revolution, which opens it for tours during special events. U.S. 301 north of Sylvania. Official site
Ladson Genealogical Library
Genealogy collections focused on the Southeast, inside the Vidalia library building. Open Mon to Fri 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sat 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. 610 Jackson St., Vidalia. 912-537-9283. Official site
Ashley-Slater House
A 1912 Italianate mansion in Douglas, now home to the Douglas-Coffee County chamber and economic development offices. Open weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; call about tours. 211 S. Gaskin Ave., Douglas. 912-384-4555.
Carnegie Center, Fitzgerald
Gallery, classes and events in the city’s 1915 Carnegie Library, renovated in 2007. Free; open Mon 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Tue to Thu 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., or by appointment. 116 S. Lee St., Fitzgerald. 229-426-5035. Official site
Fitzgerald Grand Theatre
A restored 1936 Art Deco theater with 846 seats, showing movies and hosting concerts and stage shows. Free tours of about 30 minutes are available. 115 S. Main St., Fitzgerald. 229-426-5090. Official site
Evergreen Cemetery, Fitzgerald
Union and Confederate veterans lie together here, including William J. Bush, the oldest Confederate veteran in Georgia, and Jerome Moss, General Sherman’s drummer boy. The oldest section’s roads are named for Gettysburg landmarks. City-owned; open daily. City of Fitzgerald
Note: Earlier versions of this page listed Meinhardt Vineyards in Statesboro, the Butler Brown Gallery and the Frogbottom Gritsmill in Hazlehurst. We could not confirm that any of them is still open to visitors, so they have been removed. See accessible places in other Georgia regions.
Sources we checked
Facts in this guide were checked in September 2026 against the agencies and operators that run these places:
- Georgia DNR: Dodge County PFA
- Georgia DNR: Evans County PFA
- Georgia State Parks: ParkPass – $10 daily parking since Jan. 1, 2026
- Georgia Southern University: Botanic Garden, Museum and Wildlife Center
- World War II Flight Training Museum
- City of Douglas: Heritage Station Museum
- Altama Museum of Art & History
- Daughters of the American Revolution: Dell-Goodall House
- City of Fitzgerald: Blue and Gray Museum, Carnegie Center, Grand Theatre and Evergreen Cemetery
- Georgia DNR: Bowens Mill Fish Hatchery
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