Bushels Of Fun: Make new traditions at these farms and orchards near Macon, GA
Sometimes the perfect tradition is right around the corner and in this case if you are staying in Macon, our neighbor farms and orchards are only a stone's throw away.
Families and friends gather each year as Spring weather brings in the sweetest of strawberries and continues through the Summer with signature peaches.
Find that southern hospitality you hear of so often, and be sure to add a healthy helping of peach cobbler to your plate at these unique stops.
LANE SOUTHERN ORCHARDS
50 Lane Rd, Fort Valley, GA
Featuring 11,000 acres of peach and pecan orchards as well as strawberry patches, Lane Southern Orchards has been passed down in the family generation by generation for over 100 years. Thanks to over a century of peach harvest seasons, its home city of Fort Valley is recognized as the "Peach Capital" of Georgia...it's even located in Peach County. With so many families returning to the orchard each year to get a taste of some of the state's finest peaches, Lane added a Roadside Market so you can buy just-picked produce and bring home a "taste of Georgia". Jams, jellies, syrup, peach pastries, Vidalia onions and pecans by the pound can be purchased in-person or even online. Spend the day perusing the store and once you've built up an appetite, head over to the orchard's restaurant, PeachTree Cafe & Bakery, for some of the finest pulled pork and world-famous peach cobbler, you'll ever have! Be sure to make it to their U-Pick Strawberry patch each Spring through late May! Lane also features several events during the holidays and for those popular summer months, kids can play on the farm-themed playground and end the day with a sweet homemade peach treat.
DICKEY FARMS
3440 Musella Road, Musella, GA
For over 120 years, this family-run business has fostered the family trees of so many with an abundance of delicious peaches! Dickey Farms is recognized as the home to Georgia’s oldest, continuously operating peach packinghouse. Their high-quality peaches and reputation ushered in the creation of new ways that visitors can join in on the harvest. During the Spring kids enjoy their U-Pick strawberry farm while in the summer months, you can pick up their staple peaches at The General Store. Check out their artisanal goods and gourmet gifts that include a wide variety of unique finds like pecan oil and delicious preserves. Plus, don't walk, RUN, to their handmade ice cream featuring strawberry, peach and in the winter... butter pecan flavors! You can even take a pint for the road... it's just that good. Of course, come back in the fall for a stroll through the pumpkin patches and explore their corn maze!
HAMLIN HILLS FARM
477 Dames Ferry Rd, Forsyth, GA
If you've ever driven a little North of Macon on I-75 towards Forsyth, you've probably found your eyes wandering off to the side of the interstate as an impressive red barn calls for your attention! "Hamlin Hills" in bold white letters greets our interstate travelers every day but what exactly is this extravagant gesture? If you are looking to pull off the road for that perfect picture that screams, "I visited Georgia", well you've found the place. Good-old fashion fun is probably the best way to describe it as the property features a mini-zoo, vintage collections of automobiles and planes, a restaurant, a part-time performance venue, and an eclectic gift shop. Between having one of the area's most beautiful sunflower patches to the baby goats, emus, and donkeys that greet you with a smile or the vintage plane that seems as if it was dropped here from another time, this unconventional farm just works for making an unforgettable classic family trip. Try out their delicious BBQ on a Sunday while catching a live show performed by local traditions. Shop for homemade goods such as soaps, and candles or taste test the house muscadine wine. If you can make it during the fall, return for corn mazes and that perfect ripe pumpkin! Prepare to meet one of middle Georgia's most quirky tradition makers.