Capitals, columns & culture, Georgia�s Antebellum Trail Old South Tour celebrates its 25th anniversary as well as its popularity as a fly-drive choice, being located 70 miles from Georgia's capital city Atlanta. Stately pillared manors line southern Main Streets, architectural styles stand proud, old courthouses and house museums await public viewings while covered bridges, botanical gardens, lakes and golf resorts are among many of the attractions along the way.

Georgia�s 100-mile Antebellum Trail starts in Athens, and heads south through seven character towns and cities to Macon:

Athens is an eclectic college town, nestled at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains and is renowned for its trendsetting Southern culture. Its 15 historic districts, four house museums, 313-acre State Botanical Garden and historic landmarks form part of the Trail. Here lies the Georgia Museum of Art which houses a permanent collection of over 9,000 works of art.

Watkinsville is located between Madison and Athens. The district contains over 20 structures representing nineteenth and twentieth century architectural styles along both sides of Main Street. The Eagle Tavern was built in the late 1700s when Watkinsville was a frontier town on the edge of Creek and Cherokee Indian Territories. It opened in 1801 as a stagecoach stop and tavern and by 1827 stages from Milledgeville passed through Watkinsville three times a week. Just four miles south sits the Elder Mill covered bridge, one of only 13 covered bridges still standing in Georgia.

Madison and its fine old Antebellum homes were spared General Sherman�s torch while Atlanta burned. Madison and its Victorian architecture offer 1.4 mile tours by foot, carriage, bike or car - several places open to tourists include the beaux-arts Courthouse, and three house museums. There are over 160 antique vendors, 45 specialty shops which have made Madison a popular overnight destination on the Trail. Just west is Rutledge, Georgia�s largest state park set in Morgan County with its lakes and golf courses.

Eatonton � the residential section of the historic district of the city features over 100 Antebellum and Victorian era structures and several high style examples of Greek revival Queen Anne and Folk Victorian as well as Gothic Revival homes. There is a self guided walking tour past historic homes. (Alice Walker author of The Color Purple was born outside Eatonton which has led to an Alice Walker Driving Tour to give visitors an insight to the author�s history).

Milledgeville was once the capital of Georgia (1807 � 1868) Two hour guided Antebellum Capital Trolley Tours share its history. The Museum District included preserved mansions, haunted historic sites and museums, while the historic district boasts 20 architectural landmarks. Lake Sinclair offers 15,000 acres of water for boating fishing and recreation. The Old Governor�s Mansion was the home of Georgia�s governors from 1839 � 1868. This National Historic Landmark house is furnished in period antiques and is open for guided tours.

Old Clinton is the known as �the town that time forgot� but once a bustling town on Georgia�s western frontier and the county seat. Clinton today is a quiet, rural village. Historical locations include Grisworldville Battlefield, Sunshine Church, Wayside, Round Oak and Jarrell Plantation which is a cotton plantation owned by a single family for over 140 years. This working farm was donated to the state in 1974 by descendants as a true Antebellum farm to establish the Jarrell Plantation State Historical Site.

Macon was founded in 1823 along the banks of the Ocmulgee River and offers a wealth of Antebellum treasures. Over 5,500 individual structures in 11 historic districts are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Macon Gardens, Mansions & Moonlight is held each spring to showcase its plantation homes on a candlelit tour, a garden market and select private gardens and historic homes within its neighbourhoods. The State�s rich musical heritage is showcased in the Georgia Music Hall of Fame namely Little Richard, Otis Redding Ray Charles, The Allman Brothers Band, REM and the B-52�s. It is also renowned for its Cherry Blossom Festival with a backdrop of more than 300,000 Yoshino cherry trees making it the Cherry Blossom Capital of the World.

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Georgia�s Antebellum Trail hosts an annual Pilgrimage in the spring offering exclusive entrances to private homes, discounted tickets at museums and a variety of special events. Visit: www.Antebellumtrail.org or contact Georgia Tourism for a list of tour operators featuring the Antebellum Trail on 01342 323656

For more information, contact Jane Wilson, PR Consultant for Georgia Tourism on 0208 948 2388 or email: georgia@jw-associates.eu or visit www.exploregeorgia.org