Things to See and Do
Haralson County Has Something for Everyone
From the sweet sounds of music by some of the nation's best-known recording artists performing on the stage of the Milltown Music Hall, to the beauty of the Tallapoosa River and its 27 miles of scenic beauty along the Dub Denman Canoe Trail, to museums, parks and historic buildings, Haralson County has something for everyone.
It is easy to see what is so special about Haralson County. If you’ve never been here, it will be impossible to understand. There’s a lifeforce here – it’s in the air, it’s in the people; it brings with it an experience that clears the mind, calms the heart, and rejuvenates the spirit. Hard by the Georgia-Alabama border in northwest Georgia, away from the crowds, the traffic and the "busyness" of life, Haralson County is rich in history, enveloped by nature and infused with possibilities.
Enjoy a day riding through the countryside, stop by a local farm and purchase home grown products or visit an art gallery, museum, music hall, veteran’s park or a host of other places unique to Haralson County. Don’t forget to stop by and shop with a local business owner or enjoy a home-cooked meal.
Among places of interest are the Haralson County Military Memorial; the Homeplace, an 1800s house museum; the West Georgia Museum; historic Budapest Cemetery; the Sewell Mill Textile Museum; Little Creek one-room schoolhouse; and the Queen Ann style Haralson County Courthouse.
If those attractions don't keep you busy, you can visit the Trilliumn Vineyard for a wine tasting; one of several parks (Bremen Veterans Park, Bremen Depot Park, Standpipe Park, Helton Howard Park); or Bud Jones Taxidermy, one of the few facilities to ever mount a life-size African elephant (for the Anniston Alabama Museum of Natural History) as well as giraffes and rhinos.
For the outdoor types, you can play golf year 'round at Tally Mountain 18-hole championship course; pedal the 58 mile long Tour de Rogers cyling route; paddle the 27 mile long Dub Denman Canoe Trail on the Tallapoosa River; hike one of several trails; or wet a line at any one of dozens of fishing holes on the rivers and lakes.
And let's not forget the festivals. The annual Dogwood Festival starts the season in April with family-friendly events including a parade, 5k run, musical, amusement rides foir children, music, jewelry, arts and crafts, plants, local food and much more.
In what has to be one of the most unique festivals anywhere Haralson County celebrates the Fried Pie each September with its signature event being a Fried Pie Cook-Off. Enjoy lots of fried and not so fried food, along with arts and crafts, a car and bike show, and tons of musical entertainment up and down Van Wert. For the youngsters, there is a children's area with a carnival like atmosphere.
Haralson County's economy was given a significant boost when the Chattanooga, Rome and Columbus Railroad was built, crossing the Georgia Pacific at Bremen and trains still play a big role in the day-to-day life of those who live here. The Depot Museum Celebrates that history
Step into the shadows each fall in Tallapoosa and explore the haunted places, look for ghosts, and enjoy 14 stories told by Tallapoosa locals. Things might just not be what they appear to be.
Buchanan Courthouse
The Courthouse, built in 1892, is currently part of the National Registry of Historic Buildings and serves as a public library with meeting facilities and an office for the county's Historical Society on the Buchanan square. Hours are Monday through Thursday, 11 am to 6 pm, Saturdays 10 am to 2 pm., or by appointment. Admission is always free.
Little Creek One Room Schoolhouse
The last remaining "one-room" school house in Haralson County. It has been relocated to Buchanan and is being restored. Historical research indicates that the school house was built circa-1870. Private tours are available and admission is free. The school house is also home of the first quilt square in Haralson County that connects us to the Southern Quilt Trail -- preserving the memories of historic Folk Art quilts.
Haralson County Military Memorial
Preserving the history and service of Haralson County Veterans while providing community service, awareness and education for current and future generations of Georgia, while honoring our fallen heroes. A memorial to the fallen on 9/11/2001 was added in a dedication on 9/11/2011. This includes a replica of the Twin Towers along with a mangled piece of iron from the New York Towers. Enjoy an audio tour of several of the monuments as you walk around the park. An Americana Fourth of July is celebrated here each year to honor our veterans.
Helton-Howland Memorial Park
Helton-Howland Memorial Park known for "The Picnic Spot with a Beach!" Tent and self-contained vehicles for camping. Open all year long with a Pavilion that is free to rent (all you need is a reservation), multiple picnic tables, horseshoes, authentic military vehicles and equipment on display. This unique park is a continuation of the Veterans Memorial with its displays of military vehicles. Enjoy a walk in the park or a picnic under the covered shelter. Doodle Thrower amphi-theater is available for local groups. A fantastic fireworks display is featured at the park in July.
Veteran's Memorial and Medal of Honor Park
Veteran's Memorial and Medal of Honor Park is solemnly dedicated to America's Finest! Site includes the Wall of Tears, the Medal of Honor Fountain and the League-Lowe Memorial. Free. Open to the public daily.
Budapest Cemetery
The cemetery, containing about 20 graves, has a large arch gateway entrance and a split rail fence along the roadway. A local land developer, Ralph L. Spencer, invited some 200 Hungarian wine-making families to settle this region in 1888. The wine industry flourished in this climate until 1908 when the passage of the Prohibition Act in Georgia spelled their doom. The residents were forced back to the Pennsylvania mines. The cemetery was established in 1900 and it appears no burials have taken place here since 1956.
Dub Denman Canoe Trail
The Dub Denman Canoe Trail is along the Tallapoosa River in Haralson County. Approximately 27 miles long, the trail connects with the Alabama Canoe Trail. Three launch sites are being developed :Poplar Springs, Hwy 100 at Water Works, and Broad Street in Tallapoosa, before entering Alabama. Three locations for you to experience our beautiful, quiet, and one of the cleanest rivers in the West Georgia area.
Mill Town Music Hall
Mill Town Music Hall opened as West Georgia's largest concert and entertainment venue on January 28, 2012 and the community hasn't stopped singing its praises since. The venue is home to quality wholesome entertainment covering multiple music genres ranging from Tanya Tucker, The Oak Ridge Boys, John Berry, and Exile. It's located conveniently off I-20 in Bremen.
West Georgia Museum
This museum has something for all ages. A look back at the late 1800 early 1900 era, replicas of old stores, a barber shop and bank, will take you back to an earlier time. For the youngsters, a whole assemblage of dinosaurs greets visitors as they enter the museum. With a 30 ft. Tyrannosaurus Rex towering over several other smaller dinosaurs, it is indeed an awesome site that will inspire young, inquisitive minds. A horse drawn buggy and a restored 1923 Ford Peddlers wagon will bring out the realism of that long ago period.
Standpipe Park
“The Standpipe” was Tallapoosa’s first water system from 1890. The park is directly across from the Standpipe on Hwy. 78 and was vacant for many years. The property was purchased by our local historian in May 2015 to beautify the entrance into Tallapoosa. A main attraction in the park is a huge Deodar cedar, native to the mountain forests of the Himalayas. What started as an entrance to Tallapoosa gradually became an outside art park created by the local art community. You will find folk art carvings, a Flintstone mobile made from part of an old magnolia tree, various art paintings on plywood used to boarder a section of the park and many metal art creations.
Bud Jones Taxidermy
Bud Jones Taxidermy is one of the few facilities that has mounted life-size African elephant for the Anniston Alabama Museum of Natural History). They have also mounted giraffes and rhinos. In recent years, there has risen an interest in western decorative art. They furnish the decor for large restaurant chains and they keep on hand a large inventory of old saddles, boots, branding irons, western printers, and other regalia for the discriminating decorator.
Tally Mountain Golf
Open year-round, Tally Mountain features rolling hills with crowned Bermuda fairways. An 18-hole, championship golf course features a beautiful lake and clubhouse, driving range, putting green, and snack bar. A pool is open during summer months to customers.
Sewell Mill Textile Museum
Built in 1918, this historic building honors the region’s past as “The Clothing Center of The South”. As you enter he museum you will see a time clock near photos of the history of Sewell Mill. A card is located near the clock to prompt you to each step. Begin by clocking In. You are now an employee at work at Sewell Manufacturing. For the self-guided tour, follow the prompts through each step. The tour will take about 20 minutes and will take you back in time to the days when textiles were king. Museum is open 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Historic Haralson County Courthouse
A picturesque agglomeration of towers, turrets, arches, differing wall surfaces, windows in a variety of sizes and shapes, and exuberant ornament, the old Haralson County courthouse, which has stood proudly in the center of the square in little Buchanan since 1892, epitomizes the Victorian period. The building is Queen Anne in style. It was designed by Bruce and Morgan, whose partnership produced at least eight Georgia courthouses including several along U.S. 27. The building now houses the local historical society and library.
Bremen Depot Park
Watch the more than 40 trains that pass through Bremen each day from the comfort of the new Bremen Depot Park. The park shelter was fashioned after the original design of the Train Depot that was located in Bremen for many years. There is a scanner installed in the Depot that lets you listen in on train radio traffic and know what is coming down the tracks. It's sort of like the police scanner but more fun! Plenty of parking and restrooms. The park is open daily.
Bremen Veterans Park
A walkway to honor military service members in a manner similar to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, whose guards march 21 paces next to the Tomb, is part of the park. Twenty-one symbolizes the 21 gun salute used at military funerals. There is a walkway here three feet wide, and 63 feet long that simulates the Tomb Guard pathway to salute to all unknown military members, and to provide an interactive opportunity for students, young and old alike, to pace out the 21 steps. The park includes a burn-pit for retiring old flags. The U.S. Flag Code, states flags must be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning.
Trillium Vineyard
A gentleman farmer is one who farms, not because he needs to farm but because he finds joy in farming. He has, or had another occupation in addition to farming. Trillium Vineyard's owner and winemaker, Bruce Cross, planted the vineyard because he wanted to be a good steward of the land. He delights and finds solace in working the land and bringing in the harvest. The vineyard offers wine tastings, vineyard and processing tour and an event venue.
Tallapoosa Ghost Stories
The South has more than its fair share of haunted towns, buildings, and cemeteries, and an entire section of the tourism industry is dedicated to exploring those haunted spaces, looking for ghosts, and enjoying an evening of spooky stories and ghoulish entertainment.
If you enjoy a good ghost story and are a gregarious person who loves to meet new people, you may enjoy being a tour guide for haunted walking tours, trolley tours, or bus tours. And one of those tours is a seasonal event right here in Haralson County -- Tallapoosa Ghost Stories: A Walking Tour.
Scheduled annually in the fall, this haunted walk will take you down the shadowed side streets of Tallapoosa, Georgia for an unforgettable evening of haunted history, mystery and ghostly tales. Tour-goers are guaranteed to hear stories they've never heard before about this quaint, Southern town. The tour series starts in September and continues through October.
Hunting and Fishing
For lovers of the great outdoors, Haralson County offers great fishing and hunting opportunities. Paulding Forest Wildlife Management Area is located in Haralson, Paulding and Polk counties. This 25,707-acre property offers hunting opportunities for deer, bear, turkey, and small game. Raccoon Creek, one of the outhernmost trout fishing opportunities, is located on the WMA. Horse and bike trails and areas, except the Silver Comet Trail, are closed all day during firearm deer hunts and before 10 a.m. during archery deer and turkey hunts. No ATVs allowed on the property. There are 33 reservoirs in Haralson County, many of the open for public fishing.