| HOME | Business | Churches | Schools | YardSale | Classifieds | News | Shop |
|
|
|
Welcome to Southwest GA
|
Visiting Southwest-ga.com!
There is much to see and enjoy in Southwest Georgia. And in the process, whether you're a visitor or a fellow Georgian, there is much to discover and learn as well. Having lived in Southwest Georgia all my life, I never knew there was so much hiding in my backyard until I started working on this website.
Places to visit in Southwest Georgia - Things to do and see!Cuthbert's King of SwingWho created that catchy swing music of the 1930's and 1940's that kept dancers cutting a rug? Many music critics believe that Fletcher Henderson, a native of Cuthbert, Georgia, is the true King of Swing.Henderson was born into a musical family on December 18, 1897. He started playing piano at the age of six ~ and never looked back. In 1920, Henderson moved to New York to attend graduate school, but he decided to play piano on a riverboat on the Hudson River instead. Throughout most of his life, he worked in the music industry. He started out with the Harry Pace/W.C. Handy Music Company as a song demonstrator. He also used his talents as a recording director and accompanist. He organized big bands and even joined Benny Goodman's band as the staff arranger. Henderson's orchestra was the first African-American band to broadcast regularly over the radio. Critics credit him as being the first jazzman to organize a big band. Many believe his orchestral arrangements became the foundation for what is known as the Swing Era. Although he may have never received the credit he deserved, Cuthbert honors their hometown jazzman each April at the Fletcher Herderson Jazz Festival. Keeping Georgia on Your Mind Jimmy Carter National Historic SiteIn the small town of Plains, you'll find the Jimmy Carter National Historic Site. Operated by the National Park Service, the site inludes the restored Plains High School that both Jimmy and Rosalynn attended. The school, which is now the state high school of Georgia, also serves as the visitor center and museum for the site. Visitors can see films and exhibits that tell the story of Carter's rise to becoming U.S. President. The museum shed light on how the town of Plains coped with changing social issues during the Great Depression years. The Boyhood Farm of Jimmy Carter is also located here in Sumter County.Habitat for Humanity International's Global Village & Discovery CenterThis six-acre Global Village and Discovery Center opened on June 7th, 2003 in Americus with the purpose of providing a first-hand look at low-cost housing solutions that are both environmentally and culturally appropriate.Visitors to the site travel through the "Living in Poverty" exhibit before touring the Global Village, where replicas of Habitat Homes built in third-world countries show how the organization stives to eliminate poverty housing. Detailed descriptions of homes built at a cost ranging from $2,900 - $4,300 include a hurricane-resistant stone home in Haiti, a house made of concrete and steel in Guatemala, a pressed-earth brick hoje in Kenya and a wood home on stilts in Papa, New Guinea. Vistors can also participate in hands-on activities such as brick and tile making. The site also features five guest areas, a Visitor Welcome Center, an International Marketplace with galleries, a theater, and Marketplace Store and Exploration Center. It is located at 121 Habitat Street in Americus. For more information and hours, call 1-866-924-5823. Fort Benning: The Home of InfantryFort Benning is known as the most influential infantry center in the world. The army established the training site in 1918 on a plantation south of Columbus. Today, it not only serves as an Infantry School, but also an Airborn School, Ranger School and provides training on the Bradley Fighting Vehicle. Leaders such as Omar Bradley, Dwight Eisenhower, George Patton and Colin Powell have all trained at Fort Benning.One of the most fasinating features of the site was made for the public to enjoy. The National Infantry Museum honors the centuries of service the infantryman gave our nation. The museum encompasses 30,000 sq. ft. of exhibit space filled with artifacts from the wilderness of Virginia in 1607 to the Persian Gulf in 1991. Visitors will enjoy viewing a large collection of firearms, uniforms, helmets, and vehicles. Memorable pieces include documents signed by George Washington and Franklin D. Roosevelt, a gas mask for a horse and a 1902 Studebaker Utiity Wagon. There's also a 100-seat auditorium that shows films daily and a gift shop. The museum is open to the public Monday-Friday from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and from 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
|
|||||
