High Falls State Park takes its name from the cascading falls of the Towaliga River. In Monroe County, lakes, irrigation reservoirs, campgrounds, picnic areas, and hiking trails offer opportunities for recreation. Along with historic buildings, exhibitions, and memorial sites, they provide a wide range of themes to explore.
Water, Woods, and Different Experiences
At High Falls State Park, boat rentals, boat ramps, and fishing piers provide access to the lake. A hiking trail follows the riverbank and winds through hilly woodland to the remains of a hydroelectric plant’s foundation. Here, a riverside route meets a reminder of earlier power generation.
Lake Juliette offers a different setting: The lake is reserved exclusively for fishing, and boats with motors over 25 hp are prohibited. As these rules may change, check the regulations before your trip. The 3,600-acre lake has only one campground, at Dames Ferry; many campsites offer views of the water.
Lake Juliette is surrounded by the Rum Creek Wildlife Management Area and borders the Rum Creek MARSH project, a protected area for wintering waterfowl. The Rum Creek Wildlife Management Area covers 5,800 acres in Monroe County and offers hunting opportunities for deer, turkey, small game, doves, waterfowl, and coyotes. The different locations therefore appeal to different interests: fishing on the lake, waterfowl protection in the adjacent area, and hunting in the Wildlife Management Area.
Plantation History and Historic Work
The Jarrell Plantation State Historic Site dates back to 1847. It preserves authentic plantation buildings from the 19th and early 20th centuries, as well as an agricultural complex powered by steam. Steam powered a sawmill, a cotton gin, a gristmill, a shingle mill, a planer, a cane press, and a syrup evaporator. The long row of different machines shows how many processing steps were part of this agricultural complex.
Forsyth: Downtown, Theater, and Remembrance
Historic downtown Forsyth offers dining, shopping, and entertainment. At the heart of the city stands the restored Art Deco-style Rose Theater, which has wheelchair-accessible entrance ramps. The Forsyth Commercial Historic District encompasses eight blocks around the 1896 courthouse. It includes 61 structures listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Other sites preserve different chapters of history. The Monroe County-Forsyth War Memorial honors Monroe County residents who served their country; its World War I memorial bears thirteen names. Three hundred soldiers who died in Forsyth during the American Civil War are buried in Forsyth’s Confederate Cemetery. Each grave is marked with a marble stone.
The Monroe County History Museum presents the county’s history through exhibits and special exhibitions. Its objects include a printing stand used by Joel Chandler Harris, author of the Uncle Remus stories, local historical artifacts, and a cotton gin similar to the one invented by Eli Whitney. The Tift College Legacy Exhibit preserves the history of Tift College, its alumni, and its impact on Monroe County and beyond. It also offers a glimpse into life during different periods in the college’s history. Telling Our Story, the first Black history museum in Forsyth and Monroe County, was established in 2008.
Getting Your Bearings and Seasonal Events
The Forsyth-Monroe County Welcome Center is located just off I-75 at Exit 187 and offers information about local, regional, and statewide attractions. Hamlin Hills Farm features a daytime family corn maze and a nighttime haunted corn maze seasonally. Check current dates before your visit.
Discover more destinations: Forsyth, Cherokee, Toombs, Tift, Decatur County, Terrell County, Pulaski County, Wheeler County.
For the main travel overview: Georgia.
