Discover Griffin through its different highlights: museum exhibits and historic buildings sit alongside trails, a lake and events. A self-guided Doc Holliday driving tour takes about two hours. In the parks, you can choose trails of varying lengths and difficulty, or activities on the water. Which of these areas shapes your stay is a good starting point for planning your trip.
Museum and historic buildings
The Griffin Museum displays artifacts and memorabilia from Griffin dating back to the mid-19th century. The Doc Holliday Museum is part of the Griffin Museum. School and community groups can visit the museum for free. The museum visit brings together collection pieces from the city’s history and the Doc Holliday theme, without constituting a separate museum location.
The history of the buildings also spans different chapters. Historic City Hall was built in 1910. At Historic City Hall & Old Jail, the jail on the lower floor has been preserved unchanged in its original condition. The Gothic Revival sacristy of St. George’s Episcopal Church was built in 1869. The Bailey Tebault House is a Greek Revival-style house dating from 1859 to 1862. These buildings represent different architectural styles and periods.
The Spalding County Courthouse is one of only 15 pre-Civil War courthouses still standing in Georgia. The Griffin Grocery Company Building offers a different perspective on local history: it was a center of Griffin’s early business district. Together, the museum, courthouse and commercial building offer different ways to explore the city’s history rather than focusing on just one period.
Tour and outdoor activities
The self-guided Doc Holliday driving tour is a clearly defined activity, with an approximate duration of two hours. This describes the time needed for the tour, not the length of other visits. If you would rather focus on outdoor activity, Quarry’s Edge Park has three completed trails of varying difficulty: the 1.1-mile Green Loop, the 3.1-mile Blue Loop and the 2.3-mile Black Loop. By length, the Green Loop is the shortest and the Blue Loop the longest; no difficulty level is assigned to any individual loop.
Dundee Lake Park has a 28-acre fishing lake. You can fish from the shore or from small boats without gas motors. Nature is also on display along Ernie’s Trail in Wyomia Tyus Olympic Park, which has diverse plant and animal life. The same park hosts pickleball tournaments, events and training programs for all ages throughout the year. Recreation options range from a nature trail to organized sports.
Events and reasons to visit
The Doc Holliday Festival and BBQ competition take place annually on the weekend after Labor Day at Griffin City Park. At the competition, the public can buy sample plates from twelve teams and take part in choosing the People’s Choice winner. This combines the festival with a specific opportunity to sample food and vote. If you plan your trip around this event, check the dates for the relevant year.
Another event series takes place on the second Saturday in Downtown Griffin. The program includes live music and an open-air market featuring art, crafts, food and local vendors. The two event offerings have different focuses: the festival is associated with Doc Holliday and a BBQ competition, while the Downtown series brings together music and market stalls.
Planning highlights
For a stay focused on architectural and local history, the museum, historic buildings and driving tour offer a range of topics and formats. If you would rather spend time outdoors, you can compare the loop lengths, nature trail, lake and pickleball options. An event weekend, in turn, gives your trip a specific timeframe. Staff at the regional visitor information center in the Griffin Regional Welcome Center’s first-floor location can advise you on attractions, activities and tours.
For the broader travel overview: Spalding.
