Wheeler County combines birdwatching opportunities with hiking trails, golf, and historic buildings. The Alligator Creek Wildlife Management Area (WMA) is a place for nature observation; at Little Ocmulgee State Park & Lodge, a loop trail winds through sandhills and along the lake, while an 18-hole golf course offers another activity. The county also features sites connected to architectural and church history. You can shape your stay around whether nature, outdoor activities, or historic buildings are your main focus.
Nature and Birdwatching
The Alligator Creek Wildlife Management Area covers 3,086 acres and is near the confluence of the Little Ocmulgee River and Alligator Creek. The area offers public access for birdwatching; check the WMA’s current rules before your visit. Historically, areas like this provided habitat for longleaf pines, red-cockaded woodpeckers, gopher tortoises, gopher frogs, indigo snakes, and pine snakes.
The Little Ocmulgee River also helps orient visitors to the region: it forms the western boundary of Wheeler County. The two nature-related options offer different experiences for planning purposes: birdwatching is the focus at the WMA, while the state park offers a named loop trail and a golf course. These activities give you specific points of reference for deciding in advance how you’d like to spend your time outdoors.
Trail and Golf at the State Park
Little Ocmulgee State Park & Lodge is a 1,360-acre state park in Georgia. It is located on the Little Ocmulgee River, two miles north of McRae-Helena. The Oak Ridge Trail Loop is 2.6 miles long and passes through sandhills and along the lakeshore. The Wallace Adams Golf Course is part of the park and is listed as an 18-hole course. This allows you to consider hiking and golf as separate activities, rather than combining them into a single outing.
If the loop trail interests you, its length gives you a specific figure to help plan your time; the description also identifies sandhills and the lakeshore as features of the trail. If you’re more interested in golf, you can plan the 18-hole course as a separate activity. Check the state park’s current operating information before your trip.
Architecture and History
Woodland is historically significant for its architecture and connection to the regionally important timber industry of the late 19th century. The town is also known for an eclectic 19-room Queen Anne Victorian home built in 1877. Its architectural design and industrial history give the town a distinct historical focus within Wheeler County.
The site of Mitchell Place Plantation, with the grave of Milly Troup and the Big Oak Tree, is three miles south of Glenwood on Georgia Highway 19. The tree has a trunk circumference of 30 feet and a spreading crown of more than 140 feet. The grave and the tree bring together a specific historic memorial and a distinctive natural feature at the site.
The Wheeler County Courthouse in Alamo was built in 1917 in the Neoclassical Revival style and restored in 1961. Glenwood High School was built in 1920 and expanded in 1930; it features elements of the Colonial Revival, Craftsman, Bungalow, and Spanish Mission Revival styles. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 21, 1997. For architecture enthusiasts, the buildings offer points of interest across different periods and styles.
Church history is also associated with specific dates. Shiloh Methodist Church was built in 1885 and dedicated on Easter Sunday 1886. Bay Springs Church was founded in 1904. Browning Church was established on October 21, 1943, in a schoolhouse that had been converted into a church. The history of Springhill Church dates back to 1840, when it was established in a log cabin; the present building was constructed between 1870 and 1880.
Along Georgia Highway 19
Georgia Highway 19 is a scenic two-lane route through Wheeler County between Lumber City and Dublin, passing Woodland. Shiloh Church is also on Georgia Highway 19, eight miles north of Lumber City.
Wheeler County was established by an act of legislation on August 14, 1912, and named after General Joseph Wheeler. Together with the historic buildings, churches, and natural areas, this gives the county a range of themes rather than a single sightseeing focus. Check the current rules before visiting the WMA and the state park’s operating information before your trip.
More Destinations
Explore more destinations: Helena, Ben Hill County, Colquitt County, Jefferson County, Dooly County, Putnam, Laurens County, Jackson County.
For the main travel overview: Georgia.
