A.H. Stephens Historic Park

Just a couple of miles off the busy interstate, Alexander H. Stephens State Historic Park transports visitors to a century past. Turn in at the block of dusty storefronts that constitute downtown Crawfordville to enter the park, which is located on the former estate of the Georgia governor who served as vice president of the Confederacy and returned to Washington D.C. as a U.S. senator after the Civil War. A National Historic Landmark, the two-story Liberty Hall that served as Stephens' residence from its construction in 1875 until his death in 1883 is now open to the public as a house museum, restored to its 1875 appearance. An adjacent ...

Just a couple of miles off the busy interstate, Alexander H. Stephens State Historic Park transports visitors to a century past. Turn in at the block of dusty storefronts that constitute downtown Crawfordville to enter the park, which is located on the former estate of the Georgia governor who served as vice president of the Confederacy and returned to Washington D.C. as a U.S. senator after the Civil War. A National Historic Landmark, the two-story Liberty Hall that served as Stephens' residence from its construction in 1875 until his death in 1883 is now open to the public as a house museum, restored to its 1875 appearance. An adjacent building houses a Confederate museum, with a collection of Civil War artifacts, including uniforms and weaponry. The mill ponds out back are now fishing holes (boat rentals available), and equestrian trails lead through a thousand acres of surrounding forest. There are three miles of walking trails (one is ADA accessible), campsites, and four rental cottages. Similarly quiet excursions can be found in the area — the historic Rock Gaol (jail) by the side of the road outside Greensboro, and faint ghost town ruins in the Oconee National Forest farther west still. A trip up to the town of Washington, with its antebellum homes and shady courthouse square, will seem like a journey to an urban oasis.

About the Expert

Kap Stann has written or contributed to many guidebooks to the American Southeast for such publishers as Moon, Avalon Travel, Lonely Planet, DK Eyewitness, and Mobil Guides.