Perry, Home Of The "Georgia Jubilee"

Get set to explore the area that will host FMCA's 77th International Convention March 19 through 22, 2007.

By Debbie Quairoli

There's nothing like coming home, and for many motorhomers, it will feel like old times when they return to Perry, Georgia, for FMCA's 77th International Convention. This event, to take place March 19 through 22, 2007, at the Georgia National Fairgrounds and Agricenter in Perry, will be the association's fifth convention to be held at this location.

FMCA's convention — dubbed the "Georgia Jubilee" — will take place in a town named in 1824 for naval Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, whose fleet won a victory over the British in the War of 1812. Perry is nicknamed the "Crossroads of Georgia," because of its location where several highways intersect: U.S. 341, U.S. 41, State Route 127, and Interstate 75. Perry is also the seat of Houston (House-ton) County. With Big Indian Creek to water the soil and a fine climate for crops such as peaches, pecans, and peanuts, Perry was and still is a perfect spot for settlers. In March, the average high temperature is 68 degrees and the average low is 41 degrees.

The Georgia National Fairgrounds and Agricenter will be ready and waiting for FMCA members, with more roads; drainage improvements; and other touches that have been added since March 2005, when FMCA last visited (see accompanying sidebar). The Agricenter was built in 1980 and today encompasses more than 1,100 acres that feature beautiful Southern landscaping, and include picturesque fountains, lakes, and gardens. The grounds can accommodate several thousand motorhomes. Throughout the year the fairgrounds hosts the Georgia National Fair, horse shows, and the Georgia National Junior Livestock Show & Rodeo, among other events.

Motorhomers will enjoy exploring the fairgrounds and the rest of Perry. Peach trees are typically covered in blossoms by mid-March, and the town has some intriguing features.

Around Perry
While visiting downtown Perry, be sure to stop by the Perry Welcome Center, at 101 General Courtney Hodges Blvd., for a self-guided walking tour brochure. Among other spots, the tour takes you to the New Perry Hotel and the Sam Nunn Museum, the latter located in the historic Board of Education Building.

The New Perry Hotel, though updated with modern accommodations, continues its traditions. The hotel's restaurant provides an elegant dining experience, and the more casual full bar of the Tavery offers the restaurant’s menu. This is Perry’s original watering hole.

Many other restaurant choices are available in town, including Priester’s Pecans, Gifts, Candy, and Restaurant, which is open for lunch (only). Inside you will find a hot lunch buffet and a cold food bar. Decide on dessert after trying some free pecan samples. A variety of snacks, gifts, and pecan candy also fill the store. Another eatery of note is the Swanson House, featuring Southern home-style cooking and continental cuisine in a historical home. Fine upscale dining is the rule at the Langston House, located in Henderson Village, eight miles south of Perry. The restaurant is situated inside a graceful old country home, with beautiful outside gardens that invite you to walk around after your meal.

Speaking of days gone by, spend some time discovering the past at shops that make up Perry’s contribution to Georgia’s Antiques Trail.

Need to play a round? Perry Country Club is a public course that offers Family Motor Coach Association members of all skill levels the opportunity to enjoy the relatively flat course, the practice facilities, and lessons. Fees are reasonable and the club has a full pro shop on the premises. Other public courses in town are Houston Lake Country Club and Houston Springs.

... And not too far from town
Twelve miles to the west of Perry you can discover what is blooming at Massee Lane Gardens, the home of the American Camellia Society. The land was donated to the society in 1966 by David C. Strother, who collected quite a few of these plants. It now has more than 1,000 varieties. You'll also see old road mile markers and millstones that Mr. Strother collected and placed throughout the garden.

Massee Lane's Abendroth Japanese Garden will allow you to succumb to rejuvenation with tranquility as the water trickles over rocks and koi swim near a genuine tea house. And its rose garden probably will not be full of flowers in March, but you can still sense the love Dr. C. David Scheibert had as he planted the garden in memory of his wife.

A new Environmental Garden at Massee Lane is a repository for endangered native plants as well as other varieties native to the Southeastern United States. It includes a lake and seven habitats.

Massee Lane Gardens also includes a gift shop and a fine porcelain figure collection on display. Sculptures depict birds, flowers, and more. The Edward Marshall Boehm porcelain group is the largest in the world that is open to the public.

The gardens are open Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Sunday from 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Admission is $5.

Not one for flowers? Need exhilaration? Then take flight to the Museum of Aviation in Warner Robins, approximately 20 miles northeast of Perry. Admission is free to the attraction, which is incomprehensible when you begin to discover the stunning exhibits this museum offers: more than 90 aircraft and missiles, plus uniforms from the different flight eras.

The Century of Flight Hangar, which houses the “We The People” Theater and Exhibit Hall, provides an educational experience sure to please FMCA members of all ages. The hangar also contains a U-2 spy plane as well as other restored aircraft.

The Eagle Building, which is shaped like the U.S. Air Forces' “Stars and Bar” emblem, flaunts an F-15 Eagle and other aircraft. Two Smithsonian movies, Flyers and To Fly, are presented in the Robert L. Scott Vistascope Theater. A small admission fee is charged to view the films. The Eagle Building also houses the Victory Café, a gift shop, and a wonderful model plane display.

Be sure to save time to visit Hangar One with its F-105 simulator cockpit, and the Heritage Building, which displays American Indian artifacts that were found on the premises while Robins Air Force Base was being constructed. The Heritage Building is currently open only on weekends from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

The Museum of Aviation is open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and is located 7 miles east of Robins Air Force Base.

A combination salute to veterans, Civil War prisoners, and POWs is found at Andersonville National Historic Site. This national park features Andersonville National Cemetery, Camp Sumter (Andersonville Prison), and the National Prisoner of War Museum.

More than 32,000 Union prisoners were held inside a 26-acre area at this site; the crowding contributed to the deaths of nearly 13,000 of them in 14 months. White posts now delineate the former fort's perimeter, and two sections of the stockade wall have been reconstructed.

The National Prisoner of War Museum is located in the park's visitors center. It's designed to tell the story of prisoners of war throughout history, not just during the Civil War.

Macon, only 25 miles from Perry, offers a variety of things to do and see. One of the most unusual is Ocmulgee National Monument, home to temple mounds from Early Mississippian cultures. Walk into the beautiful Art Deco-style visitors center and watch the 17-minute movie that explains the history of these ancient peoples. You can then inspect the Earthlodge and Early Mississippian (Indian) temple mounds and consider what life was like here long ago. A beautiful wetlands environment and new boardwalk, plus bicycle and hiking trails make this a fun place to spend the day. The monument is open daily and offers free admission and parking.

Many more spots are easily reached from Perry, such as the Habitat for Humanity International Headquarters in Americus, and the Jimmy Carter National Historic Site in Plains. So, this article is only a start. Get out your map and plan your itinerary before or after the "Georgia Jubilee" convention this March.

Further Info
For more information about what to see and do while in Perry, contact:

Perry Area Convention & Visitors Bureau
P.O. Box 1609
101 General Courtney Hodges Blvd.
Perry, GA 31069
(478) 988-8000
www.perryga.com

For more information about attractions outside Perry, contact:

Georgia Dept. of Economic Development
75 Fifth St.
Technology Square
Atlanta, GA 30308
(800) 847-4842
www.georgia.org

Perry Area Campgrounds
The following list is not complete, so please check your favorite campground directory or FMCA's Business Directory, published in the January and June issues of Family Motor Coaching and online at FMCA.com.

Boland's RV Park
800 Perimeter Road
Perry, GA 31069
(478) 987-3371

Crossroads Travel Park
1513 Sam Nunn Blvd.
Perry, GA 31069
(478) 987-3141

Fair Harbor RV Park, C8283
515 Marshallville Rd.
Perry, GA 31069
(877) 988-8844
www.fairharborrvpark.com

Southern Trails RV Resort, C9264
2690 Arena Road
Unadilla, GA 31091
(478) 627-3255

Twin Oaks RV Park & Campground
305 Highway 26 East
Elko, GA 31025
(478) 987-9361
www.twinoaksrvpark.com

Improvements At The Agricenter

FMCA members returning to Perry this year will notice that some changes have occurred at the Georgia National Fairgrounds and Agricenter:

• More roads. A total of 2.65 miles of paved roadways have been added to the east and west lots. This means better access in and out of parking spots, even if it rains. "The goal was to have each coach parked within 100 yards of a hard-surface road — and it has been achieved," said Michele Treptow, the Agricenter's director of communications.
• More trams. Six new trams have been added, bringing the total up to 16. This should help keep convention-goers on the move. And because of the new roads, trams will no longer need to travel through grass parking areas.
• Improved drainage. Two retention ponds now help control water runoff during rainy conditions.
• A bright, new electronic sign at the Agricenter — which will welcome FMCA members, of course — also has been added. "It's visible from along the interstate, so you can't miss it," Ms. Treptow said.

The improvements cost $1.2 million; half of that came from the fairgrounds' budget, and half from the state. "As events have grown in their scope and size, so has the fairgrounds," Ms. Treptow said. "And we're just very honored to have FMCA come back for the fifth time."