The Uncle Remus Museum
The Uncle Remus Museum is located in Turner Park, three blocks south of the courthouse on Highway 441 in downtown Eatonton. Turner Park was part of the original homestead of Joseph Sidney Turner, the “Little Boy” in the tales of Uncle Remus. The museum consists of a log cabin made from three slave cabins originating in Putnam County. The cabins are similar to the one occupied by Uncle Remus, the character made famous in the folklore tales of Joel Chandler Harris.
The stories of Uncle Remus are captured in shadow boxes containing delicate woodcarvings of “de critters” humanized by the author. The shadow boxes illustrate twelve of Harris’ best known stories. The museum also features painted murals that authentically depict the years surrounding the Civil War during which the Uncle Remus stories are set. A focal point of the museum is the two pictures from the movie “Song of the South” donated by Walt Disney when the museum opened in 1963.
The museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, closed one hour for lunch, and Sunday from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. During the winter, the museum is closed on Tuesdays. Admission is $1, children under eight and senior citizens- $.50. For more information call (706) 485-6856 or visit www.uncleremus.com/museum.
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The Alice Walker Driving Tour
Alice Malsenior Walker was born on February 9, 1944 in Eatonton, Georgia. Walker, best known for her novel The Color Purple, has written several short stories, essays, novels and poetry collections over the years. Eatonton celebrates the author with the Alice Walker Driving Tour that takes you past several important places in Walker's life; the church she attended, her parents' graves and the house she was raised in. The Alice Walker Driving Tour brochure is available at the Chamber office and also gives a timeline of important events in Walker's life.
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Rock Eagle and Rock Hawk Effigies
The Rock Eagle and Rock Hawk Effigies are located off the Historical Piedmont Scenic Byway in Putnam County. The rock 
monuments are made up of milky quartz rocks and are in the shapes of birds. They are located on two of the highest points in Putnam County and they are believed to be the only structures of their kind east of the Mississippi River.
Rock Eagle measures 120 feet wing tip to wing tip and 102 feet from head to tail. The mound is eight feet tall at the breast. Rock Hawk measures 132 feet wing tip to wing tip and 100 feet head to forked tail. It has been speculated that the mounds were probably built about 2,000 years ago by Native Americans.
Rock Eagle may be viewed at the Rock Eagle 4-H camp on Hwy 441. The site has spacious parking, picnic tables and an observation tower to view the effigy. Rock Eagle 4-H camp is the largest camp in Georgia. The camp also has a natural history museum that can be viewed by the public by appointment. For more information on Rock Eagle 4-H camp, call (706) 484-2800 or visit www.rockeagle4h.org.
Rock Hawk is located off Hwy 16 along the Historic Piedmont Scenic Byway beside Lawrence Shoals Park.
Both sites are free to the viewing public and are open from sun up to sun down.
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Historic Downtown Eatonton
Eatonton has a beautiful, well preserved historical district in downtown Eatonton. The residential section of the historic district of the city features over 100 antebellum and Victorian era structures, as well as many historic commercial buildings. The historic district also boasts several high style examples of Greek revival, Queen Anne, Folk Victorian and Gothic Revival homes. As you immerse yourself in the history and atmosphere of the town, you will begin to understand the southern experience. Stop by the Chamber and pick up an Eatonton Self-Guided Historic Walking Tour brochure. The brochure showcases over 75 historic homes and buildings throughout Eatonton.
Old School History Museum
Visitors will step back in time as they enter the Old School History Museum, located in The Plaza Arts Center adjacent to the Chamber of Commerce. Housed in four classrooms of the original 1916 Eatonton School, the museum is able to feature four different, yet historically relevant exhibits for tourists to enjoy. The first exhibit displays a vintage drugstore complete with marble-topped soda fountain, 1940’s jukebox, ice cream chairs and tables and period photographs. The next room is a reproduction of turn-of-the-century downtown Eatonton with a variety of storefronts. These “windows in time” feature artifacts and treasures destined to stir childhood memories. The third space reveals a history gallery that relates the rich heritage of Eatonton and Putnam County. Here visitors can follow a timeline and view artifacts from the area’s earliest Indians, learn about Sherman’s March through Putnam during the Civil War, and be amazed by the famous people who have called Eatonton home. Finally, a carefully restored early 1900’s classroom which boasts its original blackboard, cloakroom, vintage desks and a collection of student memorabilia concludes the Old School Museum.
Hours of Operation:
Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Saturday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Sunday, 2 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Closed on Holidays
Free Admission
Scenic Byway
The Historic Piedmont Scenic Byway follows Hwy 16 through Putnam County. It follows a route once known as the Okfuskee trail, an Indian trail connecting what is now Charleston, S.C. with the Mississippi River. Almost every tourist site in Putnam County falls along the Historic Piedmont Scenic Byway. Follow the road and see Rock Eagle, Rock Hawk, pristine countryside, Eatonton’s historic downtown, historic homes and churches. Brochures listing the attractions along the scenic byway may be found at the Chamber office. For more information visit www.scenicbyway.org
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