The region is a haven for potters, glassblowers, metalsmiths and painters. Among the talented ones are those working at Happy Valley Crafts Store, an artist colony set up by transplanted Minnesotans. Farther south is Madison, a town resplendent in antebellum architecture and charm. Many structures remain from before the Civil War, largely due to the efforts of Sen. Joshua Hill, who resigned his seat in 1861 rather than vote for secession. Hill led a delegation that met with a detachment of Union Gen. William T. Sherman's army and convinced the troops to spare Madison.
Art is at home here, too.
Just outside of town is a museum holding a vast collection of work by Steffen Thomas, a German-born artist renowned in the South. Down the road is Eatonton, the home of Joel Chandler Harris, author of The Tales of Uncle Remus . The Eatonton area also is home to beautifully manicured golf courses that shadow Lake Oconee and Lake Sinclair. Encompassing 36,000 acres, the lakes are an outdoors enthusiast's dream. Nearby, too, are remnants of a culture that predates the pyramids.