Discover Sandersville

Sandersville offers several ways to shape your travel plans: seasonal events, museums, architecture and local markets. These themes can help you choose when to visit and focus your search for hotels.

Art, Kaolin and Seasonal Events

The annual Kaolin Festival takes place on the second Saturday in October. The program includes art, crafts, antiques, music, food and a parade. If you’d like to plan your trip around it, check the date for the year in question; details may vary from one annual event to the next.

Christmas on the Square is a family-oriented event held on the first Thursday in December. The program includes Christmas carolers and Santa Claus, as well as carriage rides, a children’s parade, and food and craft vendors. The seasonal program may also change. The two events have different focuses: the Kaolin Festival combines art and crafts with music, food and a parade, while Christmas on the Square features holiday programming and carriage rides.

Museums and Local History

The Brown House Museum displays Civil War memorabilia, Washington County pottery, exhibits on the kaolin industry and artifacts from the Sandersville Old City Cemetery. This brings together several aspects of regional history: the Civil War era, local pottery, the kaolin industry and the history of the cemetery.

At the Old Jail Museum, you can see the historic jail cells with their original locking mechanism, along with graffiti left by former inmates. Visitors can research their family history at the genealogy research center there. The museum thus combines tangible traces of the jail’s history with an opportunity for family research.

The Sandersville Old City Cemetery was established around 1831. It has more than 100 identified graves of Civil War soldiers. The old road alignment is also part of the cemetery’s history: General William T. Sherman and his troops used it when they reached Sandersville.

The Thomas Jefferson Elder Community Center stands on the original site of Elder School. The education of African American children in Washington County was first established at this location. The Center is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and displays African American artifacts, archives and memorabilia.

Architecture and Walking Tours

Sandersville has examples of Victorian, Greek Revival, Antebellum, Plantation Plain and Craftsman architecture. For a more focused look, the Charles E. Choate Exhibit offers a self-guided tour of buildings designed by the architect in Sandersville and Tennille. The largest concentration of his work is in these two places. This lets you choose between an overview of different architectural styles and a tour focused on one architect.

Another way to explore the local heritage is Silk Stocking Street. Visitors can walk along the street and request a recorded tour about it.

Markets and Regional Products

The Downtown Farmers Market offers produce from Washington County and specialty crafts in the central square in downtown Sandersville. The Washington County Farmers Market offers local produce, flowers, plants, homemade preserves and spreads, as well as cakes and pies. Offerings depend on the season and vendors. If you’re looking for specific items, check what will be available during your visit.

Another Point of Reference

Hamburg State Park is about 20 miles north of Sandersville. It can be reached via Hamburg State Park Road from Georgia State Route 102. The distance, direction and access route provide a concrete reference point if you want to include this destination’s location in your plans.

For the broader travel overview: Washington County.