Area Amenities

The good life - that's how residents and visitors alike describe the Georgia Lake Country.

With so much to do and see, is it any wonder people love our area? World class golfing, some of the best boating and fishing in the Southeast, camping, skiing, luxury resorts, and the history and charm of its small antebellum towns and cities make this a prime vacation destination, as well as the ideal place to raise a family or just settle down into the quiet life.

Culture and the Arts

Area arts organizations sponsor a number of activities for local artists and writers, as well as scheduling and sponsoring area concerts and events. They include the Eatonton-Putnam Arts Foundation, the Madison-Morgan Cultural Center, and the Greensboro Arts Alliance (706-467-3325).

There are several venues to view and/or purchase art by local and national artists. Genuine Georgia at 101 N. Main Street in Greensboro offers venues for display and sale of Georgia artists. Other area galleries include The Magnolia Art Gallery on Market Street at Lake Oconee, the Madison Museum of Fine Art at 290 Hancock Street in Madison, and the newly-opened Saville Art Gallery at 122 W. Marion Street in Eatonton.

The Linger Longer Living cultural lifestyle series offers opportunities for residents to broaden their cultural perspective at Reynolds Plantation with classes in free-form water color painting and discussions about art, books or theology. Interested parties can enjoy an evening of performance or take a daylong jaunt to an art museum. Classes begin monthly, and the portfolio of exhibits, artists, and performances vary. Contact the Member Concierge at 706-467-1111 for more information, or email Marie Garrison.

The towns of Madison, Eatonton, and Greensboro each offer museums and other cultural venues and events, including Heritage Hall in Madison, the Uncle Remus Museum in Eatonton, and the old Gaol Jail in Greensboro.

Pets

The Lake Oconee area is now home to an 11,000 square foot, state-of-the-art pet care facility, the Harmony Pet Resort in the Village at Harmony Crossing. The facility offers luxurious long-term accomodations, day care, pet pampering, grooming salon and day spa, pet boutique, and top-notch veterinarian care (including 24-hour emergency care) at Harmony Crossing Animal Hospital next door. Among the amenities are elevated bedding, all-natural treats, group play, dog bone-shaped pool, tree climbing time for cats, and holiday meals.

Medical Facilities

A number of area hospitals and medical complexes serve the Lake Oconee area. Putnam General Hospital in Eatonton and Morgan Memorial Hospital in Madison offer 24-hour emergency and routine care. Less than an hour’s drive away in Athens, Athens Regional Medical Center and St. Mary's Hospital offer full-service, state-of-the-art care. St. Mary's Hospital is also Georgia's leading medical facility for stroke patients, and St. Joseph's Hospital in Atlanta, in affiliation with Cowles Clinic, is building a new satellite hospital on Hwy 44 north of Linger Longer Road which will service the tri-county area.

The Cowles Clinic Complex (ph 706-454-0111), located at 1000 Cowles Clinic Way off Linger Longer Road near the entrance to Reynolds Plantation, offers a complete healthcare system staffed with over 60 leading physicians and clinicians in 36 specialties, including:

Georgia Center for Total Cancer Care
Addiction Medicine
Audiology
Cadiology, including Medical Group of St. Joseph's and Piedmont Heart Institute
Dermatology
Executive Health
Gastroenterology
General Surgery - Laparoscopy and Endoscopy
Gynecology
Internal Medicine - Medical Group of St. Joseph's at Cowles Clinic
Nephrology
Neurology
Ophthamology
Orthopedics and Sports Medicine
Southeastern Pain Specialists
Pathology
Cowles Clinic Pediatrics
Advance Rehabilitation Physical Therapy
Village Podiatry Group
Sleep Medicine
Southeast Retina Center
Precision Sports Inc. Physical Therapy
Cowles Clinic Center for Urology
The Vascular Institute of Georgia
Cowles Clinic Imaging Center
Cowles Clinic Laboratory Services
New Technology & Specialities

Shopping

The Antiques Trail of Georgia winds through the Georgia Lake Country, with shops in Madison, Greensboro, and Eatonton. Among some of the highlights are Madison’s downtown Saffold House, Madison Markets, Antiques on the Square, Attic Treasures, and The Antique Galley on Main Street. Greensboro offers the Greensboro Antique Mall, Dreamcatchers Antiques, as well as several other small shops in the downtown area. In the immediate Lake Oconee area, there's Magnolia Antiques & Consigns For Designs, and in downtown Eatonton, the Eatonton Market is located at 109 N. Jefferson Avenue near the Courthouse.

Further information on Georgia antiquing can be found at Georgia Antiques Online.

If your taste runs to newer items with a personalized flair, there are several gift and specialty boutique-type shops in the area, including Fiddlestix and Willow Tree in Eatonton, and at Lake Oconee Mandevilla, East River Arts Incorporated, Fishtales, Sweet Treats Emporium, and A Fish Called Pheobe are sure to offer a unique shopping experience.

Area Events and Festivals

While there are things to do and see year-round, summer is the prime festival season in the Lake Oconee area. The towns of Eatonton, Madison, and Greensboro each have active community organizations that sponsor and schedule a variety of activities, including annual festivals, concerts, art shows, dining and sporting events.

Among the highlights each year are the Tastes (of Madison, Eatonton, and Greensboro), where area restaurants show off their fare. The Putnam County Dairy Festival celebrates the Dairy Capital of Georgia with activities and a parade. Eatonton also hosts the Meet Me At The Plaza concert series every summer, with the annual A1A, Jimmy Buffet Tribute show being a popular favorite.

Madison's Theater and Chamber Music Festivals are always a hit, and the Tour of Homes gives visitors a peek into some of the most well-preserved examples of Antebellum architecture in the South.

Greensboro's Southland Jubilee Festival & Civil War Re-enactment provides a touch of pure Southern flavor, while the Spooky Town Festival at Halloween offers fun for the whole family. Greene County is also host to the Scull Shoals Heritage Festival, held at the Historic Scull Shoals Recreation Center at the Old Mill Village. Visitors can observe and participate in heritage events and crafts.

Lake Oconee is also the site of several annual events, including fishing and golf tournaments, fireworks displays at the Ritz Carlton, and the Cowles Clinic Open House and Barbecue Cook-off.