Milledgeville, Georgia

Milledgeville, Georgia, actually served as a state capital before Atlanta. My hometown, Black travelers and history buffs should add this rural agritourism site to their to-visit list because of the rich contributions and community change Black farmers and educators afforded the small town. Milledgeville is also home to cultural museum Sally Ellis Davis House. Sallie Ellis Davis graduated from Atlanta University and returned to Milledgeville to educate Black students in a segregated South. Both George Washington Carver and W.E.B. Du Bois supported her efforts. This museum is one of my favorite local destinations to experience her quaint home that transformed into a classroom and safe haven for Black Baldwin County students. The museum includes more than 150 artifacts, and revisits Deep South home and school life of the late 19th- and early 20th-century Black experience. When you visit this location, simply sitting on the front porch swing zaps you into an era of resilience and perseverance to advance in an under-resourced Black neighborhood.