REGIONAL ARTISANS

Drinks, Foods, and the Preservation of Southern Traditions

The artisans of the River Valley exhibit a wide variety of talents and Southern traditions. Visitors to this region can taste artisanal handcrafted beverages such as wine, beer, whiskey, and rum. They can also learn how to hunt, process, and cook wild hog. These assets preserve Southern traditions and give way to new experiences. Like art and music, local foods and other products can draw visitors to the area who then spend money and help grow the local economy. Perhaps more important, local food and locally produced goods allow local people to purchase items grown and created in their community. This keeps money in the local economy rather than allowing it to be siphoned off to large corporations in distant cities. Supporting local growers, producers, and retailers keeps jobs and prosperity local.

Five Points Berries Winery

Five Points Berries

Five Points Berries Winer y is a 40-acre farm winer y in Marion Count y, The farm five varieties of blueberries to use in the wines. are offered ever y and wines can be online. The winer y also tours of the orchard with presentations about its natural and wine methods. The

Five Points Berries Winery is a 40-acre farm winery in Marion County, Georgia. The farm produces five varieties of blueberries to use in the wines. Tastings are offered every Thursday through Sunday, and wines can be purchased online. The winery also provide tours of the orchard with presentations about its natural farming and wine production methods. The winery showcases its wines at a variety of festivals in the Southeast.

Swamp Fox Co.

Swamp Fox Distilling Co.

Fox Co. is a small-batch distiller y in Buena Vista, Georgia. It tours and of its handcraf ted r ye malt moonshine, white and bourbon. Swamp Fox also hosts events the year, such as a murder myster y, and a bike race

Swamp Fox Distilling Co. is a small-batch distillery in Buena Vista, Georgia. It provides tours and tastings of its handcrafted spirits: rye whiskey, malt whiskey, moonshine, white whiskey, and bourbon. Swamp Fox also hosts events throughout the year, such as comedy nights, a murder mystery, and a bike race.

Omaha Brewing Company

“Small Town, Big Beer.” Omaha Brewing Company is a craft brewery in Omaha, Georgia, that serves craft beer and spiked sparkling seltzer. Most Saturdays, the brewery features food trucks and live music. Omaha Brewing Company has made several efforts to have an active presence in the community. It hosts an annual BBQ competition, and customers receive half off their first beer if they show a Georgia State Park parking pass (Friends of Providence Canyon). In addition, each month, the brewery selects a cause and donates $1 for every to-go beer sold.

Richland Rum

In 1999, Richland Distilling Company emerged from a sugarcane farm at Richland Estate. The sugarcane turned into rum in barrels. Visitors can learn more about the traditional techniques and artisan methods used to create rum through tours of the distillery, fermentation room, and barrel house. In addition to rum, the distillery offers a Georgia-made rum-barrelaged coffee.

Patsiliga Museum, Inc. and Fielder’s Mill

Patsiliga Plantation in Junction City, Georgia, is home to the historic Fielder’s Mill, a grist mill that continues to produce cornmeal, grits, and flour. The mill is one of the oldest businesses in Talbot County, producing freshly ground flour and cornmeal using traditional methods and hosting events such as “Harvest Days in Old Talbot,” celebrating Southern arts, crafts, and foods.

The Old South Farm Museum

Paul Bulloch run the Old South Farm Museum and Agriculture Learning Center in Woodland, Georgia. The museum exhibits old tractors and provides a variety of farm workshops, such as how to make sausage, Brunswick stew, lye soap, and cracklings and how to smoke meats. At the end of the demonstration, participants leave with information about sausage making and meat curing as well as 10–15 pounds of pork products.