TOURISM IN DECATUR COUNTY
The historic BON AIR HOTEL, located in downtown Bainbridge, with historic Decatur County Courthouse clock tower pictured in background.
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In days gone by, the Bon Air Hotel was know as a "delightful place to sojourn at any season of the year." However, over the years, the once-beautiful hotel had deteriorated into an underused three-story building with a leaking roof. The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation assisted in restoring the building and the 39,000 square foot building now serves as a landmark and homage to days gone by in downtown Bainbridge, GA.
Many Choices of Activities
There are lots of places to see and things to do in and around Decatur County, Georgia. Tourists can take the "Heritage Tour", a driving tour of historical places in Decatur County, attend one of the many, many festivals or celebration events held in and around Decatur County, or enjoy the wonderful outdoor fishing and hunting that our area offers with its hunting reservations/preserves, including the new Silver Lake WMA opening in August 2008. Bainbridge, Georgia Convention and Visitors' Bureau link.
For a list of popular tourist attractions and vacation spots in Southwest Georgia, go to the Regional Development Center's "Tour Sowega" site.
Whether you enjoy attending a parades, listening to various styles of live music, indulging yourself in the arts, or simply attending community events and absorbing the Southern culture that abounds, there is sure to be something for you in Decatur County.
Best Fishing in the South
 The Flint River and Lake Seminole offer abundant fishing and water sports. Both attract thousands of amateur and professional fishermen, and many top bass tournaments are held here throughout the year. Lake Seminole is ranked by some sources as the fifth best bass fishing lake in the United States. Abundant populations of striped and white bass, catfish, crappy, and bream wait to tempt fishermen of all ages.
Fishing is a year-round activity on Lake Seminole. In addition to the challenging bass fishing tournaments held in the area annually, there are many casual competitions held almost every weekend among local bass clubs and professional anglers. The annual Jack Wingate Open is held the first weekend in March and is a good chance to test your skills against the best fishermen in the business. The Lake Seminole area even has a legal netting season - the only location in inland Georgia where this is true.
Camping, Boating, Water Skiing, and Picnicking
In addition to fishing, there are other outdoor activities for nature-lovers. Camping, boating, water skiing and picnicking are also favorite leisure activities in the area. Boaters are provided with numerous boat ramps along the shores of the Flint River, Spring Creek, Lake Seminole, and related bodies of water. Boat rentals are available at Seminole State Park and Wingate's Fishing and Hunting Lodge. There are numerous camping sites, RV sites/parks, and freshwater beaches.
There are several beautiful parks maintained by the City of Bainbridge, including those at the Earle May Boat Basin, Cheney Griffin Park and W.M. Coyle Park. The parks include such items and features as campsites, barbeque pits, stocked fishing ponds, a steam-powered sawmill, playgrounds, a historic steam-powered train engine and an outdoor theater. There are elevated nature trails, boardwalks, bike trails, lighted tennis courts, fishing piers, and more with each park having its own unique combination of the above features, creating a truly unique experience.
 Hotels, Motels, and Camp Sites
Whether you're on a business trip and need something that provides internet access and is nice and clean, yet reasonably priced, or don't mind spending a little more in order to have a bigger choice of services provided to you, there are accommodations throughout Decatur County that can meet your exact needs. There are economy-style motels and larger, more "full service" type hotels also available.
For more complete listing of area hotels and motels, you may wish to visit our Lodging page.
You may wish to view these related pages on our web site:
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