Historic Site
(706) 886-2256
Traveler's Rest, a stagecoach inn and plantation home, was built around 1815 by James R. Wylie, a stakeholder in the Unicoi Turnpike, a busy thoroughfare that passed nearby. Wylie operated the inn until the 1830s when he sold the place to Devereaux Jarrett, the "richest man in the Tugaloo Valley." Among other things, Jarrett doubled the size of Traveler's Rest, which also served as the headquarters of his 14,400-acre plantation. The Jarrett family inhabited the site until the 1950s, when the state of Georgia purchased the remaining few acres of the once-vast plantation and opened it to the public as an historic site. Thanks to its unique and well-preserved architecture, Traveler's Rest was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1966. Today visitors can enjoy a tour of the house and see many original artifacts and furnishings, some of which were crafted by Caleb Shaw, a splendid cabinetmaker from Massachusetts.
"Here I got an excellent breakfast of coffee, ham, chicken, good bread, butter, honey, and plenty of good new milk for a quarter of a dollar . . . What a charming country this would be to travel in, if one was sure of meeting with such nice clean quarters once a-day!"
-- English Geologist George W. Featherstonhaugh, 1837
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Note: Travelers Rest Historic Site has no reservable facilities.
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Events
Pioneer Days
Saturday, Sep 27, 2008 1 PM - 5 PM
Watch traditional pioneer skills demonstrations while enjoying music, dancing and treats from the early 1800s. $2.50-$4. 706-886-2256.
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Christmas for Travelers
Sunday, Dec 14, 2008 1 PM - 5 PM
| Enjoy music, treats, crafts and dancing in an 1800s decorative holiday setting. Free, but donations appreciated. 706-886-2256. |
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Hours: Open Wednesday-Sunday, 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.; Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Open Mondays on Memorial Day, Independence Day and Labor Day weekends.
Admission: $2.50-$4.
Group rates available with advance notice.
Nearby Attractions
Currahee Military Museum
Toccoa Falls
Tallulah Gorge State Park - camping
Tugaloo State Park - camping and cottages
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