Toombs: Vidalia Onions, River and Cultural History

In Toombs County, forests and wiregrass grasslands shape the landscape. At the same time, travel interests range from Vidalia onions and cultural history to activities on the Ohoopee River. To plan your trip, you can focus on a specific occasion, such as the Onion Festival, or explore the region through its different themes.

Vidalia Onions and Events

The sweet Vidalia onion draws visitors to the annual Vidalia Onion Festival in Toombs County. This family-friendly event combines live music, carnival rides, arts and crafts, and food featuring creative Vidalia onion recipes. If you would like to plan your trip around the festival, check the dates for that year's event before finalizing your plans.

The Vidalia Onion Museum explores the economic, cultural, and culinary importance of the sweet onion and offers a historical experience centered on this subject. During the growing season, you can see real onions growing outside the museum. Inside, exhibits and history take center stage, while the seasonal onion display offers a closer look at the growing plant.

The annual Kiwanis Onion Run has a different focus: it includes 5K and 10K runs and walks, as well as a one-mile fun run and walk. Unlike the festival, with its music, rides, arts and crafts, and onion dishes, the run is a specific sporting event. Check the dates for that year's event as well.

Ohoopee River and Outdoor Activities

The Ohoopee River borders Toombs and Tattnall counties and is a popular recreation area for anglers, hunters, and water sports enthusiasts. River activities in Toombs County include kayaking, canoeing, camping, fishing, and hunting. This range includes both paddling and other activities along the river; which ones you focus on depends on your own travel interests.

The landscape of forests and wiregrass grasslands offers a different focus from events centered on Vidalia onions. When planning your stay, you can first decide whether you would primarily like to explore river activities, onion culture, or history.

Agriculture and Regional History

South of Lyons, Doodle Hill Farm offers living history demonstrations of traditional farming. Mules, draft horses, and antique equipment are used in the demonstrations. This differs from the museums: farming demonstrations take center stage here, while the museums present collections and exhibits on specific historical topics.

The Altama Museum's collection is housed in the 1911 Neoclassical Brazell House, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The museum is best known for the Libby Collection, with more than 260 pieces of 19th-century Staffordshire porcelain in 210 different patterns. The museum's Shiplett Gallery focuses on the local history of the Girl Scouts.

The Altamaha Heritage Center preserves the history of the wider Altamaha River basin. Its exhibits cover Indigenous peoples, moonshining, turpentine, settler farms, transportation and agricultural equipment, as well as a barn loom. Visits are by appointment only; the listed hours are Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Ladson Genealogical Library contains books and other materials primarily intended for research into family and state history.

The PAL Theatre in Vidalia has a history as a movie theater and performing arts venue dating back to 1927. For a trip focused on cultural history, these places offer different points of interest: the Brazell House with its porcelain collection, the Heritage Center with topics from the Altamaha River basin, and the library with materials on family and state history.

Getting Here and Finding Hotels

Lyons is 15 miles from Interstate 16, which connects to I-75 and I-95. Lyons is also just minutes from Vidalia Regional Airport. The airport has a lighted 6,000-foot runway as well as a secondary 5,000-foot runway.

When looking for hotels in Toombs, your reason for traveling can help guide your choice: the festival and Onion Run offer a different focus than river activities or museum visits. Choose a specific hotel based on the places and dates that matter for your trip, and check the location and amenities listed in each offer.

Explore more destinations: Lyons, Vidalia, Richmond, Burke County, Bacon, Washington County, Mitchell County, Terrell County.

For the main travel overview: Georgia.