Contact Information
8162 Riverdal Road
Toccoa, GA 30577
706-886-2256
When English traveler George W. Featherstonhaugh visited Traveler's Rest in 1837, he was pleasantly surprised. "I got an excellent breakfast of coffee, ham, chicken, good bread and butter, honey and plenty of good new milk for a quarter of a dollar," he wrote. "What a charming country this would be to travel in if one was sure of meeting with such nice clean quarters once a day." Traveler's Rest was the plantation home of Devereaux Jarrett, the "richest man in the Tugaloo Valley." Jarrett bought the site in 1833 and made it the center of his thriving plantation, but to accommodate the growing number of travelers to northeast Georgia, he added on to the structure. In 1966, Traveler's Rest was recognized as a National Historic Landmark because of its fine architecture, including a 90-foot-long porch and hand-numbered rafters.
Visitors to Traveler's Rest State Park receive a guided tour of the plantation home. The home's furnishings are mostly original with some made by a renowned local craftsman, Caleb Shaw. The day use park holds two annual events, the Confederate Memorial Day Encampment and Christmas For Travelers. Traveler's Rest is open Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. On Sunday, the park is open from 2 - 5:30 p.m. This historic site is closed each Monday except legal holidays. It is also closed for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. There is a small admission fee charged and groups calling in advance will receive a group rate. In addition, visitors will find several nearby interesting attractions. They include Tallulah Gorge State Park, Toccoa Falls and Tugaloo State Park.
Georgia generally experiences mild, comfortable winters and warm to hot, humid summers. Be prepared for occasional cold weather during the winter.
