Thrillin’ and Chillin’ in Henry County, GA

Henry County, Georgia, is a place for explorers. Whether you’re looking for adrenaline-fueled adventure, unique cuisine that combines the best of different cultures, or people whose stories are so intriguing that you hate to leave the conversation, this community less than an hour south of Atlanta is a place you need to discover.

Southern Cooking with a Story

The food scene is incredible: not only can you enjoy classic Southern dishes in many area restaurants, but skilled chefs are making these dishes their own by bringing their lived experiences to the table.

At Southern Fusion Dining in Locust Grove, for example, Chef Paul Lewis spent 20 years as a grenade instructor in the Army before focusing on a culinary career. As the youngest of nine children, he was inspired by the time he spent in the kitchen with his mother, who figured he should learn how to cook as long as he was always at her knee. The restaurant is now widely known for its breakfasts, lunches, and brunches, as well as its famous Colossal Cinnamon Roll — an apt name for the massive, delicious treat with caramel, candied pecans, and walnuts.

Proprietor Diane Miller at the Green Front Café. Photo by Vanessa Orr.

The Green Front Café in Stockbridge, Georgia, is a must-stop — not only for its delicious soul food with a taste of Jamaica, but because of its Civil Rights history. Considered the first restaurant in the town of Stockbridge, it was notable for welcoming both Black and white diners to eat under the same roof despite segregation. Community icon Carrie Mae Hambrick, who was known for never letting anyone go hungry, ran the restaurant for 50 years before it closed in the 2000s. The building sat vacant for 18 years before the mother-daughter team of Diane and Malana Miller purchased it. “This building is filled with lots of love,” Diane notes. “You can feel it when you come in.”

The restaurant is also only a short walk to Floyd Chapel Baptist Church, site of Martin Luther King Sr.’s first sermon. Still an active church, this historic site is part of Georgia’s Footsteps of MLK Jr. Trail, which includes locations across the state honoring the life and legacy of Dr. King.

Rutabaga’s Market & Café is a fun, funky place to dine. Photo by Vanessa Orr.

Sabrosos Yummy Mexican Restaurant in Locust Grove says it all in the name: “Sabroso” in Spanish means “tasty,” so you know that this tasty, yummy restaurant, owned by two sisters, must be doubly good. Rutabaga’s Market & Café is worth visiting not only for its delicious sandwiches and gourmet food market but also for its super-fun, eclectic vibe. Fun signs cover every inch of the walls, making it a funky, cheerful place to eat.

Two New Yorkers brought a little of their city to Henry County when they opened SDK’s Café & Coffee in McDonough, Georgia. In addition to a wide array of coffee-based libations, the vibrant café serves New York bagels flown in from a New York bakery three times a week. Sweet Auburn Barbecue, also in McDonough, serves traditional-style barbecue with an Asian twist; if you’ve never had pimento cheese wontons, you don’t know what you’re missing!

Fast Cars and Flying Machines

Henry County is also a place for those with a taste for adventure. Visitors can take a tour of EchoPark Speedway (formerly Atlanta Motor Speedway) that includes a shotgun ride-along with a professional driver or — after some training — drive the track themselves, a huge thrill for any racing fan. Not only is the track known as Atlanta’s home for NASCAR, but it’s also been featured in numerous movies, including The Hunger Games, One Fast Move, and Logan Lucky.

You can get even more thrills by signing up for the Bobby Ore Motorsports Stunt Driving Experience, which is also held at the Speedway. Now 76, Ore is a world-renowned stunt driver, having appeared in action movies including Gone in 60 Seconds, Swordfish, The Dukes of Hazzard, and Spider-Man 2, among others. His instructors provide driver training to stunt driving professionals, military and law enforcement officers, dignitary protection specialists, and the general public. You won’t regret signing up for this two-hour experience that’s filled with speed, slides, slalom demonstrations, and white-knuckle thrills.

There’s nothing quite like flying in a Huey helicopter with the doors open! Photo by Vanessa Orr.

For another adrenaline rush, strap in for a ride in a Vietnam-era Bell UH-1 helicopter, or Huey, at the Army Aviation Heritage Foundation and Flying Museum. This nonprofit organization restores AH-1 Cobras and Huey helicopters, and its military veteran volunteers offer flyovers, rides, and demonstrations of both, as well as free hangar tours. Roughly 6,000 people a year take advantage of its ride program, either at air shows the foundation attends or from the hangar. The Huey flies doors-open, and there’s nothing quite like tilting over the landscape below while being secured into the gunner’s seat with only a lap belt. “Exhilarating” doesn’t begin to describe it.

You can also take a walk on the wild side at Noah’s Ark Animal Sanctuary in Locust Grove, Georgia. The sanctuary is home to more than 900 animals that have been abused, abandoned, neglected, or surrendered, including domestic livestock, tigers, monkeys, bears, and more. A 1.5-hour tour lets you stroll among the animals (behind fences, of course), and they also hold a Critter Day on the second Saturday of every month for kids that includes a tour, animal encounters, and a craft project.

Stockbridge Lakes Bed & Breakfast offers the opportunity to fish, paddle boat or just relax. Photo by Vanessa Orr.

Just Relax

While there are many thrills to be had in Henry County, it’s also a wonderful place to just chill — and Stockbridge Lakes Bed & Breakfast, the only B&B in the county, is the perfect place to do it. Proprietors Anita and Marvin Johnson make this the perfect home away from home, where you can curl up on the porch swing with a book, feed the fish in the lake, go paddle boating, or enjoy a soothing massage at the on-site spa. You can also enjoy an amazing dinner in the pavilion overlooking the lake or partake in the B&B’s fresh-made breakfasts.

To learn about all there is to do in Henry County, visit www.VisitHenryCountyGeorgia.com.