You should know before making plans to visit Georgia on a historical plantation tour that Tara doesn't exist and never did. Tara was a figment of "Gone With the Wind" author Margaret Mitchell's imagination, but the state still contains Tara-like remnants of the Old South. From the coastal plains to the rolling hills of the Piedmont region, plantations can be toured that actually once were working plantations during the time of Rhett Butler and Scarlett O'Hara.

Pebble Hill Plantation

Pebble Hill is located in extreme south Georgia, a few miles north of the Florida border, where Spanish moss hangs from the trees, winters are mild and summers hot and muggy. The large estate was a working plantation in the antebellum era and became a hunting retreat for the wealthy in the late 19th century. Today the grounds are kept much as they were in the early 20th century and self-guided tours are available. If you want to see the inside of the main house with its period furnishings and renowned private art collection, you must be part of a guided tour. The Victorian-era resort town of Thomasville is nearby and filled with historic homes and buildings.

Callaway Plantation

Still containing buildings built in the 1700s, Callaway Plantation near the small town of Washington is a living history museum offering tours of the main house and four other homes on the property. Crops still are grown in some of the fields and the main house has no electricity or modern plumbing, so if you really want to see what an Old South plantation looked and felt like, a visit here is a must. A period school house and general store also are included on the guided tour.

Jarrell Plantation Historic Site

Not all southern plantations were expansive estates with Grecian-columned mansions. The Jarrell Plantation is considered a rare example of a nicely preserved middle-class plantation, today maintained by the state park system and open to the public for tours. It escaped Sherman's wrath during the Civil War because it was tucked in the hills away from the main towns, roads and rail lines. It's still somewhat of a hidden treasure. Tours of the grounds and buildings are available only on certain days of the week, so call ahead before visiting. A privately operated B&B, the Jarrell 1920 House, is run by descendants of the Jarrell family and adjacent to the site, and is the only accommodation for miles around.

Melon Bluff and Dunham Farms

What used to be Palmyra Plantation is now a nature preserve and vacation retreat on the banks of the marshy tidewater estuary in the coastal region of Georgia. The land has been in the same family since the 18th century. Melon Bluff is a nature preserve with prime wildlife viewing spots along its miles of nature trails. Next door is Dunham Farms, where guests can stay in the renovated farmhouse inn that used to be Palmyra's barn. Eco and historical tours are offered by the staff, including kayaking and birding expeditions, as well as the not-to-be-missed Plantation Heritage Walk, a guided one-hour leisurely stroll through the grounds that offers historical insight into the area's rich past.

Stately Oaks Plantation

Tara might not exist, but this Greek Revival plantation house in Jonesboro is as close as you'll ever come to it. Stately Oaks is part of the Historical Jonesboro/Clayton County Inc. community, which bills itself as "the legendary home of 'Gone With the Wind.' " This is where Margaret Mitchell spent her summer vacations as a child, and Stately Oaks is believed to have been her main inspiration for Tara. Docents in period costumes provide public tours of the house and other historic outbuildings, including the log kitchen, a school house and a country store.

About the Author

Blake Guthrie is a freelance writer and award-winning singer/songwriter based in Atlanta, GA. He has won–-or been a finalist in–-numerous songwriting competitions, including the Top Ten, the Eddies Attic Open Mic Shootout, the Independent Music Awards, the KRCL Performing Songwriter Showcase (Top Ten) and the International Songwriting Competition. For two-years in a row he was selected as “Critics Choice” for “Best Singer/Songwriter in Atlanta” by Creative Loafing, the largest newsweekly in the Southeast (this was BEFORE he started writing for the magazine). He also enjoys writing about himself in the third person.

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