Head back to a simpler life in the 1800s.

If the thought of simplifying life appeals to you, take the time to go back in time at The Twelve Oaks. Built in 1836, The Twelve Oaks is one of our luxurious places to stay. With its exquisitely renovated rooms, the 11,000 square-foot mansion is considered one of the most beautiful examples of antebellum architecture in the south. Built as a town house by a plantation owner, the home is one of many that survived Sherman’s March to the Sea. This is a history tourism destination that has won many awards including Georgia’s Top 10 Must See Antebellum Architecture by Georgia’s Official Travel and Tourism Arm.

Sleep where the stars have been.

You might have heard about this treasure from Gone With the Wind. It’s been said that Margaret Mitchell saw a photo of the house and wanted it used as the setting for Ashley’s house. There’s even a room called The Frankly Scarlett Room that is decorated in a manner that would definitely turn Scarlett’s head.

Although it might have first been filmed for Gone With the Wind, the mansion has attracted many productions over the years. An interesting fact for film tourism involves Salvatore Brother’s Study. Stephen McQueen stayed in this popular suite while filming the Vampire Diaries.

Prepare to be spoiled.

Simplifying life at The Twelve Oaks doesn’t mean you have to give up the best to live like it was in the 1800s. Hotels are nice and all, but this historic B&B is one of the best places to stay where you can get a new appreciation of luxuries. The mansion was completely renovated in 2012 and updated with every modern convenience. Their website describes it as “Antebellum bliss”. We’re trying to decide which is more exciting – a chance to soak in a claw foot tub or feeling our muscles instantly loosen from the high-pressure shower. This amazing ribcage shower is an original and one of only three showers like it in the world!

If that’s not enough to understand a new meaning for being spoiled, reserve a gorgeous room with comfortable plush beds and added luxuries such as Egyptian cotton sheets and soft Turkish robes. After you arrive, relax on a rocker on the front porch, walk along the beautiful, well maintained grounds and then enjoy a Southern Sippin’ and Nibblin’ Hour. After you’ve had an amazing sleep, awake to a delicious home cooked and locally sourced breakfast before heading off to explore other nearby attractions in Covington.

The Twelve Oaks is located within walking distance of the charming Covington Square. Part of the downtown historic district, you will find specialty shops and restaurants. If your interest is history tourism, take a self-guided historic home tour and plan a trip to the historic City of Covington Cemetery. For film tourism, make sure to see the collection at Mystic Grill’s The Alley, and visit the TV & Movie Museum where you can also arrange to take a tour!

What you might not realize is these are the images of Covington and Newton County in the early 1800s. Photographs and historical buildings can still be seen by visitors as part of our history tourism.

In the earliest history of Newton County, settlers were moving inland in Georgia and displacing the local Indians. Our area had long been occupied by the Creek Indian Nation until they ceded their lands to the government. This led to the 1807 land lottery. Less than 20 years later, on December 24, 1821, Newton County was formed from part of that land and named in honor of John Newton, a Revolutionary War hero. Covington, Georgia was then founded in 1822. Originally named Newtonsboro, the town was changed to Covington in honor of Leonard Covington, a hero of the War of 1812 and U.S. Congressman.

The Stage Route in Newton County

During the first few decades of Newton County’s development, stagecoach lines linked to places within the community as well as to other regions throughout Georgia. As an important part of our transportation history, stagecoaches brought settlers, supplies and materials into the area. In 1821, the center of the area’s activity was a settlement called Winton and the Brick Store, a general store and stagecoach stop. The Brick Store is one of the earliest buildings in Newton County and one of the oldest buildings in Georgia that has been preserved. The site includes a tablet from 1933 commemorating the Stage Coach Crossroads.

Much of the stage route followed along Highway 278, with portions today covered by I-20. Another little tidbit for those interested in transportation history, it is thought that a house built at 38 S. Broad St. in Porterdale was once a stagecoach inn for Cedar Shoals (later renamed Porterdale).

Establishing the County Seat in Covington

The Brick Store has long been an important structure in Newton County. It served as the first court location and the jail if someone was found guilty and sentenced. Since there were no bars on the doors or windows, a court officer was appointed to guard the prisoner. However, state law required that the county seat be in as central an area of the county as possible. After the first session of Newton County Court in April of 1822, the Georgia General Assembly decided that the county seat would be moved west to Covington.

A temporary courthouse (1822) was constructed in Covington until the first permanent courthouse (1824) was completed at the center of the square. A second courthouse (now known as the old courthouse) was later built in 1885 after the first was burnt down in a fire. The first courthouse location has been transformed into the park-like setting that is now Covington Square.

The first actual jail burned before construction finished. A second jail was a one room caboose built off the square behind the historic courthouse. In 1901, a new jail was built that was state-of-the-art for its time. It was located on the corner of Stallings Street and Court Place, which was later renamed Hunter Street.

If you are wondering how lawless this area was compared to iconic images of the wild west, imagine a saloon built by RW Bagby in 1884 along the square in Covington. The saloon was blown up two years later and was then rebuilt. During the early days of Newton County history, there were a few saloons along the square. Some of them might have burnt down since fires were common. The entire northern side of the square, including the first courthouse, burned down in 1883. From murders to fires, the stories from the 1800’s have brought around some of the best ghost stories in Covington, Georgia. You can hear about these stories during a ghost tour.

The Advent of the Railroad

Rail transport was also important to our county’s development and history tourism. In 1828, U.S. Senator Wilson Lumpkin and Hamilton Fulton rode through Covington to explore the potential for building a canal westward from Augusta. As they traveled through the area, their concept changed from a canal to a railroad with a stop planned in Covington.

Planters, mill owners, and other businessmen helped organize a line in 1836. The arrival of the Georgia Railroad (1845) and then the Middle Georgia and Atlanta Railroad (1894) were significant in the growth and vitality of Covington and the surrounding area. With the coming of the railroad, cotton-growing began to replace farming as the major source of income. In addition to helping agriculture and mills thrive, the railroad brought development. Mule-drawn streetcar transportation, such as from the Covington Oxford Street Railroad Car, would transport passengers from the train depot to downtown Covington. By the late 1800s, the industrial base was expanding and creating local jobs.

While many of the original railroad route from the 1800s is gone, remnants of tracks remain along some of our trails. If you are interested in railroad tourism, an interesting spot to visit is Porterdale with its historic railroad depot and rail car and the Yellow River Path, which follows the old railroad bed.

Projects of The Covington Garden Club

One of the objectives of the Covington Garden Club is to improve the beauty of the city through the love of flowers and beautification projects. Community beautification is an important way that the area enhances the experiences of our residents, business owners and visitors, including tourists. Over their nine decades of service, the garden club has assisted with improvements through beautification of the Covington Square, beautification of the Fairy House Festival at Chimney Park, creation of floral arrangements for Piedmont Newton Hospital’s gala events, and many other projects.

After the garden club formed, one of its first projects was a flower show in May 1930. Flower shows were held for many years. In addition, the garden club was influential during World War II by sponsoring blood drives, victory gardens, and a canning school. They also held horticultural workshops, home and garden tours, and other local community events.

Covington’s beautiful homes were first opened to the public for a tour sponsored by the Covington Garden Club in 1948. According to an article on The Twelve Oaks’ website regarding the 1948 home tour, “more than 2,500 actually descended upon the little city” with visitors coming from as far as New York and California.

With today’s global pandemic, more people are looking for tourist places where they can relax and enjoy the beauty of nature while social distancing. One special place with a playground and pavilion that has a lovely shade tree area is Academy Springs Park, 3120 Conyers Street SE. A special project that began at the park in 2005 is The Covington Garden Club’s Memorial Arboretum. Every year, the garden club plants trees in memory of members who have passed away. A plaque has been placed at the arboretum honoring the members and listing the name of each tree planted in their memory.

Collaborations in Newton County

Beautification of our community is an important aspect for tourism in our area. It encourages the community to become further connected, more appealing to opportunities, and significantly enhances everyone’s sense of belonging. The Covington Garden Club often collaborates with other groups to help in our community’s beautification projects. Two groups they have collaborated with include the Covington Lions Club and Keep Newton Beautiful. Another group is the Satsuki Garden Club, which focuses on Newton County and is also a member of the Redbud District of The Garden Club of Georgia, Inc.

In addition to the memorial arboretum, Academy Springs Park is an area where you can see the influences of many of our community groups. For example, the playground was built and installed by the Covington Lions Club. The Satsuki Garden Club was pivotal in creating a pollinator garden at Academy Springs Park. When visiting Newton County, this park is a must-see for anyone interested in ecotourism.

Of interest to the history tourist, The Covington Garden Club and Satsuki Garden Club partnered with the Georgia Department of Transportation and The Garden Club of Georgia, Inc. to add a historical marker along the Blue Star Memorial Highway. This tribute to our United States Armed Forces is located along Highway 43.

One common theme that we’ve read from travel bloggers is that they want to experience the real place where filming was done. Their blogs about visiting Covington share their enthusiasm when they take in the sights and are welcomed with our southern hospitality.

We must admit that it is a lot of fun touring Covington and then watching some of the scenes where you’ve visited. Whether you are taking a weekend road trip or a vacation to Covington, get the scoop directly from travel bloggers who have highlighted our TV and film tourism attractions.

The Hollywood of the South®

Bill Clevlen of Bill on the Road is a travel journalist, broadcaster and freelance writer who wrote about Covington being known as the Hollywood of the South®. Indeed, we’ve had many productions filmed here that have made Covington a premier filming destination. While the filming might have brought Bill Clevlen here, he also shared that there were many eateries he enjoyed.

“Every place where I grabbed a bite to eat was above any expectations. From a quick homestyle lunch at The Town House Cafe to a delicious calzone at Amici – I spent plenty of time eating well during my visit.” – Bill Clevlen

Recent filming of Sweet Magnolias

With Sweet Magnolias being a Top 3 show on Netflix, Covington is getting new love! There is an abundance of well-known magazines with articles about the series being filmed here, including: Newsweek, Southern Living, Marie Claire, and O, The Oprah Magazine.

Olivia Harrison, a writer for Refinery 29, wrote about the real life location of Sweet Magnolias, one of Netflix’s newest productions. The heroines in the romance live in the fictional town of Serenity. The real location is Covington, which Olivia said captures that “special essence of Serenity”. She wrote that the TV series has the “added appeal of a quintessential Southern backdrop” and “its charming vibe is key to bringing the story to life.”

Famous for Vampires

We love the pictures and personal descriptions Saskia wrote on her blog when she visited Covington to view filming locations from The Vampire Diaries. She’s one of our international travelers from Germany. We’re glad she took the time to choose Covington in her travel itinerary! Here’s what she had to say about us:

“Hands up, who knows this place? This is the main square of the show! There is the town clock, the mystic grill and the town square all together. Now, I really want to start all over again with Vampire Diaries only to say that I was there, haha.” – Saskia

“Still standing! That’s Elena Gilbert’s house! She wasn’t home obviously.” – Saskia

“Surprisingly, Caroline lived next to Elena. Well, just in the real world they would be neighbors.” – Saskia

Another travel and lifestyle blogger is Holly Habeck. She wrote about the popular Vampire Stalkers tour on her blog:

“Hands down the best way to explore Covington, GA is through an official Mystic Falls Tour.” – Holly Habeck

In talking about the tour guide, Holly said:

“Jessica, the owner of the company, is incredibly knowledgeable on the show and the area, and she personally knows many of the cast members.” – Holly Habeck

“She has tons of great stories, and she really knows what she’s talking about when it comes to “The Vampire Diaries”, the spinoff “The Originals”, and now even “Legacies”, the third TVD spinoff!” – Holly Habeck

We agree with Holly that taking the tour gives you great extras – you get access to locations like Worthington Manor, better known as Lockwood Mansion in The Vampire Diaries. You’ll also get tidbits of information about the cast. So, how did this experience make Holly feel? We think what she said here sums it up:

“It was really cool to sit outside here like the TVD cast did many times and look out at Covington Square or the clock tower…it really feels like you’re in Mystic Falls!” – Holly Habeck

There are tons of bloggers who visit Covington to see the real Mystic Falls and Shannon Entin with The TV Travel shared her experience.

“When TV shows and movies use real towns for a large part of their filming, it’s great fun for fans to visit. Some real-life towns have been transformed into fandom destinations. They embrace the fans with local merchants offering tours, merchandise, and themed food. This is definitely the case in Covington, aka Mystic Falls, Virginia.” – Shannon Entin

Shannon didn’t just talk about Vampire Diaries attractions. She shared information about some of our dining and shopping destinations.

Covington gets travel bloggers from all over the world. Tiia Öhman with FanGirl Quest came from Helsinki, Finland. She shared her experience while visiting Covington on her blog about vampires with a focus on The Vampire Diaries and Legacies.

“In Covington, we were treated like royalty: delicious meals, local gifts and museum tours and a memorable night in an old mansion (probably haunted!) with fancy ol’ furniture and a breakfast experience like no other. We talked about the city’s history, the local gossip, food, architecture, you name it. Our quick visit was over way too soon; we could’ve easily spent a few more nights just enjoying the welcoming atmosphere.” – Tiia Öhman

The Twelve Oaks Experience

Another blogger from overseas is Leona Wandermust. She’s a wife, mother and founder of the Wandermust Family Travel Blog. We love that Leone and her family not only came to visit us from afar, but they also stayed at the Twelve Oaks! She mentioned that Gone With the Wind is a favorite book of hers, so when she found out about the inn, she had to stay there.

“When we were road tripping around the USA and I found out that the original inspiration had been turned into a bed and breakfast, I knew I had to stay there!” – Leona Wandermust

“The whole town of Covington surrounding the property is a film buffs dream known as the Hollywood of the South!” – Leona Wandermust