April 2024 in Rural Georgia

by Mary Catherine Gaston

Spring has sprung in Georgia, and that means some of the year’s sweetest events are just around the corner, all across the state. Make the most of the wonderful weather by taking in one or more of these rural Georgia gems in April!

If you love spring time in south Georgia, head to SwampFest, the biggest party of the year in Waycross, April 5-6. The annual event features a variety of live music acts, arts and crafts vendors, food trucks, a car show, kids zone, fireworks show and more. It’s a great time of year to explore the Okefenokee Swamp Park and National Wildlife Refuge, too, so make a long weekend of it if you can.

The first weekend in April brings one of the biggest events of the year to tiny Darien. McIntosh County’s annual Blessing of the Fleet is actually the largest event of its kind on the East Coast, and it takes place this year April 5-7. Join locals as they celebrate the area’s shrimping industry with live music, an art show, 5K, marine parade and more, culminating in the bestowal of blessings on the area’s shrimp boat captains and crews Sunday, April 7.

Recognized by Southern Living magazine as one of the South’s “prettiest small towns,” Washington is home to more antebellum homes per capita than any other locale in the nation. Get a sneak peek inside a few of those gems during the Spring Tour of Homes and Art Show April 6. Discounted tickets to other local historical attractions are also available during the event.

Experience the art of Southern storytelling at the Georgia Mountain Storytelling Festival in Young Harris April 12-13. Featuring live performances from five nationally renowned, professional storytellers over the two-day event, the festival also includes opportunities for amateurs and beginners to hone their own storytelling skills. Admission is free for attendees ages 18 and younger, and senior adults pay a reduced rate.

A middle Georgia favorite, the Perry Dogwood Festival returns to downtown Perry April 13-14. There is something for everyone at this year’s event, including both kid and adult zones with age-appropriate activities and vendors. Browse arts and crafts vendors, enjoy an array of area food truck options and stroll through the shops that call downtown Perry home year-round.

Thomasville makes the most of April with not one but two festivals back-to-back weekends in April. The Due South Art, Food and Music Festival brings together art, food and live music on April 20 at the Ritz Amphitheater downtown. The following weekend, April 26-27, the 103rd Thomasville Rose Show and Festival will fill downtown Thomasville with flowers, parades, a street dance and more.

Held annually the last weekend in April, the Georgia Strawberry Festival in Reynolds is the self-proclaimed “Sweetest Spot in Georgia.” With activities ranging from a weenie dog race to a tractor parade to a strawberry pie eating contest, the April 27 event is truly outstanding in its [strawberry] field.

Nothing says spring in south Georgia quite like a sack of sweet Vidalia onions, and that is exactly what the Vidalia Onion Festival celebrates. Happening April 25-28, the festival features a recipe contest, sidewalk chalk drawing contest, art show, fun run and even an air show featuring the U.S. Navy Blue Angels flight demonstration team. Celebrate Georgia’s official state vegetable in style (and in Vidalia) this April!

With all this fun happening in rural Georgia, there’s no good reason to spend you weekends this spring anywhere else! Don’t see your favorite rural Georgia event highlighted here? Drop us a line, and we will make sure to give it a shout-out on our social media.

Photo credits from top:

Darien shrimp boats, courtesy of Darien Blessing of the Fleet

Chantilly Plantation, by Danielle Hulsey

Vidalia onion rings, by EZ-E Photography