12 S G M A G A Z I N E | W I N T E R 2 0 1 7 - 2 0 1 8 Georgia Grown Trail 37 was the state’s first official agritourism highway. The approximately 160-mile trail runs along Georgia Highway 37 from Clinch to Clay counties. “From the start we knew there would be other trails,” said Connell, who has served as president of the Georgia Grown Trail 37 association since it was organized in 2012. “When Trail 37 was given the go-ahead, the folks at Georgia Grown saw a bigger picture.” With the success of Trail 37, Georgia Grown has developed three additional trails: Trail 41 (U.S. Highway 41 from Lowndes to Lamar counties), Trail 301 (U.S. Highway 301 from Charlton to Screven counties), and Trail 1 (U.S. Highway 1 from Charlton to Richmond counties). Traveling through Georgia’s country roads, the stops along the trails include tours of working farms; sampling fresh honey; tasting wine at a country vineyard; visiting markets that sell homemade jams, jellies, and sauces; and eating at farm-to-table restaurants. Agritourism in Georgia is providing an opportunity for children and adults to enjoy a hands-on experience and an up-close-and-personal glimpse of rural life. In recent years, agritourism in Georgia has received more attention with the development and promotion of Georgia Grown Trails, a grassroots effort that began in South Georgia with the idea of creating a wine tour along Georgia Highway 37. “We have several vineyards in South Georgia, and at the time wine tours were popular,” said Ed Perry, owner of Horse Creek Winery in Berrien County. “We then realized that we had a lot of other farms that we could highlight. Blueberries and olives, there were enough players on Highway 37 that we could develop a trail that would bring a lot of attention to agriculture in South Georgia.” Jerry Connell, former head of the Adel-Cook County Chamber of Commerce, was part of the group developing an agritourism trail on Georgia Highway 37. “We saw the trail as a way to promote all parts of agriculture, whether it is wine or blueberries or cheese,” Connell said, “as long as it is somehow related to small-town farming and agriculture.” Missy Pike, information specialist with the Georgia Visitor Information Center in Lake Park, points out stops along Georgia Grown Trail 41 to Robert Holden. When you merge Georgia’s $75 billion agricultural economic impact with $60.8 billion in tourism, you have a recipe for success. Georgia Grown Trails Driving the Back Roads