Covington GA is a short drive from the Firefly, pretty Bed and Breakfast near Madison GA, This is the filming location for a number of popular movies and TV shows. The modern town is a pleasant day trip., because there are plenty of places to explore.
Those guests we have that are not actually in the movies find this very interesting.
We’re experts by the way, on the topic of Backroad Travel which is a practice of appreciating the local history, sights, and beauty of the area.
Covington Town History
Covington was founded in 1822 and is pretty typical of the little farm towns in this part of the country. The early inhabitants built this town on the main railroad line. Itserved as a county center and agricultural shipping point. There are two old mills nearby, to process the local crop of choice which was (and is) cotton. The Covington and North Covington historic districts are both registered in the National Registry of Historic Places.
In 1864, Sherman’s troops looted the city, but did not torch it. Some of the beautiful local antebellum homes were preserved because of this. If you choose to drift off the square you may see some of these. We drifted into an estate sale in a particularly nice one of these at one point a couple of years ago. The owners bragged a bit about the bullet holes still visible in the back wall of the place.
Covington the Movie Set
According to IMDB, Covington is the backdrop for at least a dozen TV and film productions. The most famous of which (I guess) is the Vampire Diaries, which ran for 8 years and ended in 2017, because there is a limit to the number of vampire plot lines.
Also famous films such as the remake of Footloose, the Dukes of Hazzard, the remake of Vacation and the film Sweet Home Alabama all were partly filmed in this pretty place, because of its country charm.
Georgia has been actively recruiting and encouraging the film industry for the last 40 years. The local infrastructure, cooperative government and population, and pretty good weather are all cited as reasons for this. The actual reason is that it is cheap to film here. The sets are pre-built, especially here in Covington where the city is already set up to look like an imaginary place.
Those wishing to hang out in the area and tour the place can often take a film location tour. One of these is the Vampire Stalkers, because it is has a cult following. The tours will run you by some of the locations from the famous TV show.
The Town Square
The town square in this place is the kind of place Disney would copy. There is a big park, town courthouse, and a square of pretty stores, and shops. The square itself is home to a lot of ongoing events including the 5K, concerts, and Karaoke. Some people would not think the town square a good venue for Karaoke. We all know what we can handle.
This place is flat, and pedestrian friendly. A slow tour around this place can take the better part of an afternoon and burn many fewer calories than you can consume, because of some of the local restaurants.
Modern urban developers are “creating” just such places for gatherings, rallies, farmers’ markets, and other excuses to bring people together. This place is lucky, because all they have to do is take care of the old stuff.
Food
Our two favorite places to go here are the City Pharmacy and the Mystic Grill. City Pharmacy is a beautifully restored store front from the 20’s with subway tile and a lot of mirrors. Fave comfort food at the City Pharmacy is the macaroni and cheese. If timed properly you may have it served on the patio, with the lunchtime concert going on in the park behind you. Check before you go because due to Covid some of the hours have changed.
Mystic Grill is a more modern, wood paneled place next to the courthouse, and is “Vampire Themed” based on the link to the TV show. The neighboring courthouse was often featured in the Vampire Diaries. This place was popular the last time we were here. The lunch of choice is the Lobster Roll, with sweet potato fries. There is a rooftop dining area just in case you want to hit this place at about sundown.
Covington is off the normal beaten touristy path. Therefore a nice lunch for two can be had in either of these places for well under $35. This is if you take it easy on the alcohol. There are a number of options, but the place has changed in the last few years because of covid, but it is still good to explore.
The Confederate Statue
Also on the square is one of the famous Confederate Statues that are so controversial. This particular one is unusual. This is because our confederate soldier is leaning awkwardly backward a bit for some reason. Part of the game on the confederates is to try to figure out what direction they are facing. Most of the old timers in the area think that they’re facing north, because they need to guard against the yankees. But, we have put the compass app on more than one of these and found out that is not ture.
In the case of Covington, the northerner was Sherman, and his march from Atlanta to Savannah is along this route. We all know how this worked out.
The reader is invited to make of this what he or she will. It is what it is. A blog post may be written on this topic. A lot of Covington was spared at the time because it was not much of a town.
Twelve Oaks
About four blocks off the square is the 11-bedroom mansion featured as Ashley’s house in Gone with the Wind.
For those readers who don’t know who Ashley was, and have never seen Gone With the Wind, you may wish to stick with the Vampire Diaries. There are no tours at the moment, but there are plans to turn this into an event venue. Because of the fame, this place did run as a B&B for awhile. Drive by and try to imagine mowing the lawn on this place.
We recently had an extensive tour of this place and it is worthy of a blog post in and of itself. This place recently underwent a $2M restoration and updating, and would be a nice place to invite your friends over, because of the movie set history.
Road Trip to Covington: Walking Around
Pretty storefronts, nice shops, and an art studio are here. The locals are friendly, and want you to stop in and see the local crafts or take an art class. There is a “walk of fame”. The sidewalk here is in a beehive pattern, and select hexagons have the names of famous movies and actors. The square itself is human-scale, and liveable, and the kind of place that appeals to all of your senses on a good day. The railroad still runs through this place and an occasional train whistle still reminds you of the agricultural past.
Directions
From the Firefly, go to the end of the driveway and turn right. You’ll reach it in about 35 minutes. A shorter cut would be to take I-20 west and follow the signs. Parking is free, the best price for a low key tourist attraction. This makes for an easy day trip, with nice food, to an interesting place that has real people.
