BOTH THOMASVILLE’S WELCOME Center (229-227-7099) and its Web site ( www.thomasvillega.com ) tell of the town’s history by pointing to Its museums and other attractions. Among these are the Lapham-Patterson House, open to visitors who wish to explore a remarkably preserved example of the mansions that sprang up in town in the 1880s. Events held throughout the year include theatrical productions and concerts, a rose festival that gives Thomasville its nickname, the Rose City, and a gala plantation ball held each April at Pebble Hill. “African-American Life on the Southern Hunting Plantation” is available from Jack Hadley at 229-228-6983 or by e-mailing Arcadia Publishing at sales@arcadia publishing.com.

You can absorb a good deal of plantation life by booking a suite at Melhana (888-920-3030), but if you prefer to stay in downtown Thomasville, there are many bed-and-breakfasts. My choice was the charming and beautifully furnished 1884 Paxton House Inn (229226-5197), owned by the formidable Susie Sherrod, who joined the Army Nurse Corps and retired as a colonel. She keeps a keen eye on every detail of the operation but also has time to stop and share stories of life in the town that she once left to travel the world and to which, like so many others, she returned.