Passengers are riding the rails on South Georgia's new excursion train. The Azalea Sprinter made its inaugural run on March 13, 2021, and continues to move full steam ahead.
For Jamie Cater and Chris Parrott, owners of CaterParrott Railnet (CPR), operating a passenger train has been part of the company's "big picture" for many years.
"I grew up watching the train go past my house," Cater says. "It was exciting to see all the passengers. We wanted to bring that back to South Georgia."
For train enthusiasts Cater and Parrott, their partnership started in 1999 when they refurbished Tifton's historic train depot and created the Tifton Terminal Railway Museum. In 2005, they established CPR as a short line regional rail carrier providing freight service, railcar storage, and light railcar repair.
As they continued to expand CPR's service area, which now includes five rail lines in 11 Georgia counties, the opportunity to add passenger service became a reality with the launch of the Azalea Sprinter.
Leaving from Nashville, Georgia, passengers climb aboard the Azalea Sprinter for short trips on the historic Georgia and Florida Railroad to either Willacoochee, Moody Air Force Base, or Valdosta.
Running on select Fridays and Saturdays, the train's primary route is a relaxing 34-mile journey through fields and woodland before crossing the Alapaha River on its way to the rural community of Willacoochee. READ MORE
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As a city that’s been welcoming and entertaining visitors since the late 1800s, Thomasville is a must-see travel destination for those seeking true southern hospitality.
Visitors can explore many of the historical landmarks that connect Thomasville’s rich history to its prosperous present. A 20th-century shooting and sporting plantation, Pebble Hill is a stately architectural beauty that showcases the timelessness of Southern elegance and charm. Visitors are welcome to tour the main house or stroll the breathtaking grounds. The Lapham-Patterson House is a monument to the imagination, creative engineering, and craftsmanship found in the Victorian Era. Guests can tour all three floors and learn more about the residents and architecture of the historic home. READ MORE
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Small towns like Nashville offer city dwellers an escape from the crowds and are a perfect place to slow down and unwind.
A classical rural community, Nashville's charm captivates visitors with its surrounding agricultural landscape and sites from years gone by, including several on the National Register of Historic Places.
The centerpiece of Downtown Nashville is the stately Berrien County Courthouse, completed in 1898, and home to the Historical Museum, which is open weekday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The museum has been recognized by the Georgia Humanities as housing the best Georgia exhibits of the Smithsonian Institute 2013 "Roots Music" and the 2016 "Hometown Teams" tours to small communities with a population of fewer than 20,000 people.
Historical sites also include the Old Berrien County Jail and the Harrison/Taylor Home. In addition, the Alapaha Colored School was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2002 and is one of the last surviving two-story wood-frame African-American school buildings in Georgia. READ MORE
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When you’re ready to leave the busyness of daily life, head to Moultrie to take in the friendly hospitality that this quaint town has to offer.
Visitors are immediately drawn to Downtown Moultrie, where the famed Colquitt County Courthouse stands as a focal point. Voted the “Prettiest Courthouse in Georgia,” the historic courthouse stands prominently in the picturesque downtown district, including historical sites, public green space for relaxing, and an abundance of boutiques, gifts shops, antiques, and home furnishing shops. READ MORE
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Nestled in Southwest Georgia’s mostly rural landscape, there is more than agriculture growing in Mitchell County. With the Flint River defining its western border, Mitchell County—with a population of less than 25,000—spans 514 square miles and is home to the cities of Camilla, Pelham, Baconton, and Sale City.
Encompassing more than 171,000 planted acres of rich farmland, Mitchell County is among the state’s top-producing agricultural counties, generating more than $370 million annually, according to the 2019 University of Georgia Farm Gate Value Report.
When it comes to row crop production, Mitchell County ranks No. 1 and generates approximately $144 million in farm gate value. Coming in at the top of the list for agricultural production is field and sweet corn ($76 million), vegetables ($64.8 million), pecans and peanuts ($52 million), and cotton ($48 million).
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Emphasizing a strong commitment to student volunteer efforts and community wellness, PCOM President and CEO Jay S. Feldstein, DO ‘81 formed the Community Wellness Initiative to support existing projects and foster cross-campus collaboration to provide programming and resources for the communities that PCOM serves.
Through the CWI and student-led initiatives, students volunteer their time and education to serve the community in which they’re living and learning.
During a two-week summer volunteer effort through PCOM South Georgia, Iris Rivera (DO ‘25) served as an interpreter between patients and providers at the Ellenton Farm Worker Family Health Program. She said that providing medical care to farmworkers has been a driving force for her medical education. Volunteering with programs like this clinic was one of the primary reasons Rivera said she chose to attend medical school at PCOM South Georgia.
“A big influence on choosing medicine as a career path was my first shadowing experience at a migrant clinic during my undergraduate education,” she said. “I knew from the first day that I walked out of that clinic that I wanted to provide medical care to migrants just as the physicians there were doing.”
In addition to encouraging student participation and through the President’s CWI, PCOM South Georgia donated bottled water, cooling towels, wide-brimmed hats with neck coverings, hand sanitizer and sunscreen to the farmworkers and students who attended the clinic.
PCOM South Georgia’s commitment to its community, which is home to many farmworkers and Spanish-speaking families, also includes highlighting the path to medical education for those residents.
“We actively recruit students from our area with a heavy emphasis on underrepresented minorities,” said Dana Brooks, director of admissions. “If a patient can see someone who looks like them and speaks like them, it makes a world of difference in their physician-patient experience.” READ MORE
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