The Lake Oconee area has ample representation of some of America’s talented authors. Although author Joel Chandler Harris wrote his beloved Uncle Remus stories in Atlanta, his early life was spent near Eatonton at the Turnwold Plantation where he got the inspiration for the tales. The statue above is still in downtown Eatonton, as is the Uncle Remus Museum. Turnwold Plantation is visible on Old Phoenix Road.

Author Alice Walker also was born in Eatonton. She later became famous as the prize-winning writer of the novel The Color Purple. Her childhood home is no longer standing, but the family church is under renovation, and one can see it on the Alice Walker Driving Tour. Find details for viewing the roots of these famous authors here.