Here people smile, the local diner's fried chicken is mighty tasty and colorful murals honor the town's past.

Get off the Interstate!

Admit it, after driving it for several hundred miles you are brain dead and butt sore.

And the culinary glories offered at the state-run rest areas offer neither nourishment nor enough excitement for the taste buds to spur you on.

So add an additional hour or more to your itinerary and travel off the highways. You might discover a gem - like southern Georgia’s Lakeland

Less than 20 miles from I-75 the town, also the seat of Lanier County; first appears similar to many small southern towns. There is a main street with banks, businesses, churches and a funeral home.

A scruffy spotted dog snoozes under a parked pick up truck, and the townspeople on the street appear friendly with smiling faces.

But wait!

Take a closer look.

Is that one guy, by the old gas station, sitting in a Model T?

Why is a mule and wagon over by the post office?

See in front of the white building that man wearing a skimmer, suspenders and a bow tie. And look up... there's a old fashioned telephone operator at a switchboard and the little kid, leaning out of the window, on his elbows.

Watch it kid - don't fall!

Hold on a minute! They are not real. Are you in the Twilight Zone?

No, you are looking at efforts of Lakeland's present day residents as they honor the town's colorful past with the life-sized Murals of Milltown depicting the year 1925.

Midway through the roaring 20's the town of Milltown was renamed Lakeland, in tribute to the cypress tree laden Banks Lake, the small Lake Irma and the unspoiled Alapaha River

In the 1990's it was decided to spruce up the county’s appearance. By 1998 “The City of Murals” was born, after similar murals by artist, R.H. Waldrop, were seen in nearby Thomasville.

The decision was to paint and place many of the town's actual 1925 residents near or at their former homes and places of business. Old photographs were scoured from attics, albums and other sources with accuracy being the main goal. Recreating from the past was an exhausting experience – especially when only an 80+-year-old headshot remained. But the dedicated volunteers of LILA (Let’s Improve Lanier’s Appearance) were and continue to be clever and crafty. Modern models were dressed with antique clothing and old props to achieve the correct attire and look for one of the murals. When creating the mural, dedicated to beloved schoolteacher Mary Robinson, over 25 current school children were costumed in period pieces, and it is their image seamlessly blending with the past.

The only mural which presented a slight problem was the depiction of the prisoner at the painted jail. No one wanted themselves or their ancestors to be given the honor. The situation was solved when the artist’s out-of-town assistant volunteered.

At present over 20 murals are in place, and can easily be seen in about an hour. Most depict scenes of commerce, both black and white, like the grocery store and Model T assembly plant, the Wilcox barbershop to the cotton warehouse. Others celebrate the rural lifestyle with life-like cows appearing ready to bellow a low “moo” from their resting stop along a brick wall, or two little girls resplendent in pink and blue dresses with yellow jonquils dancing at their feet.

The famous are here too.

E.D. Rivers, a Lakeland resident and progressive 1930's “New Deal” Georgia Governor, is shown smiling outside his former law office, as his family is presented outside their massive home – the “Log Cabin”.

For the big Milltown incidents occurring before 1925, like the destruction of the lumber mill in 1919, the murals are painted in sepia tone. If you have the time see more murals indoors with a stop by the local historical museum. Indulge in the good food at the diner, and try a little bass fishing at one of the lakes. With more murals are in the works the tribute will continue to grow.

During the last Saturday in April the annual Milltown Murals Motorcade is a crowd pleaser with an antique car parade, and free to the public.

A stop in Lakeland is a delightful visit where the common man/woman of America is venerated.

For more information please contact:

The Lakeland/Lanier Chamber of Commerce

112 E Main St, Lakeland, GA 31635

(229) 482-9755

Or see the Bank Lakes Mill House Mural (with a map) midway on S. Temple St between Main and Murrell Sts.