Retirement
That is your plan for your second life? When you daydream about that next phase, are you thinking about a change? Whether you are north or south, a change in latitude is the plan of action and Thomasville, Georgia may be the perfect destination for you. You can be as involved as you choose here under the spreading live oaks where we occasionally turn the thermostat to “cool” on Christmas Day, and sometimes the only sounds in quiet neighborhoods of historic homes are the footfalls of joggers and the sounds of baby strollers wheeling along.
Come for a Visit
Thomas County is home to one of “America’s Castles,” Pebble Hill Plantation, one of over 70 plantations in the area, and The Big Oak, a massive and majestic oak. Known as the City of Roses, Thomasville has many festivals, parades and celebrations throughout the year such as Rose Festival and Victorian Christmas and the Thomasville Fly-In at our airport. However, other communities in Thomas County are welcoming with their own events such as Mule Day, Peacock Festival and the Boston (GA) Mini-Marathon.
Location, Location, Location
Best of both worlds and the roads to get there is a good description of Thomas County’s location. Thomasville’s close proximity to Florida’s Gulf Coast will please fisherman and beach goers alike, especially with a dog-friendly beach on St. George Island. NCAA college sporting events such as football and baseball are also available in Tallahassee, with Florida State University only 35 miles down the road. Mountain enthusiasts do not despair, with our great highways, it is an easy half-day jaunt up to the Blue Ridge foothills.
Work, Play, Work, Play, Work Becomes Play
Entrepreneurs are welcome and encouraged by the Chamber of Commerce which offers small business mentoring. Opportunities abound in our small, but progressive town, and fiber optic cable for Internet access gives Thomasville entry to the dotcom world. Fortune 500 Company, Flowers Foods, started in 1919 as a family business and still has its headquarters located here. Your new business idea may catch fire too. With over 800 Chamber members, a wide range of business acumen provides networking and camaraderie for a new local business owner.
Culture Climate
OR, are you a frustrated actor who has always yearned to try your hand at the lead role in The Fantasticks? Thomasville On Stage and Company (TOSAC), open to members of the community, strives to keep the tradition of live theater viable in its Storefront Theater, located in the heart of Downtown Thomasville.
The Thomasville Entertainment Foundation (TEF), founded in 1937, presents a classical and a pop series each season. Many world-famous artists and renowned entertainers have been featured – including Fredericka von Staade, Yo-Yo Ma, Audra McDonald and The Stepcrew. TEF, a completely volunteer organization with a stellar record of cultural events, can always use a hand.
Outstanding art may be found in the Thomasville Cultural Center’s gallery and throughout the building. Works of outstanding artists are displayed in the gallery, accompanied by gala openings. Art classes, painting to pottery, are available for adults and children or even grandchildren.
A writer’s group, Silver Scribes, with multiple publications to its credit meets monthly at the Thomas County Public Library, an expanding facility located in the center of town. The group members feel fortunate to have guidance from local authors. The library offers a series of computer workshops and hosts special events to which the community is invited. Should you want to trace your own family “roots,” there is a very complete Thomasville Genealogical, History and Fine Arts Library located in the heart of downtown across from the courthouse.
Our local bookstore (the kind with nostalgia that closed in “You’ve Got Mail”) welcomes lookers and shares space with an art gallery.
Inside Out
The YMCA offers multiple locations and an extensive program designed for all age levels. Its facilities (complete with outdoor and indoor heated pools) are favorites for retirees who enjoy participating in water aerobics, floor aerobics and fitness training on a variety of machines designed for such programs. Classes are scheduled for convenience of those attending, and personal trainers are available. In addition to fitness, they sponsor walks, health education, dance classes and other community activities.
Historic Glen Arven Country Club offers a beautiful 18-hole golf course, and has hosted numerous visiting celebrities. Country Oaks, a public course owned by the city, provides an additional challenge. Several tennis courts on school campuses are available for public use. Butterfly and bird watching events at Birdsong Nature Center and Pinewoods Bird Festival, quail hunting and dog trails at local plantations and outdoor concerts are just few of our year-round activities in Southwest Georgia.
Fit for Life
Archbold Medical Center, in addition to its excellent care and diverse medical staff, provides cutting-edge technology and sponsors periodic lectures by staff members. Archbold Integrative Medicine offers alternative medicine therapies such as diet counseling, massage and physical therapy, Yoga and Tai Chi. A healthy benefit for the area is that Thomasville has the second largest farmer’s market in the state. They offer fresh fruits and vegetables along with local products. Other selections are available at the Green Market and the Organic Market. Pick up locally made cheese and some organically grown tomatoes to keep in tip-top shape.
Thomas University (an accredited liberal arts university that offers undergraduate and graduate degrees) is a growing institution with a broad- spectrum curriculum. Retirees may audit courses of their choosing at TU based on availability for a nominal fee and those over age 70 are free. The university sponsors various community events and cultural opportunities available to the public. Georgia allows residents age 62 and over to audit classes on a space available basis in any state institution, which would include Valdosta State University.
Also, Southwest Georgia Technical College offers adult education courses for lifelong learning.
A Place Apart
We enjoy a heritage that is unusual and it has continued to influence the area into modern times. If you are a history buff, this is an exciting place for you. The Thomas County Historical Society maintains an interesting museum in the heart of one of the oldest neighborhoods in town, and presents lectures featuring outstanding historians and speakers. Historic homes are venerated with our historic districts and you can even visit a National Historic Landmark, Victorian Era Lapham-Patterson House. Pebble Hill Plantation also offers tours. Be sure to stop by the Thomas County Courthouse, built in 1858, remodeled 1889 and soon to be renovated. It is one of the oldest courthouses in Georgia continuously used for court activities.
Get Involved
Volunteers are appreciated, and will find a wide variety of opportunities. You can be involved in our Thomas County Medbank, dedicated to those in need. Local docents at Pebble Hill Plantation (open to the public for tours) meet world travelers as they guide visitors through the many rooms and outbuildings of the complex. They share anecdotes about fabled plantation experiences and the opulent lifestyles of wealthy northern industrialists who found this area so attractive.
The many churches of the area sponsor interesting activities for all age ranges, and offer unlimited opportunities to reach out to the community – including the Foodbank and being involved in local schools. Mentors are encouraged for school children in reading and tutoring programs. The kids love it, and one of them, upon spotting her tutor arriving, shouted to others present “She’s mine!”
If you like to swing a hammer or are into painting, Thomasville Landmarks (an organization dedicated to preserving historic buildings, some of which are listed on the National Register) welcomes participation by volunteers. You can also volunteer for Habitat for Humanity, where a cross-section of citizens pitch in to make renovation a dream come true for some of our deserving citizens.
If you want to volunteer, but just are not sure where, we have the answer. Hands on Thomas County is a volunteer clearinghouse that pairs the skills and time of volunteers with organizations that need assistance making for a very successful and rewarding community partnership.
Come to Stay
Sights, smells and sounds of Thomasville are some of the best reasons to consider changing your latitude and jumpstarting that new life here. The sights include our Thomasville Rose Garden, historic districts in our Great American Main Street City (1998) and our annual Victorian Christmas celebration. Smells include the Flowers Bakery that oozes with the aroma of baking bread or the pine-scented air touted as far back as the 1880s. Then there are the “southern sounds” such as hellos from new friends you meet on the street, bands playing in the Rose Parade or the distant train whistle as you drop off to sleep at night.
Don’t take our word for it, consider that Thomasville was featured in October 2005 on a CBS News report where Consumer Reports identified Thomasville as one of the “Perfect Places to Retire.” Both USA Today and NBC’s Nightly News with Brian Williams identified Thomasville as a retirement location for Boomers. Most recently Thomasville was named as a “Top Ten Best Places to Retire” in Georgia by Retire in Georgia Magazine (Fall/Winter 2007). But when you are considering your ideal retirement, check out Retirement Lifestyles Magazine (August/September 2007) article describing Thomasville called “ACT II: Rediscovering Yourself in Retirement” and picture yourself here.
Inviting shops abound, and our downtown is one of tree-lined streets, vintage buildings beautifully restored and quaint restaurants with umbrella-shaded tables. We’ve saved a place for you. Come have a seat, drink a glass of tea and enjoy Thomasville with us.
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