One-tank trip: Washington, Ga.

The past is present in the east Georgia town of Washington.

The streets are lined with more than 100 antebellum homes, and the museums pay homage to former residents and historic events. Even the lone cinema plays movies from the past, whether just a few years old or award-winners from decades ago.

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Mercer Harris / AJC Special

Washington’s town square is home to an art gallery, shops, restaurants and a hotel. There’s also a combination bookstore, wine bar and cinema, where films of the past are the specialty. The next showing is ‘The Magnificent Seven.’

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Mercer Harris / AJC Special

The Robert Toombs House, home to the Confederacy’s first secretary of state, is among the more than 100 antebellum homes in Washington, Ga.

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Mercer Harris / AJC Special

A red-brick and white-columned home, built in 1869 in the Greek Revival style, is the centerpiece of Callaway Plantation. It’s open for tours.

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But the town offers a diverse lineup of concerts, home tours, car shows and other events throughout the year that beckon visitors who want to make new memories, too. Coming up next is the Washington-Wilkes Spring Music Fest, April 24-26, featuring performances by vocalist Francine Reed, and regional choruses and bands. For information, visit www.washingtonwilkesarts.org.

Don’t miss

• Robert Toombs House. A gravel driveway runs alongside the white-columned home of Robert Toombs, the first secretary of state of the Confederacy, a U.S. congressman and a state legislator in the mid-19th century. A recent visit to the site near the town square found re-enactors in period gowns and suits directing guests through the home and museum, which is operated by the state. The tour allows visitors to peek into Toombs’ law office, the powder-blue dining room, the women’s and gentlemen’s parlors, and various bedrooms, which contain some of the family’s furniture and accessories. The second-floor balcony overlooks the shaded front lawn. There’s also a museum, a short film and a gift shop. $2.75-$4 admission. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesdays-Sundays. 216 E. Robert Toombs Ave. 706-678-2226; www.gastateparks.org/info/rtoombs.

• Washington Historical Museum. Explore relics from the Civil War, including Jefferson Davis’ camp chest, antiques and special exhibits throughout the year. $3 adults; $2 ages 6-12; free for children 5 and younger. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays; 12:30-3:30 p.m. Sunday. 308 E. Robert Toombs Ave. 706-678-2105; www.historyofwilkes.org.

• Strolling downtown. It’s an easy walk around the town square, where you’ll find an art gallery, some home decor and gift shops, a handful of restaurants and even a taxidermy shop. Look for historical plaques on some buildings, noting what businesses previously occupied them and other facts. Favorite stores include Art Gallery LaPlace (www.gallerylaplace.com), featuring paintings and pottery by Georgia artists, and Petal Pushers (www.petalpusherswashington.com),

selling antique furniture, crystal bowls and fine table linens.

• Retro Cinema & Books. Another must-stop on the square is this part bookstore/part wine bar/

part cinema. You’ll find it by spotting the “Gone With the Wind” mural on the side of the building. On the cinema side you’ll find a large screen and a few rows of comfy seating. Concessions available include hot dogs and candy, $2.50-$5. Films are screened on select Friday nights and Saturdays at noon. Next up is “The Magnificent Seven,” April 24-25. Bookstore 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays; wine bar opens at 5 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays. Movie admission $6.50 evenings; $5.50 matinees. 114 Spring St. 706-678-6900; www.retrocinema.net.

• Callaway Plantation. A red-brick and white-columned Greek Revival home from 1869 catches the attention of drivers along U.S. 78 about 5 miles from downtown Washington — and likely those landing in small planes at the airport across the street. The site, which was part of a 3,000-acre plantation, features three homes and other structures used by the Callaway family, including the original barn, a smokehouse, a log cabin and a pigeon house. The site has plenty of items that might have been used by the occupants, including a rocking butter churn in the brick warming kitchen connected to the manor house by a breezeway. $4 adults; $2 children 5-12; free for children younger than 5. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays; by appointment on Sunday. 2160 Lexington Road. 706-678-7060;callaway.washingtongeorgia.net.

IF YOU GO

GETTING THERE

Washington is about 110 miles east of Atlanta, north of I-20.

WHERE TO STAY

The Fitzpatrick Hotel. Victorian hotel on the square, with 17 guest rooms, located in a renovated 1898 building on the National Register of Historic Places. Rates start at $114 a night. 16 W. Square, 706-678-5900, www.thefitzpatrickhotel.com

Holly Court Inn. One of six bed-and-breakfast establishments in the town; offers four guest rooms in a home built in 1839. Rates start at $110 a night. 301 S. Alexander Ave., 706-678-3982, www.hollycourtinn.com.

WHERE TO EAT

Washington Jockey Club. An upscale restaurant on the square that has impressive fried shrimp and serves the shrimp and cheese grits recipe by Joe Barnett, a local resident who beat celebrity chef Bobby Flay on the Food Network’s “Throwdown!” show and has been a winner for three years at the Wild Georgia Shrimp Festival on Jekyll Island. Entrees $9.95-$25.95. 5 E. Square, 706-678-1672.

Sophie’s. Ice cream, sandwiches, coffee and other snacks at a casual establishment next to the Fitzpatrick Hotel. Entrees $5.99-$6.99. 706-678-5921. www.ilovesophies.com Talk of the Town. Known for its gourmet sandwiches, the eatery shares space with a shop selling sundresses, bath and body items, home decor and furniture. Entrees $5.50-$6.95. 1 E. Square, 706-678-7661.

INFORMATION