One-tank trip: Warm Springs

By Lori Johnston

For the AJC


The one-stoplight, west Georgia town of Warm Springs roars to life when motorcyclists make pit stops there en route to Pine Mountain and other destinations.

Enlarge photo

Lori Johnston The Art in Motion Museum in Warm Springs houses more than 60 bikes and other memorabilia.

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Bikers will find two recently opened vintage motorcycle museums created with them in mind.

This fall, you may want to time your visit with events such as the Southern Quilt Show on Sept. 19, Harvest Hoe Down on Oct. 10-11 or Candlelight Tour on Nov. 20-22.

Don't Miss

Art in Motion Museum: This jam-packed building in the center of town features more than 60 bicycles and non-biker items such as jukeboxes, magic memorabilia, Tiffany clocks, coin-operated machines and music boxes. Preston Evans opened it in March 2008, taking many of his collections out of storage to make them available to the public.

The motorcycles spill out into the entryway, where there's also a 1950s steam engine that Evans says was used to haul diamonds in Arkansas. The classic bikes, which date to 1902, include Triumph, Cushman Eagle, Harley-Davidson, Excelsior and Indian motorcycles, in colors ranging from army green and red to bright yellow. Write-ups posted near many of the bikes and other items explain their history to visitors.

One room is filled with Indian motorcycles, which total about a dozen between the Art in Motion Museum and the nearby Foto Excursion Museum. Evans welcomes guests, telling exotic stories of how he came to own the motorcycles and other collectibles. The pieces include a 1975 Harley still in the crate, with zero miles and handlebars that have never been attached.

10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday; closed Monday. $5. 70 Broad St., 678-296-3326, www.preston opportunities.com

Foto Excursion Museum: An alleyway and the Bullochville courtyard -- where Evans has set up a mini-town with a soda shop and stores -- link Art in Motion to Foto Excursion Museum, which opened in April.

The doors to the museum open wide, allowing people to roll in their own bikes for photos in front of painted murals ranging from the Grand Canyon to biker haven Sturgis, S.D., to Route 66.

But it's fine to come in without a bike, too, and snap shots sitting on the vintage motorcycles, such as a 1937 Indian with a sidecar in the Route 66 room. Another room is filled with BSA motorcycles standing on the floors and shelving, dating to 1939 and boasting less than 10 miles on them. In one corner one of the museum's best scenes recalls the famous motorcycle jump in "The Great Escape" A Harley-Davidson bike, outfitted with an original Thompson machine gun, is situated to look as if it's trying to jump a wire fence, just like in the film.

More than 25 bikes join jukeboxes in a former house filled with stained glass and chandeliers.

10 a.m.- 6 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday; closed Monday. $5 (includes the right to take personal photos; sessions with a professional photographer start at $20). 78 Lil Sturgis St., 678-296-3326, www.prestonopportunities.com

FDR's Little White House

The state historic site is less than a mile from the motorcycle museums, antique shops, gift shops and restaurants in Warm Springs village. Guests can visit President Roosevelt's six-room house, completed in 1932, and find exhibits with original furniture, automobiles and an unfinished portrait of the president, who suffered a stroke while posing for the artist.

Special events throughout the year allow the public to swim in the therapeutic pools filled with warm spring water and used by Roosevelt (next scheduled Sept. 5-7, $15 adults, $10 ages 6-17).

Site open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. 401 Little White House Road, 706-655-5870, www.gastateparks.org/ info/littlewhite/