Ocmulgee-Piedmont Scenic Byway
The Ocmulgee-Piedmont Scenic Byway begins in downtown Gray on Highway 11. The route continues north on Highway 11 for approximately nine miles, where it passes through the communities of Bradley, Wayside, and Round Oak. It next turns west on Round Oak – Juliette Road, proceeding for approximately 12 miles before ending at the Ocmulgee River in Juliette.
The Ocmulgee-Piedmont Scenic Byway traverses 200 years of Jones County history as well as the pre-historic and historic sites of the Creek Indians that lived there in the 17th and 18th centuries. What is now SR 11 was formerly an Indian trail and a major north-south route between Hillsboro in Jasper County and Clinton, Jones County’s 19th century county seat.
In 1864, during the Civil War, opposing forces met along this road at the Battle of Sunshine Church and later that year General Sherman followed this route through Jones County on his “March to the Sea”.
The Round Oak-Juliette Road portion of the Byway was originally an Indian trail and now travels through the pristine pine forests of the Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge, which is inhabited by several species of endangered wildlife. East Juliette, the endpoint of the byway, is a small late 19th/early 20th century mill village community located on the Ocmulgee River. The town of Juliette, on the other side of the river, was the setting for the 1991 film Fried Green Tomatoes.
Directions
From I-75 north to Juliette Road in Forsyth
- Turn east on Juliette Road
- The byway begins at the Ocmulgee River in Juliette
From I-75 South to Gray Highway in Macon
- Take Gray Highway (SR 129) north; it will turn into Denmark Gover Jr. Highway, Rock Creek Road, and W. Clinton Street
- In Gray, take a left on Atlanta Road, Highway 11
- The byway begins at the Gray Depot in downtown Gray
Roads Included in the Byway
- SR 11 from Gray Depot in downtown Gray, north to Round Oak-Juliette Road
- Round Oak-Juliette Road from SR 11 west to the Ocmulgee River