Coming to the crossroads in Swainsboro
Swainsboro is a small town in southern Georgia between Augusta, Savannah and Columbus. Known as the “Crossroads of the Great South,” Swainsboro is located next to a major highway intersection that runs throughout the state and the entire region. “It’s not just a saying,” says Brittney Williams, a lifelong resident and director of events and tourism for the Swainsboro-Emanuel County Chamber of Commerce. “You can take either of those roads, and they will take you from one side of the country to the other.” It also has one of the lowest costs of living in the state, with a median sale price of $180,000. Couple that with downtown restaurants, local amenities and annual events that bring out the entire county, and Swainsboro is an attractive community for visitors and residents alike.
Southern barbecue, boutiques and Berni’s On West Main
Most shops and restaurants are found downtown along Main Street. Ware’s Bar-B-Q is a southern-style joint with pulled pork, brisket and ribs. “They’ve been in business since 1958,” Williams says. “They’re very popular for their famous Brunswick stew. You can smell it all over town.” Berni’s On West Main is a cozy steakhouse with seafood dishes such as shrimp scampi, bacon-wrapped oysters and Atlantic salmon, and Leanna’s is a local cafe that offers lattes, pastries and cheesecake. There are also several brunch, pizza and fried chicken restaurants around town, as well as plenty of boutique stores and antique shops. There’s also a Tractor Supply on the southeast corner of the city and two grocery options between Walmart and Harveys Supermarket.
Country living with homes on acreage
Swainsboro has mainly older rural properties built in the 1900s, although there are some new builds on acreage farther on the outskirts. “It’s very country here,” Williams says. “A lot of the homes are Antebellum, Georgian and Farmhouse-style and have been in their families for generations.” Bungalows and fixer-upper houses that are less than 2,000 square feet range between $45,000 and $95,000, while log cabins, traditional and ranch-style homes cost $100,000 to $300,000 and can have quarter-acre to 10-acre lots. The streets are lined with wiregrass, sidewalks and tall pine trees, and some driveways are paved while others only have dirt and gravel. More people rent rather than own their properties outright, with a few hotels and apartment complexes located by the main road.
Parks, sports complexes and a splash pad
There are many parks and recreational spaces throughout Swainsboro. Vann Community Park has two playgrounds, a picnic pavilion and a log cabin that hosts special events, while Harmon Park has a dog park, fishing ponds and tennis courts. DeAlva and Gumlog Park both have playgrounds, picnic tables and basketball courts, and there are four lighted softball fields, batting cages and a splash pad at the Billy C. Carmichael Recreation Complex. The 18-hole golf course is available to the public on the west side of the city, while the Piney Woods Disc Golf Course is open year-round on the opposite end.
School choice in Emanuel County and East Georgia State College
Emanuel County Schools earns a B and offers school choice to nearly 4,000 students. Swainsboro Primary School serves kindergarten through second grade and earns a B-plus, while Swainsboro Elementary teaches third through fifth grade and earns a B-minus. Swainsboro Middle School has a C-plus. Swainsboro High School has a 13-to-1 student-teacher ratio and earns a B-minus. East Georgia State College is a public four-year university and is rated a C-minus.
Farmers’ markets, dirt races and annual festivals
The Boneyard Pavilion hosts the Downtown Swainsboro Farmers Market every Friday, while live concerts are also held there over the summer. The Swainsboro Raceway can have over 90 vehicles racing on its dirt track from February to November. The Pine Tree Festival in the spring includes a parade, barbecue contest and car show and has been one of the longest-running festivals in the state since 1946. The Fall Festival offers special prizes for its costume contest and old-fashioned carnival games, and the Christmas parade features over 80 floats every December.
Two highways to Augusta and Savannah
People pass by many churches when driving through town on U.S. Route 80. The 24-hour Emanuel Medical Center is right by U.S. Route 1, which runs along Swainsboro’s west side. Residents are car-dependent as there’s no public transportation in the city. Augusta is around 70 miles north, while the Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport is around 90 miles southeast.
Recovering from Hurricane Helene
Hurricane Helene touched down in Emanuel County in 2024, costing nearly $60 million for cleanup and recovery efforts. The recreational complex has a storm shelter in place for extreme weather events.
