Discover Georgia’s legacy of inspiring wartime stories at the sites that make up the new Georgia World War II Heritage Trail, launching today. Southern states were critical to the war effort during World War II (1941-1945), and none more so than Georgia. Over 300,000 Georgians served in the military, and thousands of civilians worked in rapidly expanding defense industries. Ten sites across the state have partnered to bring a new experience to visitors, families, and groups.

Trail visitors can take flight in a World War II airplane, build a Liberty ship, explore a pilot training base, march in the boots of the Band of Brothers, and learn the personal stories of courage, character and patriotism displayed by the men and women involved. Suggested routes for North Georgia, Middle Georgia and the Coast make it easy for visitors to experience two or three locations over a weekend. A Trail “passport” is being created so visitors can track their progress along the route, debrief their visit, and receive a confirmation stamp with the “V for Victory!”

Georgia’s contributions to the war effort are a microcosm of national efforts at that time. Seeing the possibilities of a thematic history program, Sherri Jones, Executive Director of the Coastal Georgia Historical Society, teamed up with Scott Loehr, President of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, in 2018 to begin reaching out to WWII sites across the state. Jones said “The response that we received was overwhelmingly positive, and within a year we had established a close working relationship. We were united by our passion for WWII history and our eagerness to make Georgia’s rich heritage more accessible to all.”

The Heritage Trail is one of only four World War II Trails in the nation.

Learn more about the Georgia World War II Heritage Trail by reviewing the attached Trail Information Kit and rack card or by visiting www.georgiawwiitrail.org. Note that operating hours of some museums have been affected by Covid-19; please refer to the website when planning your trip.