Thomasville’s luxurious hotels regularly hosted America’s wealthiest families as their guests. Once discovered that it cost less to purchase land than rent hotel rooms, these wealthy families bought property and built grand Victorian mansions and plantation homes. Many of these plantations are still owned by the families who built them and are visited year round. Many of the “winter cottages” built during the 1880s have been restored through efforts of Thomasville Landmarks Inc., and Thomasville citizens.

Although the grand hotel era ended with the extension of the railroad into southern Florida, Thomasville and Thomas County have continued the area’s long-standing tradition of cultural and economic diversity. There is a rich heritage in Thomas County, and the community works hard to guard and preserve its history and tradition.